Weekly Catch Up

Monday 31st May - Friday 4th June 2021

Hello again folks, due to working hours all under the sun at my day job, I've only managed to find time to sit down and write my blog. The past couple of weeks have been full chocker for me - celebrating my partner's 30 birthday as well as trying to find a house, whilst also being at the day job and trying to find time to write notes down for my blog. Hopefully by next week I'll be a bit more organised and be able to post a few more than just 1 post in the week!

So let's cover everything that's happened this week, it's been an eventful one that's for sure! I think the first thing I'm going to mention is The Carter's. It seems as if Linda is becoming more desperate to inform Nancy about her pregnancy, I think it's fair to say that she's hating having to keep it a secret from her own daughter, but Mick seems less than enthusiastic and convinces Linda that perhaps she should wait just a little bit longer until they tell Nancy the truth. Of the devastating thing for Mick is that his wife is pregnant with somebody else's baby, and not just anybody - Max Branning!

In a bid to take his mind off things he suggests putting together a Deaf Night for Frankie, where they'd celebrate the deaf community. Of course Linda is all for the idea but does also worry that Mick is maybe pushing her pregnancy under the carpet, as if he doesn't want to talk about it. Still noticing the tension between Nancy and Linda, Frankie takes it upon herself to approach Nancy and manages to convince her that really she and her Mum are both exactly alike and maybe she should reach out to her and just forgive her and move on, life is really too short. After listening to her sister and taking her advice, Nancy decides to build bridges with her Mum and offer her a one-to-one session at the gym to give them a chance to reconnect. Linda is all for it and is happy to spend some quality time with her daughter.

However after pushing herself a bit too hard on the exercise bike, Linda goes light-headed and eventually collapses, much to Nancy's worry. I know this a bit stupid for me to say, but being 5 months pregnant and going to the gym - perhaps it wasn't the best idea? (I mean, I don't know - do pregnant women still go the gym?) Luckily Sharon is there to witness the accident and quickly hurries to her friend's aid, as they all wait for an ambulance to arrive, Linda encourages her daughter to go back home and wait for her Dad to return home as well as trying to contact him in the meantime. As Nancy does as she's told, Linda informs Sharon that she's pregnant but she desperately doesn't want Nancy to know, especially not now considering her accident. Sharon respects Linda's wishes and accompanies her to the hospital, it's here where Linda also informs her friend that in fact the baby she's carrying is not Mick's but in fact Max's.

It looks as if the whole accident has completely overwhelmed Linda as she begins to get teary. She explains to Sharon that over the past couple of months she's began to feel the baby moving, and she's come to realise that over time she has begun to love the child she's carrying. But how on Earth will Mick feel when he finds out? Even though Mick has promised to face the pregnancy head on with his wife, something is telling me that when the child is born, he is going to really struggle to connect and bond with it, knowing that it's not even his child. However - could there be some kind of miscalculation? Will they maybe even take a DNA test just to be sure who the Father is? Who knows? There has been some speculation that Max will return after rumours of Linda contacting him about her pregnancy, but I'm not so sure that's going to happen - Max only left a couple of months ago and I'm sure I recall Jake Wood saying that he's interested in doing other things - could they convince him to return for this storyline? I'm unsure. What do you guys think? Could Mick even grow to love the child as his own? 

As the episode goes on, we see that Nancy grows suspicious that after her Mum's worrying fall, she's going round telling everyone that she's fine, and Peter even acknowledges that someone as healthy and fit as Linda could collapse after a couple of minutes on an exercise bike, maybe there's something more as to why she collapsed? Seeking the truth she eventually confronts her Mum, and realising that she's been bolted into a corner, Linda softly informs her daughter that she is now pregnant with her 5th child. At first Nancy seems thrilled to hear that her parents have come to create another life, but eventually it becomes clear to her that the child is not her Dad's, however Linda is quick to inform her that Mick knows and he's been fully supportive since he first found out. Nancy can't quite believe what she's hearing, but nevertheless she is thrilled to hear she'll be getting another sibling and that her parents are seriously "Couple Goals!".

--

Another main issue which happened this week was that Mila was trying everything she can to stop her Mum from taking her little sister Kioni to a ceremony where she would be "Cut". As soon as her Mum arrives onto the Square you can sense the tension between Mila and her Mum. Even though Iqra is there to support Mila every step of the way as she tries to confront her Mum, the way her Mum speaks to her, she instantly feels as if she can't even stand up to her own Mum. Iqra eventually decides to intervene, suggesting to Kioni that she needs to experience McKlunky's chips - as a swift way for Mila to be alone with her Mum. 

As Mila takes the opportunity to open up to her Mum, she admits as to how what has been done to her has made her feel dirty and how she spends every single day in pain. Understandably she does not want her younger sister to go through what she has. The interesting thing which grabbed my attention though was that her Mum stated that it was because they were a part of a "Community" - I'm sorry, but which community allows these types of things to happen to young girls? Is it a religion thing? I'm not 100% sure, but Mila puts her Mum straight (as it were) that the only reason her Mum abandoned her was because of her sexuality - which is NOT a choice! Interestingly, Mila tries to get her Mum to open up about how she felt when she went through the traumatic experience that was "expected" of her. 

I have to be honest, this whole entire scene really moved me, Ruhtxjiah Bellenea is a fantastic actress and she completely moved me when she was describing how Mila felt during her experience and how much she pleaded not to let her Mum do it to Kioni! I'm thrilled that EastEnders have taken her on and I'm looking forward to seeing more from Mila. Meanwhile as Iqra is keeping Kioni away keeping an eye on her, Kim unfortunately interrupts Iqra and completely distracts her by asking her advice on Male Of The Month for her Foxcatcher promo and completely misses the moment that Kioni left her side and disappeared. Devastatingly, Kioni decides to head back to Kathy's - where she overhears Mila and her Mum talking about what was happening. After realising that she's been stood there, Kioni runs off and disappears out of sight, much to Mila's worry and concern. 

Frantically, Mila begins to search for her sister and Kathy decides to stay behind with their Mum. Poor Mila is desperate to try and find her sister, eventually she gets called back to the house only to see a police car being pulled up and her Mum being arrested. As much as Mila wanted her Mum to understand that what she was doing is wrong, she never wanted her Mum to go to prison. Iqra approaches Mila to try and calm her own, explaining that what her Mum was doing was a form of child abuse, but Mila is desperate to try and explain that her Mum is not a bad person and that she was just brought up with the wrong beliefs. She's deeply saddened to realise that her girlfriend has gone behind her back and called the police on her Mum, but then interestingly Kathy steps in and informs Mila that it was actually her who called the police. Iqra looks back at Kathy in amazement and subtly shakes her head - Kathy is taking the wrap for Iqra, I think because she understands that Mila needs Iqra more than ever right now and she can't lose her Mum, her sister and her girlfriend all at the same time. 

The next day as Mila tries to find the whereabouts of her sister, she learns that she's stayed at a friend's. She does eventually come home but when she does she is accompanied by her social worker. As much as Mila is eager to look after her sister, she's saddened to hear that she can not stay with her and she'll be instead be put with a foster family during the time her Mum is in prison. Mila is deeply saddened and pleads for them not to take her, but eventually it seems that she comes to terms with knowing that Kioni will be safe. I'm not 100% sure whether this will be the end of this storyline - Mila is yet to find out that it was Iqra who called the police on her Mum, so who knows. Is that the last we'll see of Kioni or will Mila be reunited with her sister permanently? Have we also seen the last of her Mum? I'm intrigued to see what will happen next. 

--

Elsewhere on the Square, Suki is still not willing to accept that Kheerat's new woman is Sharon Watts. But in a bid to keep his Mother on side, Kheerat informs her that he's managed to find a way to keep Jags safe in prison, he managed to come up with the money to pay who needs to be paid and he's also managed to persuade Ben to contact people he knows in prison who could keep Jags safe. Even though Suki is relieved that her son is now safe, she's a bit sceptical that her son is now doing business with a Mitchell and warns him that he'd best stay in Ben's good books, otherwise things could really change for not just Jags, but the whole Panesar family. 

It seems that Kheerat then realises that if he's going to want to continue seeing Sharon, they're going to have to be sneaky about their little fling. If Ben was to find out that Kheerat was seeing Sharon, he probably would kick off - not that it's any of his business, as Sharon is no longer married to his Dad, what business of his is it who Sharon sees or sleeps with?! I don't understand why Ben would find it as a way of betrayal? Ben has even made it clear that his Dad has moved on - so why can't Sharon? And even if it is his business partner, who cares?! I genuinely don't see the problem, if you guys know then please enlighten me! 

-- So it looks as if "Fat Elvis" has invited Mo away on a cruise, but it seems that she is reluctant to go and interestingly it turns out that once Jean is made away of Mo's offer, Mo informs her that the only reason she's not going to go is because of her. She's known for months now that something isn't right with Jean and she's not going to rest until she knows what it is. Of course we all know that Jean is hiding the devastating truth that her cancer has returned and that this time it could be terminal. Jean has decided to not have treatment this time around, but it seems as every day that goes by - her family around her seem to be going away. Stacey is now prison, Kat has been spending so much time with Phil now their relationship has been made public, her Grandchildren are living over the road with Martin and Ruby - and now Mo could potentially be leaving on a cruise! I think Jean is going to feel so lonely that eventually things just may get a bit too much for her and she will eventually break. I'm absolutely baffled that even Kat has no idea about her illness. 

I think, for a split moment Jean did consider telling Mo the truth, claiming that she has had a bit of a wobble since Stacey was sent to prison, but Mo isn't stupid - she knows there's something else going on, she knows when Jean is lying. Jean then claims that life is far too short and she should grab the opportunity to go for a cruise while she can. Later there's a scene between Kat and Jean as they're stood in the middle of the market and Kat is asking very suspicious questions regarding Mo and Jean, Jean seems to swerve the topic onto Mo, informing Kat about her proposition, as Kat walks away and the camera fades out you see Jean standing alone outside the Minute Mart - this is pretty important as I'll explain in the next paragraph. 

As Jean returns home, once again she's confronted by Mo - you think that Jean is going to tell her truth, but instead she states "I'll just show you!" and empties the contents of her bag onto the kitchen table. Dozes of chocolate bars flood the table and Mo isn't the least bit floored to learn that Jean has been shoplifting. Jean lies, claiming that she's become hooked to minor shoplifting and can't seem to kick the buzz. Mo seems to find it pretty laughable, Jean understandably would be the last person you'd expect to shop lift! Although she does admit she's relieved as she claims she was concerned Jean was going to tell her she was actually dying - if only she realised how right she actually is!!! The look on Jean's face was devastating!!!

