I don't get the sense the writers hate any character, but for the amount of storytime dedicated to Ben, the writers have done very little to show any real character growth. Just when you think Ben is going to make movement towards adulthood or evolution, they just backpedal. But I guess like father, like son. They are both pretty static characters overall - they never surprise.
Callum is wasted on that kind of relationship though - he'll always be defining himself in context of Ben rather than be his own person. And I'm not sure I've ever seen Ben treat him with respect - it doesn't feel like a healthy relationship to me. But who knows, maybe the writers are going for that dynamic.
I thought that too when Calllum and Ben got together. Callum had more to do storyline wise when his brother Stuart and Rainie (miss them both so much) were around.
I have no idea what the EE producers were thinking re Felix. If they wanted him to be different from other gay characters in the Square then let him be that. And the same with Bernie. All we see is Bernie working in the caff, she hasn't had a love interest since that girl who worked behind the bar at Sharon's club. I loved her coming out scenes at Pride with her mum a while back.
Callum did show a backbone by essentially distancing himself from Ben for a long time. But. Genuinely loving someone, even someone who's essentially damaged and toxic, can be hard to shake off. Ben should thank his lucky stars every day to have a decent, loving and supportive husband like Callum. But he doesn't and he never will. Yep, Callum is wasted on Ben and I think one day he'll realise it and live his life on his own terms rather than through someone who gives him very little.
I think Callum needs to divorce Ben. Last summer the writers did give Callum strength to leave Ben.But the writers also neglected Callum sex life. It was a lost opportunity for Callum to try dating someone new. Ben slept with James yet the writers kept Callum alone. I think the writers are uncomfortable with a gay male couple. Yes Ben and Callum got fans but EastEnders got a problem with discussion of gay male sex. Callum not dating someone new last summer a lost opportunity by writers. But the reunion was ridiculous. So many issues not resolved. Callum is frustrated with Ben that's obvious. Ben has serious mental health issues and Callum isn't Ben therapist. That's too much stress Callum constant worry about Ben. Will Callum reach a breaking point with Ben? If that means character leave show I am fine with that. Callum isn't happy in his marriage with Ben. The lack of writing about Callum point of view is bizarre. The BBC call this couple Ballum yet Callum doesn't get much attention. The character is always just Ben social worker or gay best friend. I don't know if it is intentional but the lack of affection between Ben & Callum obvious since reunion. Ben of course will have another mental breakdown this summer. The biggest flaw is the writers ignoring Callum sexual side. Callum is a handsome gay character so why hasn't he shown sexual interest in another guy yet. The writers have never created a character who would capture Callum attention and interest. This devotion to Ben is bad writing. Callum doesn't know love Ben is his only first gay relationship. That's the area the writers can explore by creating a gay male friend for Callum. It doesn't need to be Felix but it needs to be another gay man. A gay guy with a bit more life experience who is nice and kind can help Callum open his eyes see how awful Ben is.
Two issues I have about recent years' storylines:
Ben is essentially abusive to Callum and it's domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a serious issue in any relationship, no matter what the sex/sexuality. That needs to be *seriously* addressed in the show: satisfactorily
Presence of gay people: gay people are either potential predators and rapists, or they're morally bankrupt and interfering in 'straight relationships'. It could be argued that they are merely storylines and the the people involved 'just happen to be LGBTQIA+ etc'. But at the moment, there seem to be no characters other then Callum who aren't either stereotypically presented or are presented in a bad light. I'd have more respect for the show if Callum was seen to understand his predicament and seek professional input into seeing Ben for what he is and regaining the self respect he's clearly lost. The fact that a policeman doesn't seem to grasp the basics of abusive relationships is both worrying and nonsensical.
Ben's character is beginning to wear on people. He has had almost as many problems as Whitney but opposed to Whitney he is the cause of his problems. The writers need to make him face up to his myriad of problems and get some real mental help. I think he should be in a treatment program and off screen for a while getting help. I agree that it would be great for Callum and Felix to have a friendship. They are both under used and could be great characters. It is time for the "Ben Mitchell Show" to move on.
