#Ballum in Every Episode

[tweedledumandtweedlebum]

Yesterday’s EE episode - and some comments on YT - left such a bitter taste in my mouth that I really need to rant about it to get it out of my system. 

[feel free to give this a miss]

First of all, whenever queer people state they feel insulted, it’s not a straight person’s place to tell them they shouldn’t. You just acknowledge their point of view. If a woman makes it clear that she feels offended by wolf whistling, a man doesn’t get to tell her she should, in fact, feel appreciated. That’s mansplaining. If same-sex parents are complaining that the PR storyline is homophobic, straight people just don’t get to tell them they are wrong. This is straightsplaining - you insist doing that, you’re an insensitive jerk, end of.

Regardless of your sexual orientation, it’s actually quite easy to demonstrate how little sense this PR makes even from a logical viewpoint. Imagine Ben was married to a woman. Imagine that woman had been acknowledged by Lexi herself as a parent and called “mum #2” because they have established an affectionate relationship right from the start. Picture that woman as a caring, emotionally stable, reliable person, perfectly capable of supporting her struggling husband AND looking after his little girl. Now, try and imagine this woman is given no legal rights over her stepdaughter, while actually being SHOWN on screen caring for her, making her breakfast, walking her to the bus stop, getting her clothes ready, giving her money for lunch, asking about her first day at secondary school, supporting her in moments of distress… Imagine she’s NEVER mentioned by the other characters regarding the girl’s parenting, because everybody goes on about how good a parent her mom’s widower is, and how lucky her father is to have THAT man (one the little girl calls “uncle”) to help him raise THEIR(?!) daughter. You picture THAT and you tell me you consider it normal? acceptable? realistic? SERIOUSLY? Since - let’s be honest - it would hardly happen with a straight stepmom, it shouldn't happen with a queer stepdad either. Since it IS in fact happening, we have every right (but also the civic duty) to expose it as plainly discriminating.

That’s not all. In order to make this nonsense believable, the audience is being gaslighted into thinking that the relationship between Callum and Lexi was never that close, whereas the girl has ALWAYS considered Jay as a sort of parent. Thus, Callum’s role and presence in Lexi’s life has been consistently diminished, sidelined, erased for a long time now. Since the beginning of the PR sl, Lexi’s “Dad #2” - “There’s no one in the world I’d rather have as my other dad” - “My dad is a gangster and my other dad is a copper” etc. have been totally and unforgivably retconned, while AT THE SAME TIME Callum is shown over and over again to be the sensible one looking after Lexi on a daily basis while Ben and Jay also fight their demons (though Ben has undeniably shown incredible character growth). Yesterday’s episode (18th January) marked an all-time low, with Callum interacting only with Lexi of all the people at the party, and being ignored by everybody else. The only instance when his husband acknowledges his existence and briefly glances at him, Callum’s not even on camera. And then, guess who is asked to bring Lexi “home”? The loving husband/stepdad who’s shown unconditional love for both Ben and Lexi, and can always be relied on? Of course not, it’s the brother/uncle with PR who is just a guest in that home! I can’t help feeling crestfallen for Callum’s character and fed up as a fan. This is crappy writing and horrible storytelling. While as a Ballum fan I am properly insulted, every viewer that considers themselves fairly intelligent should feel at least a little bit annoyed.

And for those who are going to object by pointing out that it’s just a silly soap opera after all, and we’d better not take it so seriously… you’re not wrong, of course. However, no matter what you think, storytelling actually is a serious matter. Stories affect people’s lives and perceptions. Stories have the power to widen your horizons. Stories may encourage you to adopt a different perspective on reality. Stories might surprise you by making you identify with characters that are as far away from your real self as possible. Stories have the strength to enhance certain values and eradicate others. We don’t read our children essays to teach them about life, relationships and values… we read them stories. 

Credits to Ballum Official on YouTube.

