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I choose to really challenge myself with something I have never done before: fan art.

May I present to you, Swarla stripped to their bare essentials, or "Swarla Summarised" ;

@swarlasummer bingo board under the cut.

I absolutely have loved how Sam's psychosis story has developed and been done. It feels organic and fits well into the tapestry that is dramatic life in a soap. It includes community and family, and has given multiple longtime, well-known characters something new to show us. It includes people doing the wrong things for the right reasons in accordance with who we know they are - like Nick, who has been lying his arse off because it's what he thinks is best for Sam - and inevitably it bites him in the arse like we know it will - but it's not the end of the world for him or for Sam.

I also loved how Kevin's depression sprouted after him and Abi breaking up. Yes, I did find Kevin very annoying for weeks, if not months in how he behaved - but it paid off when they actually went with him being depressed and showed that to us in small acts and scenes.

Actually, there was a recent episode where Jodie's conniving nastiness and Theo's whodunnit took centre stage in the Platt household with Jodie threatening Sarah and blaming Sarah for leaving the gate open so David the dog could escape. I would much rather have watched 5 minutes of the residents looking for David than spent one more minute on these stories that feel like the equivalent of chewing cardboard.

There's a compelling and realistic issue story with Abi fighting Evil landlord who doesnt care that mould grows in her flat, causing Alfie to be dangerously ill.... But... I'm not watching. I'm tired. I can't keep going with these constant... villainry and evilness...even if this story would be real for a change.

Carl's Criming, Becky's resurection, Jodie's random and motiveless nastiness that is flat as a pancake and still never-ending like the circumference of a pancake, all the monsters working up towards who gets killed, Theo's murder and whodunnit and Theo's abuse of Todd have completely exhausted me. Most of all I am exhausted by the lack of space to breathe in the daily life of the characters.