Warning: The following contains major spoilers from the Redwater premiere.
Soap fans finally got their first look at the genre-bending Kat & Alfie: Redwater tonight… and came away more than a little disturbed.
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This EastEnders spin-off was two years in the making, and reunited stars Shane Richie and Jessie Wallace with their former producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins for a journey taking Kat and Alfie a world away from Albert Square.
Their travels led Kat and Alfie to a small Irish village on a mission to find Kat's long-lost son following years of separation. At the same time, Alfie faced life-changing circumstances of his own as he battles a brain tumour.
Related: Redwater episode one review – Atmospheric, gripping and with a truly shocking twist
There's no argument that Redwater has a compelling premise, but was it worth the two-year-long wait? Here's what fans are saying about tonight's premiere (and its utter waste of orange juice):
There were many (sarcastic) comparisons between the eerie seaside town in Redwater to ITV's crime thriller Broadchurch.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand Kat's son Dermott is a killer priest. Because she can't ever have happiness, can she?
Or maybe it's a double bluff and Andrew really is Kat's son after all?
Why didn't Dermott just give his orange juice to EastEnders' Denise Fox?
Redwater has faced some criticism over accusations that it promotes Irish stereotypes. Yet another opportunity for the smart alecks on Twitter:
Yes, that WAS Orphan Black's Mrs S (Maria Doyle Kennedy) as the dairy farm boss Roisin!
The final verdict:
The six-part drama continues next week, but there will unfortunately be a timeslot clash between Redwater and ITV's soap Emmerdale — a decision that Treadwell-Collins defends.
"Redwater isn't a soap. And besides, Emmerdale's doing so well that it could face some healthy competition," the writer-producer has argued. "It's not like the old days when Emmerdale was number three. It's brilliant at the moment."
Related: 8 HUGE questions and talking points after the dramatic first episode
Redwater continues next Thursday (May 25) at 8pm on BBC One.
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