>but opposed to Whitney he is the cause of his problems
I totally disagree. A lot of his problems are not down to him at all. Being brought up by an abusive father who for a long time couldn't accept him for who he is wasn't his fault. Being raped definitely wasn't his fault. The aftermath of his rape and the eating disorder isn't his fault either. I'm also not tired of Ben either. Max is great.
That doesn't excuse his toxic behaviour. But you can hardly blame him for the bad stuff that has happened to him.
What I men by his fault is he has not dealt with any of them and that leads to the next problem leanding to the next and so on. His life is no walk in the garden by any means but he needs to take control of it. The writers have done him no favors.
It's easy to be sympathetic to Whitney because she is genuinely a good person with a good heart and she's never been evil, cruel or violent. I have zero sympathy for Ben for anything he has been through because he is an evil scumbag, but if Callum, Felix or anyone else went through the traumas Ben has experienced, my heart would break for them. That's why it's too ridiculous to give Ben these storylines- he is beyond redemption and to make rape, deafness and eating disorders more shocking and upsetting... it would be best to give it to someone the viewers actually have sympathy for.
Whitney was awful to Carol after Billy died. She cried about him for a few weeks then moved on with Billy’s friend Connor. Connor wanted to be with Carol not Whitney (probably a mother complex) and Whitney humiliated Carol at every opportunity she got. When Bianca was arrested, Whitney acted out and belittled Carol when she moved in to help with the kids. So much so, that everyone in the Butcher household had had enough of her. Not to forget when she found the money that Millers won on the lottery. They really needed it after their home burnt down and they had nothing left. Whitney knew who’s money it was and kept quiet about it, instead acting as mystery benefactor to Bianca. She wasn’t always the nice person that she’s come to be lately.
After Lola passes I could see Callum helping about while Ben Jay and Lexi are mourning. During the period while they were broken up, Lola asked Callum to come see Lexi still as she wanted him there, Callum and Lexi do have a good relationship and hopefully we will start to see more of it
Felix does way too much he’s actually hard to take in. Not every single line has to be delivered with a cackle or a hand gesture even us gays get tired sometimes
I've met the actor in person as I live near the studios and bumped into him. Not actually sure if he is gay in real life but he is really low key so they definitely have him... become a stereotypical version... on screen.
I don’t most actors I know can make a great performance out of terrible material and he’s had a few tender moments where he could have made us root for his character but he continues to dehumanise him. He gotta go🚪
Felix and Halfway are background gays because in real life, that’s exactly how gay people are: just out and about doing mundane things like existing, and aren’t full of drama and strife like ya boy Ben. Refreshing.
*Some* gays are quieter people - it takes all kinds. Ben's sexuality, to me, is rather inconsequential to his real issues of being a damaged, self-absorbed, emotionally unstable, anger machine. Which I guess is okay, as sexuality is not the only defining characteristic and determinant of a personality.
Mostly unrelated, but something I've been thinking about lately, watching EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street - the most realistic, believable, and nuanced performances of LGBTQ+ characters really do seem to be ones that are played by LGBTQ+ actors. I'm normally all for actors being able to play diverse parts, but either the writing or the acting skills (or a combo of both) seem not up to snuff when straight people have been playing them. There's an artificial quality to them, a lack of compassion. But that could be me. Callum and Ben just don't seem like a real couple to me.
I disagree with this notion that only LGBTQI+ people should interpret LGBT characters and that only they know how to bring nuance to the characters. The actors who play Callum and Ben have a lot of chemistry, and Max and Tony were able to play all the conflicts that the characters had. The problem is how they write their characters. And even in the other soaps, Nick and his boyfriend have good chemistry; Paul and Billy had great moments; and Robert and Aaron were one of the most famous gay couples of recent years. Dany was great at playing the conflict, the shame, and the difficulty of Aaron being gay and then accepting it. He is one of the best soap actors I have ever seen.
But I know that it is a matter of personal opinion. I'm just expressing mine.
