#grayatkins

Tuesday 20th April 2021

Good evening again everyone! Hope your week is all going well so far! I have to be honest, I am still reeling from Monday's huge ending, still can't get over that Kush has been killed off, I feel shocked and saddened to know that he may never return to the soap. I had every hope that they would at least keep his role open for a return in the future! Where you shocked at the outcome? Or did you have a horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach that Kush would be Gray's 3rd victim? How long can Gray keep getting away with murder?? Seriously!!!

I have a horrible feeling this next episode is going to be hard to watch, the aftermath of Kush's death!

(20 minutes later!)

Oh my goodness, through out that whole episode you could sense and feel the sadness, the mourning and the absence of Kush, how everyone is completely and utterly devastated by his loss. Poor Whitney is sitting alone, still wearing the clothes from the night before, she looks almost numb to the core. In the house with her are Sonia, Tiffany and Martin. Oh Martin - Martin also looks completely and utterly crushed by the loss of his best mate, he must feel as if he's lost a limb! I know it was mentioned in the episode by Mick, but it's going to be devastating not seeing Kush with Martin having a drink together in the pub!

From what I can tell, everyone close to Kush must've learnt the news that evening, I do feel a bit gutted we didn't say how and when everyone found out, especially Whitney - I feel it should've been something we should have seen. But as the news of Kush's death spreads around the Square, Gray feels he needs to show his face, but even more trying to fish for information from anyone who may have any news, He tries getting gossip from Keegan - even though Keegan only knows that minor detail that Kush was hit by a train. Suddenly as Callum makes his way through the Square, Gray takes his opportunity to question Callum about the police are suspecting. Even though poor Callum himself is stunned by the news of Kush's death, he reveals to Gray that the police seem to think it was an accident, but that theory doesn't seem to make sense, as Callum informs Gray that Kush and Whiney were planning on running away together for a new life and it was the last trains of the night they were going to catch, at that time of night the platform would've been empty! But it's then that I think Callum puts the seed in Gray's mind that Kush's might've jumped?

As the news continues to spread, we seem to focus on the people who were important in Kush's life, Whitney, Martin and next was Denise! As she's sat in work, it look as if she has no clue about what's happened, but it's only when Kim makes her way into the salon looking in shock and devastation, Denise questions whether something has happened to Patrick. It's then that her sister informs her that she's learnt about Kush's death. Poor Denise is another one who begin to feel extremely sorry for - of course Kush and Denise had a small fling ages ago and they always remained close. Denise was absolutely heartbroken to hear the news of Kush's passing, she simply couldn't get her head around it.

--

As I said in the previous post, I was really intrigued as to what was going to happen to Shirley and the Mitchell's, now Kush has been killed - what will that mean for them? But it seems that Ben answered my question. Kush was initially asked to be key witness in another investigation against the Mitchell's, but now he's been killed there'll be no evidence for him to give - which actually might mean now that the Mitchell's and Shirley will be able to walk free. It looks as if they have no knowledge about Kush's death until they arrive back on the Square. As locals gather to lay flowers for their beloved member of the community, Ben mentions that the only witness the police have is now a dead man, but regardless of Kush grassing them up to the police, Phil shows his respect - claiming that regardless of what he did to them, he did not deserve to die as such a young way and in such a horrific way! Ooooh deep down in my guts I feel like shouting to them, if only they really knew how Kush died!! How would the locals of Walford know that sleeping amongst them is a murderer?!

But where Shirley is concerned, it looks as if she has no idea about Kush's death either. As she's released from custody, you can see the steam coming from her ears. She's outraged that Kush has grassed her up to the police. She informs both Linda and Nancy that she's going to get her hands on Kush as soon as she can. But later on, when she seems to have calmed down and it looks as if she's learned about Kush's death, Mick holds an absolutely beautiful tribute to Kush and raises a glass to him with their boozers in the Vic. Mick's words were so moving, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. However, Shirley seems reluctant to raise her glass, claiming that as much as she's sorry he's passed away, she can't toast a grass, which I feel is really quite cold-hearted. Kush was never bad man, he was one the most liked people on the Square. But when Nancy questions what people are saying about Kush's death, she's horrified to learn that people are speculating that he jumped in front of the train, but Mick make the interesting point that camera's are everywhere so they should be able to find some sort of explanation as to whether Kush's death was accidental or deliberate.

Also, after waiting all day for her package to arrive, it seems Nancy is pretty secretive about what is in her package. What really caught my attention was when Linda questioned her daughter whether she's still being able to keep control of her epilepsy. Nancy tries to reassure her Mum that she hasn't had a seizure for a very long time, but something is telling me that she's lying to her parents. Is her epilepsy getting worse? Could this package actually be something that helps her to keep control of her seizures? Either way, I'm really intrigued to see what secret Nancy is hiding!

--

Returning to Denise when she's been left alone to take in the news about his death, when Jack comes to finds her to make sure she's okay, she recalls her brief romance with Kush and how happy he made her when they were together. I and I think what she was mentioning about being sat with Kim and Carmel and informing them that she was dating Kush, I think I actually remember watching that moment, of course Carmel wasn't best pleased, but Denise how happy it made her feel being able to hold Kush's hand. That really moved me, especially when she mentioned how much love he had to give and he had initially found the right person to give it to! Gosh it was so emotional!

Meanwhile, as the rest of the Square are mourning Kush, Isaac seems to be listening in to the conversation between Denise and Patrick, but when Denise mentions that Kush was just 35 years of age, Patrick mentions how Kush's death reminds of him of his son, Paul. Now interestingly, Isaac seems to react to the name "Paul" - does he know who Paul is?! As Patrick decides to go ahead with his medical trial for other stroke victims, Isaac is with him - even though everything seems above board, Isaac informs his Dad that he's not happy about his decision but he will support him nonetheless. However it looks like the thought of Paul is still on his mind, it's only later when Isaac is alone in the Cafe that Kim joins him, it's then that he asks her straight out - What is the issue with Paul? Why do people go all coy and cold on the subject of him? Even though Kim feels that it's not her place to say, she decides to inform him that Paul was murdered. I'm intrigued that after all these years Paul is still remembered in this soap, he was another who had a devastating death - is Isaac going to want to learn more about his step-brothers Paul and Anthony? What do you think?

--

Later on, after the advice from Gray about discussing Kush's death with his colleagues, Callum finds Gray in the Cafe and informs them that the theory about Kush's death being accidental has completely been wiped. Unfortunately, Callum also confirms that the CCTV had been vandalized so any form of camera footage they have been able to get hold off could not longer be traced. Hmmm, I wonder who vandalized the camera, eh?! (Rolls eyes!) Of course Gray would've covered his back! However, I am also kind of hoping that maybe the Vic or the Minute Mart or the Cafe may have some kind of CCTV camera looking outwards onto the streets of their businesses - some local companies do have them - could it be possible that maybe one single business camera might've caught Whitney, Kush and little Arthur heading towards the train station and slowly following after them, we'd see Gray! Who knows?! It's a possibility! All I know is that Gray cannot get away with another murder, he just can't! He's murdered so many likeable characters and it's devastating and horrifying that he's getting away with it! I truly can't wait for the day when the locals learn about his crimes and he gets his comeuppance!

Feeling confident that he's covered his tracks, Gray then takes it upon himself to visit Whitney - Ooohh how dare he! - He's acting like the loyal friend who's trying to console their friend in need. Poor Whitney looks absolutely lost, it's clear to see that she has been sobbing her heart out - her face is all smudged with mascara down her cheeks and her cheeks are red from the amount of crying she's done. She still sits silently as Gray tries to give her his condolences, but as soon as he mentions Kush's name - she turns her face slowly towards him, whispering, warning him not to even mention his name.

For a split second, it looks as if Whitney knows Gray's dirty horrid secret! But she begins to claim that he is part of the reason that Kush is dead, if it wasn't for him siding with the Mitchell's and taking their dirty money that they wouldn't have to run away and Kush wouldn't have died! As far as she's concerned, he is as much to blame for his death as much as the Mitchell's are! Gray of course seems slightly surprised by her outburst, but - I don't know whether you noticed it, there was some kind of sigh or huff or scuff that came from him when Whitney mentioned his involvement with the Mitchell's. So, even though Whitney is blaming him for Kush's death and screaming at him that he killed him, it looks as if he is almost relieved that what she is saying ALMOST isn't true! Oooooh - but wait! Wait! WAIT until she really does find out the truth!!! I cannot wait for Gray to be found out, he truly can't keep carrying on murdering such lovely innocent people!

--

Ending this post and a happier note, oooo could there be a love interest for Bernie?! I think since she came out as gay and went to Gay Pride, she hasn't really been able to find anyone, has she? Now after being introduced to this new character, Molly (all thanks to the little doggo Ziggy/Banjo) - Molly is showing a very big interest in Bernadette, but bless Bernie, she can't seem to see it. But luckily Bailey clicks on to what Molly is getting at and decides to take their new doggy friend for a walk in an attempt to get them alone. Bernie is really surprised when Molly openly admits that she's wanting to ask her out. Even though I haven't really got an opinion on this new love interest yet, I just hope Bernadette will be happy and doesn't get hurt, it would be nice for her to enter a new relationship. What do you think?

Full Week Catch Up

Monday 12th April 2021 (Part Two) - Monday 19th April 2021

Hello again folks, hope you've had a good week! I am finally back after a whole week away! I've just binged watched almost 2 hours worth of EastEnders and blimey what an action packed roller-coaster, my hands are shaking with the amount of adrenaline that's buzzing through me after seeing that ending of last night's episode! I truly cannot believe what I've just seen!!! Plus we have the excitement of having three characters return! But my God, there is so much I need to mention and I'm going to break it down into slots the best I can!

So to begin with I'm going to start with The Taylors. After Karen has been made redundant from the laundrette, it looks as if the family are falling on hard times, they're pretty much almost broke. Even Bernadette is beginning to notice how much her Mum may be struggling, offering to start paying her way now she has a proper job. But Karen seems too proud to take money from her daughter, claiming that she's never asked her children for anything and never would if she thought she couldn't cope.

But even when she has another meeting with Mr. P, poor Karen gets the wrong end of the stick. He made a small comment mentioning that he could find a way to help her with money whilst she found a new job, from the looks of it, Karen assumes that he means something sleazy, dirty - sleeping with him for money. But as she turns up to the restaurant all dolled up, making a show of how unprofessional Mr. P is, it's plain to see that that was never his intentions. Soon as he's completely humiliated he shows Karen an envelope claiming that there's about 3 months wages in there for her to get by until she finds something else. Understandably, Karen is completely embarrassed and apologetic as soon as she realises her mistake, but Mr. P declines her apology, leaving her feeling absolutely devastated. I know the Taylor's have become a firm favourite of the soap so it'll be horrible to see them fall on hard times, but this has happened to many different families in the Square, hopefully in time Karen will be able to find a new job before things get out of control.