I have to say though, the scene where all the Slater ladies are giving Mo a party to celebrate her cruise, seeing Kat dancing to Aga-doo was bloody brilliant! We haven't seen a fun clip like that for a while I think! As the day finally arrives for Mo to leave Walford and go on her cruise trip, she seems to acting fairly suspicious as she secretly locks the garage door. What is she hiding in there? You could say that Mo has always been up to dodgy dealings, she's as cunning as Phil sometimes! Ha! Jean manages to confront Mo before she leaves and admits that she told her her secret, now it's her turn to tell her her's, but it seems that Jean is less than impressed and informs Mo that what she's doing is criminal! But what exactly could it be? Later as everyone gathers to see Mo off on her travels, Jean is solemn to see Mo leave and whispers that she might not even be here when Mo returns.

As soon as she said that Zack picks up on it instantly. As people wave her goodbye, Mo leaves Walford in the back of a limo, what better why for her to exit! Will you miss Mo? As Jean's word continue to play on his mind, he questions Martin about Jean and whether she's alright. But Martin seems to inform him that you can never really tell when it comes to Jean, considering she has bipolar. But he does seem to speculate that maybe she's feeling lonely as everyone around her seems to be leaving. It's then that Zack seems to offer Jean his friendship, informing her that he's just next door if she ever needed anything. But suddenly Jean seems to take him on his offer ever so quickly and informs him that he could help her with a little something. 

It's then we get to see what Mo was hiding in the garage. Weed!!!!!! The garage was full of weed plants and Jean is desperate to get rid of them. Zack later reassures her that he has a friend who can wheel it all away for a decent price, at first Jean is adamant she doesn't want to deal with it that way but it turns out to be her only option as she's worried the police may come knocking. She eventually agrees for Zack's "mate" to shift the weed. But after visiting Honey in the Minute Mart and learning that Suki has left lettuce in the dark and it's all wilted, Jean comes of another way to get rid of the drug plant. She returns to the garage and unplugs the heat lamp so all the plants are left in the dark to die. But my next thought it, what happens after they die? Will it be easier for her to just chuck them? I guess we'll have to wait and see! 

--

Finally the last thing I have to mention is Ben and Callum, they have returned from their honeymoon and they both seem a bit sad to be returning to some form of normality after a lovely time away together. They both return home to learn that Callum's Nan, Violet, has decided to stay in Walford. I did think it was slightly funny when Violet kind of insulted Ben, claiming he had put on a bit of weight since he had been away - but I have to be honest, I feel like I haven't seen much of Violet to have a proper opinion on her, I haven't really made my mind up yet. What are you opinions on Violet Highway? 

Ben then decides to make himself scarce and attempts to visit his Dad to clear the air. Before he and Callum left on their honeymoon, Phil learnt that Callum was working with the police against him and it looks as if Phil can't overcome the fact that he was living with a grass. He personally feels betrayed by Callum after welcoming him into the family and he can't find himself to forgive him - regardless now whether he's his Son-In-Law or not. Ben thanks Phil for paying for the honeymoon but also tries to persuade his Dad to forgive Callum, but Phil simply has none of it. In his eyes, Ben has made his choice. 

Later in the week, it seems that Phil is feeling miserable but as he begins to get closer to Kat's children Bert and Ernie, he confides in Kat that he's actually missing Ben. But he also happens to mention that he's feeling low because he feels like he's lost all his children. Louise has left with his Granddaughter, he isn't talking to Ben and his young song Raymond is living over the road and he never gets to see him. Sympathising with him, Kat suggests that he has a word with Denise, regardless of his past - Phil has always been a good Dad and has always focused on his family. Kat happens to mention that the children have a "Bring You Dad To School Day" but she can't bring to inform the children that Alfie won't be there to take them, it's then that Phil agrees to take them instead.

As Phil arrives to school with the twin boys, even though he's happy to help Kat with her kids, you can see his heart sinks as he sees Raymond arrive with Jack. Phil calls out to his young son but the little boy completely ignores him, but in all fairness the little boy probably has no idea who he really is. I remember AGES ago Denise allowed Phil to see him one or twice or week, but it seemed that changed due to more of Phil's dodgy dealings. Jack is more than happy to rub it in Phil's face when he gives his presentation, claiming that the children always need to be ready to fight the real baddies! But when Phil is asked to give his talk, Phil acknowledges that he's not Bert and Ernie's biological Father or Grandfather and that he wasn't aware he had to give a talk. Jack gives him a slight smirk but Phil holds his ground and informs the teacher that he is a local business man - to be fair, he's not wrong. (In all honesty, I was expecting him to say he was a mechanic - he does work with cars in the Arches after all!) 

However, later on taking Kat's advice, Phil decides to visit Denise and states that he wants to help with Raymond as much as he can, give him a proper education and make sure he's able to attend after school clubs etc. But Denise she can't afford it, but Phil is adamant that he can help pay for it as he wants to help provide for his son, but Denise doesn't want to know, claiming that his money is "Dirty Money" and she wants it no where near Raymond. Meanwhile though, as Phil and Denise are having this confrontation - poor Kat finds herself being mugged in the middle of the Square. Two youths threaten her with a knife and take off with her handbag and shopping. 

Clearly after being hit by a car, this is the last thing Kat needs. In a stunned state she walks back to the Square where she finds Callum and informs him what's just happened. As Callum tries to reassure her that if she makes a statement the youths will be found. But of course, Suki overhears the commotion and claims that she's not surprised after getting involved with a Mitchell. But Kat is quick to defend Phil, claiming that she knows him so much better than she does and she has no right to make sly comments on who she sees. Returning home she tries to inform Phil about her mugging, but Phil seems to be a more irate after Denise's harsh words, Kat doesn't get a chance to explain to him what's happened. Seeing red, she storms out claiming that maybe everyone else was right about Phil and she was wrong. Poor Phil has no idea what he's seemed to have done wrong, but will Denise's words maybe make him think about changing his ways so he can give Raymond a better life and for Denise allow him to see him?

Meanwhile Ben is acting slightly jealous, I thought, not being able to spend time with his husband on his day off. Callum instead spends the day with a colleague from the police station. Ben takes it upon himself to let off some steam and decides to socialise with Kheerat. As Kheerat tries to fish for information as why Ben is feeling low, Ben claims that he can't stand anyone who lies to him - how can there be trust in a business or personal relationship when there seems to be lots of lies? Eventually Ben comes to the realisation that he needs to ask Callum something really important, as he arrives home, he's surprised to see that Callum has gone all out to make the romantic gesture of a couples night in - not wanting to honeymoon to end so soon. But Ben informs him that even though he loves him, he needs to ask him the biggest thing of all and that he leaves the police force! 

Week Catch-Up Post

Hello everyone! I'm back after a week away. I've been celebrating my partner's 30th birthday this week so I've had very little time to type up a blog post. But I am now back and looking forward to catching up with everything EastEnders! But before we catch up on everything that happened last week, there has been some news announced that Mo Slater's final scenes will be coming up next week. It's been revealed that her exit storyline will see Mo leave to go on a cruise ship with her well-known friend "Fat Elvis". Both Jean and Kat are going to be saying an emotional farewell to their beloved family member.

I have to be honest, I will be sad to see Mo leave the Square, through-out her years on the Square she has been one of the most comical with her hilarious schemes. She famously told Sonia that she was actually pregnant with her daughter Rebecca (Bex) and helped her deliver the child on Dot's living room sofa. Plus she was also the one who came up with the idea to fake Kat's death, much to Kat's horrified shock! Will you miss Mo? Feel free to tell me how you feel about her character in any comments or messages, I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

So, I know there's a lot that I have to mention so I'm going to get stuck right in, I'm firstly going to mention Frankie and Shirley. Last Friday's episode ended with Mick finally getting justice when Katy sentenced to 10 years in prison for the crimes she committed against him. Even though the Carter family looked united as they left court, it's understandable that Frankie would be feeling a little lost. In hindsight, she's pretty much lost her Mum, she doesn't deny that her Mum gave her a wonderful childhood, regardless of her horrendous crimes.

However, after coming home and letting her Mum's sentence really sink in, Frankie can't help but feel the need to actually visit her Mum in prison. Katy acknowledged that knowing Frankie would be there on the outside waiting for her, would be the one thing to get her through being in prison! Understandably, Frankie is wanting to stay in contact with her Mum, but she's feeling too nervous to actually admit it to the rest of her Dad's family. The most interesting thing though is that she confides in the most unlikeliest person you'd think would ever understand how she's feeling. Shirley listens openly to Frankie's emotions and feelings and admits that even though she can't stand Katy and would rather see her rot in prison, she can't deny how much Frankie has brought so much happiness to Mick's life. She interestingly thanks Frankie for helping Mick through his court case and happily offers to give Frankie a driving lesson and reveals that when they do, they'll make a detour so she can go and visit her Mum. I really thought that was such a bold move for Shirley, she's put her feelings aside and agreed to help, technically, her Granddaughter. I was really touching and I'm looking forward to seeing more scenes between Frankie and Shirley. 

--

Elsewhere, Martin seems to be getting more into the dog house. Even though he's determined to do the right thing and be there for his wife, going out and getting drunk with the man he punched after making the mistake of believing he had been sleeping with his wife, was not the best idea. Ruby is less than impressed with her husband after she finds him hunched on Albert's bench in the gardens, almost looking as if he's ready to pass out. 

She recalls that he was supposed to join her for a meeting at the clinic, regarding her chances in getting pregnant. But after noticing Martin holding a bag of vomit, she informs him not to bother going with her and she'll attend the clinic appointment by herself. This clearly upsets Martin as he sees that he's once again disappointed his wife because of his actions. It seems that not only is Ruby annoyed at him, but Jean is also wanting to hear some answers from her Ex Son-In-Law. After getting a phone call from her Granddaughter, Lily, Jean is understandably concerned about the children living in a house where the adults seem to be having constant arguments. 

In her mind, the children should be back living with her and she needs to understand why Lily is desperately seeking attention. It's only now that Martin confides in Jean, informing her that Lily has been spreading vicious lies around and has been doing horrific things, just to get to Ruby - cutting her Mum's wedding dress etc. I think Jean is surprised to be hearing about Lily's behaviour but is also convinced that Lily needs just as much love and attention as Martin gives Ruby. It almost looks as if Jean is playing detective as she then goes to speak to Ruby. Here, she informs her that Martin is completely and utterly besotted with his wife and he would do anything to make her happy. 