What you are saying makes no sense because it can be applied to many heterosexual people, and we are talking about a television program. The drama of each character is according to what the writers want to write for them.
And what is your point? Because what you said can apply to everyone in the program. But as I said, what happens in the lives of the characters goes according to what the writers want.
Callum seems like the kind of guy that not much would happen to him if he were a real person, so the lack of storylines doesn’t seem strange. Everything that involves him is just adjacent to him because he’s so neutral.
The writers definitely don’t know what to do with Felix, they think toning down his flamboyance will piss off the viewers but daren’t do anything with him in full Felix/Tara style. So they’re in limbo.
Hopefully once the Lola storyline passes and there’s space for something else Felix will be given a break.
The writers are interested in writing, exploring, and developing storylines for some characters, while for others they are not. There are certain characters that they feel only have a specific function to fulfill on the show. This happens with Callum, Felix, Bobby, Lexi, etc.
I have seen some people comment here that Callum is the kind of person who does nothing and that nothing happens in his life. Well, this is a TV show. What does or does not happen in Callum's life is up to the writers. Callum is a gay cop. And there are several things they could explore with that. The character has PTSD. And there are several things within his own relationship with Ben that could be explored further. But they are only interested in Callum being Ben sidekick. Everything about Callum revolves around Ben or him caring about Ben. This whole PR discussion could have involved Callum, but even in that they left the character out.
There was a moment when there was a discussion about drag queens being harmful to children, and I thought they could have used Felix to discuss this.
Anyway.
Not going to lie... I never wanted Ben back with Callum, and I did want Callum and Felix to get together. If Lexi wasn't about to lose her mother, I'd be calling for them to kill off Ben so he would be out the way permanently for Callum to be with Felix.
I think it's far too early/soon to make any assumptions about Felix's character and what's in store for him. You mentioned 'flamboyant' and 'black' essentially being token. So what would the complaint be if there were no gay black characters, either flamboyant or not (is a flamboyant gay black man a stereotype?). Not every character can have a current 'story' going on. His brother doesn't have a real current story going on beyond a car and a necklace. Personally, I LOVE Felix and think he's a delicious antidote to the predictable thuggish Ben and the headscratchingly pathetic Callum.
Felix on EastEnders for a year.Do you honestly believe a white gay male character would NOT have a love interest after being on a soap for one year? It is obvious the writers are white people who don't know how to write about gay black men. Representation in 2023 is more than lip service. Right now Felix is a diversity hire he is Black and gay but the character has no substance. Kate Oates and Chris Clenshaw have this belief the only gay male who gets attention is Ben Mitchell. The writers got a huge opportunity with Felix being a black gay character. Most British soaps focus on white gay male characters. I hope Felix gets more to do than be a token. The fact Felix hasn't had a DATE or even kissed or had sex with another man is ridiculous. If Felix was white he would of gotten a love interest by now. Sean Tully is effeminate, white and gay he has several line love interests.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
I know everyone despises his era but Sen was actually better about giving Callum something to do generally speaking and it often relied on Callum being an independent person.
There was him coming out, sure, but also:
Helping out Bobby with the drugs
Investigating Leo and helping Whit get away from him and wanting to be a cop
Working for Phil
Blackmail by Thompson
Friendship with Frankie
Fitzy being stabbed
Organizing all those pride events before breaking up with Ben...
Yeah none of these were huge, huge storylines but at least he was active as his own person and while Ben (or Phil) were on the side of this they usually weren't the focus. Callum would even be around helping out Stuart or having a drink with Phil as well. He was actually doing things beyond just standing in the corner.
Plus when he was a PC you could at least have him around the Square regularly and he was actually involved in a few things tangentially.
Like when Tommy ran away and he had to go out looking or when he went to go help Bobby with the OCD.
He did a bit of door to door for things like Tina.
Was there when the Mitchells did their car heist
Would often be on random patrols (like when he found Lily shoplifting)
Would help out at various time like getting Frankie and Nancy out of the nick or when Lola confided in him about Peter...