--

The next thing I have to mention is Keegan, Tiffany and Dotty. At the beginning of the week, Keegan is eager to progress his business, as he and Tiffany throw ideas back and forth, Tiffany comes up the idea of making a name for himself online. She creates a profile for her husband's business and suggests making posts about all sorts of sandwiches he could create, he could do live streams, build a following of some kind. Keegan is more than pleased with idea, but unfortunately without him knowing, Tiffany leaves the device on live stream - and it's only later we find out what actually went down!

Later in the day as Keegan is happily attending to his stall, he appears to be getting quite a lot of female attention, with customers gossiping, pointing and giggling it seems Keegan is suspicious about the attention he's receiving. It's only when Tiffany and Keegan mention about the live stream, Keegan realises that he has been caught naked on live stream, as there was a slight disaster with some mayonnaise! I have to admit, this whole section, I did find pretty funny and can I say how nice it was to see Keegan in a more happy and positive mood, it's been a long time I think since we've seen happy Keegan, it was about time!

Of course he still holds concerns for his wife having to do her hostessing job, to which he is still wanting her to pack in once his business takes off. As the week goes on, the episodes seem to focus on Tiffany and Dotty still fleecing their customers out of money. But at Tiffany's horror, as she leaves her husband to see to his sandwich customers, she gets approached by an unknown gentleman claiming that she scammed him for paying for alcohol he never had! Fortunately Dotty is there to fight her corner and the man leaves, but gives a brutal warning that he hasn't let the matter lie.

It's clear to see that Tiffany is visibly shaken up, considering the man had her backed into a corner, but it's interesting to know that she hasn't told Keegan exactly what she and Dotty have been up to at the club, in a way she is putting herself in more danger. It was only a matter of time before they were going to be found out. Later on in the evening, Dotty and Tiffany appear to be getting ready for their shift, but it looks as if Tiffany is having second thoughts after her horrible encounter with the old gentleman. As she wipes her lipstick off, Ruby enters the room and voices her concerns on whether Dotty and Tiffany can actually carry on fleecing their customers. She, interestingly, informs them that she's not going to sack them but she wants to in on how much extra they make from their customers. It seems that if Dotty and Tiffany continue to do this, Ruby wants to make sure they can handle it. It's really interesting I find, considering the fact that what they're doing is illegal, with Ruby being the manager of the club, having full knowledge of what her employers are doing and allowing them to do it, there must be some kind of sackable offence or even a fine or some kind if she was also to be found out? I'm intrigued to see what will happen if Keegan and/or Martin find out! What do you guys think?!

As Tiffany carries on with her shift, see eyes up a potential group of customers to approach, but as she slowly gets closer towards them, she overhears the conversation they're having about Keegan and his sandwich business, but then their conversation topic turns to Tiffany as they reveal that they've dived into social media and found out the Tiffany is the wife of the "Sandwich Maker" and end up insulting her, her clothes and the way she looks and how she even ended up with Keegan in the first place. Of course this deeply hurts Tiffany and as she looks around the room for another customer, she sees a young lad sat on his own who waves her across, so she decides to take her business elsewhere.

Unfortunately as the night goes on, the young man gets incredibly drunk - almost to the stage where he can't hand over his wallet. He's slumped across the table with countless amounts of bottles and glasses in front of him. Tiffany admits that she feels a little guilty for making him drink himself into an oblivion. But as it comes to him paying his fee, Dotty manages to get his wallet, but as she reaches in for his bank card, they also discover his student card. As the customer they've managed to fleece is a student they realise that he's not going to have the funds to be able to pay what he owes them. 

As Ruby enters the room, she notices the young student hauled over the table and acknowledges that maybe Dotty and Tiffany needs to focus on other types of customer's, not the ones with baggy jeans, but the ones who have name branded suits etc etc. She instructs her employees to take care of the drunken student and to make sure they pay for his cab home! As Tiffany and Dotty wait outside with the student for his cab, Tiffany questions whether Dotty ever feels guilty for what they do. Even though Dotty admits that they got it wrong with the male student, she doesn't feel any guilt for older and wealthy customers who can clearly afford it and sometimes seem to drunk to even care. Something is telling me deep down that Tiffany really doesn't want to do this any more, whether she fears for her safety or whether she fears Keegan finding out - who knows? 

But, without their knowledge, the man who approached Tiffany early in the day is hiding down a back alley listening to their conversation, but the most terrifying that happens next is that he actually follows them home! Now I have to admit, I found that part very creepy. I thought for a moment he was going to attack them or sexually assault them in their own home. Dotty tries her best to hold her ground claiming that they don't have his money and if he doesn't leave she will call the police, even informing that Keegan will be returning to the house at any minute! 

Tiffany is clearly more frightened than Dotty is, her eyes are slowly tearing up, scared of what the man is going to. He claims that if they haven't got his money there can be other ways in which they can repay him. Deep down, in the pit of my stomach I thought that he was meaning that they'd have to sleep with him to pay him back. I have to admit I feared for Tiffany at this point, but out of no where the man gets whacked in the back of the head and falls to the floor. Thankfully Sonia arrived home from Ireland just in time to save the day! I have to be honest, I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Sonia! It's nice to have Sonia back, even though she's only been gone for a few months, it's nice to have her back at Dot's where she belongs! Oh speaking of which, as Dotty and Tiffany inform Sonia about what's been happening in her absence, Sonia reveals to Dotty that Dot has pretty much made Sonia the one in charge of the house, regarding who stays and who doesn't and who pays what etc, and from the look of Dotty's face it looks as if she isn't best pleased about it, especially considering she was going to get some kind of inheritance, but after what Sonia has witnessed, it's clear to Sonia that she isn't ready yet for her inheritance money. 

--

Elsewhere on the Square, it's Frankie's birthday and Mick is gathering everything together to throw his daughter a special birthday celebration in the Vic for her, the funny thing is though is that he has no idea what to buy for his daughter, he stills feels as though he doesn't know her well enough to get her something she'd really like. As he arrives home he admits to Linda that he's gone bit crazy, buying this such as a bazooka - but then who doesn't love a huge water gun, right?! 

But the moment that got me super excited when everyone was gathered in the living room, was when Shirley walked in!!! Everyone was so happy to see her! I was happy to see her return, but unfortunately she returns with the devastating news that she's been able to track down Tina, which of course was her full intention was to go away and find their missing sister. But of course we know that Gray murdered her - it's truly going to be devastating for the Carter family when they learn the truth. The one thing I did notice though was that Shirley didn't even seem phased by the fact that Frankie was now living with them - was Shirley informed that Frankie is Mick's daughter? If so, when?! I simply cannot remember that conversation between Shirley and Mick before she left, if anyone else can recall then please remind me! 

One other part which I loved too, when Shirley, Mick and Linda had all gathered around together to surprise Frankie by singing "Happy Birthday" to her in sign language! A very touching and thoughtful thing to do, but it was quite funny how they were all struggling to get the right signs and keep in sync with each other. A very touching moment, but brilliantly funny also! As the birthday celebrations continue, everyone gathers in the Vic to wish Frankie a huge Happy Birthday, Mick even happens to propose a toast to his daughter and finally opening up to the community that Frankie is his daughter and he's thrilled to have her in his life, but just as everyone is about to click their glasses, another member of the Carter family returns - Nancy!!!!

I have to be honest, I am so happy to see Nancy back - is it just me or has she changed? Only ever so slightly? I can't make out what it is though, her image? Her personality? I'm not so sure but something has slightly changed, maybe I'm looking at something that isn't there. I admit I was expecting Nancy to be really cold towards Frankie, but it seems that she's not as cold as I expected her to be. Instead she actually seems to welcome her new sister into the family, even sticking up for after hearing Sharon and Honey gossiping about her Dad and her sister. 

But as much as I'm enjoying this sisterly-bonding, I have to admit, for a brief moment I was speculating whether it's all just a front. Is Nancy really happy to have a new sister? Bare in mind, whilst she was left alone to settle after travelling back from New Zealand, we happen to see her on the phone to Tamwar. Now my questions from that scene are - is she still married to Tamwar?! And what does she need money for?! Is Nancy up to something? As much as I'm thrilled to see her back on the Square, I'm intrigued to see what brings her back and whether we'll learn more about her time in New Zealand with Tamwar, what do you guys think?! 

Unfortunately, the happily family reunion doesn't last for very long - as for reasons I'll go into shortly, Shirley ends up being arrested for her involvement in the robbery. Understandably, all the Carter clan are shocked to hear of the news, but I just found it quite disappointing, as soon as Shirley arrives back on the Square, she's taken into the nick! It's yet unknown whether Shirley is going to be charged with her involvement in the robberies, plus it's interesting to see what's going to happen with Ben and Phil also - but again, I'll get into that shortly. 

As Mick frets about his Mum being at the police station, he tries to find every bit of information that he ca, but to no avail. The only thing he knows for certain is that it has something to do with Phil Mitchell! As a way to take his mind of his Mum, Nancy and Frankie offer to stay up with him, but they all end up staying up and Mick attempts to gather the family together with a game of Monopoly. As everyone is assigned their little token, Mick is baffled to realise that his "Lucky Token" is missing (The Top Hat). On his hands and knees he begins to search the floor of the pub as Frankie and Nancy watch on - watching their Dad scramble for the Monopoly piece. They decide that they would take it upon themselves to search for the piece instead and instruct Mick to head upstairs and get comfortable. 

As Mick agrees and exits, the two sisters then decide to get more acquainted over a bottle of wine. Only later on and everyone turns in for the night, Frankie seems to have a gotten a little tipsy, much to Mick and Linda's amusement. They inform their Dad that they couldn't find his Monopoly token but they decided to make him one instead. As Nancy escorts her sister to get a cup of tea, much to her reluctance, Mick reveals that he had hold of the Top Hat token all along and it was his whole plan of getting Nancy and Frankie to start bonding! - One word - Brilliant! I have to be honest, I loved the whole sisterly bonding between Frankie and Nancy and I really hope we'll continue to see more of the sisters together in scenes to come! 

--

So, the big one, the big emotional SHOCKING one! Kush's trail is quickly approaching and it looks as if his main concern is how long he'll be locked up inside, how long he'll be away from Whitney and his son for if he was to plead guilty for not just his crime, but for all the other crimes he's taking the rap for for the Mitchells. He decides to take a visit to Mitchell's, wanting to speak to Phil, but instead comes face-to-face with Ben and admits that he doesn't want to go ahead with their plan. But somehow, Ben manages to change his mind, trying to explain that the money they're paying him will set him and Whitney for life once he's out of prison. 

Realising that there really is no other way, he agrees to continue with his plans with the Mitchell's. But in the meantime, after having a confrontation with Whitney, Kat goes round to see Whitney apologising about the way she's been acting recently. She tries to reassure her that she still cares deeply about Kush, regardless of being distant over the past few months. Unfortunately, Kat drops the bombshell to Whitney that Kush has a good deal with Phil - much to her shock, even though she lies and informs Kat that Kush tells her everything, it's clear to see that Whitney is deeply hurt about hearing that Kush could be locked away for longer than she expected. 