#ballum #callum highway #ben mitchell #eastenders #ben x callum #lexi pearce

[minimoefoe]

kinda want to gif every single ballum moment in order (like I'm doing with 13's era rn) bc ben leaving has brought the fixation back and I'm missing them and it'll be a fun way to kill the time between now and when ben (hopefully😭) comes back bc it will defo take literal years for me to do

but first of all idk where to download soap eps and second of all idk how to be sure I've got EVERY moment without rewatching literally every episode from their meeting to now and..I don't wanna do that right now

#natchats #ballum #eastenders #and like #i AM currently watching from 2008 onwards #so its not necessarily the amount of watching #id have to do thats the problem #i just dont want to do that Now but i Do want to gif now #so its a dilemma #bc i wanna do ballum moments #but also ppl talking aboht them and stuff like that #not just ben and callum in scenes together yknow #IDK !!!!! #ALSO #im like.. #doing this now may be pointless? #like literally right at the end of ballum basically #idk how many ppl will be sticking around now that they're not in the show anymore #not that id be makong the gifs purely for interactions #but some would be nice #tho tbf ive made ftwd gif sets and barely anyone is into that usually and idrc #we'll see #EDIT #with watching from 2008 i was thinking of stopping at 2019ish bc i got back into the show around wedding week #so im like ive defo watched all this stuff and somewhat recently too #but i Could just continue watching so i can defo find every ballum moment #but that is gonna be a LONG time away bc ive got 11yrs of ee to watch before i get their lmao #i guess i dont necessarily have to do it all in the right order #bc its not as easy as it is with 13's era #somwthing about it being all in order is satisfying tho like the idea someone can go through the tag and see their whole story in order. UGH

[leximitchells]

idk if you heard but emma is coming back, do you have any opinions on it? i just feel like tthis whole pr/jay/emma/lexi thing is taking up too much time of ballum content its kinda concerning..ill just have to wait and see how this continues. i just want ben and callum to live together ALONE in their flat for like a month at least give them peace please. ben seems to look tired as every episode goes by. literally destroying him physically its sad

i'm not excited about emma coming back, but it'll be good to see ben standing up for himself to her. i don't like to care too much about the short spoilers bc there's always so much context that's missing from them so i wanna wait and see what the longer spoilers say in two hours and also just what happens in the episodes.

i really was under the impression that we would be seeing ben at therapy so i'm pretty disappointed in that, but i really just wanna see him start using things he learns there to help him gain back control of his life, and this is a good place to start

#anonymous

[moodyblueangel]

I'm sorry you went through all of that. Eastenders fandom is very toxic. I'll never forget how negative and dismissive people were of the rape storyline because they either didn't like Ben, thought Callum deserved the big story instead, or called it bad rep because Lewis should've been a fun gay man. Duncan Lindsay at Metro encouraged this as well. I couldn't find eastenders fandom fun after how people deliberately didn't praise an important story.

I really appreciate that. I am ok though, and it's about finding and recognising all the good when the bad tried to engulf. That's never easy, and never quick, but it is there and pulls you through.

I would describe the fandom as...I don't know. I know all fandoms have a portion who try and get noticed by making noise, picking things apart negatively and have egos that bring a sense of entitlement. But in a lot of fandoms I see, there is a bulk of people who drown out those negative Nellies. In the Ballum fandom it seemed to start like that, you had people who were having a really good time watching this storyline and relationship, and taking about it and predicting what may happen, and being funny and positive with it. Then you had this small group of people who found fault with everything, treated everything like it was real, who kicked off when their predictions didn't happen and complained constantly about the writers and production team. Somewhere along the way, it swapped around.

I've been an Eastenders fan for donkey's years, right since when I was young in the 90s when I'd watch the present day episodes and watch the ones from the 80s on UK Gold!😅 I am a Eastenders fan. I am a Ballum fan too. I may have opinions where I don't find certain characters compelling, or certain storylines the same, but I'm a fan of the show. So obviously I'm going to enjoy it more than I don't. I tease it, I mock it sometimes but that is always done with love and lightness and humour. If I'm talking about it, then it interests me. I don't really mention those things that don't. It's a telly show, not the news. It's fictional art, not facts and current affairs. It represents life, but it's not real.

The storyline with Lewis just encompassed everything that frustrates me about the fandom. Because it does represent important issues which real people can relate to. It does this through empathy with character. It doesn't show every weave and crease of the issue because it's not real life. It's a 30 minute early evening soap whose main purpose is to entertain. You can have important issue stories which aren't entertaining. EE have done a few. They've obviously been well researched and done with care, but haven't gripped me with their story arcs or character relatability. But this isn't what people are complaining about though. They are complaining as if this is real life, as if they are real people, and ignoring the fact that it is a story, and every story should be told. If you don't like it, turn it off.