Even though she admits she doesn't condone Lily's behaviour, she does inform them that do need to meet in the middle somewhere though regarding Lily. She tells Ruby just what she told Martin, that Lily is a little girl who is crying out for attention and some love, something that she probably hasn't feel for a while since her Mum was sent to prison. If Ruby was to show Lily some love, would that maybe change Lily's aspect of her? Who knows? I think it's fair to say that Lily has a dislike for Ruby, simply because she is the reason why her Mum is in prison! Later, as Ruby and Martin come together after a long day, Martin completely and utterly apologises to his wife for not being the best husband he can be. He acknowledges that he should've been with her for her appointment and regardless of the outcome of her tests at the clinic and what they say, he still wants to have a family with her. 

--

Meanwhile, Kat finally returns home from the hospital. But the main topic that all the neighbours seem to be gossiping about is the fact that Phil has been at her bedside every day whilst she's been in the hospital, plus also the fact that they have returned home from the hospital together! Do Kat and Phil now feel ready to make their relationship public?? Either way the majority of the Square now know about their relationship. 

As Kat makes herself comfortable back at home, Phil decides to keep out of the way, as it's clear that Jean isn't best pleased about Kat's relationship with him. As Phil makes himself comfortable in the living room, Kat and Jean are sat in the kitchen, discussing Kat's taste in men and why she would ever consider dating Phil - even though he can hear every word being said about him, Kat sticks up for him, regardless of whatever he's done in the past, he is a family man! Phil would do anything to support his family. For a brief moment it looks as if Phil is feeling a little awkward as he overhears Jean's point of view. As Kat goes to see whether Phil would like something to eat, as she enters the living room, we see that Phil has actually left the house. But why? Does he feel a bit under pressure because of Jean? Has he come to the realisation that he can't be with Kat?

Needless to say Kat is left feeling devastated, she feels as though once he's been pushed into the opportunity of being sat with Jean and the kids, he's scarpered and done a runner on her! But she couldn't have been more wrong, as eventually Phil returns with a handful of pizza's for all the family. He has actually gone out of his way to spoil Kat's family, which leaves her incredibly touched. Maybe he is in this relationship for the long haul after all? However, as later on Phil prepares food for himself and Kat - I have to say I love the way he put on a French accent as he described the baked potatoes he had been prepping for themselves - as he offers Kat's children Ben's old game consoles, Kat seems to be little overwhelmed and declines his offer and makes a sharp dash for the door with her children.

Phil looks as little bit concerned, had he overstepped the mark? In his mind it was a nice simple gesture for Kat's kids. Does Kat not want his children to get attached to him incase something happens?! Later as Phil questions Kat about her quick escape, she informs him that she doesn't want her children getting hurt. If they do become official or do enter this relationship for the long haul and the children get too attached to him, she fears how devastated the children would be if they were to build a bond with Phil and then months later lose the bond if they were to break up. Phil completely understands Kat's point of view and as a couple, they agree to take things slow for the children's sake. They agree to be on modern ground for the kids. I have to say though, I never knew that seeing Kat and Phil together would be something I'd enjoy, but honestly - I think it's a brilliant pairing and I can't wait to see more from this new powerful couple. What do you guys think??

--

So another exciting thing that happened on the Square, Sharon launched her new gym "Crunch Time!" - I mean, it's a decent name for a gym to be fair. However as much as she was getting excited and enjoying her time at the launch. Kheerat and Zack came to blows as Kheerat warned Sharon's brother not to spoil her night. Zack was once again being an absolute flirt and was attempting to flirt with the clientele that Sharon had invited to the launch. In an attempt to stop Zack from causing a scene, Kheerat locks Zack in a store cupboard, increasing the volume of the music so no one can hear him banging and causing a commotion. 

Of course, Sharon has no idea that her brother has been locked in a room all by himself. She's a little more occupied building bridges with Linda. Finally after a good few months of not talking, Sharon and Linda make amends and begin to start talking to one another again. Linda is thankful to Sharon for letting her daughter, Nancy, stay with her for a while, plus for also giving her a job at the gym. I have to be honest, it's nice to see Linda and Sharon being friends again, they have to be one of my favourite friendships on the Square. 

As the night goes on, it comes to the point for Sharon to make her speech, but of course as the music begins to fade, Zack realises he can be heard and demands for someone to open the door and let him free from the store cupboard. As Nancy lets him out, Zack's first act is to confront Kheerat for locking him in. Kheerat completely denies locking him in and laughs in Zack's face, telling him not "Embarrass himself!" Now this small turn of phrase seems to really hit hard with Zack and he ends up smacking Kheerat right in the face, much to Sharon's shock and disappointment. Acknowledging that Zack has had his three strikes, she tells him to leave the Square.

The next day Zack realises he can't find the time to explain himself to Sharon for hitting Kheerat and begins to grab his belongings, ready to do as his sister asks and leave the Square. However later on in the day, Zack manages to get his chance to explain and talk to his sister. As they sit alone in the flat, Zack reminisces about his parents. How much his Mum could be lovely through out the day but as soon as 6pm or 7pm in the evening came, she would turn to drink. Interesting he also explains to Sharon that when Kheerat told him "Don't Embarrass Yourself!" - it resonated with his Dad. Being a child and being told by his Father not to be an embarrassment, it truly hit hard for him. He simply didn't mean to hit Kheerat, he simply just saw red. Sharon completely and utterly sympathises with Zack and eventually asks him to stay in Walford. It's clear that he needs her just as much as she needs him right now. 

--

So one of the main storylines of the week, is Mila's little sister, Kioni, has arrived on the Square, much to the surprise of her big sister. However, even though he sister's arrival is a bit out of the blue, as the sister begin to talk, Kioni informs her sister that her Mum is taking her on holiday to meet an unknown Aunty that she's never met and she is desperate for her sister to go with them. Only at the mention of an unknown Aunty, Mila is instantly worried, cautious and concerned for her little sister. I began to wonder whether this Aunty was bad news and Mila was just desperate to keep her sister safe from this evil Aunty? Mila begs Kathy to let her little sister stay, just until they find somewhere more permanent for her to stay. 

At the beginning, Kathy declines to allow Kioni stay, but it seems that Mila is in desperate need to keep her sister safe. In the end Kathy agrees but doesn't ask any questions - she understands that Mila is trying to help her sister and warns that she can stay for one night and then she'll have to try and find somewhere else to stay. Mila is deeply thankful to her boss. But it does make you begin to wonder why she's so desperate to keep her sister close. 

Eventually, Kathy begins to question Mila on what she's trying to protect her sister from. It's then that we hear the truth from - Mila's Mum isn't taking Kioni to meet an Aunty, but to actually taking her to be "Cut". In other terms it's called - FGM "Female Genital Mutilation". Kathy can't believe what she is hearing and questions how Mila knows about this. As Mila takes a deep breath, she explains that it's exactly what happened to her.

Now, I've had to do a little bit of research as I had no idea what FGM was. So it turns out the it is an illegal procedure in the UK. It's a destructive operation where the female genitals are partly or fully removed. In the majority of cases, the procedure is performed before a female hits puberty, somewhere between the ages of 4-8, but in recent years it has been performed on babies who are just aged between a few days old to even a few months old! It can cause severe bleeding, infections, complications in childbirth and even risks of new-born deaths. I have heard that people have been sickened out by this storyline, but I have to be honest - it's something I've never heard of, and I believe if EastEnders play out this story in a mature and sensitive way, it'll be a way of raising awareness and will hopefully educate people that unfortunately this does happen, and it needs to be stopped! 

As Kathy agrees to let Kioni stay, Mila is ever so grateful to her boss and reassures her she will find something more secure for herself and her sister. But the next day, Kathy informs Mila that she has to contact the police, but Mila really doesn't want to get the police involved as she fears her sister will be taken away from her. As Kathy decides to take Mila out for a drink to try and settle her nerves, she instructs both Bobby and Kioni to stay in the house for them to stay with each other. Bobby is a little frustrated as he has a date planned, but Kathy informs him that he is in deep instruction from her to stay put and keep an eye on Kioni. 

Only it doesn't last very long, whilst Kathy and Mila are out, Bobby is getting irritable that he'll have to cancel his date. As Kioni persuades him to go out and promises she won't be moving, Bobby bits the bullet and leaves his mobile number for Kioni to contact incase of any emergencies. However, later on when everyone arrives home, Kathy and Mila are surprised to see Bobby alone in the house and when he informs them that Kioni has left to go and see her Mum, Kathy and Mila enter pure panic mode! Desperately, Mila calls her sister and eventually she does get in touch with her, even though her sister appears unharmed and appears to have no knowledge of what is in store for her, Mila tries her best to keep her cool and urges Kioni to keep in contact as much as she can. 

Meanwhile, during the whole week that Mila has been more focused on her sister, Iqra has felt once again that she's been pushed aside, even though Mila tries to inform her that that simply isn't the case. Eventually as Mila is pushed into a corner, as Kathy gives her 24 hours to come up with a solution to find her sister and get her safe, otherwise she'll be contacting the police, Mila rushes to Iqra and asks her for help. Iqra at first appears insulted that for a whole week she's been pushed to one side and all of sudden she's asking her for her help, why should she? Realising that she's going to need to come clean, Mila reveals everything to Iqra. Iqra is sat in complete silence as Mila comes clean about everything that has happened to her and why she needs to stop it from happening to her sister. As tears softly and slowly fall down their cheeks, Iqra promises to stand by Mila and help her stop it happening to her sister. 

--

So, it looks as if Kim might have a new love interest - Dwayne! I have to be honest though, the comment that was made by Violet, asking Kim whether she was a drag queen was absolutely hilarious! I absolutely loved it! As Kim is prepping for her upcoming birthday, she's eager not to let her age bother her and that she can still find love. So when she stumbles upon a gentleman selling hand sanitizer in the Vic, she's quick to make her move. 

It seems to appear that Kim likes what she sees when it comes to Dwayne, as her birthday roles up her family are waiting to celebrate with her but it seems she may have spent the night with Dwayne instead. I have to mention though I loved Patrick's innocence when he came to mentioning the aubergine emoji that Kim had used in her text. Both Sheree and Denise completely understood what she meant as they pull a face to one another!

I have to be honest though, is Dwayne going to be new character? Are we going to learn more about Dwayne? I'm intrigued. However when Chelsea learns about the man her Aunty is seeing, it seems that she knows Dwayne all too well. Apparently he is some kind of serial cheat? A womanizer? Trying to warn her Aunt Kim, she informs her that he cheated on her friend Roni with multiple people, even including her cousin. But Kim isn't interested in hearing Chelsea's accusations and claims she is just simply jealous!

But nothing could be further from the truth. Later on as Chelsea sits alone in the club, Dwayne approaches her trying to break the ice and inform her that she's not the man she thinks he is. Eager to win her round he offers to buy her a drink, but this does seem to escalate. For a brief moment, I did think that Chelsea was kind of falling for Dwayne's charm and possible flirtatiousness. When he suggests that he cancels his plans with Kim and he and Chelsea can go somewhere more private, Chelsea is all smiles and giggles. But as Kim walks in and sees them giggling away in a flirtatious manner, she knows full well that maybe what her niece was saying about him could be right. 

