"I'd Like To Talk To Somebody About Reporting A Mortgage Fraud!"
Tuesday 1st December 2020
Hello again everyone! We're finally into December, the count down to the Christmas episodes starts now!! I'm sure we're going to be in for an eventful Christmas! I'm really looking forward to seeing everything unfold! What are you guys most looking forward to? Ian getting his comeuppance and being attacked? Finding out who it was who attacked him? Or the reveal of Mick's childhood abuse? Either way, it's a going to be a roller-coaster full of emotions I am sure!
Let's make a start with the blog following last night then, the episode begins with Max minding his own business, getting everything prepped in the restaurant, as Ian makes his way in - INSTANTLY you can see the smug look on his face!! You can see he's going to enjoy himself putting Max in his place! Max seems surprised to see Ian standing there watching him, questioning whether he has other things better to do - such as getting the money he owes him - instead of standing there. However as soon as Max mentions his money, Ian is quick to inform Max that he's not letting him boss him around anymore, and what's even more of a blow, is that he won't be selling the Vic! Max looks completely and utterly confused and asks whether Ian has actually had some knock on his head, it's then that Ian really smugly grins and warns him that he won't be receiving a penny from him unless he wants the Square to know about his rendezvous with Linda, simply blackmailing the poor man! Max is absolute shock and disbelief as Ian grins and walks out the room, I'm quite saddened to see how these two partners - considering they became civil and started to support one another during a brief time, have come to this!
Meanwhile, at the Carter apartment, all the decorations that Linda had put up to surprise her husband are still hung up around the living room. As she walks into the kitchen with little Ollie, Mick is seen sprawled across the sofa, it looks as he's asleep. As Linda is getting her things together, little Ollie looks over to to his Dad, and in such a gorgeous sweet voice asks his Mum "What's the matter with Daddy?" - Is this the first time we've ever heard Ollie speak?! If so, he is so adorable! I'm sure we all have our own favourite child actors on the Square, I have to be honest, mine is Ollie - he's just an adorable little boy and such a cute little actor!! But of course all the young actors in EastEnders are fantastic! As Ollie questions his Mother, Linda simply explains that the young boy's Dad is just tired. As they both leave the room, once again the camera is focused on Mick and he slowly opens his eyes after hearing his son and wife talking about him.
At the Cafe, Tiffany and Keegan are enjoying their breakfast as they talk about how many missed calls she had from Stuart and Rainie the previous day. Tiffany seems to be a lot more understanding than Keegan is as she assures her husband that it's mainly because the couple are excited about becoming parents, it's something they have longed for for so long. Suddenly Rainie enters as Tiffany is about to chow down on a vegetarian breakfast, Tiffany pleads to her to at least let her eat her hash brown before talking about periods again - but Rainie is quick to apologise for how she acted, it was completely out of order and unnecessary. She questions the redhead whether things are still okay between them, Tiffany assures her that everything is fine and nothing has changed, Rainie seems surprised to hear this - as after Ian revealed to Whitney what Tiffany had gotten involved in, she was sure things may have changed. However, Tiffany reassures her that things are still set in stone for her to be her surrogate, only as Rainie leaves the Cafe, Whitney enters and as they both their separate ways, they both clock each other. It's then that Whitney approaches her younger sister and informs her that they need to have a serious talk.
Meanwhile, at the laundrette, as Linda is busy doing the washing, Max enters - once again Linda appears a bit cold when it comes to his appearance. Max warns her that they have to discuss what happened the previous night, even though Linda is just insistent that it was a kiss and it didn't mean anything, he tells her the very important piece of information that it just so happens that Ian saw them in their embrace. Linda looks in shock and a bit of fear that the worry sinks in that Ian could say something to someone, even Mick.
At the Branning household, Whitney has brought Tiffany and Keegan over to Jack's to discuss Tiffany's promise to Rainie. Whitney is stunned to hear that they have been offered £10,000 to have their baby! Tiffany is adamant that she wants to go ahead with it, considering that the money they've been offered with help pay for her course and Keegan's new stall on the Market. However when Whitney asks whether it's legal - I'm sure Stuart and Rainie both informed Tiffany that everything would be above board and they'd get the right paperwork they'd need - however, I have done a little bit of research. Whitney reveals that Tiffany's age is in fact 17, the legal age of someone to become a surrogate is the "Adult Age" of 18. However, even though it's legal for someone to be surrogate at the age of 18, the preferred age is between 21 and 45. With Tiffany being so young, there may be more complications down the road that they all might face, even though Tiffany may be fit and healthy. The main reason why they consider 18 to be too young is because of 3 main reasons :- the persons emotional maturity, their physical maturity and whether they've had a previous pregnancy. I'm not saying that this is in Tiffany's case, but that is what the research I have found states, I'm sure EastEnders will handle this storyline in a really touching and careful way. As Whitney and Jack still voice their concerns to the teenager, she leaves the room feeling incredibly frustrated.
