ANY soap would take a big risk bringing back an iconic dead character like Cindy Beale – but EastEnders has pulled it off.
It’s not the first time the soap has brought back a dead character – look at Dirty Den and Cindy’s own mother-in-law Kathy Beale.
And there’s been Roxy Mitchell’s jaunt back from the afterlife as a vision.
While most of those times were great headline grabbers, some were less than thought-out – Kathy running away with Sharon’s birth dad?
But with Cindy’s return, it’s clear that the soap has learned from those mistakes.
Not only has it grounded what happened to Cindy in reality – it has kept it true to character.
Cindy was always selfish – too selfish to put her many, many children first – so of course she would take a deal to get out of prison and begin a new life.
And in bringing back Thomas Law to play Peter – that is inspired. He couldn’t have a sixth face, so why not revisit one of the old ones?
Cindy being Cindy would be enough for most soaps – but making her Rose Knight and setting the stage for a clash between Walford’s oldest family and newest is inspired.
And yes it requires a bout of believability but for what we’re getting – it’s worth it.
Michelle Collins’ comeback is nothing short of a triumph – she is phenomenal once again.
Tonight’s episode felt both simultaneously not like EastEnders at all – but more like it than ever before.
It was genuinely funny, hilariously camp, huge drama and old faces back – Lauren Branning!
We still don’t know how Ian and Cindy reunited – or what happened when she walked out on George and their girls.
The episode posed far more questions than it answered and that’s a good thing.
One thing that is obvious – Ian loves Cindy far more than Cindy loves him.
So it’s only a matter of time before the cracks begin to show and sensationalism turns to a classic EastEnders relationship breakdown.
EastEnders boss Chris Clenshaw revealed that Cindy isn’t the same woman that viewers last saw a quarter of a century ago and that’s no bad thing.
Having spent all that time dodging gangsters, losing two of her children without being able to see them and reuniting with Ian Beale – she’s been through hell.
But now she’s returning to Walford and the drama is only just beginning.
