What the date with Simon tells us about Callum

~ Guest post by @saraballumfan ~

We need to talk about the date with Simon.

Because I think it was a genius move by the EastEnders team. And I’m not saying that because I’m (obviously) pleased that the date didn’t go anywhere and Callum walked out. I’m saying this because I think the date taught us and reminded us of a few things about Callum.

So let’s see what we learnt from Simon in such a short scene. (And apologies if you’ve already seen my thread on Twitter about this – this is pretty much the same but longer and easier to read!).

• Simon is tall and good looking (and, as some pointed out, has a very vague resemblance to Ben). I get it’s a matter of personal opinion, but it’s also kind of hard to disagree that him and Callum would make a nice couple, right?
• He picks up ‘break up vibes’ from Callum immediately. He tells Callum it looks like he’s not over his ex, probably had a bad break up and had his heart broken. And that’s basically the truth! Either he has a crystal ball or Simon is quite intuitive and empathetic, much like Callum is.
• He’s a paramedic, which means he shares this desire with Callum to help others, to ‘rescue’ people, and to do something meaningful with his life.
• He mentions his family, which tells us that the people he loves are important to him. Interestingly, he doesn’t mention his parents (for whatever reason), which could have been something that may have made Callum uncomfortable.
• He says he has two older sisters who still treat him like he’s 6. And isn’t that the bane of Callum’s life with Stuart?! Even if he had nothing in common with Simon (which he does), he could have certainly related to that!
• He says he’s been in a couple of long-ish relationships, and so has Callum. Well, his relationship with Ben hasn’t been that long, but it’s a relationship. And it’s been serious. The point here is that this tells us that Simon and Callum are on the same page – they’re people who look for a relationship rather than ‘a bit of fun’.
• And Simon also says that he’s looking for his last first date, which makes him incredibly romantic. And we know Callum is too!
• He gives Callum an ‘out’ by telling him he’s going to the loo, and if Callum isn’t there by the time he comes back, he’ll understand. But he hopes Callum will stay. And this makes him kind, understanding, and self-less – just like Callum.
• Overall, Simon gives off vibes of a ‘normal’, trouble-free life (and by that, I don’t necessarily mean boring!), and Callum never wanted any trouble in life!

So, could this guy be any more perfect for Callum? (Bonus points if you read that Chandler Bing’s voice).

Probably not. The EastEnders team couldn’t have made this guy more perfect for Callum if they tried. In a parallel universe, these two could have been great together.

But we’re in this universe. And the way the date with Simon went tells us quite a bit about Callum (and his feelings for Ben).

“It’s some profile” is all that Callum manages to say.

And it is.

Simon seems quite impressive. Knowing Callum, we know there’s loads he could talk to Simon about. They have a lot in common, and seeing those same values that he believes in reflected back to him by this amazing guy sitting in front of him should have given him all sorts of vibes. But it didn’t. We got nothing. 

Callum isn’t awkward.

He’s not dorky.

He doesn’t seem particularly nervous. 

He just literally doesn’t want to be there.

His heart’s not in it his mind’s not in it. 

For me, the date with Simon, tells us two important things about Callum:

1. He’s nowhere near being interested or willing to get to know someone else or move on. And why would he? Ben broke up with him – it wasn’t a mutual decision – and Callum knows that Ben reciprocates his feelings, despite what he says. The first thing Ben does after 3 weeks apart is to literally jump on him (don’t blame him), and him and Ben have had a hell of a week! I mean – would you be in the mood and in the right mindset to go for a date?! His head’s all over the place!
2. He loves Ben. He really really loves Ben. And we already know that because he told Ben (twice, by now), and we have no reason not to believe Callum. But the way the date with Simon goes, to me, shows that Callum realises that ‘the heart wants what the heart wants’. Sure, this guy might be perfect. But he’s not Ben. Let’s face it, Ben’s pretty much just given Callum grief since Christmas – he’s been a nightmare! And Ben, his own head, and everyone else can tell him all they want that he can do and deserves ‘better’. This ‘better’ potentially being the man sitting right there in front of him. But none of it matters because he’s in love with Ben. And it’s time to follow the little nugget of advice Ben gave him in the summer: “No matter what you head’s telling you, you’ve got to follow your heart”.