But whilst this conversation is happening between Kat and Whitney, Kush is gathering Martin, Keegan and Tiffany together in an attempt to throw a quick marriage ceremony for himself and Whitney. He wants to try and prove to her that no matter how long he'll be put in prison for, they will marry once he's released, and who knows, he could be let out sooner for good behaviour! As everyone gets dressed up their smart and gorgeous gear, Kush prepares to get married to Whitney. 

After finding each other in the gardens, Whitney confronts her boyfriend/fiancé' demanding an explanation regarding what she's just been told by Kat. Kush is completely apologetic and admits that he should've told her the truth sooner, but he wanted to make sure that they would be set for life once he was released, but in Whitney's mind, he would be leaving her for a lot longer than he actually really needs to, which I guess I can understand her point. Why the hell should he take the rap for something he hasn't done?! Why does he need their money? As long as he has Whitney and his son, nothing else matters! Kush once again apologises and claims that they should get married before he goes to prison, he gets down on one knee and proposes to her. But poor Whitney is so devastated about being lied to again that all she can do is tearfully shake her head, much to Kush's disappointment and embarrassment, without another word between them, Kush walks off slowly and then speeds off into a run and just runs and runs as fast as his legs can take him!!

The following day, both Whitney and Martin are concerned about Kush's whereabouts, after running away no one appears to have heard from him. Through out the day, Whitney tries her absolute best to get in touch with Kush, leaving him plenty of voicemails but hearing nothing back. She begins to fret whether he has done something stupid and done a runner without her or maybe even done something even more stupid. As the day goes on and it gets darker and darker, Whitney is seen sitting alone on Arthur's bench in the garden's and of course, trying to be her knight in shining armour, Gray once again tries to worm his way in, informing her that Kush might be looking at a long time in prison and she needs to know for sure whether marrying him is the right thing to do, he even tries to get her inside to have a drink, in an attempt to console her. But Whitney is adamant she doesn't want a drink and that Kush is really good man. In hindsight, Gray's advice completely backfires as Whitney thanks him for making her realise what she has to do. Gray is obviously quite confused, but as Whitney returns home she attempts to call Kush one last time, pleading him to come home and softly informing him that she really does love him. 

As she ends the call, to her shock Kush is sat in the living room waiting patiently for her, announcing his love for her, he apologises for springing their surprise wedding on her, but Whitney admits that it was a beautiful gesture. As they softly kiss, they agree that they are both in this for the long haul, no matter what happens, and they agree to marry. The following day is the big day for Kush, it's his first day at trial and even though Whitney and Martin want to be there for him, he respectfully asks them to stay away as it's not going to be happy to witness. 

I have to admit, the whole thing that kicked off during Kush's trial I was not expecting! Kush heads to court alone after receiving a gorgeous Good Luck card from his son, but even in the waiting room, Gray once again can't help but make a comment, informing Kush he'll look after Whitney while he's away. As much as it seems innocent to Kush, we know completely what Gray's intentions are! But it's when Kush gets into the courtroom that things begin to kick off, as Ben and Gray watch from the stalls, Kush pleads guilty to the robbery of cars. But as soon as the judge asks him whether he has anything else he'd like to add - Kush reveals everything to the judge, that he in fact wasn't the only one who took part in the burglary and to Ben's absolutely horror, Kush names both him, Phil and Shirley amongst the ones who were involved in the robbery and reveals that the Mitchell's also need to pay for what they have done! Both Gray and Ben are completely gobsmacked by Kush's actions - even Ben almost lashes out in the courtroom claiming Kush to be liar! Watching this scene I thought it was absolutely brilliant, such an amazing atmosphere and the tension was certainly rising! It was as if Kush came to the decision that he's not going to take the rap for something he hasn't done and the Mitchell's need to be held responsible for what they've done! For Kush, he doesn't care about the money, all he cares about is Whitey and his son! 

As things appear to be escalating in court, back on the Square both Shirley and Phil are arrested. Of course the Carter family are stunned to see Shirley being arrested, and Kat watches with dismay as Phil is put in handcuffs and taken away. Everyone can't seem to understand what is happening. Whitney is completely stunned to see Kush return home from court in a rushed manor. He informs her that he's not going to be going to be prison, BUT he's been asked to help with another investigation regarding the Mitchell's and if he agrees to co-operate with the police, he won't go to prison! 

However now the Mitchell's know that Kush has grassed them up, they are going to be hot on his trail, he informs Whitney that for them to be safe, they need to leave the Square immediately! Meanwhile as Phil and Ben are being held at the police station, they both are asking Gray what can be done to get them out of prison, they are both completely and utterly fuming with regards to Kush grassing them up and they are demanding Gray to come up with a way of sorting it out and getting them out of prison! But Gray seems to have his hands tied, unless Kush changes his statement then there is nothing that he can do, much to their anger and frustration. As Kat, Callum and Gray gather outside the police station waiting to hear news, they begin to question why Kush would throw the Mitchell's into the frame when he was offered a good deal from them, but then Kat realises that the only reason he would do this would be for Whitney, she would be the only reason why he'd do this, for a chance to have a proper life with her. 

Realising that their only option to be together is to run away, both Whitney and Kush gather their belongings and head to the Fowler's to inform Martin about their plans. Even though Martin completely understands and agrees with them, when they ask whether they could take Arthur with them, Martin is a little bit hesitant. Kush fears that if the Mitchell's don't get hold of him, they'll go for his son instead. He promises that they will keep Arthur safe and they would return when things with the Mitchell's has cooled off. Kush is really just being a Dad, he wants to keep his son safe and of course he's going to want to have him with him. 

Eventually Martin agrees to let Arthur go with them, as much as it deeply upsets him, he understands that they're doing the right thing. Martin goes upstairs and wakes the little boy up from his sleep, informing him that he'll be going on holiday with Daddy Kush. I have to admit, Martin's goodbye to Arthur was incredibly emotional - especially when the young boy voices that he wants Daddy Martin to go with them. Poor Martin gets teary and telling his son that he wants to hear everything about his holiday.

Another certain emotional goodbye was between Kush and Martin. For years they have been like brother's, they've been through so much together and little do they know that this will be the last time they see each other. Before they both break down into tears, Kush thanks Martin and voices that Martin has been the best friend he's ever had. Gosh I have to say I was almost choked up myself watching all these emotional goodbyes. But what's even more harrowing was that Gray was watching them leave whilst being on the phone to Whitney, Whitney lied to him claiming she was going to bed early - but little did she know that she was being watched leaving the Square with Kush and Arthur. 

Eventually they all get to the train station, waiting patiently for their train. But little Arthur lets them know that he needs to go to the bathroom, of course it's very bad timing but Whitney volunteers to take the youngster to the bathroom, leaving Kush alone on the platform. Unbeknown to them, Gray has followed them all the way to the station and is lurking in the shadows of the tube. 

As Kush waits patiently for his fiancé' and son, Gray makes himself known, much to Kush's shock. It's plain to see that Gray isn't acting rationally, he has been drinking? He begins to lash out at Kush, claiming that he think he's won, taking Whitney from him. Kush is completely taken back by Gray's accusations, claiming he's going to ruin Whitney's life. Kush tries everything he can to calm Gray down and claim that everything he's thinking and possibly feeling is fantasy - the only thing Whitney has ever been to him is a childminder, nothing more! But Gray is adamant that he loves Whitney, she is in fact his future!

Suddenly Gray goes for Kush, they scuffle and Gray ends up falling onto the rail way lines! (OH MY GOSH!) My heart was absolutely pumping ten to the dozen watching this, for a very small brief moment, it looked as if Gray was finally going to get his comeuppance. In this distance you could clearly see the lights of the train coming ahead. Of course Kush, being the decent man that he is, even after being insulted and assaulted by Gray helps to drag him up back onto the platform. 

Tensions are high, the train is fast approaching, but Gray makes it back to platform just in time, however things take a very very nasty and horrific turn when Kush stands up, claims that Gray could've nearly died. Hearing the train is quickly approaching, Gray quickly gets up and pushes Kush back onto the railway line as the train passes. Oh my goodness!!!!!! As much I was fretting this was going to happen, I also never expected it to end this way!!! Gray has killed ANOTHER Walford resident in the most horrific circumstances. I had every hope that Kush's role would remain open for Davood Ghadami to return one day! Kush's final scenes where incredible but yet really sad and such a shocker!!

I have to ask a few questions though, surely there would be some kind of CCTV on the platform?! How are people going to learn about Kush's death? Being killed on railway line is no accident, not unless Gray comes up with some stupid story claiming that it was an accident and he fell? What's going to happen when Whitney returns from taking Arthur the bathroom? Will we even see that?! What's going to happen for the Mitchell's and Shirley now? I'm assuming with Kush not being able to co-operate with the police and give them evidence, there'll be no reason for the police to charge the Mitchell's and Shirley, right?! 

Will they think that Kush has just upped and ran? Will they even learn about his death?! Oh my gosh so many questions!!! Please feel free to let me know what you thought of last night's episode! I'd love to hear your thoughts! Surely Gray has to be found out soon, right? How many more people can he get away with killing?! The Carter's WILL eventually find out what happened to Tina - her body is still missing, but will it end up being discovered? We still don't know what Gray did with her body?! 

Monday 12th April 2021

Part One

Hello again everyone! So I'm back again with another blog post, I'm happy be on the current week now! I'm hoping eventually I will be able to catch up, it is going to be difficult as from Friday onwards I'm going to be away from my computer until the following Monday, so I'm going to have to try super hard to catch up! But I'm going to take it in my stride, I had a feeling that going back to the day job as well as trying to fit in my blogs and trying to cope with things in my personal life would get stressful, but as the saying goes:- We keep calm and carry on! I do have a little bit of news to share though, it seems that Sonia will be returning to Walford after a short period away visiting her daughter, Bex. However it seems that Sonia's return might be a big one, we know she has a family member arriving on the Square, will they be tagging along with her? Who knows? Either way, I'm super excited for what's in store for Sonia!

So it's a whole new week on the Square and so much going on, but the first thing I'm going to focus on is Gray and the Taylor family. Today just so happens to be Chantelle's birthday and it looks as if to commemorate the day for Chantelle, the family have decided to catch up for a meal all expense paid by Gray! As Karen leaves the laundrette, she's approached by a man in a suit, who we later find out happens to be Mr. P, her boss? It seems as if he's eager to speak to her about something very important, but as Karen is in a rush to be with her family, they arrange to meet up the following day. 

As Karen, Mitch, Bailey and Bernadette all make themselves comfortable at the dinner table at the restaurant, the only person missing happens to be Gray! Instead of being with his family, Gray decides to take himself to the Vic and slowly begins to drink his sorrows away. Can't he face being with his family, considering it's the day of Chantelle's birthday? Something is telling me that he still can't seem to live with the guilt - but the guilt of what? Honestly, the guilt of murdering her? He's still continuing to hide the most darkest and horrendous secret from the family! I'm amazed how long he's been able to keep up the pretence, especially in front of the Taylor's. 