As Dwayne leaves the room, she confronts her niece, but Kim is more stronger than believe she is. She puts on a front and pretends to cry. We also realise that Chelsea was just trying to find proof for her Aunt that he's bad news. Together they decide to teach Dwayne a lesson and begin to vandalise his car. As they spray paint it and throw talcum powder all over the seats, Gray overhears the commotion. It's then that Chelsea drags Gray into their revenge on Dwayne, claiming that Gray is in fact her husband. Much to Gray's surprise he completely backs up Chelsea and warns Dwayne to leave. Did anyone else see the brief flirtation between both Gray and Chelsea? When Chelsea left and thanked him by calling him "Hubby" - it seemed that maybe Chelsea could be the next one in Gray's sights? Could Gray end up falling for Chelsea? Or even worse, could Chelsea be Gray's next victim? It's an interesting aspect but it certainly raises eyebrows I think, what about you?! Is the last we've seen of Dwayne? Could he potentially even return to the Square?! 

--

Another brief thing I have to mention, after Sonia informed her Dad, Terry that things seem too little too late for him to make amends for not being a part of her life. He arrives back in Walford with a huge teddy bear for his daughter. I guess it's fair to say that Sonia is more than happy to see her Dad back on the Square, he was never going to stay away for long. 

It seems that Terry is already making friends with the locals already. He's already playing darts with Patrick. As he and Sonia enjoy getting to know each other again, Terry persuades Sonia to play darts with them, but before she does, Terry has a horrendous coughing fit. Being a nurse, Sonia picks up on instantly acknowledging that it's a pretty bad cough he has. But Terry reassures her that he's absolutely fine and that a crisp he had eaten had simply gone down the wrong way. But I'm convinced that wasn't the case at all -  I believe there may be more to this cough. Is Terry actually terminally ill, which is why he's decided to reach out to Sonia before he dies? That's my guess, but I'm intrigued to see what secret he is hiding from his daughter!

--

Finally, Suki has arrived home - to be fair, I have no idea where she's been as it seems it's been a while since she's been seen in Albert Square. Now Suki has always been known as a strong, powerful, independent woman, surely with a bit of mean streak - but it seems now she is in the most vulnerable position we've ever seen her in. She appears to be in a state of panic and is eager to find out where Kheerat is. She instructs Vinny to not sit about in the office and to actually do his job and collect some rent. I began to wonder whether she was concerned for Kheerat's whereabouts? Are there people coming after her and her family or something?

As she sits alone we see her ransacking money boxes and the safe and she's seems to be in deep frustration that there doesn't seem to be enough there. Does she owe someone money? Has she got herself caught up in something? It seems that she's pretty desperate as she takes the bold move in asking Phil for help. Phil is completely shocked to see that she's asking him for money and also makes the claim that she must be pretty desperate. However, not letting her mask slide, she informs Phil that he owes her considering he trashed up her office a while back. In a bid to get his interest she claims he'll give him 5%, but as Phil scoffs in her face she increases the share to 15% or 20% - but Phil only agrees if he gets a full 50%, which is something that Suki cannot do. 

As she leaves we can see that her world is slowly about to crumble if she doesn't get the money she needs. But what does she need it for? As she begins to search the Square for Kheerat, she eventually finds him having lunch with Sharon. Suki is stunned to see that now he's decided to date Sharon. As Sharon makes herself scarce, Suki demands her son to get home immediately, but Kheerat demands to her not speak to him like he's a child and that he will gladly speak to her once he's finish his lunch date with Sharon. 

Feeling completely and utterly embarrassed and possibly wound up for being ignored by her son, she makes her way to the shop and begins her shift. However I was surprised to see Stas turn up out of the blue, especially considering the past dodgy business the Panesar's have had with him. It seems that Suki is interested in making some kind of arrangement with him, Stas closes up the shop so he and Suki can discuss things privately. However when Kheerat arrives after his date with Sharon he's horrified to see his Mum doing business with Stas and informs him that ever his Mum has said to him, the rest of the family aren't interested in whatever business they're doing and informs him that his Mum has no understanding of what she's saying. Completely embarrassing his Mum and annoying Stas, Stas takes he leave and informs them that he doesn't like people wasting his time, and nicks a bottle of vodka from the shelf for his "Compensation!" 

Kheerat demands to know what his Mum was thinking and informs that if Stas was to find out that they stole some of his gold and even worse melted it, they would be dead! Eventually as Suki and Kheerat make their way home, Suki confides in her son about the trouble they are in. She's been informed that Jags has had a bit of trouble whilst in prison. Jags is in desperate need of some protection money and Suki has been warned that if they don't get £100K within the space of 48 hours, Jags may die in prison! Kheerat can't believe what he's hearing, how on Earth have things gotten to this point for their family and how are they going to be able to come up with the money to save Jags?! 

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?! 

Friday 19th February 2021

Hello again everyone! So we're finally at the end of the week and I'm happy to say I have finally caught up! I have seen a few spoilers about this episode already but I feel like I don't want to say anything until I've watched it. Oh and before I forget, it's been brought to my attention that on this particular day (19th February) it was EastEnders' 36th Anniversary! Happy Anniversary!! I know it's 4 years away, but just think how exciting the soaps 40th Anniversary is going to be! I have a feeling that it's going to be HUGE!!! Anyway, let's not waste any time and focus on Friday's episode.

*20 minutes later*

Wow! This was an emotional episode that's for sure!!! The main focus of the episode of course was Max! After a staggering 15 years on the Square, Max has taken the decision to leave Walford for good. It seems that there is nothing left for Max in Walford anymore, his children have fled the Square, every romance he's had has fallen to pieces, he's realised that he seemed to have caused a rift in a few too many lives. After being told by Linda and his brother, Jack, to leave, he's taken their advice and left Albert Square. 

Before we focus on Max's exit, we need to mention Ruby and Stacey! Stacey had come up with a plan to confront Ruby about her lies. At first, when she approaches Ruby at the club, she's acting as if she's being friendly and polite, asking her to join her for a drink, making the valid point that (If Ruby is pregnant) their children are going to be related, so they're going to have to put their differences aside for the kids. Even though Ruby seems to be a bit on edge at Stacey's kindness, things start to heat up when Kush appears, she knows full well that she's been backed into a corner. Stacey suggests having their discussion somewhere private to save prying ears, so they take their conversation into her office. It's there they confront her with the facts of paying Kush to run away with Arthur, Iqra accusing her of being the one behind robbery at the Minute Mart causing Martin's attack. Of course Ruby claims her innocence of everything they're accusing her of, but then to top it off, Stacey presents her with a pregnancy test, claiming that if she isn't lying about everything else, how can they know for sure if she's lying about her pregnancy. 

At first, Ruby is reluctant to take the test, claiming she has nothing to prove to them, but as time goes on, being locked in her own office with Stacey and Kush, Ruby knows that eventually she's going to have to go! Eventually it comes to the point where she agrees to take the test, without Kush being present. Kush willingly leaves the room so Stacey and Ruby can be alone. Ruby takes the test and as they wait for the results to show, she claims that all she ever wanted to have was a family of her own, and how Stacey is so lucky to have 3 children, a big family. Sadly, that's all that Ruby ever wanted. Eventually as they look at the test result, both Stacey and Ruby get the shock of their lives when the test comes back as positive! Ruby IS pregnant after all! ... What do we think of Ruby now? Is she still hiding so many lies or isn't she as guilty as we first thought? What do you guys think?! -- Okay, so focusing on the main headliner of the episode. Max! This was truly an emotional episode for him really wasn't it? After being hit by Mick in front of everyone at the Vic and being warned to stay away from Linda, Max takes it upon himself to head back home. Only Jean stops him on his way, I found this scene between Max and Jean very interesting. They have a history of being family and Jean knows full well what kind of man Max is. She tries to give him some wise words, stating that life is really too short to be making mistakes, suggesting that he needs to start life a new and focus on himself. I guess it's fair to say that Max can't seem to believe the words he's hearing from her and asks if she's drunk, he doesn't seem to be listening.

Meanwhile, Linda has followed Mick after his punch up with Max. Poor Mick claims that he's simply not going to be able to carry on if Max remains on the Square. It's going to end up torturing Mick knowing that another man living on the Square slept with his wife, let alone fell in love with her. As much as she tries to persuade her husband how much she loves him, Linda knows that enough is enough and she needs to confront Max, She eventually finds Max at home with Jack, it's then she finally has it out with him and informs him that he needs to stop what he's doing. Poor Max is still convinced that Linda loves him and is only sticking with Mick so she can be the caring wife and stand by his side after learning the truth about his past. But Linda drops the fact that she has loved Mick since they were kids, and she always will love him, she never loved Max, even though she can't deny she did have feelings for him once. 

It's then that Max drops the bombshell that he was only trying to be nice, to help the situation. At first Linda is completely confused by what he's saying, but it's then that he reveals that he's managed to get the Vic back into their name. He did that for her so she wouldn't have to worry about Mick and that she and him could leave the Square together and share a life, a family. Linda looks as if she's absolutely speechless, she has no idea what to say! The only thing she cares about at this moment in time is her husband. She asks Max that if he had any feelings for her at all, that he would do her the biggest favour and leave, let her wake up in a place where he isn't. As she leaves the room to be with her husband, Max looks absolutely devastated as he's left alone with Jack. His brother then tries to admit that what Linda was saying was right, he needs to do the best thing for himself and everyone around him and to just leave, start a new life and try and move on from Linda. 

As tears fall down Max's face, it looks as if his mind has been made up. Now Linda has got everything she wants, her husband and the Queen Vic back, there's simply nothing keeping him on the Square anymore. He hurries to collect his Granddaughter Abi, ready to pack their belongings and leave, even though Jack attempts to suggests he gives it a week or two. But Max's mind is made up. He hurries over to Rainie and Stuart's apartment to collect Abi. Without an explanation, he informs Rainie that he's leaving with Abi and won't be coming back. Gathering Abi's belongings and taking her out of the apartment, poor Rainie begins to fret. She has adored that little girl since the day she was born, and of course she's her Great Niece and would be devastated if she wasn't going to be able to be a part of her life. Desperate in need of some help, she calls Stuart. 

