Rita Simons has finally spoken at length about the deeply somber, emotionally heavy direction of EastEnders’ Christmas episodes, offering an explanation that reframes the festive gloom not as cruelty to viewers but as a deliberate, almost philosophical storytelling choice rooted in the idea that closure is essential for everything, and her words have struck a chord because they reveal just how intentional the darkness has been, how carefully calibrated each moment of pain, silence, and loss was designed to force both characters and audiences to confront unfinished business that could no longer be ignored, as Rita explains that Christmas in EastEnders has never truly been about joy or decorations but about pressure, a moment in the calendar where emotions are magnified, secrets surface, and denial becomes impossible, making it the only believable time to bring long-simmering trauma to a head, and according to her, the creative team reached a point where they realized that endless cycles of suffering without resolution were hollowing out the emotional truth of the show, leaving characters trapped in limbo and viewers exhausted rather than invested, so this Christmas arc was conceived as a necessary reckoning, one that would hurt precisely because it was honest, because it refused to offer easy comfort or miraculous fixes, instead demanding that characters sit with the consequences of their actions, sometimes for the first time in years, and Rita emphasizes that closure does not always mean forgiveness or happiness, a misconception she believes many viewers hold, but rather acknowledgment, an acceptance that something has ended, something has changed irrevocably, and that pretending otherwise is a form of emotional dishonesty that the show could no longer sustain, and she points out that several characters entered the Christmas period emotionally frozen, haunted by unresolved grief, guilt, or betrayal, unable to move forward because the past had never been named aloud, and the somber tone was the only way to break that paralysis, to strip away the noise and force moments of stillness where truth could finally surface, even if that truth was devastating, and behind the scenes, Rita reveals that discussions among cast and writers were intense, with debates about how far was too far, whether viewers would feel punished rather than rewarded, but ultimately there was a shared belief that EastEnders has a responsibility to reflect real emotional processes, where closure is messy, painful, and often arrives at moments when celebration feels inappropriate, and she describes filming scenes where characters confronted loss during Christmas Day as emotionally draining but necessary, because pretending that grief politely steps aside for tinsel and turkey would ring false, especially for an audience that has grown up with these characters and expects emotional authenticity above all else, and Rita’s own experience on the show informed her perspective, as she recalls storylines where trauma lingered unresolved for years, affecting every interaction without ever being directly addressed, creating a quiet rot that audiences could sense even if it was never verbalized, and she believes this Christmas marked a turning point, where the show chose to face that rot head-on, even at the risk of discomfort, and what makes her explanation particularly compelling is her insistence that the somber direction is not an ending but a clearing of emotional ground, a necessary destruction before rebuilding can begin, because without closure, new stories feel weightless, unearned, and repetitive, and she hints that the aftermath of this Christmas will feel different, not lighter in an artificial way, but clearer, with characters finally able to make choices that are not entirely dictated by unresolved pain, and she also addresses criticism that Christmas should offer escapism, responding that true escapism comes from recognition, from seeing one’s own complicated emotions reflected honestly rather than glossed over, and that for many viewers, especially those dealing with loss, loneliness, or regret during the holidays, the somber episodes may have felt painfully close to home but also strangely validating, a reminder that they are not alone in feeling fractured when the world insists on cheer, and Rita underscores that closure is not about erasing the past but integrating it, allowing characters to carry their experiences without being consumed by them, and this philosophy guided every creative decision, from muted lighting and restrained music to performances that leaned into silence rather than melodrama, trusting the audience to sit with discomfort rather than rushing to resolve it, and as she speaks, it becomes clear that this Christmas was never meant to shock for shock’s sake but to mark a boundary, a line between what EastEnders was and what it needs to become to remain truthful, relevant, and emotionally resonant, and in that sense the somber tone was an act of respect, both to the characters who deserved to have their pain acknowledged and to the viewers who have invested years of emotional energy into their journeys, because as Rita Simons so starkly puts it, without closure stories stagnate, wounds fester, and nothing truly moves forward, and sometimes the kindest thing a show can do, even at Christmas, is to stop pretending everything is fine and finally allow the truth to breathe.