Eventually it seems as if the Taylor's know that Gray won't be turning up, but as Gray realises he can't face them he sends a message to Karen, once again lying that he's been caught up at work and won't be able to make the meal, however he urges them to order whatever they like and he would transfer the money over to them. But that's when Karen happens to have a better idea, instead of a swanky posh meal, she instead treats them all to a chippy! (Nothing beats a good chippy, right?!) But whilst the family all share happy memories of Chantelle burping the alphabet, Gray has somehow straggled his way to Ruby's club. Of course we don't see him at first, we seem to see more of Keegan and Tiffany - Keegan is also having to miss out on remembering his sister because he's working, but he and Tiffany are having to cope with a rowdy group of men. 

Keegan is mentioning that he's having to work as hard as he can to make sure he can make a success of his life. But as Tiffany tries to reassure her husband that eventually he will become a success, the group of men start to become even more rowdy and as Keegan goes to confront them, he happens to see a familiar face sitting amongst them. Sitting in the corner with a drink in his hand, looking almost as if he's about to drink himself into oblivion, is Gray! Keegan is understandably surprised to see his Brother-In-Law in such a state, but it looks as if Gray simply doesn't care - he has no memory of the names of the men he's socialising with, as he gets himself up to speak with Keegan, all the alcohol he's consumed seems to catch up with him and he ends up throwing it all back up!

Eventually, as Gray sobers up, Keegan seems to have joined him at his home. I don't know why though but I feel like saying "Poor Gray" - but I know I shouldn't be! Do any of you guys think that Gray is a misunderstood man who has a terrible anger problem that needs some form of therapy?! Or is he some kind of evil conniving genius? Because I have to be honest there are times where I feel for Gray but then I remember what he's done and I think "Why am I feeling sorry for him?" Ha! You've got to admit, Toby-Alexander Smith always puts on an incredible performance as Gray! There are times I don't know whether Gray is being conniving or whether he's being genuine. In this scene, both Keegan and Gray happen to be discussing Chantelle, but Gray asks his Brother-In-Law a very interesting question, "Do you think she really loved me?" - Now, for any person who's grieving for their loved one, you wouldn't think twice about that kind of question being asked, but there's obviously a deeper meaning behind it, especially when Gray mentions how much he misses his wife and how much he wishes he could tell her how much he loved her, even also mentioning how much the guilt is eating him up inside. BUT WHAT GUILT? The guilt of beating her to pulp through-out their married life? The guilt of killing her? Interestingly, Keegan almost manages to get Gray to open up, asking him what he meant - but once again Gray completely changes the subject of the conversation to swerve attention being on him. 

He grabs Keegan's attention by instructing him to write down his back details so he can transfer over money for him to put down a deposit for a stall, much to Keegan's shock! But Gray happens to use the excuse that it's what Chantelle would have wanted. Now I don't know about you, but whilst Keegan was writing down his details, there was a big part of me that was thinking that this was going to be such a terrible idea. What does Gray REALLY want with Keegan's details?! Is he really going to give him money for a stall?! Nahhhh - I think there's definitely going to be some kind of catch, or Gray is going to do something awful, but what?! 

But whilst all this is happening, Bernadette has convinced her Mother that Mr. P has actually asked her out on a date, so after taking her daughter's advice and getting dolled up, Karen eventually agrees to meet Mr. P in the pub for a drink later in the evening. I did feel so sorry for her to be honest, it looks as if she's completely got the other end of the stick as it becomes clear that Mr. P just wanted to meet up with her for a simply business meeting. However, devastatingly, it's not the news that Karen was expecting, sadly she's having to be made redundant from her job. What does this mean now for the Taylor's? Will Karen be able to find a new job or will the family fall on hard times?! 

--

Elsewhere on the Square, Lola is still learning more about Isaac's condition. As the new couple are sat having breakfast, Isaac seems to be completely focused on his phone whilst Lola is trying to get his attention by asking whether they could catch up for lunch. However, Isaac happens to mention that he has an appointment with his support worker, something that he apparently has every month. Even though Isaac seems to be more interested in his phone screen, Lola wishes her new boyfriend luck and walks out, without Isaac giving her a second glance. 

Completely oblivious to the way he kind of ignored his new girlfriend, Isaac eventually has his appointment with his support worker, even though he informs him that everything seems to be going well in his life, he does raise concerns about Patrick, claiming that he's concerned about Patrick being used as a guinea pig for these new trails he's agreeing to take part in. Could they be taking advance of the fact that he's an elderly black man with a history of strokes? As much as the support worker is happy about Isaac's progress, he does ask a very interesting question - is he feeling a bit paranoid about whether he feel's the same way about his own medication? However Isaac seems completely shocked by the question and reassures him that he's still happy taking his own medication and his concern for his Dad is genuine. I have said from the beginning of this storyline for Isaac that it would be interesting to see whether Isaac's personality does change or whether he begins to get controlling or paranoid about certain things? I really do think it would be fascinating for EastEnders to portray exactly what schizophrenia is and how it can affect people who suffer with it, in their every day lives, I think this could be the beginning of that for Isaac?! Will we slowly begin to see what it's all about?! 

Later, after getting the hump with Isaac about how he brushed her off earlier in the day, Lola is demanding some answers, is he hiding something? She arrives at his house demanding to know what's going on. Isaac still seems to be acting suspiciously when he asks her to come back in about 20 minutes, but she's insisting on finding out what he's hiding, but to her surprise he's gone and made her a lovely meal with lovely table setting. Are things really going to be this easy in their relationship? Or is there going to be something which causes Isaac to have another breakdown? Who knows? Either way I'm really intrigued to learn and see more of Isaac's story. 

--

So, it seems after being confronted by Whitney the previous day, things seem to be really swimming in Kat's mind. She can't seem to live with herself knowing that she's sneaking about and having a fling with Phil, acting so carefree when Kush is having to deal with the fact that he'll be going to prison and leaving his son behind. Considering she was the one who got him into trouble in the first place, if she had never asked him to help with the robbery job with Phil, Kush would never be going to prison! Is she feeling a sense of guilt maybe? In an attempt to maybe clear her conscience, she goes to visit Phil, claiming that everything Kush is going through, really isn't fair and that it doesn't feel right that they have gotten off scot free, Kat states that she can't go public with Phil whilst Kush's life is falling apart! 

Even though it seems that both Phil and Kat are enjoying each other's company, in an attempt to help with Kat's concerns for Kush, Phil decides to take it upon himself to give Kush some advice on how to survive in prison. However, we all know the type of reputation Phil has and he has had a bit of history from being in prison, so I'm sure he's thinking he's doing the decent thing suggestion to Kush that he needs to show that he's not to be messed about with whilst he's in there, otherwise he'll make himself a target if he doesn't show them who is boss. 

However, as much as this advice comes from a good place, it's not the kind of advice Kush was hoping for. Kush is a completely different man compared to Phil, Kush's original thought process was to just keep his head down, not get into any trouble and just take it one day at a time. Even though Kush is thankful to Phil for his advice and is agreeing to stick to his word for taking the rap for other things the Mitchell's have done (which he is being paid for) - I do fear that maybe Kush will end up serving quite a long time in prison?! He voices his concern to Martin about what Phil had told him - Can I also just say how much I loved Martin describing Phil as "A Dinosaur!" - I don't know what but I just loved that moment so much! Poor Kush really doesn't know what to do?

Thinking he's managed to solve the issue for Kat, Phil calls her from the opposite side of the street as he sees her leaving the Minute Mart. I also thought this scene was very clever, the way they both walked towards the camera - Kat in front and Phil following her from behind at a distant pace, not to give themselves away as being a couple. Phil informs her that he's managed to have a word with Kush and everything seems fine, as Kat seems pleased with the news, they agree to meet for their arranged dinner date. 

However, when Kat happens to bump into Martin and asks him how Kush is, Martin reveals to her the conversation that Kush had with Phil and the advice he was given. The thought of Kush beating up men to a pulp and becoming a monster as soon as he gets into prison is not the man Kush is. He's a good man and wouldn't do anything to add any more years onto his sentence, especially when it means he could be away from his son for a lot longer! Kat is absolutely fuming to learn that Phil told Kush to fight his way through prison, because in all seriousness, that is not the way to go about it! In worst case scenario, if Kush was to do that, he'd probably end up dead! 

In a way of teaching her new love interest a lesson, Kat decides to stand Phil up and doesn't go to their arrange dinner date. Is it silly to say that I felt sorry for Phil? I think it was the way he was all smartly dressed in his blazer - bless! He rocks up at her house demanding answers as to why she never turned up, but she admits she knows about the advice he gave Kush. She states that she might be Slater and her name might give her a type of reputation of being a bit "Gobby" (Her words, not mine!) but she can't date anyone who has no conscience. She knows what's right and wrong and for someone with Phil's reputation who doesn't care for anyone but his own family, she states that they can't carry on their fling, much to his disappointment! 

I have to be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about Phil and Kat to begin with, but now I have to say, I love them. They're like the couple I never knew EastEnders needed. I can understand Kat's concern about them going public, it could either go one of two ways. They could either be made the laughing stock of the Square, or they could be Walford's next power couple!!! Honestly, if I saw Kat and Phil walking down the street, hand-in-hand, I wouldn't want to get in their way! Will Phil realise the mistake he's made regarding Kush? Will he try and make it so Kush could be out of prison sooner than he's expecting? Or could he maybe get him some protection whilst he's in prison? Who knows? But if Phil is serious about wanting to go public with Kat, he's going to have to think of something fast for her to change her mind. 

I have to be honest, I'd love to have the opportunity to message Jessie Wallace directly and ask her what it's like working with Steve McFadden. I'd love to know their thoughts on when they heard that Kat and Phil were to become romantically involved?! Have you guys loved seeing Jessie and Steve in the same scenes as much I have?! I'd love to hear what you think of their story!!

Monday 5th April 2021

Good Afternoon everyone! Hope you've all had an enjoyable week so far! I apologise for being so late, I've been dealing with a few personal things before I go back to work next week! Anyway before we jump into the episode, I need to mention the gorgeous new promo picture that has been released, I am sure you've all seen it by now! But honestly I think's beautiful and yet really haunting! Both Whitney and Kush look like the brand new happily engaged couple, while in the shadows lurks a jealous Gray! Is Gray going to cause heartbreak for Whitney? Is his jealousy and anger going to get the better of him that he actually ends up murdering Kush?! What do you make of the new promo picture?! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

We also know that the new trailer for next week has dropped! I have to say it looks pretty exciting, finally the return of Nancy and Kush appears in court. Could Gray possibly sabotage Kush's court case in an attempt to get rid of him for longer than expected?! There are all sorts of directions the outcome could go for Kush's exit. I'd love to know what you guys think! 