Night time seems to descend on the Square as Max gathers the last few bits of his and Abi's belongings and hauls them into the car. Jack is still trying to plead to his brother to reconsider and stay for a couple more days, just to clear his head. But Max is adamant that he has to leave. It's this small brief scene between Max and Jack which kind of got to me a bit. This is the last time we'll see the Branning Brothers. Jack opens up to his brother that he loves him and will always have his back, to which Max responds with "You're the best brother!" - I have to be honest, even though it's fair to say that Max and Jack have had their pretty big fall outs and fights in the past, they have very much always had each other's back. Jake Wood and Scott Maslen have a brilliant onscreen chemistry when it comes to brothers, dare I say just as much as Phil and Grant. I will really miss watching scenes between these two, the dynamic was always so electric! 

Meanwhile, as Max is making the final move to leave Walford, Phil takes it upon himself to give the Carter's a visit, informing them that Sharon is agreeing to sell the Queen Vic back to them. Mick at first is a little suspicious as to why she's not informing them herself, but Phil explains that she's putting champagne on ice for their arrival. The Queen Victoria is now there's if they so wish to accept, I guess it's easy to say that they're not going to refuse. Mick and Linda will be back behind the bar where they belong. As much as I'm happy for them, I do worry that the main reason for them leaving the Vic in the first place was for Linda's health due to her alcoholism. If them being back in the pub, will it put Linda in a more vulnerable position? Who knows? Maybe she knows now that she needs to be there for her husband and will refuse to even touch a glass of alcohol. What do you guys think? Are you happy that the Carter's will have the Vic back? Or do you think the pub should be belong to someone else? 

Unfortunately, Max couldn't quite get his car to work so he and little Abi are having to walk. I also have the mention the final scene between Max and Stacey. I guess it's fair to say that these two individuals have quite a huge history, it would've been wrong for Max to leave without having a final last conversation with Stacey. She notices them walking along the street with luggage and questions where they're going. Max informs his ex-flame that he's taking Abi on a surprise trip. As short and brief as their conversation is, Stacey knows that something isn't quite right. Does she know deep down that this is going to be the last time she sees him? I also have to mention the small notification of Bradley once again. It made me sad that Bradley's picture had been left on the floor in the pouring rain, but thankfully Max had found it and was willing to give it back to Stacey, however she's adamant she wants him to keep it. I have to say it was a huge comfort to know that Bradley hasn't been forgotten, Max hasn't forgotten his first born and will now treasure that picture of Bradley, wherever he goes. 

As Max and little Abi continue on their way, little Abi stops in her tracks and looks up at a window with fairy lights. Max knows exactly what she's looking at and it looks as if a deep feeling sinks inside him. He can't take Abi away from her family. Rainie is a state of panic whilst Stuart tries to calm her down, claiming he'll do his best to track down Max, but before any of them can act, a knock is heard at their door. Rainie rushes to the front door to see little Abi stood there on her own, Max is no where to be seen. A sense of relief floods Rainie, even though she can't seem to understand where Max has gone. But from behind a dark wall, Max watches on with tears in his eyes as he watches Rainie take his Granddaughter inside. Max did the right thing, he gave Abi the chance to have a family with parents who absolutely dote on her and adore her. He knows she will be safe with them.

As Max grabs his suitcases, without a word he slowly strolls away and out of Walford for good, as Julia's Theme plays. I have to say I am so thrilled they used Julia's Theme for Max's exit, it was sad but really well done. Quite an emotional ending for Max I feel, but I am happy that the door has been left open for him to return one day. Who knows? Maybe Tanya, Lauren and Max might return together again one day? The only remaining Branning left on the Square is Jack, so there could be chances that his whole family could return one day in the future. I personally, would love to have them back one day. I need to applaud Jake Wood for portraying Max Branning, he's been an absolute legend and has been an icon in some of EastEnders's most memorable storylines. I wish him all the luck in the world for the future. 

Friday 22nd January 2021

Hello again everyone! I hope you're all doing okay. I'm really looking forward to writing about this blog, I think this is the moment everyone has been waiting for! The build up to this point has been massive! I'm sure the majority of you know what's happened already, but I truly can't wait to jump right in.

Wow! What an absolutely fantastic episode! Everything has finally come out! Before I even mention the main event, let's focus on Frankie and Katy to start off with. After finally reconnecting with her Dad, in the previous episode Frankie called up her Mum informing her that she wants nothing more to do with her. Tonight, Katy desperately approaches her daughter, claiming that everything she's been told is a lie, however as soon as Frankie mentions she's going to get a DNA test done to prove who her Father is, Katy knows she can no longer hide the truth from her, she admits that Mick is in fact her Dad. Frankie is absolutely disgusted with her Mother, as she's claiming that they were in love. Regardless if that is true or not, the fact she had sexual intercourse with a child, plain and simply makes her a paedophile. Frankie turns and walks away, leaving her Mother crying in the middle of the Square. As she settles back into the Carter household, both Mick and Linda are talking about the excitement to introduce her to the rest of their family, including all her brothers and sister. Even though Frankie questions if they would be happy with that, it looks as if her Mum is still on her mind. Was she really naïve and confused?! Both Linda and Mick fully understand that Katy, at the end of the day, is her Mum and it'll be hard for her to move on knowing what she knows. Frankie pleads for them not to report her to the police, even though she doesn't condone her Mother's actions, she fears it will absolutely destroy her.

This episode also seems to show that it's Phil's birthday, and he's celebrating his 60th! Even though his family have organised a special birthday at home, it's fair to say that Phil has his mind focused on other things.

Which brings us to the main event of the episode! Firstly I just want to say that the performances from both Adam Woodyatt and Letitia Dean were absolutely incredible! They absolutely carried this episode! After realising that Sharon lied to him about Dennis's phone being broken, it seems that Ian is starting to believe that Sharon could be the one behind him being unwell. As Sharon calls him that his dinner is ready, Ian's phone pings notifying him that he's got a voice message, as he hears it - it appears to be the Doctor he visited with Max, he mentions that in regard to his tests there appears to be some cause for concern. It looks as if this brings it all full circle for Ian and he knows that Sharon has been the one behind it all. As his wife calls him to get settled, he sees the lovely meal she's prepared - a beautiful candlelit dinner with a bottle of wine on the table.

--

As they get comfortable and Sharon plates up his food, you can see he is watching her every move, wiping her hands on her napkin etc. He attempts to make small talk with his wife, talking about the people they've lost in their lives and how its just those two together now. As he really tries to make conversation, its easy to notice that he's not touched a single piece of food on his plate, not even drunk any wine! He questions her why she had used separate pans to prepare their food, to which she simply explains that she doesn't want to put on any weight, and with Ian being so unwell recently, he needs all the energy he can get. Ian attempts a smile at his wife response, but you can see deep down that he knows something isn't right, he still reluctant to touch his food. Instead of causing a fuss, he suggests to Sharon that they have something else instead and they could reheat this food for another day. Sharon, at this point is visibly getting frustrated, she pleads for her husband to a least take a bite, as she's worked so hard to make it for him. She informs him that she wants to make this night special for him.

It looks as if Ian can't hide his suspicion any longer, out of blue and getting straight to the point he asks his wife "Where's the poison, Sharon? Is it in the wine or the sauce?" - Instantly, Sharon denies any wrong doing, informing her husband that he's gone mad due to his paranoia since his attack. But Ian doesn't believe a word she says as he scoops a fork full of food and directs it in Sharon's direction, informing her to eat it instead. In an attempt to prove a point to her husband, she takes the fork from Ian, knowing full well the poison is in the food, she slowly raises the fork to her lips, but before it can get any closer into her mouth, she takes it away, leaving Ian knowing everything he needs to know. In absolute devastation, he questions his new wife "Why?" - Sharon leaves the table, knowing her plan has been sussed, all you can hear is Ian's pleads of an explanation as to why she tried to poison him. Deep down, part of me thinks "How dare he asks her "Why?"" - but Sharon turns sharply informing him that he knows EXACTLY why she tried to poison him. In response, Ian simply says the name "Dennis!"

It's at this moment that everything comes flooding out, Sharon forces Ian to listen to the voice message her son had left her on the night of the boat crash, instantly they both start crying, floods of tears falling down their faces. (Once again, I have to say fantastic performances from both Adam and Letitia). It's then that Ian attempts to inform his wife that he never killed Dennis, but Sharon doesn't want o hear it and gives him a huge smack across the face, calling him a "Liar!". To be fair, he probably did deserve that slap, but he begs once again to explain everything to Sharon, the full details of what happened that night. All this time, Sharon has believed that Ian locked her son in the room and left him to die, but Ian pleads to her to let him explain. He reveals that he never knew the boat was going to sink, if he had he would never have locked him in in the first place. He explains how Dennis was acting that night and wanted to teach him a lesson for bullying Bobby, however when things started to get more dangerous he realised he had to go back and try and save Dennis. He continues to explain to Sharon that he actually attempted to save her son, recalling that he got him out of the locked room, they went down the corridor with the water rising up to their necks, she recalls there being a loud noise and huge wave came out of nowhere, unfortunately this caused Ian to lose hold of Dennis, even though it was dark he tried to find him but he simply couldn't - very sadly, Dennis got swept under and drowned. Both of them are in floods of tears at this point as everything revolving around how Dennis died comes to light.

Regardless of this Sharon informs her husband that everyone around him hates him, the fact that he had so many suspects out to kill him. She mentions that his children hate him also, how is it fair that Dennis is dead and that Ian gets to live? All her anger and grief once again comes flooding out, attacking Ian with harsh words of truth. Suddenly, Ian seems to agree on everything she's saying. He looks back on his life, how many wives he's had, have any of them really loved him? He's sadly lost two children and his remaining children hate him - to him, it all kind of makes sense, why should he carry on living? This is where things, I thought took an interesting turn - he started actually eating the food placed in front of him, much to Sharon's shock. At first, she questions what he's doing, but when he carries on eating and eating, she shouts that he should eat every bite and die alone. She scurries out of the room, leaving Ian alone eating. However, it looks as if everything gets too much for Sharon, would she really let Ian die, knowing full well his food was poisoned? It looks as if the guilt gets to her, she hurries back upstairs and pushes the plate of food away from him, although he attempts to carry on eating it, she forces him to be sick and bring it all back up. Interestingly, instead of attempting to kill her life-long friend, she does a complete 180 and tries to save him.

After everything that has come to light and Ian bringing up all the poison food, he still desperately tries to apologise to his wife. To be fair, Sharon has never been a killer, if she's wanted someone dead she's always asked someone else to do it for her, or even backed out at the last minute. Something tells me that she thought "Enough is enough!" - both she and Ian have suffered enough due to the circumstances of Dennis's death. Sharon then decides to take off her wedding ring, it's true she never loved Ian. He begs her to put it back on, but she simply says "I've just tried to kill you!" but Ian pleads for her to reconsider and they can work things out. But in all honestly, it's not going to really is it?! After everything they've been through the past few months, how could they ever come back from this? Plus the valid fact that Sharon never loved him and was only doing it to get her revenge. She simply says goodbye and leaves him alone in the Vic.