#ballum #eastenders

[likethemtrashy]

So I'm catching up some of the previous episodes of ballum storyline. I read some of the comments about how nice lewis was to Ben. This was pre SA storyline building up but I just thought it was weird he was so nice to Ben? Just like giving him alibi and being such a superhero sweeping in at every moment ? Maybe because I already have an idea where this was going but characters being so chill and sweet is usually a sign there is something off with them.

#eastenders #ben mitchell #lewis

[minimitchell]

Yeah, they're really skimming Ballum's story at the moment, and making us fill in the blanks.

I love the Panesars, but they are completely dominating every episode at the moment, and with the longest scenes.

tbh it’s not just them. all the reunions this year have been so poor and lackluster.

#ask #billy/honey was just as rushed #so were jola if we’re being honest

[callumsmitchells]

I think the show itself hasn’t helped with the general negative feeling that surrounds Ballum right now. They’ve had misery on top of misery. Hopefully with a bit of happiness, the positivity will come back 🙂

yup! i think generally speaking it’s a lot happier now. we’ll still get the odd depressing storyline, but i think the comedy elements have been 10/10 so far, and i’ve enjoyed every episode so hopefully that can continue for as long as possible

#anon

[totallyradioactive15]

Ballum in Every Episode - [108/?] - 31st March 2020 Part 1

#ballum #ben mitchell #callum highway #eastenders #ben x callum #Ballum in Every Episode #BIEE #31st march 2020 #Part 1 #I Love You <3 #love everything about this episode #specially Bens ily #callums signing #and that kiss <3 #gif #photoshop #ben and callum

[castielmoriarty]

at this point Callum, and especially good Ballum scenes, feels like a fever dream we all shared.

#I hate both EE and Ed for prioritizing the screen time so fucking poorly #let's have all the boring chars on all the fucking time #every episode #fuuuck #ballum #ben mitchell #callum highway #eastenders #text post

[mr-and-mr-mitchell]

Guys. Remind me to Never look at other sites with an Eastenders fan area.

#ballum dominate every episode #it's the ballum show #I'm not homophobic but why do they need to be onscreen #COS IT'S THE FIRST GAY MARRIAGE AND THEY KINDA NEEDED TO BUILD TO THAT? COS THEY HAD A SL SO NEEDED TO BE ONSCREEN #just say your homophobic and move on love #also the fucking misogyny and hate towards the actors jfc #vile

[lifeisahighway]

I was not ready for that ring pic today

#omg i’m so excited #and it means they actually get married eekk! #ah and they’ll have them in every episode after ahh!! #idk wedding rings just get me excited don’t come at me #and he looks so fucking good #ballum #ee spoilers

[stl29tide]

I think out of all the EastEnders writers, Daran Little has the best grasp on the characterization of Ben, so I’m ridiculously happy that he wrote both episodes that feature Pam’s return and Ben coming to terms with his past and how he feels about everything, including his relationship with Callum. So, so happy!

#eastenders #that episode with Ben and Jay at the hospital still makes me lose my breath #he's so good at highlighting every part of Ben from the ugly to the vulnerable #ballum

[sweetcandygirl21]

Oh my god, this is going to slowly but surely drive all three of them insane isn't it?

Whitney is guna get married and cling on to the idea of a happy life with Callum, all the while being suspicious and having niggling doubts at the back of her mind.

Callum thinks marriage to Whitney is what he wants and will solve all his problems, but is guna find that no matter how much he tries he can't hide from who he is.

And Ben is guna have to watch the guy he has feelings for parade his relationship in front of him all the while knowing the turmoil Callum is going through cos he's been there himself.

It's all such a mess and I am here. for. it.

#ballum #eastenders #whitney dean #no bit seriously #im so excited after today's episode #they're all such a mess and it just all feels so real #i was hanging on their every word #can't wait for next week's episodes #ben mitchell #callum highway

[leximitchells]

Hello!!! I'm an American and I'd like to start eastenders but where should I start?

wow okay that's a huge undertaking. well i personally got into it because of ballum so i just watched every clip in the ballum youtube playlists (i'll link below) to catch myself up on their storyline (which at the time was like less than six months of material so you've got a lot more ahead of you. or if there's another aspect of the show maybe try to find playlists of those on youtube but i'm not sure what that landscape looks like bc i've only ever sought out ballum stuff. a lot of the full length episodes from the last few years are on dailymotion, or i could DM you the vpn i use to watch episodes on bbc iplayer. i'm really not sure there's a better way to go about it because there's no way anyone needs to or should want to watch a full 40 years of episodes lmao.

ballum playlists:

2018: this is when callum first appeared and you'll also get a glimpse of the previous version of ben. this channel also has previous years of previous ben if you're interested in more of ben's long-term story (which i recommend)

2019: ben reappears in april and the ballum stuff starts to kick off at the end of may

2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

i hope this helps at all???

