Sharon Watts needs to return to her matriarch status.

By Lewis Knight

Published: Tuesday, 19 July 2022 at 12:00 am

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Two iconic EastEnders characters do not necessarily make for an iconic pairing.

Veteran hard man Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and long-running Albert Square vixen Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) have been paired up since last year and it has not been smooth sailing.

In recent weeks, Phil has been released from prison after cutting a dodgy deal with the police to become an informant on his criminal connections.

However, his secrets being kept from Kat led to a shake-up in their romance.

The biggest obstacle facing this pairing, however, is Phil’s longest-running love interest: Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).

The early 1990s saw Phil and Sharon become a forbidden romance, as the Queen Vic landlady had married Phil’s younger brother, Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp).

Who can forget when the adulterous affair was exposed in 1994 when the ‘Sharongate’ tapes were played by a furious Grant to the entire Vic? 

Sharon went on to leave the Square in 1995 but even led another romance with Phil in the early 2000s when she returned.

However, their next big chance at love occurred after her comeback in 2012 when they eventually went on to reconcile, pursue a romance and marry.

It was here that Sharon found a new and much-needed identity – the Mitchell family matriarch.

The fabulously camp Sharon is iconic enough on her own but this gave even more added purpose to her character and built on the well of history she shares with Phil.

While the fabulously soapy affair storyline with Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and Sharon going on to have his baby, Sharon’s marriage to Phil ended – despite their bonding over the death of her son Denny Rickman (Bleu Landau).

So, Phil found romance with Kat, while Sharon even had a short-lived fling with Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol).

Yet, since his prison release, we’ve seen the pair profess their never-ending love for each other – despite everything in some emotionally-charged scenes that felt like classic EastEnders.

The spectre of Grant, however, shattered any hope of a reunion – at least for now – as Phil soon pursued a reunion with Kat in earnest and she moved back in with him.

BBC, Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Despite this turn of events, it remains clear that Phil and Kat should not be together and that the soap should reunite him with Sharon.

There had been numerous examples in the characters’ histories where Phil had caused a great deal of misery for Kat and usually treated her with utter contempt.

Not least of these was Phil’s ruthless treatment of Kat’s previous love interest Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami) in the months prior to his being brutally killed off (the less said about that the better).

BBC

So, why would Kat even go near Phil? It’s true she has had a penchant for nasty men in the past – we’re looking at you Andy Hunter and Derek Branning – but Kat is also loyal to her family and Phil has mistreated them often too.

The sad truth also is that McFadden and Wallace, while offering dynamic performances on-screen, just don’t ring entirely true as a couple.

The attempts to turn Kat into a Mitchell matriarch also just don’t feel as natural or appropriate as the long-term development that we saw with Sharon.

BBC

Thankfully the upcoming return of Kat’s ex-husband Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) may also be another sign that Phil and Kat are not for keeps, as we will no doubt see Richie’s on-screen chemistry with Wallace also reign supreme.

Let us hope that EastEnders leaves Phil and Kat in the past soon and give us some fiery scenes between Steve McFadden and Letitia Dean as a truly iconic couple.

PS: If we want some real conflict for the pair, EastEnders could always get Ross Kemp to return as Grant sometime soon.

• Read more: EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
• Read More: 6 EastEnders spoilers for next week
• Read more: EastEnders announces more exits

BBC iPlayer is currently streaming weekly boxsets for EastEnders throughout the summer. Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.

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