--

While all this has been happening at the Vic, Phil has been waiting urgently to hear news that Sharon has gone ahead and killed Ian. During his birthday celebrations, the doorbell goes and Phil rushes to the door to see Sharon. He asks her straight out whether the job was done, she bows her head and simply states that if he really wants Ian dead, he's going to have to do it himself. Phil looks completely disappointed that she's backed out of their plan, he takes it upon himself to walk directly to the Vic. Without anyone seeing, he sneaks up the stairs, searching every single room for Ian. But he's nowhere to be seen, he's simply disappeared, scarpered, in pure frustration and anger Phil screams Ian's name, as if it could be heard from all over the Square!

The final clip we see is Ian, slowly making his way to the train station. Has Sharon's words really hit home for him? Is he really not wanted by his family? Do his children really hate him to the core? As his phone rings, he doesn't even take a look at it a flings it into the bin. He turns and takes one last look at the Square and heads off to places unknown.

I have to say, this has been one of my favourite episodes! The script writing, the performances from everyone involved was absolutely incredible! EastEnders at it's absolute best! Where has Ian gone? the one thing that comes to my mind now is that people will instantly be asking questions to where Ian has fled? Max? Kathy? Peter and Bobby? Even Phil? People are going to be curious to his disappearance? Will Kathy blame Sharon? What is going to happen between Phil and Sharon now? Honestly, I really can't wait to see the aftermath of this episode, it's going to be really interesting that's for sure. I do have mention though that we have not seen the last of Ian. Adam Woodyatt has simply taken a well deserved break and will be back later in the year! From what I believe, I think there's going to be a massive twist which will see him return, but who knows what that's going to be?!

Thursday 21st January 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope you've all had a good week, not long now till the weekend! I'm quite looking forward to writing about this episode, as from the previous episode, there's loads of possible outcomes that could happen with each storyline and honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing them all unravel.  

So let's jump straight into it, the first thing I want to talk about is Mick, Linda and Frankie. After stopping his daughter from boarding a flight and leaving for Australia, Mick finally reached out to Frankie, informing her that he wants her to be a part of his life. During this episode, Mick is going out of his way to make a lovely family meal for Frankie. I have to say, all the scenes with Mick and Frankie have been so beautiful, so lovely to watch. It's been so long since we've seen Mick smile, I mean like a genuine smile, and since accepting Frankie into his life, it looks as if he's comes to terms with what happened to him in the past. I also want to mention how wonderful it was for Linda to accept and welcome Frankie into the family, even making the effort to learn sign language to communicate with her! It made me so happy to finally see them come together as a family. Even having Father and Daughter have the same habits of having both red sauce and brown sauce on their dinner - brilliant script writing! I loved it! As the day goes on, Frankie is enjoying herself getting to know her Dad and her new Step-Mum, but during her enjoyment, she gets a message from her own Mother, Katy, asking her to get in touch for when she's landed in Australia, after ignoring the message, later on she gets in touch with her Mum, informing her that she never left for Australia and that she no longer wants to see her. Something is telling me that Frankie is wanting to be there for Mick and is wanting to be with him and his family, to be fair though, why the hell not? Mick and Linda could give her a better life than what Katy could, I'm sure. Plus Frankie needs to be given the chance to see all her other brothers and sister. One random thought has entered my brain though, if Frankie isn't living with her Mum, then who is she living with? Where is she staying? At the Carter's now? Or is she still in the Mitchell household? Anyway, what does this mean now for Frankie? I have a feeling that Katy is going to be returning to the Square to confront both her daughter and Mick, however I don't think Linda and/or Shirley will be happy to see her face show up again! What do you guys think? Personally, I think Mick and Frankie's story is far from over!!

The second thing I want to talk about is Jay and Honey, now it's been a few weeks since Honey and Jay shared a kiss, if I'm thinking correctly it happened before Christmas, or around Christmas when Honey was holding her Community Christmas Dinner event. But since that moment, it's been clearly obvious that they have been struggling to keep their feelings secret, as not to hurt Billy. But over the past few weeks, it's getting more and more difficult for them to ignore the obvious connection between them. Jay opens up to Honey in this episode, informing her that he hates having to ignore his feelings for Billy's sake, even though Honey agrees that she hates it too, it's the right thing for them to do. To even make it up to Billy, Jay offered him a job doing house clearances for the funeral directors, which Billy reluctantly agreed to. During the day, everything seems to get a bit too much for Jay, as he heads home he finds Honey tidying up the place. At this moment, he can't hide it anymore and informs her that he can't stop thinking about her and the kiss they shared. However, unbeknown to them, during this conversation, Lola makes her way into the property, overhearing everything they're saying to each other, confessing their feelings. As soon as Jay mentions that he wants to kiss Honey again, Lola makes herself be known and interrupts them. Completely shocked as to what she's heard and witnessed, she informs them that if Billy finds out, it's going to break his heart. Jay states to his ex-girlfriend that the feelings that he and Honey both have for each other are real and that he believes they could have something special, he warns her also that if she cares so much about Billy, she wouldn't say anything to him first before they get a chance to explain themselves. These words seem to hit some truth for Lola and she agrees not to say anything to her "Pops", just as long as they stick to their word and tell Billy themselves. Does this mean that Jay and Honey are going give their relationship a go? Will Billy feel even more betrayed? Will he ever be able to get over it? What do you guys think of this story? Do you think Honey and Jay suit being a couple? I'd love to hear your thoughts!  

The next thing I want to talk about is Iqra and Ash. After finally learning the truth about Jags being innocent for the attack on Martin after her girlfriend lied to her about it all, Iqra called her relationship off with Ash. Informing her that she's not only put an innocent man in prison, she's caused so much grief and hurt between herself and her own sister, Habiba. Especially now that Habiba is pregnant with Jags' child, it saddens Iqra that she believed her lying girlfriend over her own sister. But what shocks her even more is when she finds out that Ruby also knew the truth. Iqra ignores Ash's pleas, even though they are both in floods of tears, and tells her that she is just like her Mum! Ash tries to persuade her that she's nothing like Suki, but Iqra realises that Habiba was right after all and tells Ash to leave. Later on in the episode, Ash is sat with Kheerat in the Cafe, informing him that Iqra now knows everything and that she's been thrown out, Kheerat tries his best to console his sister, but of course - Peter just so happens to turn up and overhears their conversation. Ash reveals to him that she's now single - Can I also just mention how gross Peter was during that scene, what he said made me feel really uneasy, I don't know about you guys? Trying to cheer his friend up he suggests going out that evening after a work out and that she could hook up with a new lady and he would watch! (Sorry, but can I just ask why was that part of the script? Maybe I'm overreacting, but I personally think that that is an awful thing to say, even if he did mean it in a joking way! You just don't do things like that!) Am I wrong? Or am I being a little sensitive?! Anyway, later on in the evening, while Iqra is going about her business, she happens to see both Peter and Ash fooling around in the Square - my first thought would be, she clearly got over their break-up pretty quickly! Feeling completely devastated, Iqra goes inside and calls her sister, apologising for not believing her in the first place and admitting that she was right and Ash had been lying to her for months. What does this mean now for both Ash and Iqra? Will Peter try and seduce Ash? Will Ash learn about him and her Mother?! Also, with Iqra also now being single, will she find a new love interest? Possibly that new character, Mila? What do you guys think?!

The final thing I want to talk about, obviously has to be Sharon and Ian! After begin given a stronger powder to poison Ian, Sharon is still determined in going through with her plan to kill Ian. Looking at pictures of her son on the walls, it makes her realise that she needs to do this for her son. As much as it's probably making her skin crawl, she's having to act nice and kindly towards him, even saying the words "I love you". But in this episode, she took a step further, suggesting that they have a nice relaxing meal together following a night of passion. This thought seems to really excite Ian, even though at this moment in time, he has no idea that his new wife is trying to kill him by poisoning him, he seems to continually fight her corner, informing both Kathy and Max that they are wrong about Sharon. Max seems to have sussed out Sharon's plan but Ian refuses to believe a word he says, whereas Kathy is convinced that her new Daughter-In-Law isn't looking after her son properly. Ian once again rubs off his Mother's concern and tries his best to inform her that Sharon does all she can for him. However, the next scene between Sharon and Ian, I felt was absolutely brilliant - I was completely on edge as you could sense the anger bubbling inside Sharon. Ian returns to the pub to find his new wife going through her deceased son's belongings, however in her hand he happens to notice that she's holding Dennis's phone. You can see his eyes look in a bit of fear/panic when he questions her about it, she explains that going through his things makes her feel close to him, also explaining how she longs to her hear his voice again, after revealing that Dennis always used to leave voice notes on his phone, but she's devastated that she can't hear them because the phone is broken. Ian tries to sympathise with his wife, explaining that he did exactly the same thing when Lucy passed away. However, when he next mentions Dennis, explaining that he misses him also and how much he regrets not being able to save him during the boat crash, Sharon's eyes look at Ian with absolute daggers, her grip tightens around the phone and it looks as if her nails are digging into her own skin. You can see the anger boiling and bubbling inside of her, it looks as if it's taking everything out of her not to explode there and then. Her eyes are wide and her look is pure stern, anger, disgust, pure hatred - I have say this is fantastic acting from Letitia Dean! I think this is the best we've seen her since her breakdown over Dennis's death. Later on in the episode, Ben and Jay are sat at the bar discussing a possible proposal between Ben and Callum? However, as much as Ben is happy to talk about his love life, he questions Jay about his. Jay informs him that there is someone he's interested in but the situation is very complicated and a mess. He informs him to "un-mess" it, but then as they decide to leave the pub, Ben informs Jay about Phil and Sharon talking in a dark corner, even though he found it suspicious, he voices his opinion that Sharon is devious and that only a fool would trust her, hoping that his Dad will stay well clear of her. Interestingly, Ian overhears this conversation and it looks as if his words play on his mind. If you think about it, that's three people who now don't trust Sharon - Max, Kathy and Ben! Should Ian start listening to what people are saying? Later on, Sharon is preparing her lovely meal for them both, however I did notice that she's using two separate pans, making sure she doesn't put the powder into her own food, she pours in the power into the separate pan and you can see it quickly dissolve into the onions, being the doting wife she calls her husband to inform him their dinner is ready. But behind her back, Ian takes it upon himself to quickly look through Dennis's belongings, he rummages through all the clothes and draws by the bed, eventually finding the phone Sharon was holding onto before. He presses a button to check whether it is actually working or not, suddenly the phone lightens up. The realisation overcomes Ian as he's suddenly aware that his wife lied to him about the phone being broken - does this mean that she could've potentially heard the voice message Dennis left, the night of the boat crash? Surely he must be thinking now that if she's lied about the phone, what else has she lied about?!

