EastEnders fans slam soap as they say long-term character ‘needs to hit back’
EASTENDERS fans have slammed the soap while claiming a veteran character ‘needs to hit back’ and stand up to others.
Since making their Walford debut nearly two decades ago, the character has changed significantly in that time.
Jay Brown – played by Jamie Borthwick – debuted in the BBC soap back in December 2006.
First introduced as a wayward preteen, Jay has been through many life-changing events throughout his long stint.
This includes the death of his father Jase (Stephen Lord) and many years later, losing his wife Lola (Danielle Harold) to a brain tumour.
Meanwhile, some viewers think Jay needs to revisit his more aggressive side.
Writing on an EastEnders-themed Reddit forum, a fan titled their post “Jay needs to start hitting back…”.
They penned: “The guy keeps getting punched and letting it slide, am I the only one who finds this grating from a kid who was a boxer?
“Let’s see… Billy twice, Phil multiple times, Ben (Max Bowden’s, although Jay would probably have lost that fight either way but that’s not the point), that drug dealer guy who Mick threw out the Vic and then Jay had to get saved by Keanu!!”
They also described the latter incident as “embarrassing as hell”
In addition, the viewer pointed out how Jay is a “former child boxer”, who was adopted by Phil Mitchell while his biological father was “a hardened criminal who got into scraps every other day”.
“I’m not even saying Jay should be a hardman, but to let these people bully him and put their hands in him with no negative repercussions is absolutely ridiculous.”
Another fan claimed Jay “has no self-esteem” and “more importantly, no family”.
They remarked: “Even if he justifiably flipped and battered the people who most frequently hit him (in other words, the Mitchells), he knows they won’t back him up.
“[They] will all turn on him and that he is probably in for another round of bruises/homelessness.
“He has to think before he acts (unlike the rest of them) as the consequences are very different for him, and not in a good way.
Additionally, the fan referenced how Jay “used to be a lot a gobbier” and wouldn’t back down from a fight, “especially in his boxing years.”
Jay’s recent storylines include being led to believe he had fathered a child with sex worker Nadine (Jazzy Phoenix).
Stevie Mitchell (Alan Ford) later exposed Nadine’s lies, having caught her readjusting her fake baby bump – and using money Jay gave her for “the baby” on a flat deposit instead.
While at the Queen Vic, Stevie told the others: “She’s offered me money to keep quiet about it, but I didn’t come back here for money. I came back here for family.”
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He then picked up his walking stick and started prodding it into Nadine’s belly, causing everyone to gasp in horror.
As Jay lunged forward and asked what he was doing, Stevie raged: “I’m looking after my own for once!”
He then used the handle of his stick to lift Nadine’s top, revealing the fake padded bump underneath.
EastEnders airs on BBC One and is available on BBC iPlayer.