Yahoo News EastEnders' brand-new Michelle: has it worked?
Michelle Fowler's recent return to EastEnders was a massive surprise. The much-loved character hadn't been on screen for over 20 years, but there was one crucial difference when she arrived back on Christmas Eve – Jenna Russell was now playing her, replacing original actress Susan Tully who declined to come back (apparently not for the first time).
Fans of a certain age raised an eyebrow about recasting such a well-loved role, but there was still much excitement about having one of Albert Square's original heroines around again, even with the new face.
She's been back for a few weeks now, so has the gamble of New Michelle paid off yet?
What we like so far…
So we'll address the controversial recasting in a sec, but we must admit it feels good to have the character back – Sharon's best mate (Linda? Tanya? Nah, this is Shazza's proper bezzie), Martin's big sister, Ian's cousin… there's definitely still a place for her in E20.
There's also a certain curiosity in meeting a modern, middle-aged Michelle, no longer the troubled teen who got up the duff duff by her best mate's dad when she was a schoolgirl, then jilted the local loser at the altar unaware her skint dad stole from the neighbours to pay for a wedding that never was. (And all that was in just the first two years of the show!)
The Fowler/Beale clans are the backbone of Albert Square, and Michelle rejoining the ranks provokes a wave of nostalgia. Nods to the past are a treat for viewers who've watched from the start, and also put things into context for younger fans.
Jenna was thrown in at the deep end with a high-octane two-hander between Michelle and Sharon just a few weeks in where Michelle spilled the beans on what really brought her home (complete with pre-watershed swearing). She held her own and there was nice chemistry with EastEnders legend Letitia Dean – turns out Jenna and Tish have known each other since they were kids, making the characters' lifelong friendship more believable on screen.
And there was that brief but clearly intentional frisson with Max Branning… There's got to be a love interest for Max somewhere down the line. We doubt they'd do the whole Stacey thing again which doesn't leave many options (unless they bring Belinda Slater back. PLEASE bring Belinda Slater back).
The prospect of Max and Michelle as a couple (we've already predicted it here) has got us excited.
What we're still not sure about…
At first Michelle appeared to be looking back at her childhood through rose-tinted glasses, forever rustling up roast dinners "just like mum used to make", seemingly forgetting her and mardy mother Pauline spent a lot of time fighting and one of the reasons 'Chelle left in the first place was to get away from all that faaaaamily nonsense and forge her own path in life.
In fairness this could've been a front Michelle was putting up as she tried to find her feet again in familiar surroundings, before she confessed a scandalous fling with a 17-year-old student had forced her to flee her not-so fabulous life in Florida.
And the flipside of those references to the past is that laying them on a bit too thick can lead to nostalgia overload – during the two-hander it started to feel like every other word was "Pauline" or "Lofty". And don't get us started on why on earth the girls broke into Ian's house and necked his wine instead of just nipping to The Albert for a deep and meaningful over a jam-jar cocktail.
And as to the big recast… Jenna Russell has a big job on her hands and has been upfront about fan fears and her own respect for Susan Tully. The good news is she's undoubtedly a fine actress, and is slowly getting under the skin of the character: Michelle's stubborn streak, social awkwardness (she's hardly a bag of laughs, that leaving party at The Vic was totes tumbleweed), air of mystery and brittle exterior are all present and correct. And her emotional recounting of the collapse of her marriage and fears of ageing showed a vulnerability and was a peek into how the character has matured.
But for some fans (okay, the ones over 40) this is still a BIG adjustment. Yes, soaps recast all the time, yes it usually works, no you can't remember the old Martin or Lauren now, but those die-hard fans see replacing Michelle as sacrilegious as getting someone else to play Grant Mitchell.
It's early days, but in the end New Michelle's future will come down to what's in store for the character and how exciting it is.
What we'd like to see next…
Michelle's much hyped to- boy secret can't really go anywhere unless it follows her back to Walford. We'd care more about her anguish at drifting apart from hubby Tim if we got to meet him in the flesh (have we even seen a photograph?). Then there's Preston, the randy student she copped off with. Could he jump on a jumbo jet and rock up with a bunch of roses declaring his undying love?
It would be good to see Mark Junior again too – after going to all the trouble of introducing soap's most famous unseen love child last year, he only hung around for five minutes. Some joint mother-and-son screen time would also help flesh out Michelle's missing years. And Vicki? Er, she's probably fine in Australia, isn't she?
The burning question is: where will Sharon escape to now if she has a row with Phil? Michelle's Florida hideaway was her sanctuary when the going got tough. She'll have to get a timeshare.
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