Back at the laundrette, Linda is fretting whether Ian will leak the news about her and Max to the community. She informs Max that her husband hasn't been the same for weeks and if he found out that they'd kissed for a second time, it would absolutely destroy him. Max tries to calm her down and informs her that he will take the rap for it, he explains that he'll tell Ian that he came on to her instead, so that she won't be looked down on by her neighbours, plus it would be a way of saving her marriage to Mick. He promises that he'll sort it and he'll take care of Ian and informs her not to worry. Linda is incredibly thankful to Max as he leaves her in search for Ian. Meanwhile, as Callum is walking alone down the road, DI Thompson confronts him after jumping out of his car, it looks as if he's been parked up for some time waiting for Callum to make an appearance. He corners Callum as he informs him that the police department have put him under review because of the anonymous 999 call which they still have no leads on. It looks as if Thompson is blaming Callum because he used his ID, to which Callum recalls him mentioning it would be okay, but from DI Thompson's point of view, he said he wouldn't report Callum, but it looks as if things have made a really dark turn and Thompson is now trying to get his own back on Callum. But he thinks fast on his feet and reveals that if he was going to take him down, Callum was just drag him down with him as he wouldn't be able to answer any questions they would have, in response Thompson punches Callum really hard and deep in the stomach, only he picked the wrong timing as Stuart witnesses everything from a distance and informs Thompson to back off and leave his young brother alone. Callum begs his brother to leave it, he informs him that Thompson is in fact his boss and he'll only get into trouble if he did anything. Only as Thompson says that he can do whatever he likes, Stuart takes his chance and wallops him right in the nose! (Deep down, I was cheering - YES STUART!!!!!!!!!) - Callum is stunned to see his brother assault his own boss, but let just hope he hasn't made it 10x worse for his younger brother.
At the park, Keegan approaches his wife as she's sat alone at a picnic table, he questions whether she's okay, but she reveals to him that she is sick of being treated like a child. Suddenly Jack approaches them from behind slowly, Keegan notices him first and then Tiffany turns to see her Uncle. Jack explains that he's not there to argue with them, he admits that they can make their own choices in life and agrees that they are both now adults making very important and life-changing decisions, however he does drop the bombshell to them that Rainie can't pay them the amount she's offering, as it would be illegal. Much to the young couple's shock, he reveals that they only amount they'd get is "Reasonable Expenses" - now I've done a bit more research to this to try and explain what that means. If they go through with the surrogacy through the proper channels, once Rainie's and Stuart's baby is born, a court will decide how much Tiffany and Keegan will get - in the UK there is no standard figure, but on average the amount between £12,000 - £20,000 is the accepted rate for surrogacy. Jack does also explain that obviously the devastating motion of giving a baby up once giving birth to it is one of the hardest things to go through. He worries whether the young couple will end up like himself and Denise. Tiffany and Keegan both reassure him that they both will be okay. With this information, he politely leaves them to it to discuss the situation more.
Meanwhile, at the Vic, Bobby shows off the lovely, glistening, shiny, blue Lucy Beale Award to Sharon, she gushes over the sparkly vibrant award and informs the young teenager how beautiful it is. Suddenly Kathy makes an appearance and whispers to Sharon whether a certain something has arrived, as Sharon motions her to the back of the pub, Kathy informs her Grandson to stay put as she has a surprise in store for him. As she disappears to the back, Bobby begins to go through everything that needs to be done for the night's event, informing Sharon that the food needs to be chilled and then questions her whether she has everything prepared on her phone. As Sharon promises the young teenager that everything will go according to plan, Kathy appears from the back with a huge cheque for £20,000! Bobby is but dumbfounded as he compliments it being a bit big, but Kathy reassures him that it looks exciting and professional! Suddenly as Ian appears behind the bar, Bobby is excited to show him the reveal of the Lucy Beale Award, however his Dad only comments on the colour, and very disrespectfully says that he would've gone for a silver colour instead of blue, much to Kathy's irritation and Bobby's disappointment, it absolutely baffles me how Ian is not more supportive towards his son, he's literally shown no interest in his son's charity, in his own daughter's name. Ian looks incredibly smug once again as he informs Sharon that he's managed to have words with Max and that he won't be selling the Vic, Sharon appears to be very happy and very proud of her friend - oooh I can't wait till she discovers the truth about everything. As things carry on, Ian happily places a delivery into the freezer, although whilst in there, the door slowly closes behind him and we can see a hand on the door's handle. Max! - Sorry, but even though I am glad that this is happening, locking someone in a freezer is incredibly dangerous. Of course, Ian has no idea how he's managed to get trapped inside, he bangs the door and calls for Sharon's help, but Max just grins and allows him to carry on yelling for help.