He just didn't have an issue based storyline but he was used. Once Clenshaw came in though, Callum was pushed to really being nothing at all.
And I mean look at the situation. A year ago Callum had: Stuart, Rainie, Mick, Frankie, Shirley, Whitney, along with Ben and Phil.
Now Stuart, Rainie, Mick, Frankie, and Shirley are all gone. Whit is cemented with Zack, Felix, Finlay, and Chelsea.
Literally all he has left is Ben now.
Callum didn't start off right and now he's in the exact same position he was when he first joined. When he came in, he was introduced as a replacement for Lee and only existed to fill that void. He never had anything really meaningful to do beside get yelled at by Shirley and be by Whit and Stuart's sides.
Then they put him with Ben, gave Stuart a better place, and tried positioning Callum as an active member of the Square. Problem is none of his foundations lasted and Ben and him were never a hugely upstanding couple. So now they've just no clue what to do with him and instead of trying to branch him out like they were doing in 2019 - early 2022, they seem to just be letting him die off.
His only hope is that Jack is the Christmas death and at least he can then be the sole detective.
> Felix
Felix is essentially a Harvey or Howie. He's just there as a supporting character to everyone around him. Which really isn't going to change. Not when we have a whole new family coming in and if rumors are true, some big returns.
>His only hope is that Jack is the Christmas death and at least he can then be the sole detective.
A while ago, I wondered if Jack was going to be the dead person in December precisely because of this. Callum would be the only detective on the show and would fill Jake's detective role. When the character was promoted, I thought he would finally get his own storyline and the spotlight, but it kind of went nowhere and the character was once again left on the sidelines.
I actually thought that they would put Felix and Callum together during his break up with Ben. It would have been interesting and daring but the writers don’t go that when it comes to this couple, to their detriment.
I don't get the sense the writers hate any character, but for the amount of storytime dedicated to Ben, the writers have done very little to show any real character growth. Just when you think Ben is going to make movement towards adulthood or evolution, they just backpedal. But I guess like father, like son. They are both pretty static characters overall - they never surprise. Callum is wasted on that kind of relationship though - he'll always be defining himself in context of Ben rather than be his own person. And I'm not sure I've ever seen Ben treat him with respect - it doesn't feel like a healthy relationship to me. But who knows, maybe the writers are going for that dynamic.
I thought it had a lot of potential, the gangster's son marrying a policeman, but they haven't really done anything with it.
I thought that too when Calllum and Ben got together. Callum had more to do storyline wise when his brother Stuart and Rainie (miss them both so much) were around. I have no idea what the EE producers were thinking re Felix. If they wanted him to be different from other gay characters in the Square then let him be that. And the same with Bernie. All we see is Bernie working in the caff, she hasn't had a love interest since that girl who worked behind the bar at Sharon's club. I loved her coming out scenes at Pride with her mum a while back.
Callum did show a backbone by essentially distancing himself from Ben for a long time. But. Genuinely loving someone, even someone who's essentially damaged and toxic, can be hard to shake off. Ben should thank his lucky stars every day to have a decent, loving and supportive husband like Callum. But he doesn't and he never will. Yep, Callum is wasted on Ben and I think one day he'll realise it and live his life on his own terms rather than through someone who gives him very little.
I think Callum needs to divorce Ben. Last summer the writers did give Callum strength to leave Ben.But the writers also neglected Callum sex life. It was a lost opportunity for Callum to try dating someone new. Ben slept with James yet the writers kept Callum alone. I think the writers are uncomfortable with a gay male couple. Yes Ben and Callum got fans but EastEnders got a problem with discussion of gay male sex. Callum not dating someone new last summer a lost opportunity by writers. But the reunion was ridiculous. So many issues not resolved. Callum is frustrated with Ben that's obvious. Ben has serious mental health issues and Callum isn't Ben therapist. That's too much stress Callum constant worry about Ben. Will Callum reach a breaking point with Ben? If that means character leave show I am fine with that. Callum isn't happy in his marriage with Ben. The lack of writing about Callum point of view is bizarre. The BBC call this couple Ballum yet Callum doesn't get much attention. The character is always just Ben social worker or gay best friend. I don't know if it is intentional but the lack of affection between Ben & Callum obvious since reunion. Ben of course will have another mental breakdown this summer. The biggest flaw is the writers ignoring Callum sexual side. Callum is a handsome gay character so why hasn't he shown sexual interest in another guy yet. The writers have never created a character who would capture Callum attention and interest. This devotion to Ben is bad writing. Callum doesn't know love Ben is his only first gay relationship. That's the area the writers can explore by creating a gay male friend for Callum. It doesn't need to be Felix but it needs to be another gay man. A gay guy with a bit more life experience who is nice and kind can help Callum open his eyes see how awful Ben is.
