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The Six (EastEnders)

The Six (EastEnders)

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About

The Six is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. It began in episode 6649, broadcast on 20 February 2023, which was a "whodunnit" and "whoisit" mystery that involved six women from the show covering up a murder of a man. The storyline included the show's first flashforward sequence at the end of the episode. The Six has been regarded as one of the best storylines in the show's history and has spawned several memes and reaction images and videos.

Origin

The creation of the storyline for EastEnders began in August 2022, when executive producer Chris Clenshaw conceived a fresh "whodunit" plot for 2023, designed to be different from past stories by keeping both the victim and the killer secret. Teased in December 2022 and featuring six female characters dubbed "The Six," the storyline kicked off in February 2023 with a flashforward scene showing them standing over an unidentified body. As the year progressed, speculation grew about the victim and murderer, with the drama intensifying in the lead-up to Christmas. In December 2023, it was revealed that Nish Panesar was attacked but survived, while Keanu Taylor was fatally stabbed by Linda Carter. The storyline, which included multiple red herrings and tightly controlled secrecy measures, successfully captivated viewers, culminating in a dramatic and surprising Christmas Day episode.

Storyline

In February 2023, six women – Denise Fox, Kathy Cotton, Linda Carter, Sharon Watts, Stacey Slater, and Suki Panesar, hold a lock-in at The Queen Victoria pub, where they express their frustrations about the men in their lives before toasting, "To men, may they get what they deserve."

The scene then flashes forward to Christmas 2023, revealing the women standing over an unidentified male body, with blood on Stacey's hands, Sharon in a wedding dress, and Denise holding a broken wine bottle.


As the story unfolds, it is revealed that Sharon was set to marry Keanu Taylor, but the wedding falls apart when secrets are exposed, leading to a violent confrontation. Ultimately, Linda stabs Keanu in defence of Sharon, killing him, while Nish Panesar, initially thought to be dead, is revived but left unconscious.


In the aftermath, the women decide to cover up Keanu's murder, hiding his body and swearing to keep the secret. As time passes, their lives unravel under the weight of their actions: Denise's mental health deteriorates, Linda turns to alcohol, and Suki is blackmailed by Nish, who seeks to uncover the truth.

Sharon flees to Australia but returns to face the consequences, while Linda eventually confesses the murder to her son Johnny and later to the police. The women grapple with their guilt as the investigation into Keanu's death intensifies, leading to Dean Wicks being wrongfully accused and convicted of the murder, only for the truth to resurface as Linda finally confesses to the crime.

Reactions

Laura Denby of Radio Times praised the flashforward scene as "inventive and refreshing," noting that it had "officially restored the long-running serial drama to its former glory." Critics from various outlets, including The Independent, MyLondon, and Daily Mirror, echoed this sentiment, describing the scene as "perfect," "explosive," and "chilling."

The flashforward was likened to shows like Big Little Lies and How to Get Away with Murder, with some considering it the show's "most ambitious storyline to date." Despite lower overnight ratings due to a late time slot, the Christmas episode garnered 5.5 million viewers and was lauded as one of the best in EastEnders history. Critics commended the episode's "creative verve," calling it a "legendary" moment in the show's history, with standout performances from the cast and a gripping conclusion to Keanu Taylor's storyline.

By early 2024, however, fans expressed disappointment as focus shifted away from The Six, with new storylines being labelled as "filler." Despite this, the flashforward storyline won "Soap Moment of the Year" at the 2024 Radio Times Soap Awards, cementing its place as a defining moment in British soap history. Critics praised the ten-month narrative arc for its intelligent and beautifully crafted execution, with some considering the Christmas episode a "soap story for the ages" and one of the campest in soap history, leaving viewers in shock and awe.

Social Media Reactions

Following the broadcast of the Christmas Day episode, users on social media reacted to the episode.

User @blake2108 posted a video of Linda from a previous episode saying that she "could murder a fag", with a caption rhetorically questioning if Keanu was gay. The tweet received 3,000 likes and 300 retweets.

Twitter user @jackietyler616 posted a reaction meme parodying the Doctor Who episode, "Turn Left" where Linda screams as time goes backwards to before the murder took place. It received over 300 likes and 50 retweets.

"Sort Your Mess Out"

Sort Your Mess Out was a phrase said by Sharon Watts in the aftermath of the murder, where in which she tells Linda to "sort her mess out" by cleaning up Keanu's dead body, she shakes dish gloves and sponge which prompts Linda to proceed. The scene spawned several reaction images and videos, mainly on Twitter.

User @littlemissvodka, posted a video on TikTok of an edit of Linda "not sorting her mess out" which gained 188,000 views and 23,000 likes. It was then shared onto Twitter / X in the days that followed, which received over 800 likes and 83,000 views.

Barrel Store Meetings

Barrel Store Meetings refers to scenes during the storyline where the six women meet up in the barrel store to discuss the murder. Many social media users made humorous remarks on the scenes and suggesting what could happen next as a result.

Sharon in Court

Sharon in Court refers to a scene that was aired during Dean's trial week, which began on 2nd September 2024. In the episode, Sharon, Stacey, and Linda are all called to give witness statements against Dean who is falsely being framed for the murder. Sharon is then pressured into discussing her past relationships by Dean's lawyer, who proceeds to slut-shame her in an attempt to catch her out. This prompts Sharon to confront both the lawyer and the judge and she tells the judge to "shove" his "warning".

After the episode aired, user @balf4our posted the scene on Twitter / X, with the caption "Real television is back", which received 7,200 likes and 800 retweets in 48 hours.

Others posted a video of Sharon saying "Shove your warning" captioned to everyday life situations. Some received thousands of likes and hundreds of retweets.

Various Examples


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