Outside on the Square, Shirley and Tina catch Linda as she's leaving the laundrette, they ask her whether she managed to get through to Mick the previous night. Linda devastatingly informs them that Mick showed no interest in their evening together and she didn't even manage to get a word out of her husband. They look in defeat as Linda walks away, Tina is still lingering onto hope of the idea of getting the Vic back for Mick, but Shirley is eager to get any information she can on Ian, she pleads to her sister that if she knows any information at all she needs to spill the beans if it gives them any chance of getting back in the Vic. Even though Tina promised her boss she wouldn't say anything, something tells me that Tina will have no other choice but to reveal what Ian did to his Mum to the papers. I'm sure Kathy has no recollection of informing her colleague about Ian's wrongdoings, but how will she react if the news became public?!
At the Prince Albert, Callum and Stuart are sat talking about their previous encounter with DI Thompson, Callum seems to be stressing even more now that Stuart has had to interfere, but in all due respect, Callum was sticking up for his little brother, no matter who it was that punched him, he would've done the same to anyone! Callum informs his brother that he followed his advice on trying to get the bug from the Arches back, but the devastating truth is that Phil got there before him. Luckily Phil doesn't yet know who planted it, but Callum really needs to start treading carefully. Stuart informs his brother that they need to put a stop things before anything else gets out of hand, Callum is already up to eyeballs in it, how much worse can things get for him?! He tells his brother to leave him to it, and leaves the bar, but something tells me that Stuart is just wanting to help his brother and somehow, someway he will find a way of finding a solution to help his younger brother.
Meanwhile, back at the Vic, Max has still trapped Ian inside the freezer. Ian is calling out for Sharon, Tracy, anyone who could potentially be listening. Suddenly, Ian starts to panic - and as he does so, he starts to have flashbacks of locking poor young Dennis on the boat and him screaming for help. Max smugs and laughs as he can hear Ian screaming at the top of his lungs, Ian's breathing becomes raspy and he starts panicking for his life (GOOD!) - He realises that this is exactly what young Dennis must've gone through. He lets out one last cry for help and Max slowly opens the door, Ian is hunched against the floor as Max places his foot against Ian's throat, he questions how long it would've taken for someone to realise he was actually stuck in there, no one would've noticed him! Ian begs Max for his mercy and pleads to let him go, but before he does, he warns Ian not to say a word about him and Linda to anyone, plus he'll get him the money he is owed, otherwise he'll do what he should've done a long time ago and finished him off. Ian nods to the agreement/warning and Max removes his foot, insulting him before he leaves.
Back at the Carter's, Mick is now sat up and fully awake, he hears footsteps approaching the living room and Tina pops her around the corner, happy to see her brother looking a bit more alert. She looks around the room and notices all the decorations that Linda has put up from the previous evening, she questions whether they had a late night. Mick softly reveals to his sister that he wasn't feeling in the mood and that the truth is, he went to visit the old children's home from their childhood. Tina is surprised and questions him why he went there, he explains simply that he needed something, something in his head told him to go there. Tina seems to realise and understand what her brother is saying, she explains that it was possibly like being in the Vic, having a family around him and if he's having those feelings, maybe visiting a property can make you think about old times and maybe relive memories. Mick nods and confirms to his sister that she's absolutely right, but of course - that's not all the truth really is it, we all know the main reason why he visited that place - Tina cocks her head and tells her brother to leave it with her, she'll be able to sort something. What the hell is Tina thinking of doing?! We know she's determined to get the pub back in the Carter's name, but how will she be able to get Ian to sign it over to them?!