#anonymous

[drewsbarrymcre]

I posted 876 times in 2021

287 posts created (33%)

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For every post I created, I reblogged 2.1 posts.

I added 1,665 tags in 2021

#ben mitchell - 260 posts

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Longest Tag: 101 characters

#i honestly cringe when couples say babe but it happens a whole lot less when ben says it cause 😍😍😍

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

284 notes • Posted 2021-01-29 15:45:09 GMT

#4

291 notes • Posted 2021-05-10 20:28:24 GMT

#3

It’s obvious you two are meant to be together. But get on with it, you’re spoiling my surprise!

307 notes • Posted 2021-01-28 21:03:41 GMT

#2

342 notes • Posted 2021-01-05 21:04:42 GMT

#1

#the two moods of the engagement episode 

362 notes • Posted 2021-01-28 20:31:05 GMT

#year in review

[susieskinner93]

I posted 2 713 times in 2021

351 posts created (13%)

2362 posts reblogged (87%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 6.7 posts.

I added 2 261 tags in 2021

#loki series - 649 posts

#ballum - 305 posts

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#sylki - 239 posts

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#marvel parallels - 89 posts

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#hahha - 75 posts

Longest Tag: 93 characters

#i kid you not i saw the first gif and the sentence in the title popped in my head immediately

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

I just reminded myself of Loki singing to Sylvie and looking at her like THAT with THAT soft smile and then his drunken ramblings came to my mind and the whole "love is a dagger" speech and idk....it's just so amazing to be able to see this side of Loki? Because we've never really had this I mean to see his emotions laid out for us so clear.... and I just loved it all??

109 notes • Posted 2021-09-02 06:09:52 GMT

#4

okay but can we talk about how perfect the pacing of this relationship was? 

there was an actual build up! and it was just so good! I mean SO GOOD! 

we got the teasing the sarcastic replies the standoffish behavior, and we also got the talking, the getting to know the other, we got MOMENTS and we all know Lamentis-1 was a HUGE moment in their time together... 

it wasn’t rushed and it wasn’t just a half baked idea, they let this grow “naturally” at least it felt like it was just so damn natural... and that what makes it so amazing. 

it was genuine and I loved it all 

123 notes • Posted 2021-08-04 20:34:43 GMT

#3

you know something really hit me while I was rewatching Loki 

Sylvie basically had to grow up by jumping from apocalypse to apocalypse and if you really think about it it’s even more tragic than as it sounds for the first time.

she had to grow up without any kind of constancy or stability

everyone she met was destined to die

imagine coming to terms with that at a young age: you think you have friends, or at least people who help you staying alive? yeah they won’t be there for you 5 minutes from now because they’ll be dead. I mean that’s brutal.

no wonder she turned into the person she was when Loki met her. 

no wonder she immediately clocked Loki’s discomfort after she asked him about love. they had a common ground there, agreeing that they never had anything real . If you think about how Sylvie had to operate her life ever since she was a child it makes total sense that she couldn’t have a real relationship. Any kind of relationship not just a romantic one. 

And I bet you, that before Loki she never met a single soul who understood where she was coming from. 

130 notes • Posted 2021-08-02 07:00:31 GMT

#2

look at his face, he was so proud of himself when she snuggled just an inch closer

134 notes • Posted 2021-08-02 16:22:41 GMT

#1

I don’t think we’ve talked enough about that blanket scene in episode 5.

the reason it was so epic is because it was so awkward... and human. 

it’s exactly how you behave when you don’t know how to behave around the person you like. there’s a lot of silence, there’s an attempt to say something funny, to be someone they can be comfortable around, an attempt to flirt, to try and figure out if they feel that spark too or it’s just you. 

that was a scene most people can relate to and that makes it outstanding.

and even if you never had a moment like that in your life, you have to admit it was pretty soft. 

182 notes • Posted 2021-07-30 04:22:54 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #not even surprised #it was the year of loki for me #it was the year of everything T.H. for me tbh