New Year Catch Up

(Episodes Commencing Thursday 31st December 2020 - Monday 4th January 2021)

Hello everyone and a huge HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Although it's not the way we've all wanted to start 2021, but let's pray to God that 2021 will be just that little bit better compared to 2020. Personally, I'm happy to see the back end of 2020! Anyway I am now back and I'm going to be following up of the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day episodes! These are ones I've been looking forward to reviewing! But before we jump in, I have a bit of news and a few spoilers in store for you. The first one being that it's been confirmed that there's going to be a new, big, long-running storyline for business woman and longing mother-to-be Ruby Allen! What this new storyline will be is yet to be revealed - either way I'm looking forward to seeing what the soap has in store for her!

Secondly, it has also been confirmed that love will begin to bloom between Lola Pearce and Isaac Baptise! I, personally, am a little bit sceptical, I'm unsure how I feel about these two being together. I mean, can you guys see a romance lasting between these two? Please feel free to tell me what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Now let's get right to it and focus on the episodes with happened over New Year's Eve! Firstly I want to mention what a bloody fantastic actor Danny Dyer is! I am absolutely stunned by how incredible the episode on New Years Eve was!!! At first I was a little confused and shocked as to why Mick was suddenly standing on the roof of the Queen Vic, watching everyone enjoying the New Year celebrations, for a moment I thought I had missed something! But of course it all made sense as the episode continued! Finally after such a long time of battling with his inner emotions, Mick finally took that giant step and called the Samaritans, he finally talked to someone! I found it so so clever the way the episode jumped back and forward between Mick being on the phone, to the events which lead him to make the call. What a lovely surprise to see the return of Danny Hatchard - AKA Lee Carter! But you can sense the atmosphere between them all, Lee has no idea what's been happening between his parents over the past few months! However, it becomes instantly clear to him that something isn't right! He questions his parents as to what is happening and he is absolutely stunned to hear the news when they reveal to him that they're splitting up! But what grabs Lee's attention more than anything, is how Mick isn't fighting for his wife and just letting the affair happen - even when she mentions she's leaving for New Zealand to Nancy, it soon becomes clear to both Mick and Lee that she won't be going alone, plus she'll be taking young Ollie with her! This seems to really shock Mick and he quickly leaves the Cafe! As he rushes to his car, Lee follows and pleads to his Dad to talk to someone, he can see that his Father is not in a good place right now, he's looking lost, depressed, distressed - he even questions whether it's also down to his anxiety?! Later when Lee appears to have left, Linda joins her husband and in the car and questions him as to whether what their son said was true, is he depressed?! Is he ill? She tries to make him open up, but once again it gets her no where and Mick is like a closed book. Linda mentions that she'll be leaving for New Zealand the following day but assures Mick that she'll only be going for 4 weeks! Jumping between the different time lines, Mick gets visibly distressed whilst he's on the phone to "Joe" - almost to the point where he feels another panic attack coming on and he heads outside. Also I just want to mention how fantastic "Joe" is on the line to Mick, I'm not 100% sure whether it's a fellow actor or even if they've brought in someone who actually works with Samaritans to feature for that phone call, but either way - I can't applaud them enough!! Script writers also, incredible!!! You can visibly see how much the soap has worked with the Samaritans to be able do this episode justice!! Another thing I have to mention is the flashbacks that Mick is experiencing whilst on the phone, as he leaves the house and things get more and more intense, we can see visions of Mick's past of him in care, being isolated from other children and of course, Katy "looking after" him. It really got to me a bit, I found this episode very emotional! Oh another thing which I feel is very important to mention, whilst Mick makes his way outside, in the background behind him we can see Kush leaving the Slater household with Arthur in his arms - this is a very vital moment, has Kush actually taken Ruby's offer and advice? Taking her money and fleeing with his son?! As the soap returns its focus on Mick, he looks around at everyone on the Square, his eyes then dart toward the Vic, looking up at the roof - putting the phone down and away from his ear, he just walks ahead - nothing stopping him in his way. He ignores the celebrations, walks into the pub and sneaks upstairs, up and out onto the roof! He brings the phone back to his ear and we can hear "Joe" still trying to get Mick to talk to him, even though Mick feels as if he's ready to end his life and even tells "Joe" he's going to be finishing the call, somehow "Joe" manages to keep Mick on the phone, asking him the important questions, asking him about Katy - as it goes on Mick is getting more and more tearful, he's remembering everything he felt when he was a child, everything comes flooding and eventually everything comes to light. "Joe" asks him - "What did she do, Mick?" and .... I can hear the angels cheering as Mick finally reveals the truth someone "She abused me!" Finally Mick has found the strength to seek help and reveal what's happened to him! I have to say that I am completely blown away by this episode, definitely one of the best EastEnders have ever had! -- Now for the big one, New Year's Day! The first episode of 2021! I've got a feeling this is going to be another emotional one! There are a few things I want to mention but we'll leave the main big story till last! Firstly, let's talk about the Slater's. It's New Year's Day, their plan is to just have a movie day with snacks and goodies for the kids. Only as they're getting prepared, they come to realise that Arthur is missing. Kat and Stacey search the house and then out on the Square, when they notice that Kush's van isn't anywhere to be seen, the panic gets more serious. Eventually they decide to contact Martin and question whether he might have any knowledge to Arthur and Kush's whereabouts. But to their surprise, Martin is shocked to hear about their disappearance just as much as they are. Only, of course, Ruby acts all coy stating the fact that Kush is Arthur's Dad and wouldn't do anything to harm him - but even that doesn't sit right with the Slaters and they begin to panic that Kush might've actually kidnapped Arthur an fled the Square with his son. However, behind her husband's back, and the Slater's back, Ruby contacts Kush and instructs him to carry on with their plan, but interestingly when he thanks her for her help, she takes the pleasure in taking the thanks from him. Deep down, it's clear she's doing this to hurt Stacey, after she interfered in her marriage. But even for Ruby this is an all new low, don't you guys think?! We see that Kush is in a swanky hotel room with his little boy looking quite unhappy, even though Kush is doing this for his son, it looks as if little Arthur isn't happy about being away from his family. With panic getting to the Slaters, they rush to Phil - to see whether he might have some knowledge of Kush's disappearing act. However it instantly becomes clear that Phil has nothing to do with and no knowledge of Kush's whereabouts, considering the fact that Phil needs Kush to appear in court. The only positive outlook that the Slaters can focus on is the fact that Kush and Arthur haven't got their passports, and as Martin states "You can only go so far without a passport!" Only unbeknown to him and the rest of the family, Ruby has sent someone round to Kush's hotel room, providing him with fake passports for himself and his son. Is Kush really going to breech his bail and flee with Arthur? When it comes clear it seem unlikely they're going to find Kush and Arthur, Martin comes home to his wife, and it appears that it all seems to get to him as he begins to tear up - it's true that Martin cares for little Arthur just as much as Kush does! It seems a though Ruby never anticipated her husband getting as upset as he did, the smug look she had earlier in the episode now changes to guilt, how long will she be able to keep this a secret from both her husband and the Slaters?!

During this New Year's Day episode, the majority of the Square seem to be in high spirits, none more so than Stuart! He happily greets his brother on the Square, wishing him and his boyfriend a Happy New Year and Good Riddance to 2020! Only things seem to take a turn for the worse for poor Stuart as he ends up getting arrested, for what - I'm unsure. But once he's down at the station, it comes clear to him that the only reason he's been called in is down to DI Thompson. The look on his face when he comes to realise who's behind is arrest! Although while he's being questioned, it becomes clear to him that something isn't right, they are actually proceeding with an illegal arrest/interrogation. Thompson questions whether he could have Stuart done for bodily harm or attempted murder. Devastatingly, Callum is present as his brother is arrested, and he tries to question his sister-in-law for answers as to whether he's done something illegal recently, but Rainie refuses to give him any information. Later however, when Stuart has been released, he reveals to his brother that he is now out on bail, but also DI Thompson will be looking forward to an altercation with Callum. Needing advice and some help pretty damn quickly now he knows that Thompson will be coming for him once again, and that what he did behind Phil and Ben's back threatening to come to light, Callum takes it upon himself to ask Jack for help, as he's simply got himself in too deep and he's probably the only person who could help him out. 

Elsewhere on the Square, Phil is making sure that Patrick sticks to his agreement in letting him see Raymond. Guilty Patrick has to lie to Denise and make an excuse for him to be leaving the house with Raymond, especially considering the fact she's completely on edge since Lucas's return! Patrick informs her that they're simply going for a work, but in fact he ends up taking the small boy to McKlunky's, where eventually Phil turns up with a football for his son. As much as Patrick is nervous with Phil spending time with boy, Phil seems to really enjoy meeting his son and building a bond with him. However when little Raymond asks who he is, Patrick has to intervene and inform the young boy that he's just a friend of the family. Even though Phil is enjoying his time with his son, something makes me question how long he'll be able to hold up the pretence, how long will it be until he demands Raymond find out who he really is? And most importantly, how will Denise feel when she learns that Patrick has gone behind her back and betrayed her trust? Could she even warm to the idea of Phil spending time with his son, to be fair, Phil is all about family, right?! 

Now the main event! This has been the moment that everyone has been waiting for! After opening up to the Samaritans and coming to the realisation that Katy abused him as a child, Mick is in desperate need to find and talk to Linda. However, when it comes clear that she's not at Max's and nowhere to be seen, instead he takes it upon himself to give Katy a little visit. Now this who section when Mick was at her house was absolutely brilliant. Katy is stunned to see Mick at her front door, and he doesn't hesitate to let himself in as storms past her. This whole confrontation was absolutely brilliant, I felt like cheering Mick on as he confronted Katy about her actions when they were younger, finally claiming that what she did to him was actually abuse! However, she claims that what he's saying is all fantasies and stories he's just made up in his head, completely manipulating him and twisting everything that's being said. Meanwhile, whilst Mick is having this confrontation with Katy, Max and Linda are discussing their plan back on the Square in the Café. He informs her that he's going to be going to town to do some shopping and that if she's ready she should meet him on the Millennium Bridge at 6pm sharp! He mentions how much it'll mean to him, not just for having a new love in his life but a new fresh start with the woman he loves in a completely different country, even though Linda is looking completely unsure, she smiles and states how she couldn't possibly say "No!".