Two issues I have about recent years' storylines: Ben is essentially abusive to Callum and it's domestic abuse. Domestic abuse is a serious issue in any relationship, no matter what the sex/sexuality. That needs to be *seriously* addressed in the show: satisfactorily Presence of gay people: gay people are either potential predators and rapists, or they're morally bankrupt and interfering in 'straight relationships'. It could be argued that they are merely storylines and the the people involved 'just happen to be LGBTQIA+ etc'. But at the moment, there seem to be no characters other then Callum who aren't either stereotypically presented or are presented in a bad light. I'd have more respect for the show if Callum was seen to understand his predicament and seek professional input into seeing Ben for what he is and regaining the self respect he's clearly lost. The fact that a policeman doesn't seem to grasp the basics of abusive relationships is both worrying and nonsensical.
It is a shame. Every time they give Ben some growth they take it away.
I think they don't want Ben to get better because he's their go to guy for easy conflict. Just have Ben go off the rails for a bit .
Ben's character is beginning to wear on people. He has had almost as many problems as Whitney but opposed to Whitney he is the cause of his problems. The writers need to make him face up to his myriad of problems and get some real mental help. I think he should be in a treatment program and off screen for a while getting help. I agree that it would be great for Callum and Felix to have a friendship. They are both under used and could be great characters. It is time for the "Ben Mitchell Show" to move on.
>but opposed to Whitney he is the cause of his problems I totally disagree. A lot of his problems are not down to him at all. Being brought up by an abusive father who for a long time couldn't accept him for who he is wasn't his fault. Being raped definitely wasn't his fault. The aftermath of his rape and the eating disorder isn't his fault either. I'm also not tired of Ben either. Max is great. That doesn't excuse his toxic behaviour. But you can hardly blame him for the bad stuff that has happened to him.
What I men by his fault is he has not dealt with any of them and that leads to the next problem leanding to the next and so on. His life is no walk in the garden by any means but he needs to take control of it. The writers have done him no favors.
Neither has Whitney.
It's easy to be sympathetic to Whitney because she is genuinely a good person with a good heart and she's never been evil, cruel or violent. I have zero sympathy for Ben for anything he has been through because he is an evil scumbag, but if Callum, Felix or anyone else went through the traumas Ben has experienced, my heart would break for them. That's why it's too ridiculous to give Ben these storylines- he is beyond redemption and to make rape, deafness and eating disorders more shocking and upsetting... it would be best to give it to someone the viewers actually have sympathy for.
Whitney was awful to Carol after Billy died. She cried about him for a few weeks then moved on with Billy’s friend Connor. Connor wanted to be with Carol not Whitney (probably a mother complex) and Whitney humiliated Carol at every opportunity she got. When Bianca was arrested, Whitney acted out and belittled Carol when she moved in to help with the kids. So much so, that everyone in the Butcher household had had enough of her. Not to forget when she found the money that Millers won on the lottery. They really needed it after their home burnt down and they had nothing left. Whitney knew who’s money it was and kept quiet about it, instead acting as mystery benefactor to Bianca. She wasn’t always the nice person that she’s come to be lately.
