For the first Eastenders Profile post, I'll highlight one of my favorite characters in the series; Kat Slater. When I first saw this character, I thought she was maybe 17, because older sisters looked like they were in their mid-late 20's, while the younger sister Zoe was about 14-15.
Her character first appeared back in 2000, which for me was several years later, as America is behind a number of years) and Kat has had some of the best storylines in the series so far. Kat was born Kathleen January 14, 1970, which means her character was 30 when she moved to Walford Square, the fictional square in the series. Kat is portrayed by the actress Jessie Wallace, who has done an amazing job portraying the character, which is why Kat is one of the best loved characters in Eastenders. Kat's parents are Viv and Charlie Slater and her sisters are Lynne, Little Mo (her grandmother is also called Mo, hence the "Little" part of her name), Belinda and Zoe (who is portrayed by Michelle Ryan, also a strong actress, especially for these scenes).
One of the first major storyline that has to deal with Kat, is why she is so overprotective over her sister Zoe. One point in the storyline, before everything explodes and the drama is anted up, is why Kat's Uncle Harry arrives to Walford. There is certainly something going on there, as Kat cannot stand to be around Harry. Eventually, Zoe, during Lynne's hen night, Zoe announces that she would be going to Spain with her Uncle Harry. Kat immediately shoots down that idea, which causes an argument between the two sisters. Zoe storms out and Kat follows her. While they're arguing in the street, Zoe tells Kat that she cannot tell her what to do because she's not her mother, to which Kat yells out, "Yes I am!". Watching this scene still gives me chills to this day!
The infamous scene between Kat and Zoe had millions of people on the edge of their seats.
The episode immediately following this one was a heartfelt episode where Kat explains that when she was a teenager, that she was raped by Harry. Zoe kept asking who her father was, yet Kat wouldn't say who it was. Finally, she relents and tells her that Harry was her father. This episode establishes Kat and Zoe both as strong characters and explains why Kat does the things she does up until this point. Below is the episode broken up into three parts if you're interested in this story. The parts where Kat almost attacks Zoe, and Zoe attacking Kat are particularly strong.
Kat decides at some point soon after to commit suicide by drinking a lot of alcohol, taking a bottle of pills and slicing her wrists. Zoe finds Kat and screams for help. Kat almost dies in the hospital and Zoe runs away from Walford. Zoe finds Roxy Drake and the woman persuades Zoe to become a prostitute for her. Kat finds Zoe and headbutts Roxy, which is pretty funny considering what Roxy said to Kat (Betty Boop reference) and what Kat was wearing at the time. The video below has both the suicide attempt, Kat in the hospital afterwards and the Roxy scene.
After this all happens, Kat becomes involved with Dr. Anthony Trueman. Eventually, the two break up and Anthony begins to see Zoe. Kat disapproves of the relationship and Zoe disowns her. Anthony reveals that he still loves Kat and Zoe ends up running away again.
Kat continues to see Anthony, though he is about to propose to her, Kat breaks up with him after she failed to impress his colleagues. She ended up being pregnant and tries to get an abortion, though she has a miscarriage before that can happen. That is when the Alfie and Kat storyline begins. Alfie Moon tries to comfort Kat and he falls for her. Kat briefly becomes engaged to the local gangster Andy Hunter, however, Kat finds out that Alfie loves her after she had confessed to his grandmother that she loves him as well. Their plans are stopped when Andy forces Kat to sleep with him and he ended up taping it and he sent the tape to Alfie. Alfie becomes cold towards Kat, which leads her to a one-night stand. She leaves Walford soon after and ends up in prison for prostitution. Once she gets out, she's determined to reconcile with Alfie, but he's already in a relationship with Little Mo. Alfie tries to get Kat back soon after, however she refuses him. So, Kat works on her relationship with Zoe, who leaves for Ibiza. Kat comforts Alfie after his grandmother dies, and that is when they decide to head to the U.S. to travel.
Because I have not seen the show since this part, I cannot really go into much detail over what happens next. Sure, I can look it up online, though I see that as a form of cheating. So, if you are still interested in knowing what has happened, there are plenty of sources online that are dedicated to Kat and Alfie, I'm sure. Lastly, there is a video called "Slaters in Detention", where the sisters and Mo are all held in prison for a night, and they go over what had happened up to that point of the series between them all. I loved the ending when the sisters played a prank on Mo, and then Belinda is brought into the station as the others are ready to leave. If you ever have the chance, check it out!
No comments:
Post a Comment