Anyway, back to Monday's episode, I'm going to begin with Sheree, Lola and Isaac. It looks as if things are going well for the new couple, Lola and Isaac! Lola seems to have accepted and come to terms with Isaac's diagnosis, however Sheree still seems to act as if she thinks Lola is no good for her son. That's the vibe I'm getting anyway. She watches from the wings as Isaac gushes over Lola and offers to rush a grab her a pasty for her breakfast, as he rushes out to get his new girlfriend something delicious, Sheree once again approaches Lola. I think she's almost trying to scare the poor girl, informing her that she doesn't want her son to have a relapse and the only thing that caused it the last time was when he had his heart broken. Lola tries her absolute best to convince Sheree that she's not going to break Isaac's heart, but Sheree informs her that if she can't see herself being with Isaac for the long haul then it's best if she was to leave him sooner rather than later. I did feel sorry for Lola during this moment, it's as if Sheree has something against her, even though the poor girl has never done anything wrong? I get she's a very protective Mother and wants what's best for her son, but scaring his current girlfriend away isn't really going to help the situation. 

After doing a runner to get some time to herself, Isaac finds Lola in the cafe. There she voices her concerns about what Sheree had told her, Isaac is stunned to hear that once again his Mum has been interfering with his love-life! In an attempt to console his new girlfriend, he reassures her that he is in full control of his illness and he states that he will decide what affects him and what doesn't, claiming that Lola would never be at the centre of an issue with his illness. Although I have to say while watching this scene and they're all smiles, why did I get the feeling it's a bad omen and something bad is going to happen regarding Isaac's illness? Doesn't it seem a bit inevitable?! 

--

Okay so the next small thing I need to focus on is Iqra and Mila, much to Iqra's shock, Kim informs her that the article revolving around Kim's new business has gone live, but unfortunately the picture of Iqra and Mila that was asked to not be in the article, has made it online. This of course sets Iqra into a panic of course remembering what Mila told her about her family. 

Later on, we can see that Iqra happens to be working and Mila arrives to see her, poor Mila looks as if she has no knowledge about the article and picture going up online. Trying to be as polite as possible, she softly breaks the news to Mila. Understandably, Mila is less than happy with the news she's been given, but Iqra tries her best to reassure her that she's gotten in touch with the publishing company and they've removed the image from the article, however it didn't happen straight away and the image was still online for a couple of hours, the big question is, did the image come down from the article in time before anyone in Mila's family saw it?! Something tells me that perhaps not ...! 

--

So the next thing I have to mention is Sharon, she's managed to get her hands on her new business empire. One thing I have to note is the reveal of the old gym! As we saw how old it looked and the abandoned state it was in, I funnily enough recognise it! I can't recall the year but I do recall a very long time ago that Ronnie and Jack owned an underground gym, with a boxing ring?! I vaguely remember seeing that! Please tell me whether anyone else remembers?! Feeling proud of new empire, she calls in both Jean and Mo to clean the place up so she can get to work on getting the gym back in business. Unfortunately for Sharon, Jean lashes out at her - for reasons we can completely understand I'll discuss shortly. But Jean basically lashes out at the business woman, claiming that people like her get everything they want while other people have to suffer and struggle with their every day lives. Jean point black refuses to clean the room, also considering that it smells of sweat men and dirty underpants! (Ew!) 

--

I guess this is where I bring Jean into it. Poor Jean is having to deal with the loss of her daughter going to prison for something she hasn't done, her Grandchildren now living across the Square with their Dad and "Evil" Stepmum, plus she's having to deal with her cancer all on her own, I guess it's understandably why Jean lashed out at Sharon in the first place!

But before Jean even felt this feeling of anger and upset boil up inside her, Mo convinced her to take her anger out on the punching back in the old gym before they start the cleaning. Mo throws her a pair of punching gloves and goads her to give it a good bash! I have to admit, this particular moment where Jean is pounding the punching bag, roaring like Tarzan, I found it incredibly cute and quite funny, god bless her, as she seems to get into it she's interrupted by a phone call. 

As the words begin to spread around the family, we begin to learn that Jean and Mo have learned the devastating news that Stacey has been sentenced to a year in prison, and not just the 6 months that they were expecting. Clearly Jean is visibly devastated, she begins to question Mo what could happen in that time, most importantly, "What if I'm not here?" - of course referring to her cancer diagnosis, but it's just unfortunate that no one in the family knows about her cancer, other than Ruby!! 

This news of being away from her daughter for longer than expected is what drives Jean to lash out at Sharon, why is it that people like Sharon get to be successful and yet everything in Jean's life appears to be falling apart?! I just to say though, I've said it before and I'm going to say it again, I can't applaud Gillian Wright loud enough for her fantastic performance as Jean Slater! I have absolutely loved her character from the very beginning, I would be absolutely devastated if EastEnders where to kill her off! ESPECIALLY if they were to kill her off before Stacey's return - that would be just bloody heart-breaking! Will Jean possibly change her mind about having treatment that in the hope of her getting better she could be well by the time Stacey returns? Who knows?! As Jean and Mo walk out of the gym, leaving Sharon to find other people do to the cleaning for her, they both head for home to find a delivery van parked right up against the entrance of their house. Ironically the delivery happens to be for Sharon, happening to be all her new gym equipment. Even though Mo informs the delivery driver about her mistake, Jean is once again overcome with frustration and anger.

Trying to get a point across to the delivery driver that she simply can't get into he house, the delivery driver simply doesn't do anything to help, she simply doesn't care and is just doing her job be delivering goods, regardless of where she parks her van. As things seem to escalate, Jean notices that the van has been left unlocked. Taking matters into her own hands, Jean quickly jumps inside the van and starts the engine, this is where the events taking place seem to grab everyone's attention. Both the delivery driver and Mo instruct Jean to get out of the vehicle, otherwise she'll be joining Stacey in prison! (Even though this appears to be something Jean actually wants!) 

As the locals begin to see what's happening, Sharon also happens to watch from across the Square the shenanigans taking place, but it's only when Mo informs her that Jean is driving away with her goods that she jumps into action. In an attempt to stop Jean from doing something she regrets the begin to chase after the vehicle, but Jean speeds off abruptly, causing all the gym equipment to fall out of the back of the van. I know the next episode has already aired and you guys may have already seen what happens next, but I just hope that Jean will be okay, will she realise her mistake?! 

--

Lastly, after moving in with her Dad and "Evil" stepmum, Lily is doing everything she can to make Ruby's life a living hell, waking up the whole household with karaoke at 7 in the morning! (Also Mamma Mia is an epic tune to do karaoke too!). Although Lily has dragged her young siblings into causing chaos to annoy their Stepmum, Ruby walks in demanding that they stop their rowdy behaviour and switches the music, however as soon as Martin comes in after hearing the commotion, he understands the excitement his children must be feeling for living with him again and ignores his wife's frustration and turns the music back on, much to Lily's delight!  

As the day goes on and the word spreads about Stacey having to spend a whole year in prison, Lily's mood is understandably sunken that it was earlier. As Ruby tries to console her Stepdaughter, she claims she wants to try and cheer her up by taking her into town and spoiling her on a new outfit. At first Lily seems tempted but she soon realises that because of her, her own Mum is going spending a lot longer amount of time away from her and informs Ruby that she will pay for what she's done! 

Meanwhile, as Martin catches up with Kush in the Vic and they both come to terms with the news of Stacey's sentence, Kush begins to question how they're going to look after the kids and questions whether Arthur would like to live with him and Whitney for a while before Kush has to go to trial. Of course at this moment in time, Kush has no idea that the children have moved in with Martin and Ruby, and when Martin fills him in, I think it's fair to say that Kush is less than impressed. Mainly because of Ruby, of course he believes his son Arthur would be safe in Martin's hands, but when he questions whether Ruby is up for it, it's plain to see that he doesn't trust Ruby with his son. Especially when she was the one who manipulated him in leaving the Square with Arthur and bribed him with her money! Oooo the more this story goes on, the more I hope that Martin will soon learn about Ruby's lies! She has to be found out at some point, right?! 

Later, Ruby finds Lily and little Hope causing more mayhem in her house, it looks as if this time Lily has gone into Ruby's wardrobe and decided to play "Dress Up" with her clothes! As Ruby dismisses Hope, she approaches demanding an explanation, but Lily reveals that they were bored, but they had more fun once the scissors came out! To her absolute horror and dismay, Ruby finds that placed across her living room table, a white gown has been ripped and torn into shreds! 

Ruby lashes out and Lily, calling her a "Cow", as Martin returns from his catch up with Kush he walks in to the commotion and asks what's going on, it's then that Ruby informs him that Lily has destroyed her dead's Mum's wedding dress and without a word from Martin, she claims she no longer wants Lily living with them and demands she leave the house immediately! I have to say from Lily's reaction of shock, I think she didn't seem to know it was her Mum's wedding dress perhaps she thought it was something else? Or - big possible twist - is Ruby playing Lily at her own game and it isn't her Mother's wedding dress at all?! 

Double Episode Post

Monday 29th March 2021 - Tuesday 30th March 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope you're week is going well so far! I apologise for being so late, but this post is going to cover this week's Monday and Tuesday episodes, that way I will be completely up to date! Unfortunately I do have plans for the rest of the week so I probably won't be posting again until next Monday, where of course I'll post double episode posts just to make sure I've caught up with you all! I just want to say thank you for your patience and support, it really does mean the world!

Anyway, let's jump straight into it, so much drama happening right now! The first thing I have to mention first is Whitney, Kush and Gray! After the way Gray had spoken to them the night before, but Whitney and Kush appear to be discussing Gray's behaviour. Kush completely believes that Gray was out of order for talking to Whitney the way he did, especially considering she's been at his every beckon call looking after his kids over the last few months! But Whitney seems to stick up for her friend, claiming that he's been through a tough time and it's understandable why he'd be stressed out. I'm glad that Kush is slowly noticing Gray's flaws, only ever so slightly though!

Later on, Whitney goes to visit Gray but interestingly before she arrives we see Gray pull out some kind of piece of jewellery from his blazer pocket, at first I wasn't too sure what this was for, was it Chantelle's? Was it the piece of jewellery that had gone missing? Or was it for something else completely?! As Whitney finally arrives, Gray happens to mention that he has a work Gala event to go go, but he doesn't appear to be in the mood, considering he used to go with Chantelle every year. Oooooo Gray is really good manipulator isn't he?! It's blatantly obvious that he's dropping hints, informing Whitney that he doesn't want to go, so of course Whitney offers to attend the event with him and be his plus one, and of course Gray is ever so thankful and appreciative of her for suggesting such a thing, but what else makes it more creepy - when Whitney mentions she has nothing to wear for the event so Gray give her one of Chantelle's dresses to wear!

As Whitney is at home getting changed, Kush walks in to find her wearing the dress. Needless to say she does look stunning in it, but as Whitney admits it's actually Gray's deceased wife's dress she's wearing, makes her feel incredibly uncomfortable! I mean it's no secret that Gray has fallen for Whitney, but is it some kind of twisted ploy to replace Chantelle?! Who knows?! Kush is absolutely baffled when he learns about the dress and states that Gray must be going insane! What normal person would do such a thing?! But regardless of the slight concern, Whitney still tries her best to stick up for Gray, claiming that he's still a grieving man and dealing with a lot of stress. Kush seems to understand that his girlfriend is just doing Gray a favour, which of course she is - little do they know that it means something more for Gray.