Returning to the Vic, Ian is sat alone with his hands stroking around his neck, he appears to be in a world of his own as he recall's Max's words. Sharon makes her way into the living room and approaches the laptop in front of her, ready to sort out the charity account for Bobby's charity. As she looks at her phone, she comments on how small the writing is on her phone and asks Ian to read out an account number for her, as he does so, little Albie begins to cry and Sharon has to leave to see to her young son. Only as she's absent, Ian takes a swift look at the laptop screen - what is looking at exactly? As Sharon returns, he is looking very shifty and looks completely on edge as she starts to get to work on the laptop.
Meanwhile, at the funeral directors, Stuart has caught up with his wife, who appears to be looking at baby items on the internet. Stuart begins to worry as she mentions about the extravagant baby items she's found, she looks at him with concern and questions whether he still wants to have a baby. Stuart reassures his wife that that is all he wants right now, more than anything - but truth be told is that he made so many mistakes with his daughter, Zara, he's scared he might make the same mistakes. Rainie then takes it upon herself to reassure her husband that he's brilliant with young Abi, and that any child would be lucky to have him as their Dad. She also confesses that she too is terrified about becoming a Mother, she recalls watching her sister, Tanya, having a children and remembers the feeling of distraught that she wouldn't be able to have children of her own, but now with Tiffany and Keegan's help, their wish is becoming true, and softly and gently, the husband and wife share a kiss. Although, unbeknown to them, whilst they're having this deep discussion, Tiffany and Keegan are having a discussion of their own. Tiffany informs her husband about all the videos and articles that Whitney has sent her in warning to being a surrogate, it's then that Keegan drops the bombshell that he thinks that Jack and Whitney are right. Tiffany is devastated to hear that her husband has changed his mind, he informs her that in the first place, they were only doing it for the money, and now they know that they might not even receive it, and that he fears her giving birth to a child and falling in love with it is inevitable. He voices that the first baby they would have together, deep down, he'd want it to be their own. Tiffany asks her husband whether he never mentioned this before, but eventually reveals that to her it is also a big relief. It looks as if they may no longer want to go through with the surrogacy - only how will they be able to tell Stuart and Rainie?! They're going to be heartbroken! Does that mean they'll need to find another surrogate?!
The final scenes of this episode show Tina is scooping popcorn into separate bags at the Prince Albert whilst Kathy is revealing everything that has happened during the day involving Ian and Bobby. She's happily informing her about Bobby's effort into putting on an Award ceremony in the name of his deceased sister, and also informing her disappointment in her son, Ian, about his response to Bobby's hard work. Commenting on how Ian criticized the award itself because of the colour, she voices that she wishes Ian would be more supportive of his son, but it looks as if Ian will never change his ways. Tina is silent as Kathy reveals all this information to her, but also nods and acknowledges Kathy's words. She then agrees to attend the award ceremony to show Bobby some support. But as Kathy leaves the building, Tina grabs her mobile phone and quickly dials a number, it looks as if she's either called the police or possibly another newspaper declaring she wants to speak to some to report a mortgage fraud! Is she finally going to reveal the truth about Ian?! Meanwhile, as she's doing this, Ian and Sharon are upstairs of the Queen Vic watching television, however Sharon has fallen asleep on the sofa with the laptop open. Ian looks over and decides to sit himself next to Sharon and take a look for himself how much the charity has raised - we can see that the charity has raised a whopping £20,137.00! Only Ian goes and stoops the absolute lowest he can get - he transfers £20,000 of that amount into Max's account! He's only gone and stole money from his own daughter's charity!! How on Earth can he stoop so low?! Something tells me though that he will get his comeuppance for doing this! Bobby is going to be absolutely devastated when he finds out (It wouldn't surprise me if he does attack his Dad!)
Something also tells me that, now Max has had money transferred into his account, he will see where that money has come from. It won't say "Ian Beale" but instead "The Lucy Beale Foundation!" - so he will know full well that Ian has transferred it from the charity account into his - I hope that Max isn't accused of stealing it, as that would be another huge twist in the mix and another reason for Max to go after Ian! If Max's notices in time, I'd like to think he'd to the decent thing and either put the money back into the right account or let everyone know that it was Ian who gave it to him!! This is a very interesting cliff-hanger, and I'm really intrigued to see how it's all going to unfold! I apologise for this blog being so late, but tomorrow I will post another blog following tonight's episode! Thank you all for reading, please feel free to leave any comments or opinions on the current storylines, I'd love to hear your thoughts and I'll always respond! Thanks again folks and enjoy the rest of your evening! Love you all! xXx