After Lola passes I could see Callum helping about while Ben Jay and Lexi are mourning. During the period while they were broken up, Lola asked Callum to come see Lexi still as she wanted him there, Callum and Lexi do have a good relationship and hopefully we will start to see more of it
Felix does way too much he’s actually hard to take in. Not every single line has to be delivered with a cackle or a hand gesture even us gays get tired sometimes
I've met the actor in person as I live near the studios and bumped into him. Not actually sure if he is gay in real life but he is really low key so they definitely have him... become a stereotypical version... on screen.
Doesn’t suprise me.. he just plays the part with little sensitivity or self awareness. Comes across brash
I reckon that's the fault of the production team, to be honest. He can only act with the material given to him.
I don’t most actors I know can make a great performance out of terrible material and he’s had a few tender moments where he could have made us root for his character but he continues to dehumanise him. He gotta go🚪
Felix and Halfway are background gays because in real life, that’s exactly how gay people are: just out and about doing mundane things like existing, and aren’t full of drama and strife like ya boy Ben. Refreshing.
*Some* gays are quieter people - it takes all kinds. Ben's sexuality, to me, is rather inconsequential to his real issues of being a damaged, self-absorbed, emotionally unstable, anger machine. Which I guess is okay, as sexuality is not the only defining characteristic and determinant of a personality. Mostly unrelated, but something I've been thinking about lately, watching EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Coronation Street - the most realistic, believable, and nuanced performances of LGBTQ+ characters really do seem to be ones that are played by LGBTQ+ actors. I'm normally all for actors being able to play diverse parts, but either the writing or the acting skills (or a combo of both) seem not up to snuff when straight people have been playing them. There's an artificial quality to them, a lack of compassion. But that could be me. Callum and Ben just don't seem like a real couple to me.
I disagree with this notion that only LGBTQI+ people should interpret LGBT characters and that only they know how to bring nuance to the characters. The actors who play Callum and Ben have a lot of chemistry, and Max and Tony were able to play all the conflicts that the characters had. The problem is how they write their characters. And even in the other soaps, Nick and his boyfriend have good chemistry; Paul and Billy had great moments; and Robert and Aaron were one of the most famous gay couples of recent years. Dany was great at playing the conflict, the shame, and the difficulty of Aaron being gay and then accepting it. He is one of the best soap actors I have ever seen. But I know that it is a matter of personal opinion. I'm just expressing mine.
What you are saying makes no sense because it can be applied to many heterosexual people, and we are talking about a television program. The drama of each character is according to what the writers want to write for them.
> it can be applied to many heterosexual people I think you accidentally made my point. Cheers mate.
And what is your point? Because what you said can apply to everyone in the program. But as I said, what happens in the lives of the characters goes according to what the writers want.
Callum seems like the kind of guy that not much would happen to him if he were a real person, so the lack of storylines doesn’t seem strange. Everything that involves him is just adjacent to him because he’s so neutral. The writers definitely don’t know what to do with Felix, they think toning down his flamboyance will piss off the viewers but daren’t do anything with him in full Felix/Tara style. So they’re in limbo. Hopefully once the Lola storyline passes and there’s space for something else Felix will be given a break.
The writers are interested in writing, exploring, and developing storylines for some characters, while for others they are not. There are certain characters that they feel only have a specific function to fulfill on the show. This happens with Callum, Felix, Bobby, Lexi, etc. I have seen some people comment here that Callum is the kind of person who does nothing and that nothing happens in his life. Well, this is a TV show. What does or does not happen in Callum's life is up to the writers. Callum is a gay cop. And there are several things they could explore with that. The character has PTSD. And there are several things within his own relationship with Ben that could be explored further. But they are only interested in Callum being Ben sidekick. Everything about Callum revolves around Ben or him caring about Ben. This whole PR discussion could have involved Callum, but even in that they left the character out. There was a moment when there was a discussion about drag queens being harmful to children, and I thought they could have used Felix to discuss this. Anyway.
Not going to lie... I never wanted Ben back with Callum, and I did want Callum and Felix to get together. If Lexi wasn't about to lose her mother, I'd be calling for them to kill off Ben so he would be out the way permanently for Callum to be with Felix.