Ooooh so the piece of jewellery that Gray had earlier he had actually bought for Whitney?! Was this all part of his plan? Or was it only going to be an apology gift for the way he spoke to her the previous night?! Gosh, my mind is asking all sorts of questions! Don't you guys find it incredibly creepy?! It's like Gray almost has this slight obsession with Whitney and knowing that she's dating Kush, seems to really grate on him! It's almost as if he can't have her, no one can! Eventually Gray and Whitney make their way to the Gala event, and it seems as if everyone's eyes are turned towards Whitney, but not so much in a good way. Not even a year after his wife's death - technically, it's only been just over 6 months - people are concerned that Gray has moved on ever so quickly from his deceased wife, plus the fact that Whitney was once his client makes it even more weird!

One of the main highlights for me was during the event, it was clear to see that Whitney was getting bored of out her skull! As she spots Gray speaking with colleagues, she approaches him claiming that she's been doing the "Signal" for a good while, but Gray pathetically apologises claiming that he thought she'd just had an itchy nose! It's clear that she isn't enjoying herself and has concerns about people staring at her! But the most brilliant part of that scene was the look on Whitney's face after realising what she had just eaten after being offered a canape' - snail!!!!! That was a hilarious and a very relatable moment, brilliant acting from Shona McGarty! She's truly brilliant!  

After a small chat with Gray and a quick goodbye, Whitney finally leaves the event - much to her relief, but to her surprise, Kush is sat outside the club waiting for her. As they share a portion of chips together on the side of the road, it's funny to see how comfortable they are together as Whitney lets out a burp! It's a funny moment which they both laugh at, even though I never saw this connection before, it's clear to see that they feel truly comfortable with each other, it's a relationship that I never thought I'd actually enjoy, but yes Kush and Whitney have always been good friends, but being in a relationship - it just works! As they continue to laugh at Whitney's actions, Kush makes an interesting response that they're like an old married couple - now this is what I didn't see coming - Whitney does the most amazing, honourable thing and gets down on one knee and proposes to Kush. He is totally stunned by her question, but accepts her proposal and they both hug with pure excitement and happiness! I truly felt that this was a beautiful moment, I know it's not traditional for the lady to pop the question, but it is the 21st century, why shouldn't women propose to their loved ones, I'd love to see it more often!

Of course, Gray has no knowledge about Whitney and Kush's engagement, but the interesting thing is when he returns from the Gala, he removes his wedding ring from his finger! Like, why?! Is he really over Chantelle already?! It's not until the following day when Whitney arrives at his place to take care of the kids that Gray eventually finds out. Whitney begins to explain that she was going to text him when she got home, which kind of puts a small smile on Gray's face, making him think she was going to thank him for a lovely evening or something, but it turns out she was just going to tell him about her and Kush's engagement! As Gray learns the news, you can see he has to put on a front, claiming that he's thrilled for both of them, but deep down - we know he's not as thrilled as he makes out, deep down, he's seething! As everyone gathers at Ruby's club to toast the happy couple, Gray arrives late but once again he can't help but be completely manipulative! As he steps to the bar, Kush approaches him saying that argument from the other day has been forgotten about, but Gray seems to be really sly, claiming that he's luckily to have Whitney - stating that she'd be willing to wait for him to get out of prison and they may be able to walk up the isle in about 4 or 5 years time! Ooooo, he's so conniving isn't he? What do we think will happen for Whitney and Kush, will they be able to get married before he goes to prison? Or is something even more devastating going to happen?!

--

The second thing I have to mention is Sharon! Now she's moved out of the Vic, I have been wondering where she's been staying, it turns out that she has moved in next door to the Slaters! To be fair, I was wondering where she had gone, whether she had moved in with someone, but turns out that she's managed to get herself her own place. Unfortunately having the Slater's as her neighbours is the price she's had to pay! She happens to mention to Callum that she's desperate to have a new start for her son, Albie! Realising that she's had to depend on Phil for a few things in her life, she take the opportunity to approach him about becoming a part of his money laundering business, regardless of giving her son somewhere to live, she needs to have some kind of business opportunity for her son, to provide for him, but also for something for her son to be proud of.

As much as Phil is willing to help his old friend out, Ben can't seem to understand how his Dad is still clinging to straws where Sharon is concerned. I guess I can understand Ben's concern, he clearly doesn't want his Dad to be made a fool of again. He makes the valid point that Sharon would never had ended up in this mess if she hadn't have slept with Keanu in the first place. In an attempt for once and for all keep Sharon away from his Dad, Ben takes it upon himself to confront her, but Sharon - being the vixen that she is, gives just as good as she gets, claiming that no one would even bat an eye-lid at Ben if he didn't share the same surname as his Dad! But interestingly, Ben gives her some food for thought, which leads to Sharon changing her mind about being involved with Phil's business. She approaches and Phil and claims she wants something that Albie can be proud of, she's had to confide in Phil for too long now and she needs to do things her way, for her son - which I think is perfectly reasonable and understandable!

The next day, she's look through the paper for all sorts of business opportunities, but as does so, she happens to over hear Peter and Kheerat talking about fitness! Could this be something that Sharon could look into? As Peter arrives home, looking worse for wear - I genuinely can't tell whether he's been for a run or whether he's been out getting pissed again - however, Sharon approaches him with an idea of getting into fitness. But Peter, being the immature male that his is, scoffs at the idea of Sharon wanting to get involved in fitness. She stands her ground though and claims that she doesn't want him to train her, but somehow grow a business in fitness, to which Peter sarcastically responds by questioning that she's wants to become a Personal Trainer?! Realising she's not getting anywhere with Peter, she seems to visit an old venue of the Square, something which I always thought got turned into "Ruby's". We see Sharon look at her phone and contact Jack, purposing that she has a business opportunity for him, but we can see that she's stood beside a business of building of some kind named "Ronnie!" - was this Ronnie's club or something before she passed away?! I can't remember what this piece was, if anyone can remind me, I'd love to find out! What could Sharon's next business be?!

--

The next thing on my list is the Slater's - mainly Lily for a change this time! Can I just say how brilliant it is to see the young actors and actresses being in the centre of a story for a change? After learning that her Mum is going to be going to prison, Lily can't seem to understand why her Nan isn't doing anything to help. Poor Jean has so much on her plate right now, she's having to deal with her terminal cancer and the fact that her daughter is going to prison. Interestingly, she happens to mention that this day happens to be Stacey's final day of freedom! Does this mean she'll be going to prison or going to trial very soon?!

Meanwhile, in another part of the Square, Billy and Honey are waiting to hear news about Janet's audition, eventually both Lily and Will happen to meet up on the Square, together they share stories about their families being at each other's throats. Lily confiding in Will about her Mum going to prison, the fact she called Ruby her "Wicked Step-Mum" was brilliant! But Will also informs her that his family isn't as different, as he's having to cope with his Mum and Dad bickering over his Mum's new relationship with Jay - it seems these two youngsters have more things in common than I realised. They both have dysfunctional families! To cheer his friend up, Will invites Lily to the celebratory party that's been planned for Janet.

As Lily and Will observe the events and discussions taking place in front of them, Lily questions whether Billy and Jay are rowing or actually being civil with each other, but the next thing that Will says seems to play on Lily's mind. He mentions that since Honey had her fall, both Jay and Billy have been nice to each other, mainly because they've had no choice. As Janet arrives for her surprise party it's revealed that she's been given the job for the ad campaign. As Lily returns home, Will's words play on her mind. She finds herself at the top of the stairs, she can overhear her Mum and Jean discussing what's going to happen over the next few days. Suddenly we hear a horrendous scream, Lily is seen lying almost unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. The poor girl has thrown herself from the stairs in an attempt to stop her family from arguing. Will she be okay?!

--

The final thing I need to mention is Mick and Frankie! After trying to get to know his daughter a lot better, he's come to learn that Frankie hasn't got her driver's licence yet. Determined to teach his daughter to drive, he takes Frankie out in the car, unfortunately things don't go to plan when the car seems to pack in! As much as Frankie tells her Dad not to worry, Mick begins to feel distraught, considering the fact the he hasn't been there for her as a child, he's eager to be there for her now she's come into his life. Eventually they manage to get the car starting again, however they're met with another issue when a car-park attendant places a ticket on the windscreen of the car.

As much as Mick tries to co-operate with the attendant, things only seem to escalate when he's accused of being a repeat offender. Mick admits he's taught his other children to drive in the exact same way, but the car-park attendant seems to really insult him by claiming he's broken the law numerous amounts of times. As Mick appears to lose his patience, he rips the ticket off the windscreen and throw it back at the attendant, poor Frankie is silent as she watches the events happening in front of her, luckily she thinks on her feet, gets into the car, starts the engine and reverses quickly for her Dad to jump in! In Mick's shock at her driving skills, he lunges into the car and they speed off before the car-park attendant can do anything else.

As they get home they determined to try again, but I have to say I love Frankie's humour! Claiming that she'd make a brilliant get away driver, she hilariously puts on a pair of tights over her head to play the role! After another successful driving lesson, it looks as if the car seems to have another issue, as Mick continues to see to the car, his phone begins to ring. Frankie finds it, claiming it's a bloke called "Tom" - however Mick informs her to ignore the call, instantly Frankie is suspicious and begins to question her Dad, however Mick seems to make a comment which doesn't sit well with Frankie, claiming she's "Beginning to sound like her Mother!". Frankie is deeply hurt by this comment and walks away, making Mick realise he's said the completely wrong thing!

In a desperate attempt to make it up to her, he follows and claims that the bloke he ignored the phone call from was someone he was meant to speak to revolving around his sexual abuse as a child. Frankie completely understands and Mick states that because she's his daughter, she will be a Carter! As they return to the Vic, Frankie appears to be confronted by old school bullies who seem to have tracked her down after hearing the news about her Mum. Mick however seems to seething after hearing everything they're saying, but Frankie is proves that she is more than capable of looking out for herself, putting the bullies right in their place, which leaves a huge smile on Mick's face, she truly is his daughter! Only as they try again when she's behind the bar, Mick takes his chance to step in, however when he informs them to stop hassling Frankie her referrers to her as his "Staff" and not his daughter! This clearly upsets Frankie as she comes realise that even though she's longing to become a part of his family and become a real "Carter" - Mick finds it really hard to call her his "Daughter!" - even though he's said it directly to her, he can't seem to admit it to other people!

Tuesday 26th January 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope you're all doing well! Monday's episode ended on such a huge cliff-hanger, I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next! Do you think we'll end up seeing more of Jed? Will he become more involved in this current storyline between Frankie, Katy and The Carter's?! It'll be interesting to hear his story, we know that he's also been sexually abused by Katy and it was revealed that he was little Harry's Father. I'm hoping EastEnders will explore his story also, but we shall have to wait and see!

