{"id":52040,"date":"2024-05-23T20:58:29","date_gmt":"2024-05-23T18:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=2044638"},"modified":"2024-05-23T22:31:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T20:31:10","slug":"whitney-deans-empowering-eastenders-exit-was-almost-perfect","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/whitney-deans-empowering-eastenders-exit-was-almost-perfect\/","title":{"rendered":"Whitney Dean\u2019s empowering EastEnders exit was almost perfect"},"content":{"rendered":"

One betrayal too many. <\/p>

By Laura Denby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 23 May 2024 at 18:58 PM<\/p>

\n\n

When it was first confirmed that Shona McGarty would be leaving her EastEnders<\/a> role as the long-suffering Whitney Dean, we campaigned for her happy ever after<\/a>. Well, she got it \u2013 but not before a whole heap of misery beforehand. As if she hadn\u2019t been through enough!<\/p>\n

The news that Patsy Palmer was returning as Whit\u2019s stepmum Bianca<\/a> Jackson was music to our ears, given that the character had started her journey on the BBC soap alongside the mouthy, iconic redhead. But Bianca let Whitney down at the final hurdle, as she chose to keep quiet about the latter\u2019s fianc\u00e9 Zack Hudson (James Farrar) cheating.<\/p>\n

Bianca\u2019s actions were, of course, nothing compared to Zack sleeping with another woman right before Whitney was due to give birth to their baby \u2013 and the woman in question being Whit\u2019s best friend Lauren<\/a> Branning (Jacqueline Jossa). Yet, however well-meaning, Bianca failing to tell Whitney the truth felt out of character.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying, but we\u2019ll say it anyway: Palmer\u2019s onscreen reunion with co-star McGarty was a joy, and it simply wouldn\u2019t have been right to conclude Whit\u2019s story without the woman who raised her. But why did EastEnders have Bi keep such a big secret, tainting the tribute that Bianca\u2019s presence should have been to Whitney?<\/p>\n

\"Scott\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Whitney attacked Lauren in the wake of her discovery.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Thankfully, EastEnders allowed time to salvage Whitney and Bianca\u2019s relationship one day, albeit off-screen, as Whit made it clear she would always love her. She then shared a touching farewell with Zack, who will still get to be the father he\u2019s always wanted to be.<\/p>\n

As for Lauren, though, even Whitney\u2019s declaration of a ceasefire wasn\u2019t enough to save their friendship. When she made her comeback, Lauren seemed like the loyal, moral pal Whit needed, and now she\u2019s destined to be compared to her philandering father Max Branning (Jake Wood) everywhere she goes.<\/p>\n

The bottom line? Just like that, one of Whitney\u2019s most enduring bonds has been destroyed, and it never needed to happen.<\/p>

Zack\u2019s mistake was also unnecessary, when for months it\u2019s been startlingly obvious that he and Whit weren\u2019t compatible, and they could have set up a co-parenting arrangement without all this heartbreak.<\/p>\n

We can\u2019t ignore that the show piled misery for misery\u2019s sake on Whitney, rather than giving her a true happy ending. But that\u2019s not to say that she should have had a man on her arm for her swan song.<\/p>\n

It was empowering to see Whitney step away from romance in favour of raising baby Dolly and foster daughter Britney Wainwright (Lola Campbell); realising that yes, she could<\/em> have a family of her own at last, without a partner by her side.<\/p>\n

\"Patsy\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Bianca chose not to tell Whitney about Zack\u2019s fling.<\/span><\/figcaption> BBC\/Jack Barnes\/Kieron McCarron<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

But did those around her have to commit such deeply hurtful betrayals in order to make this happen? Surely not. It was heartening that Whitney tied up all loose ends and got closure with everyone before she walked away, but the occasion could, and should<\/em>, have been much more uplifting.<\/p>\n

Of course, the fallout of Zack\u2019s infidelity gave McGarty some powerful material. We\u2019ll never be able to get that <\/em>bouquet slap<\/a> out of our minds, or Whitney\u2019s devastated sobs as she wondered just what she had done to deserve all this pain.<\/p>\n

Yet we also got to witness the actress\u2019s sterling work when Whitney gave birth to Dolly<\/a>; the most joyous moment in the character\u2019s entire tenure. A moment that did not<\/em> need to be overshadowed by the cliffhanger of young Britney hearing all about Zack and Lauren\u2019s scandalous secret.<\/p>\n

McGarty\u2019s final episodes were a masterclass, and it was touching to see Whitney get her hard-won fresh start as we\u2019re led to believe that happiness beckons. But EastEnders\u2019 plot twists prior to that last goodbye prevented this from being the perfect exit it should have been.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n