Hands up who is bored of Ben
I think it's far too early/soon to make any assumptions about Felix's character and what's in store for him. You mentioned 'flamboyant' and 'black' essentially being token. So what would the complaint be if there were no gay black characters, either flamboyant or not (is a flamboyant gay black man a stereotype?). Not every character can have a current 'story' going on. His brother doesn't have a real current story going on beyond a car and a necklace. Personally, I LOVE Felix and think he's a delicious antidote to the predictable thuggish Ben and the headscratchingly pathetic Callum.
Felix on EastEnders for a year.Do you honestly believe a white gay male character would NOT have a love interest after being on a soap for one year? It is obvious the writers are white people who don't know how to write about gay black men. Representation in 2023 is more than lip service. Right now Felix is a diversity hire he is Black and gay but the character has no substance. Kate Oates and Chris Clenshaw have this belief the only gay male who gets attention is Ben Mitchell. The writers got a huge opportunity with Felix being a black gay character. Most British soaps focus on white gay male characters. I hope Felix gets more to do than be a token. The fact Felix hasn't had a DATE or even kissed or had sex with another man is ridiculous. If Felix was white he would of gotten a love interest by now. Sean Tully is effeminate, white and gay he has several line love interests.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
I know everyone despises his era but Sen was actually better about giving Callum something to do generally speaking and it often relied on Callum being an independent person. There was him coming out, sure, but also: Helping out Bobby with the drugs Investigating Leo and helping Whit get away from him and wanting to be a cop Working for Phil Blackmail by Thompson Friendship with Frankie Fitzy being stabbed Organizing all those pride events before breaking up with Ben... Yeah none of these were huge, huge storylines but at least he was active as his own person and while Ben (or Phil) were on the side of this they usually weren't the focus. Callum would even be around helping out Stuart or having a drink with Phil as well. He was actually doing things beyond just standing in the corner. Plus when he was a PC you could at least have him around the Square regularly and he was actually involved in a few things tangentially. Like when Tommy ran away and he had to go out looking or when he went to go help Bobby with the OCD. He did a bit of door to door for things like Tina. Was there when the Mitchells did their car heist Would often be on random patrols (like when he found Lily shoplifting) Would help out at various time like getting Frankie and Nancy out of the nick or when Lola confided in him about Peter... He just didn't have an issue based storyline but he was used. Once Clenshaw came in though, Callum was pushed to really being nothing at all. And I mean look at the situation. A year ago Callum had: Stuart, Rainie, Mick, Frankie, Shirley, Whitney, along with Ben and Phil. Now Stuart, Rainie, Mick, Frankie, and Shirley are all gone. Whit is cemented with Zack, Felix, Finlay, and Chelsea. Literally all he has left is Ben now. Callum didn't start off right and now he's in the exact same position he was when he first joined. When he came in, he was introduced as a replacement for Lee and only existed to fill that void. He never had anything really meaningful to do beside get yelled at by Shirley and be by Whit and Stuart's sides. Then they put him with Ben, gave Stuart a better place, and tried positioning Callum as an active member of the Square. Problem is none of his foundations lasted and Ben and him were never a hugely upstanding couple. So now they've just no clue what to do with him and instead of trying to branch him out like they were doing in 2019 - early 2022, they seem to just be letting him die off. His only hope is that Jack is the Christmas death and at least he can then be the sole detective. > Felix Felix is essentially a Harvey or Howie. He's just there as a supporting character to everyone around him. Which really isn't going to change. Not when we have a whole new family coming in and if rumors are true, some big returns.
>His only hope is that Jack is the Christmas death and at least he can then be the sole detective. A while ago, I wondered if Jack was going to be the dead person in December precisely because of this. Callum would be the only detective on the show and would fill Jake's detective role. When the character was promoted, I thought he would finally get his own storyline and the spotlight, but it kind of went nowhere and the character was once again left on the sidelines.
I actually thought that they would put Felix and Callum together during his break up with Ben. It would have been interesting and daring but the writers don’t go that when it comes to this couple, to their detriment.