Covering this episode, the first thing I want to mention is Gray, Karen and Whitney. Since Chantelle's death, Karen has been an absolute saint caring and looking after her Grandchildren, sharing stories about their Mother when she was their age, treating to lovely meals and days out. However, regardless of her ongoing kindness, it looks as if Gray is getting more and more irritated with her, it seems that from his point of view that she's simply interfering with his children's lives. Karen had gone out of her way to buy some food for the children and treat them to their favourite dinner. As she excitedly informs Gray about her plans for Mack and Mia, you can see that Gray isn't best pleased about his Mother-In-Law's idea of a balanced meal. Interestingly, Gray appears to watch Whitney from across the Square as she fools about with Kush, as he approaches her you can see he has some kind of plan working away in his brain. In an attempt to stop Karen interfering with his children, he takes it upon himself to hire Whitney as a type of Nanny I guess, who will do the cooking and cleaning for them, doing the school run etc. Karen seems a little taken back by this but Gray reassures her that it'll leave her to do more fun activities with the children, taking them to the cinema or park. Karen agrees to Gray's decision but I feel that you can see deep down that she's slightly disappointed. The only thing I want to ask is, will Gray stick to his promise? Will he still allow her to see her Grandchildren?! I'd hate for Karen to be Gray's next victim, lets just hope that in time Gray's mask will slide and everyone will know about Chantelle and Tina!

The second thing I want to mention is Kathy. Being a Mother, it's only understandable why she's concerned for Ian. Not hearing from him for the past 2 days and the fact no one has any idea where he's disappeared to, he has simply upped and vanished. For a second time she confronts Sharon, convinced that she knows more than she's letting on. As Kathy goes to speak to Sharon, Peter voices that he's not the slightest bit worried about his Dad. His whole persona is "He doesn't care about us, why should we care about him?!". Regardless of his brother's attitude, Bobby does also seemed concerned for his Dad, acknowledging that has been missing for 2 days and no one knows where he is! He hasn't been in touch with anyone. Eventually when Kathy catches up with Sharon, she claims that Sharon knows where Ian has gone. I mean to be, she doesn't know where he's disappeared to, but the only information she does give Kathy is that they had a row and he simply took off. It's then that Kathy makes the very valid point that Ian hasn't taken any money with him and he only left with the clothes that he was wearing. Suddenly as soon as Kathy mentions contacting the police, Sharon attempts to reassure Kathy that Ian will be fine wherever he his, but then Bobby appears announcing he's already reported his Father as missing and the police are waiting for them to go the station to give a statement. Is Sharon's secret about to come to light?!

Thirdly, tensions are visibly rising between Honey and Jay! As they're sat with Janet as she makes celebratory cards for Ben and Callum for Ben's upcoming proposal, it's clear that Honey and Jay can't keep their eyes off of each other. They agreed that they want to give their relationship a go, but trying to be subtle about it is pretty difficult. As they reach out to take a hold of each other's hands, both Billy and Lola burst into the room, causing them to stop in their actions. However, it looks like Lola has an idea as what was about to happen, she glares at them with evil eyes as Billy interreacts with his daughter. Later on in the Vic, whilst Honey and Jay are alone enjoying a drink, Lola approaches them informing them she can no longer hide their secret from her Pops anymore. She makes a very valid point, how is it going to look when Billy realises that she knew about their secret, it would destroy him even more. She gives them an ultimatum, informing them that they need to inform Billy about their romance by the end of the week, and if they don't tell him, she will!

I think in my previous post I mentioned that I was finding Chelsea's storyline quite difficult to follow, sometimes I think it's quite difficult to tell whether she genuinely cares for her Father, or whether it's all a big act just to keep him on side. What do you guys think? Anyway, she takes it upon herself to visit the church in which Denise took Raymond and unfortunately spotted Lucas. She informs the minister that she hasn't seen her Dad for days, considering he's lawing low since his attack to keep her safe. She pleads to the minister to tell her what he knows. It looks as if the minister gives her information which leads her to a food bank of some kind, there we see Lucas grabbing some food and carrying rucksack - Is he homeless? Has he been sleeping rough? Lucas is stunned to see his daughter. After having a brief catch up, Chelsea heads back home to seek help from her Mother, however Denise is less than impressed when she asks whether Lucas could stay at her house for the time being. Denise states that if Lucas is meant to be lying low, then the best way for him to do that would be sleeping rough. She even attempts to remind her daughter that Lucas killed his ex-wife and then attempted to kill, why on Earth would she allow a murder into her home? Especially when she has young Raymond to think about! Unfortunately, Denise and Chelsea's heated discussion turns into a blazing row, which causes Denise to to yell at her daughter that she wants nothing to do with Lucas, to which Chelsea responds with that she wants nothing to do with her before storming out of the house. Interestingly, Patrick and Kim seem to overhear the commotion, whereas Kim completely agrees with her sister, Patrick has another suggestion - if Denise is continuously worrying about her daughter, wanting to know that she's safe and wanting to keep an eye on her, maybe the only way to do that would to allow Lucas to stay at their home. As he states "Keep your enemies close!"

The final thing I need to mention is Mick! After learning in the previous episode that Jed is also one of Katy's victims, it only feels right if Linda informs her husband. Gently she brings up the subject of going to the cemetery with Frankie the previous day, Mick seems surprised but allows his wife to explain. She informs him that it was just Frankie, herself and Jed - Katy went up separately, so she didn't see her. She eventually explains that she began to ask Jed about his relationship with Katy and Harry, and reveals to her husband that Jed was actually Harry's Father, he's 29 now which means that that Jed was actually 13 when Katy gave birth to Harry. Mick looks absolutely sick to his stomach as he realises that he's not just the only one who Katy abused, but then Linda drops the next bombshell that there are in fact more and not just him and Jed! Later on in the episode, Frankie visits her Father, questioning whether Linda had gone to the police after learning the truth about Jed, but interestingly Mick seems to inform her about when Linda was attacked by Dean - not going into too much detail, but explaining that she was attacked by someone who they thought wasn't all bad and was also a member of their family - getting to the point that when she informed the police it took a lot out of the family but it felt right for Linda, meaning that if Mick was to go to the police about Katy, it might help him cope. Frankie seems devastated as she realises her Father is leaning towards reporting Katy to the police, informing him that he only wants what's best for him and no one else matters, not even considering Jed. Later we see Mick walking through the Square, as he does, he notices Will playing on his own with a football - you seem to realise how innocent Will is, he has no cares in the world and just pure happiness - you seem to realise that Mick was robbed of his childhood because of Katy. Later when Linda finds him in the Vic, he reveals how felt while watching Will play, it seems to hit him hard that he was only Will's age when he was abused. It's at this point I think that now Mick knows that there are more victims, Katy needs to pay for what she's done, not just to him but to Jed and anyone else she has done it to!

Friday 15th January 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope your weekend has been okay so far! I hope you're all keeping well and looking after yourselves. I apologise for this post being a little late, but I'm ready to head straight into it!

So there's quite a bit to catch up on, the first thing I'm going to mention is Ruby and Martin. After her husband finally coming round to the idea of her being pregnant, Ruby makes a suggestion for her husband. In an attempt to get pregnant, she asks Martin to spend lunch at home with her. Unfortunately, things don't go down the way she expected, as in the meantime Martin has caught up with Kush. Obviously wanting to be the supportive friend, he wants to be there for his best mate, they've been through so much together. Martin informs his friend that Ruby is pregnant with his child, of course Kush is completely over the moon for his friend. Later Ruby is sat at home waiting for her husband to join her, only as the door opens she hears two voices coming inside the house. It becomes clear that Martin hasn't come home alone, he enters the room acknowledging his wife, even though he appears to be on the phone ordering food, suddenly Kush appears, much to Ruby's surprise. Her plans have simply gone out the window. Kush congratulates her and gestures that he's bought some non-alcoholic wine to celebrate. I loved this moment, I thought it was hilarious - as Kush disappears to grab some glasses, Ruby hints to her husband that she wanted to spend the afternoon in bed together, Martin suddenly realises his wife's intensions, but the first thing that comes out of his mouth - "The pizzas are on the way!" ... Clearly pizza is more important to Martin!! But then again, doesn't food always come first?!

The next thing I want to mention is Gray and Karen. After Gray insisted that he wanted his children back to live with him, I guess its fair to say that Karen has been wanting to help as much as possible. I'm assuming it's a way of keeping Chantelle close, but of course she wants to be there for her Grandchildren and tell them stories about their Mother. She even proposes to Gray that she'd help out with the children's meals and homework etc etc, just to give that extra bit of help. However, regardless of her kind gestures, it looks as if that Gray is getting fed up of her, thinking she's interfering with his children. Something tells me that he's not going to be able to cope with her interfering for much longer. I think it's also fairly obvious to say that Gray is someone who likes to keep things in order and very tidy - it was the same when Tina was living there. Of course with Karen helping looking after the children, the house is going to get messy, it looks as if Gray's anger is bubbling inside of him and soon that anger is going to burst. I do fear for Karen, I fear that if she treads on his toes a bit too much, he may go over the edge once again and take his anger out on her. What do you guys think? Could Karen be in danger of being Gray's next victim?!

The third thing I want to mention is the Trueman/Fox family. Firstly, I just want to mention how much I LOVED Kim in this episode. Even though she was only in it for a short moment, her part was just the most brilliant, hilarious part for me. I just love Tameka Empson, she plays the part of Kim so brilliantly, iconic! She's just fantastic! After Patrick being discharged from the hospital and finally returning home, it looks as if the Fox's and Trueman's are sat in silence as they ponder the recent events. Patrick betraying Denise and taking Raymond to see Phil and then Lucas's attack. However, in the silence, Kim enters with a huge handful of balloons to welcome Patrick home. Of course, being her usual self, she is happy and bubbly and smiley as she sees him sat in his chair, only everyone is silent and looks at her holding these huge balloons. I just thought it was brilliant! Denise still can't bring herself to understand why Patrick would go behind her back and let Phil see Raymond. Patrick starts to dwell on his actions and attempts to get up and leave so her can speak to Phil, however Denise stops him in his path and decides to take it upon herself to speak to Phil. After a while she finds Phil on the Square and confronts him about everything, seeing Raymond and attacking Lucas. I do kind of feel that Phil should have a right to see his son, regardless of his dodgy past and reputation. Only when Denise accuses him of attacking Lucas, Phil puts her straight - all he did was talk to Lucas and left him to it, he had nothing to do with Lucas being attacked. This surprises Denise but also makes her worry that there could be someone else who's out for revenge against him, which could mean that her daughter Chelsea could be in danger. Who's to say that to get to Lucas, they may attack Chelsea? Later, she calls for both her daughter and ex-husband to meet, getting straight to the point that Phil was not behind his attack, and for the sake of everyone's safety, it would be best if Lucas was to stay away, not just from Denise - but from Chelsea aswell. Only, of course, we know that it was in actual fact Chelsea who set up the attack on her Dad. She tries to fight her Dad's corner and informs her Mother that she's overreacting, telling her that she has no right telling her Dad what to do! However, Lucas agrees with Denise and tells Chelsea that he will stay away if it means keeping her safe. The interesting thing now is, how is Chelsea going to be able to carry on getting her revenge on her Dad? Which I'm assuming is what she's doing - unless she's after something specific. Is she out for revenge? Does she want to teach her Dad a lesson? Or is there something much more darker going on with Chelsea? What is she after and who has been calling her? I'm really looking forward to seeing this story continue.

