Hate what EastEnders has done to Ben Mitchell? Give it time – it actually makes total sense

Hate what EastEnders has done to Ben Mitchell? Give it time – it actually makes total sense

(Picture: BBC/Metro.co.uk) None of us like change. Aside from changing my underwear and socks, Id qu..

(Picture: BBC/Metro.co.uk)

None of us like change. Aside from changing my underwear and socks, Id quite happily stay in my own never-changing bubble for the rest of time, casually ruining soap twists for eager readers and spending my weekends surrounded by cats. But change – especially in a soap like EastEnders – is necessary.

When re-casting Ben Mitchell from Harry Reid to Max Bowden, acclaimed producer Kate Oates made no secret of the fact that the character was going in a new direction – and not just facially. And while the promo pictures had everyone up in arms that the glasses and hearing aid were gone (spoiler: they werent, he wears contacts and hearing aids can be quite small these days. Facts are our friends), the doubting and instant slamming that comes with social media and its compulsive nature had begun, before Ben had even been in a trailer let alone an episode.

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Hes been back a little while now and hes certainly got a dark edge. The Ben we last saw was much less ruthless but had basically felt he had no choice but to nick a load of money (which turned out to be much less than he thought, which was a bit of a kick in the nuts) and depart Walford. His dad only accepted him with limitations and seemed to prefer Jay over him – and it had taken him years to get his angry head around Bens sexuality and that he wasnt built to take over the Mitchell empire.

It stands to reason then that while Ben has been stewing practically in exile, his hatred towards his father has built. Were talking years of animosity here. Its always been a constant for Ben to both hate and fear his dad but also to aspire to be like him and impress him. In the Mitchell faaaaaamily, you have to meet certain leather jacket wearing, cricket bat wielding and receding hairline criteria.

Ben, who as a child much preferred to learn Lady Gaga routines and instead of using and abusing women, he was falling for a man, was never what Phil expected him to be. Straight away, there is a toxic bomb in Ben waiting to explode.

He feels left out of the family, outcast from the business and never fully loved or embraced by a dad he both hero-worshipped and was in awe of. In his prime, Phil could sort summink ahhht with a simple glare. More complex issues just involved him and Grant heading to mansions to deal with gangsters in time to be home for cottage pie cooked by Peggy.

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Now, the tables have turned. Phils pretty deep in the sh*t and Ben has cause both to pity him and lose a bit of respect for him. This was the man he aspired to be and he cant handle a couple of heavies from Spain. This is the guy who quivered at the likes of walking stick wielding Aidan Maguire.

Now is Bens time to step up and both prove himself and claim whats his while not just sticking two fingers up at his doubting dad – but getting revenge on him for the years of agony in the process.

The reason recent villains in EastEnders have failed to connect with viewers is because we never had their back story and development. Aidan limped onto the Square and the worst he did was give Vincent a little bruise and the entire gangland empire of the Square quivered before his might. Until Danny Dyer dealt with him.

We knew nothing about how he grew to be so fearsome and saw no actual menace or character growth. He came, he snarled, he was dealt with and then NEXT. Same with Ray Kelly – he had the charm and charisma but he didnt make it as a villain as viewers couldnt be invested in his journey.

Again, he came, he did a bit of bigamy and got punched by Phil then he got shot by Hunter who has now swiftly been written out as if it never happened.

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Now with Ben, we have the makings of a deeply complex villain here. As he pointed out to terrified Geordie Ewan (I lived in Newcastle for four years, it takes a lot to scare a Geordie – the only thing that shook me was when Greggs was closed for refurbishment), he is normally a nice guy.

And I dont think Ben has lost that side of him. The side that had remorse for bad things he did. The side that sees Jay as a brother to him. The side that fell head over heels in love for Paul. And we will see that side again.

Ben Mitchell and Lola Pearce are whispering about their big secret as he reveals she's engaged
(Picture: Jack Barnes/BBC)

Right now Ben is on a mission – and from a combination of his tortured life and his end goal of destroying Phil – he is prepared to be as ruthless as his father to achieve it because that is how he has always seen Phil get results.

So naturally, he has come in all guns blazing. It will take a while to peel back the layers of Ben, find out what happened to him during his absence and recover the depths that have always been there. Right now his focus is on one thing – so, those believing he has been changed into a one dimensional villain may need to have some patience before accepting that this is the same character and actually a very believable arc and journey for him to go on.

As a kid, Ben thought his mum was dead, he was then tortured and mentally abused by his stepmum, never accepted by his dad, struggled with his sexuality, started torturing his sister through jealousy, attacked a school mate with a spanner, murdered someone in Read More – Source

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