But this isn’t everything! 

Simon is also pretty much a mirror image of Callum, and to me, it serves as a reminder (to us) of who Callum is, which is important.

To everyone who said that Callum should and would sleep with this Simon (or should sleep around because he’s only ever been with Ben), this isn’t who Callum is.

I’m not disputing that a guy in this situation, should/could/would want to do that. Ben broke up with him – he can do what he likes! But that’s not who Callum is. Remember: “When I sleep with someone he’s got to mean something”? But also, remember when Ben told him he still had “oats to sow, flowers to pick, nuts to crack”? Callum told him that he’s not like that. And he’s not!

I’m not saying that Callum will never sleep with anyone else (although I don’t even want to go there!) – people change and so do circumstances. So, who knows? And ultimately, the show could have decided to go in any other direction with this date. But if Callum had slept with Simon – this week, in these circumstances, and after the events of this week with Ben – it would have felt very random and very out of character for Callum. 

And there’s one last thing! 

I think the date with Simon served as a reminder (to us) as to why Callum could only walk away from Ben when he told him the truth about being responsible for a man’s death.

As I said, Simon is almost a mirror image of Callum. It reminds us that Callum is kind and empathetic. He is a good person who believes in being good. He’s a ‘rescuer’ – he’s the guy who risks his life to save people. And because of all these things, of course he couldn’t tell Ben there and then that he’ll love him and will stand by him no matter what!

Everyone seems to agree with the fact that Callum would have been in shock. But a lot of people still felt disappointed with Callum not telling Ben that the fact he was responsible for someone’s death didn’t matter to him. That he didn’t say he’d love Ben anyway. And sure, we were all heartbroken for Ben, especially because his worst fear of being rejected and abandoned came true all at once! (I was very upset after Tuesday’s episode!).

But Callum staying and offering Ben empathy and support at that moment would have been, again, out of character. Generally, I doubt anyone would throw themselves at their ex, begging them to take them back, right after they’ve just been told that said ex is responsible for someone’s death! But this is about Callum, and taking someone’s life intentionally pretty much goes against everything Callum is.

Ben telling Callum that a man is dead because of him is like stabbing him in the heart – multiple times. Because:

1. It hurts to believe that Ben – the man he loves – could do something like that.
2. Callum is the guy who saves people! This is part of who Callum is!
3. He’s left wondering whether all the good he saw in Ben (and one of the reasons why he fell in love with Ben) was really there in the first place.

And this is why that scene with Lexi, right after the date, is also so beautiful and important. Because it reminds Callum that he isn’t the only one who loves Ben – he’s not the only who sees the good in Ben. Lexi does too! And she also sees that Ben’s been sad (and so does Callum). Ben’s ‘good side’ has been hiding a bit, as of late, and that’s made Ben sad. (It’s definitely made Callum very sad!). And that small scene with Lexi completes the date beautifully. 

Because Callum walks out of his date knowing that he loves Ben. That he really, really loves Ben. Ben has his heart – no matter what Ben’s said or done. No matter how many other ‘better’ guys Callum could have. They’re not Ben. And he wants Ben. And that’s that. So thank you, Simon!

And the other thing Callum is reminded of after his date is that Ben has good in him – Callum’s seen it. He knows it’s there. And maybe Sharon’s words didn’t warn him off Ben. Maybe they warned him of ‘that family’ – i.e. Phil, who is ‘Ben’s nightmare’, and the reason for Ben being sad, and for things going horribly wrong between them. (Or we can hope!). Maybe it’s now time for Callum to try and rescue Ben – from himself and from Phil’s hold… if Ben lets him.

So, all in all, I think this date (and the way it played out) has been quite a genius idea from the EastEnders team, and I think it served Callum (and the boys) quite well.

Now, are we ready and excited for next week?

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