The final thing we need to mention of course is Ian! So, after a long time of feeling unwell, Ian has gone to the Doctor's, and of course Sharon is by his side, acting as the doting wife. Ian begins to describe how unwell he's been feeling since coming out of hospital, getting weak and collapsing etc. They suggest taking some blood tests and checking things going on inside that could've made him feel so unwell. However, in her attempt to swerve the Doctor's from checking Ian's insides, she suggests that Ian could have depression, as he has had it before, and that it could be his mental health making him feel this way. The Doctor does seem to agree that that could be a possibility, however Ian insists that his emotions have nothing to do with him collapsing. They arrange to date to take some blood tests and do a mental health assessment. Later, when they've returned to the Vic, Sharon sneakily rings the Doctor's, informing them that she wants to postpone Ian's tests, using the excuse that they're going on their honeymoon. But unbeknown to her, Max has heard every word of her phone conversation, it looks as if Max is slowly sussing out Sharon, he's certainly looking very suspicious of her. As Ian is left resting upstairs, alone, Max somehow manages to sneak his way upstairs and finds Ian on the couch. Regardless of their recent history, Max sits with Ian and informs him that the reason he's feeling so unwell and that the one person who could be responsible of wanting him dead, could in fact be Sharon. Ian at first doesn't believe him, but he makes a few valid points - they still haven't slept together, they don't have a prenup and most importantly, perhaps Sharon believes Dotty's words about his involvement with Dennis's death that what he first realised, plus he drops the big bombshell that he's just overheard her postponing his doctor's tests. Ian seems to brush off Max's words, even though he thanks him for his concern. But the interesting thing is, when Max leaves, Sharon peeps in on her husband, it's at this moment where you can see that Max's words are playing on his mind. He questions whether he should sleep in Sharon's bed that night, but Sharon flirtatiously suggests that they wait until he's feeling much better. Ian smiles at her response, but then when he questions on whether she's heard about his tests, she face up denies hearing anything and promises to check the following morning. I think it's this moment that Ian realises that what Max has said, could be right!

Monday 28th December 2020

Good evening everyone! Hope you all had a brilliant weekend! The New Year is looming!! I can't believe that by the end of this week we'll be into a new year - 2021! Crazy right? I hope you enjoyed my last post, the previous ended on such a nail biting, seat gripping moment - I am so looking forward to finding out what happens next!!!

Wow, Oh Wow! What another brilliant episode! I feel like there's so much to mention, obviously the BIG one involving Gray and The Carter's, I'll leave that one for last! Let's focus on Ruby and Martin first, in the previous episode Ruby had informed her husband that she was eager for them to have a child together. This episode carries on pretty much immediately after Ruby has dropped the bombshell on her husband. Unfortunately for Ruby, Martin, with a heavy heart, reveals that he doesn't want anymore children, considering the fact he has 4 already. Ruby is visibly devastated by her husband's revelation, she questions why he never mentioned anything before they got married. But to be fair, I don't think Ruby has ever been the Mother-ly type? I don't know, she's still young and maybe she may have wanted a baby eventually. Martin tries to softly explain to his wife, that he loves and is enjoying what they have. With her eyes visibly getting teary she leaves the Vic, leaving Martin sat on his own. However, when Kat, Stacey and Kush arrive at the Vic, Stacey notices Martin sitting alone and approaches whether she's able to sit with him. With Stacey knowing Martin all to well, she can see something has happened at that the couple have had a row, but when Martin reveals exactly what it's about, she can fully understand Martin's point of view. Regardless of what she thinks of Ruby, she advises her ex-husband that if he only agreed with her to make her happy and he'd probably resent her and regret it for the rest of his life. Meanwhile, whilst Stacey and Martin are having their conversation - Ruby goes to her club and grabs a bottle vodka to drown her sorrows, she walks into her office and longingly looks at the picture on her desk - Which I just want to mention, how bloody young does Louisa Lytton look in the picture along side her onscreen Dad, Billy Murray (Johnny Allen)?! Crazy! Later on in the evening, as Ruby leaves the club and Martin leaves the pub, they both find each other in the Square and instantly they both seem to apologise to each other, Ruby for dropping it out of the blue and Martin for his reasons for not wanting another child. But I think the thing that upsets Ruby just that little bit more is when it's revealed that Martin had confided in Stacey, Ruby looks instantly hurt. She informs him that she is completely aware that Stacey will always be a part of his life, mainly due to the fact that she's the Mother of his children, it's then that she voices that her husband was right, why should things change for them whilst things are great for them? However as they turn to walk home, Ruby's tears begin to fall as she can no longer hide her devastation!

Speaking of another couple briefly, Ian is still feeling under the weather as his Mum pays him a visit, trying to persuade him to get his marriage to Sharon annulled, as she tries to get through to him that Sharon doesn't love him and is simply with him out of pity. Even though Ian demands his Mother to leave, it seems as if her words play on his mind, as later on, Sharon is making him a hot cocoa - of course unbeknown to him, adding that little bit of poison into the drink, as he takes a big gulp of the hot liquid, he announces to his new wife that his Mother's words are actually correct. Even though Sharon tries to convince him not to listen to his Mother's advice, he reveals to Sharon that they should get an annulment. You can see the absolute fear in Sharon's eyes as the thought of not being able to carry on with her plan, she begs to Ian not to annul their marriage, she tries her absolute best to persuade him that he's the only man who's ever truly cared about her. It looks as if Sharon has to act quick, even say the one thing that she truly doesn't want to say, but it seems as if she doesn't have a choice if she's wanting to get rid of Ian and take all he has, she reveals to him that she's slowly falling in love with him!! When I first saw this, the one thought that came to my mind is - Is Sharon going to have to go a step further and maybe even sleep with Ian, just so she'll be able to get what she wants?! She truly is a woman on a mission at the moment!

The next thing I want to mention is Linda, Mick and Max. Even though we know what's happening round at the Atkins household (I'll get to that very important part shortly!) Mick is at home packing his things, announcing to Linda that he's planning on going away with Tina that very night! However, it looks as if Linda pleads for her husband not to go, questioning him whether he has actually thought things through clearly. But the one thing that she mentions which seems to change his mind, is Ollie. She pleads for him to stay for their little boy, it's true that Ollie would be completely lost without his Daddy. (I know I've said it before and I'm going to say it again - Ollie is so god-damn cute! Don't think I've ever seen a more cute, beautiful looking child!) However, what next seems to really confuse/surprise me, after, Linda visits Max and is surprised to find flight tickets booked for New Zealand on New Years Day! If we recall, Linda did admit to Max that seeing as it looks like her marriage to Mick may be coming to an end, she thought maybe going to New Zealand to make a fresh start with Max would be a good idea. However she seems incredibly shocked to have it sprung on her like this, and so soon! She never thought he would mean straight away, but Max tries to convince her - what have they really got to lose? - Although, something tells me that neither of them are going to make that flight on New Year's Day??!!

Okay, so now the big elephant in the room!!! TINA???!!! Oh my goodness, what brilliant acting from both Toby-Alexander Smith and Luisa Bradshaw-White! I was almost shouting at the TV for Tina to get away from Gray! Have to say it was brilliantly filmed and edited! The way Tina absolutely lashed out at Gray, revealing she knows EXACTLY what he had done to Chantelle, and threatening to tell everyone on the Square! Even though you feel like you were rooting for her, you feared for her also! It's like we knew full well that Gray wouldn't hesitate to act to stop Tina from revealing his secret! I thought it was absolutely brilliant as he was chasing her around the house, from the front to the back, it was like there was no escape for her as it was a complete, open-plan, circle space which she couldn't find a way to get away from him! Even thought she fought her absolute best to fight her way out! I kind of panicked for a moment when they both looked to the set of kitchen knives on the counter, I wasn't sure whether one of them lunged for them, but when Tina makes a dart for the front door, suddenly out of nowhere, Gray lunches towards her, stopping her in her tracks! Everything goes black! When we return to the scene, everything is quiet, Tina is nowhere to be seen, but Gray is looking calm and collected as he's has a drink and is talking quietly. At first it looks like he's talking to Tina, trying to act all innocent and giving his reasons, he loved Chantelle, but she didn't listen - just like SHE didn't listen! Then, the camera turns to show Tina, out-cold, unconscious, slumped on the living room sofa - only the interesting thing is is that she has a noticeable, big, purple bruise around her neck, almost looking like she's been strangled. Did anyone else find it completely creepy that whilst Denise was at home speaking about the type of man Lucas is, how evil and twisted he is - that it was also referring to Gray, whilst he was wrapping up Tina's body in a sheet?! Had Gray actually killed Tina?! Another victim of his wrath?!

It's going to be absolutely devastating for the Carter family once they find out the truth about Tina! I'm sure it was confirmed that this episode was Luisa Bradshaw-White's final episode as Tina, but do we know for sure if she's dead? Could she, unbeknown to Gray, actually be unconscious? If he has simply dumped her body somewhere that we're not aware of, could it mean that she could return one day?! Who knows? I feel it wasn't made fully clear whether she was dead or not, what do you guys think?  What did I say about her gold chain?! I knew that that was going to be significant, even though Shirley has found it, she has no idea what has actually happened to her sister! She and Mick have been made to believe that Tina has fled Albert Square in an attempt to escape police. Oh My God!!! Was anyone else gobsmacked when Gray was putting Tina's body into the boot of his car, and Mick just happened to approach and ask about his sister - I literally shouted at my TV "She's right there!!!" How on Earth could Gray act so calmly, lying to Mick and making up a story about Tina already leaving the Square without him! The scene between Shirley and Mick as they're sitting in the Vic was a very moving one! The first thing that got me was when Shirley made a toast to her sister, even though she is wishing her look, she is completely unaware of what has truly happened to her younger sister! This scene really got to me as it seems to be the first time in a long time where Mick and Shirley have actually sat down together one-to-one and had a drink, she questions her son why he hates her so much, but Mick's eyes begin to get teary. He softly explains to his Mum that he doesn't hate her, as this comes as a relief to her, she pleads to her son to open up and tell her what's been going on, what is happening in his head, what has gotten him to this state? Why have he and Linda split up after everything they've been through? Even questioning could it be his anxiety. For one very small brief moment - you think Mick is FINALLY going to talk! His breaths are raspy and his eyes are full of tears, he softly begins to speak ... "It's ..." But before he can even carry on that sentence, Gray finds them. It's then that they both thank him for everything they've done for them, and Tina!! Ooooooohhhhhh that rattles me a little bit, Gray takes their "Thank You's" and turns away, but oooohhh just wait until the Carter's find out the truth, Gray cannot hide his secret forever, he will get his comeuppance eventually! Mark my words!!!