EastEnders sends Twitter into meltdown after last night’s hard-hitting episode
Soap fans have taken to Twitter in their droves to praise EastEnders for covering the much-debated topic of sexual consent.
Last night’s trip to Walford saw Ruby Allen discussing what happened after their night out at the E20 with best friend Stacey Slater. At first Ruby was embarrassed by how much prosecco she’d been putting away, but as the episode continued, the realisation that she had been raped hit home.
As the friends discussed the school reunion afterparty at Martin Fowler’s old classmates’ house, the reality that she had been sexually assaulted by Matt dawned when Ruby revealed she “didn’t say no”, to which Stacey made the important point that she also “didn’t say yes”.
Fans of the soap have rushed to praise the writers and actors for a brilliant episode that explored not just a Ruby’s side of the story, but Martin’s friends’ version of events as well.
The two opposing opinions were played out side by side as the episode unfolded, exactly how something like this might happen in real life.
The emotional story hit home for a lot of fans, with one Twitter user revealing that, “@LaceyTurner and @louisalytton literally had me in tears that was so emotional”. While another EastEnders fan praised the soap for raising awareness: “Brilliant portrayal of a very tough storyline in tonight’s EastEnders - thank you again @bbceastenders”
But while lots of fans were praising the soap for covering a taboo subject, Ruby’s plight also opened up a whole debate on the topic of consent, sending social media into meltdown.
One fan Tweeted: “People’s ignorance with this kind of issue angers me. Imagine that being your daughter being taken advantage of just because she’s had a drink. Hats off to EastEnders for tackling this important issue.”
This is just the start of an ongoing storyline that is set to take many twists and turns over the coming weeks, and one that EastEnders bosses hope will raise much-needed awareness.
Actress Louisa Lytton, who plays Ruby, recently revealed: “Stacey has the experience to be able to say to her friend, ‘This is wrong, and you will never forgive yourself unless you take the blame off yourself and tell the story for what it is’.”
EastEnders continues on Thursday (October 11) at 7.30pm on BBC1.
