Jackie Owen
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| EastEnders character | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Jackie Owen | |
| Portrayed by | Race Davies |
| Introduced by | Matthew Robinson |
| Duration | 1999–2000 |
| Date of birth | 15 August 1963 |
| Status | Widowed |
| Occupation | Waitress |
Jacqueline "Jackie" Owen (previously Bayliss) was a fictional character in BBC's EastEnders from 1999 to 2000. She was played by Race Davies.
When Jackie arrived in Walford she was a woman with a mission, and that was to keep her brother out of jail. She had a fiery temper caused by severe PMS and her violent outbursts were too much for her boyfriend to handle.
[edit] History
Jackie arrived in Walford in September 1999. She had come in search of her brother, Steve, after hearing news that he was soon to stand trial for the murder of Saskia Duncan. Jackie's husband, Doug (a hotelier and club owner), had served time in prison for manslaughter, after accidentally killing a violent punter in self-defence. Whilst there he committed suicide in his cell, so she was adamant that her brother would not share the same fate.
Jackie believed her brother to be innocent, but was aware of the hostility towards him in the Square, so she initially refrained from divulging her connection to him. She soon got a job working as a waitress at Giuseppe's Italian restaurant, which was owned by the di Marco family. In between her shifts, Jackie set about questioning the residents of Walford about Steve, hoping to uncover something to exonerate him. But after Gianni di Marco discovered a prison visiting order in Jackie's belongings, he soon told everyone her true identity, which infuriated the locals. During Steve's trial Jackie managed to piece together that her brother was lying about murdering Saskia. Jackie was furious, but nevertheless she gave the court a tearful and moving testimony that undoubtedly swayed the jury in Steve's favour and probably bought his freedom. Steve was subsequently found not guilty, whilst Matthew Rose, who Steve had framed, was found guilty of manslaughter and was forced to serve time inside for a crime he didn't commit.
[edit] Gianni and PMS
Jackie and Steve were both the targets of regular animosity on the Square regarding Steve's actions. Martin Fowler in particular, had it in for Jackie, and after goading her in the restaurant one day, Jackie finally lost it and fiercely ordered him to leave. Martin proceeded to steal a customer's money from a nearby table and then did a runner. Both Jackie and Gianni followed him into a half-demolished building and as Martin looked back from outside he heard Jackie shriek as a huge piece of piping fell towards her. Jackie was trapped, but awake and Gianni lay half-conscious beside her. Whilst the two waited to be rescued they began sharing life stories and began to bond. The firemen were having difficulty moving the debris as any wrong move would have brought the whole roof down on top of them. Amidst all the chaos, Jackie and Gianni managed to kill time by flirting and just as the two leant in to kiss each other the roof collapsed! Steve rushed into the fallen building to save them and neither was badly injured.
Over the following months Jackie became involved with the free Matthew Rose campaign, possibly to relieve her guilt for her part in his imprisonment. She and Gianni started to build a relationship and it seemed as if the womanising Italian was really falling for Jackie. However, Jackie wasn't the easiest of women to please. She had a rather quick temper and a bit of a jealous streak and as time went by these tendencies became more and more apparent. Jackie began to take everything that Gianni said the wrong way, which resulted in one-sided screaming matches for seemingly no reason. After Jackie managed to scald Gianni by tipping hot coffee over him in a fit of rage, she finally explained that she suffered with severe Premenstrual Tension (PMS) for a week every month, and during this time she became enraged and violent. Gianni was uncharacteristically sympathetic and he tried to make allowances for Jackie's extreme behaviour. Later Jackie managed to injure Gianni by punching him in the face, and even smashed up the restaurant in a fit of fury. Jackie sought help from a Doctor and was given medication, which she hoped would curtail the problem. Unfortunately even this didn't stop the violence. After hitting Gianni with a saucepan one evening, Jackie decided to end the relationship as she couldn't stand the thought that she might harm him. Gianni was stunned, as by then he had fallen deeply in love with her. Gianni made one last attempt to save their relationship, but when his mother, Rosa, discovered the abuse he'd been victim to, she forbade Jackie from having anything more to do with him.
Jackie left Walford after learning of her brother Steve's drug habit in June 2000. Her brother returned fully reformed from rehab weeks later, without Jackie. When Jackie's mother, Barbara Owen, fell ill a year later, she relayed that Jackie refused to help her and it was subsequently revealed that they both had shared hatred for each other. Jackie refused to attend her funeral in 2001 and when Steve died in a car crash in 2002, Jackie didn't turn up for his funeral either. In April 2002 Steve's wife, Melanie Owen, discovered that both she and Jackie were under police investigation for money laundering and drug trafficking. It was actually Steve who was guilty of these crimes, but he had set them both up as company directors of his illegitimate businesses, and following his death, they were held accountable.