Later, Mick is seen walking through-out Katy's house. He finds himself back in her bedroom and he takes it upon himself to search through her belongings, he eventually finds the old letters he wrote to her when he was a young boy, proclaiming his love for her, but of course being a young boy at that age, he didn't understand. When Katy finds Mick rummaging through her things, she becomes incredibly erratic, informing him to keep away from her things - it's almost sick as it looks as if she's kept trophies of her actions, trophies of her abuse towards Mick. I feel during this scene, the confrontation is absolutely amazing between them both - the acting from both Danny Dyer and Simone Lahbib is incredible! As things take their toll, Mick pushes for Katy to finally admit that Frankie is his daughter, he pushes and pushes and pushes until she eventually screams out "All right!" - Leaving Mick incredibly stunned to hear the truth. Everything finally falls into place! But even then, when he's taking in the information of being the Father of Frankie, Katy once again twists everything, saying if he was to mention it to anyone, even the police she'll say that it was him who raped her, even though I doubt the police would ever believe that story as Mick was just young boy, and she was much older than him! Even so, how low can you even get? Katy is one sick individual! As everything comes to blows, he threatens to tell Linda, but it's at this very moment where Katy begins to panic and attempts to stop him from leaving the house, but it's no good, he pushes his way past and she's left screaming in the hallway, knowing her secret is going to come to light! While Max continues to wait for Linda on the bridge, Mick rushes back to the Square in search of his wife, although he can't seem to find her anywhere, he's shouting for her, pleading for her to still be around. You almost seem to panic, when the scene cuts back to Max on the bridge, you see his face light up and Linda is walking towards him, for one brief moment you think she has turned her back on Mick. But interestingly, Linda informs Max that it's not easy for her to jump up and leave, although she still loves Mick, she feels that their marriage is over, but she can't simply run away. She informs Max that she can't go to New Zealand with him, he's left utterly devastated as tears fall down his cheeks. She apologies and leaves making her way back to Walford. Now this is what absolutely made me cry, finally when Linda comes home, Mick is more than relieved to see his wife hasn't left. They begin to talk ever so slowly, Linda makes herself comfortable and ever so slowly Mick tries his absolute best to explain why he's been behaving differently and why he's been so distant in recent months. He explains that everything seemed to fall apart when Frankie and Katy arrived on the Square and entered his life, he can't seem to grasp the right words but eventually he reveals to Linda that Frankie is in fact his daughter. At first, Linda is absolutely devastated, believing that her husband had cheated on her all those years ago, hiding the fact he already had a child. Poor Mick tries to find the right words to explaining that he didn't know she existed. But when Linda questions if and when he slept with Katy, he admits that he did - but not in the way she thinks, it's then he reveals the true age of Frankie, "She's 30!" At first, this doesn't make any sense to Linda, how can Frankie be 30 years of age? But Mick's eyes begin to tear up again, she looks at him and works out the math, if Frankie is 30, it must mean that she was conceived when Mick was the age of 13 at least, but when Mick reveals he was only 12, her face is in pure shock and she realises EXACTLY what her husband is telling her. She throws her arms around him as he softly weeps on her shoulder. It's at this moment, I almost felt like crying - after so long Mick had finally revealed everything to his wife. This whole scene between Mick and Linda was so emotional, again I not only have to applaud Danny Dyer, but Kellie Bright also! The scene where she blamed herself for sleeping with another man, it's devastating! She asks why she never told him sooner, as she of all people would've understood more than anyone. (Especially after what happened when Dean raped her!) Neither of them are to blame, Katy is the cause of everything! But Mick voices that he couldn't bare to put his wife through something like that. She pleads for her husband to call the police, but Mick doesn't want that! Something tells me he wants to deal with it in his own way, he mentions to his wife he doesn't want the community gossiping about him and whispering things behind his back. The episode ends with them sitting on Arthur's bench in the Square, Linda informs Mick that he will always be her husband and he asks her will she be able to help him and stand by him no matter what his decision will be, without a word she clasps a tight hold of his hand, their fingers entwining. She's going to stand by her husband and hopefully, together they will bring Katy down for her vile, vicious crimes against Mick! Overall an emotional episode! -- The final episode I'll be covering will be yesterday's episode. Things to have slowly quietened down after the events of New Year's. The first thing I'm going to mention though is Callum. After pleading for Jack's help regarding DI Thompson, Callum bumps into Jack whilst on his run. Unfortunately Jack has some pretty bad news for Callum, that there's going to be a meeting with DI Thompson's boss. Callum instantly begins to panic, informing Jack that if his name gets dragged up he'll end up losing Ben and everything he's got. When Callum returns home, everyone in the family home are enjoying karaoke. Ben and Lola play along with their daughter and she sings along to Little Mix's "Shout Out To My Ex!". Little Lexi informs them that they need to come up with another song for 4 people, so Callum can get involved and they do it all as a family. You can see this really touches Callum's heart, as Ben turns around to his boyfriend to join in, Callum makes the excuse that he's got to get ready for work. Callum is visibly worried about losing Ben and the family he's gained. Later on out on the Square, Callum is all ready and heading to work, but Ben catches him before he leaves. He questions whether everything is alright between them, he can sense that there's something bothering his boyfriend, he says that he can talk to him about anything. Callum almost looks as if he's about to respond, only Jack calls him from a distance, he informs Ben that'll catch up with him at home. Jack approaches Callum and informs him that the meeting that was originally planned has now been cancelled, much to Callum's surprise. However Jack then mentions that there's been a change of plan, what on Earth could've changed? Is he still going to help Callum as much as he can?! 

Elsewhere on the Square, the police still seem to be searching for Tina. After her disappearance, Shirley is still going out of her mind with worry about her sister's whereabouts. She informs Sharon that the police are still searching through Tina's belongings. Shirley bangs on the Queen Vic door demanding to confront Ian and for him to stop lying about Tina being his attacker! However it's Sharon or comes out and warns her to stay away. I do feel for Shirley, the poor woman has no idea what's happened to her sister and also has no idea what's going on in her son's life! I worry how she's going to be able to cope once everything is revealed to her. I do feel that these two storylines are also big for Shirley!! She's probably going to feel so much sadness and guilt that I fear she may spiral out of control. What do you guys think?! Even Sharon attempts to apologise to Shirley but gets nowhere, something is telling me that the guilt of Tina taking the rap for Ian's attack is taking it's toll on Sharon. But what's even worse is that later on Gray sits with Shirley, informing her that her sister is safe and she's not worry. How bloody dare he! After what he's done, how can he even sit there and act like he's done nothing?! However it looks as if he panics when Shirley states that she'll be able to relax once Tina has been in touch, and the very fact that she always does eventually. Something tells me that Gray is going to sink even lower and make them think that Tina has been in touch with them. I personally hate it when Shirley thanks him for looking after her family ... Ooooh if only she knew the truth! I can't wait for Gray to get his comeuppance! 

Meanwhile, Stacey is still going out of her mind trying to get in touch with Kush! Eventually she manages to get through on the phone and overhears her son's voice say that they're going on an aeroplane! Kush panics when he notices that Stacey is on the line, she's pleading for him to bring Arthur home, Kush then decides to speak to her and warns her not to call the police, otherwise she'll never seen her son again. With nowhere left to turn, Stacey and Kat speak to Whitney about the possibility of Gray helping them out, she seems to know Gray better than anyone, so if anyone could act fast with the law, he possibly could give them some options. However, Whitney can't seem to understand why they're so frantic, the fact that Kush is Arthur's father and that he would never hurt him, plus Kush isn't some criminal mastermind and there's no way he's put his life, his sons life or his families life at risk, they come to realise that someone must be helping him escape. It's then that Whitney happens to mention, who on Earth would be out to hurt Stacey in such a way? As soon as she says those words, there's only one culprit who they know would be behind it. On the Square, Stacey confronts Ruby, demanding answers about her son's whereabouts. Of course, Ruby acts completely and utterly dumb and acts like she doesn't know a thing whilst her husband tries to defend her. Stacey is almost teary as she informs Martin that Kush has threatened her about her not seeing Arthur again, something really doesn't sit well with Martin. Later on, Martin is gathering all his thoughts as Ruby is trying to console him. He reveals to his wife how much it hurts not knowing where little Arthur is, it becomes clear to Ruby that she has a made a truly big mistake. Eventually she calls Kush up informing him that she can't keep giving him money and that he should return with Arthur, she literally had no idea how much hurt it would cause everyone, especially Martin! However when Kush realises he won't be getting anymore help from Ruby, he seeks help from somewhere else and eventually calls Whitney for her help. Whitney at first refuses informing him that he needs to come home and that Stacey is going out of her mind, but Kush isn't interested and informs her that he owes her a favour and asks her for help. She takes a deep breath and asks him where he is. Is Whitney really going to help Kush escape or is she just going to make him think she's helping and trick him back into returning to Walford with Arthur? 

Another thing I want to mention is Sonia, the first time we see her, she is in the hospital on her own and she appears to be crying to herself. Ash approaches her from behind, in concern for her colleague. Sonia informs her that she's actually been on site for the past 18 hours! We can see in her hand that she's holding something, but what exactly? A pendant? A piece of jewellery? It's hard to make out and I'm a little unsure, but when Ash also asks about what she's holding, she quickly makes an excuse to leave. Back at home, Ian decides to give her a visit after still feeling unwell, she's about to take his blood pressure but Ian being Ian, he's once again waffling on about himself and how his life has changed drastically since his attack and that his anxiety is through the roof. Only when he happens to mention Covid, Sonia informs him that he actually never had the virus and reminds him that people are dying because of the virus. Furious with his selfish words she throws him out before she can carry on with taking his blood pressure. As he leaves, she's left alone again and crying softly to herself. What is troubling Sonia so much? I do think with her being a nurse and tackling this virus could maybe be taking its toll on her mental health, or maybe even her emotions as a whole, has it gotten too much for her? Who knows? Either way, I'm intrigued to see what's got her so worked up. 

Last, but certainly not least, Ian is looking more and more unwell as the days go on, even Kathy has started to notice the change in Ian's health. She's still not convinced that Sharon loves her son and appears to think that she's after something, she voices her concerns to Phil. But even though that we know that Phil knows what Sharon is up to, he can't let anyone else know. She informs Kathy not to interfere and to leave Ian and Sharon to it. We know full well what Sharon is doing to him, but when Phil makes a visit to the pub to see things for himself, he can see how weak and ill Ian is getting. As Ian somehow spills a drink all over the bar, Phil makes his way into the back to confront Sharon. He states that she has gone way too far and that she's crazy to even comprehend poisoning him any further. But Sharon stands her grand and informs him that no matter what it takes, she will get justice for her son, whether he's going to help her or not! Only later on, when Sharon is alone in the cellar, Phil finds her and reveals that he can't simply forgive or forget what Ian did to Dennis, but he fears that Sharon might not be able to carry on on her own, he drops the bombshell that he will help her in bringing Ian down, getting revenge and getting justice for Dennis!