Friday 11th December 2020

Hello again everyone! Hope you've all had a good weekend. I apologise this post is late, I feel over the weekend the news about Barbara Windsor's death got me more than I had expected and I just didn't feel up to writing anything, also working 2 jobs as well can get in the way of writing this blog. But I'm now going to focus on getting this blog up to date. Hopefully come Thursday this week, I will all up to date with the blog and EastEnders. Thank you all for your on-going support and patience.

So let's jump into the episode - oh my it was another jam packed one wasn't it! Firstly, I just want mention Bobby and what such a brilliant actor Clay Milner Russell is! The beginning of the episode I found really intriguing. Bobby stood in the police station, waiting to be questioned, he is absolutely convinced that he's to blame for his Father's attack. At first you seem to think it really was him - he confesses by basically saying that it's his fault that his Dad got attacked. However as Jack continues to question him, it becomes aware that Bobby truly isn't the one to blame for the attack on his Dad. I don't know whether it has something to do with his mental health or OCD or religion, but he truly believes that because he didn't count the correct amount of numbers, he's to blame for his Dad's attack. I can't applaud Clay Milner Russell enough, having to come into a new role (even though he's been in the soap for a while now) without having any previous acting jobs, and to have been given such a gripping storyline - it's pretty impressive I have to say! I think it's easy to say that Bobby can be cleared a suspect, as it's come to clear to us a viewers and to Jack, being a police officer, Bobby is mentally unwell and maybe needs to be assessed, why does he think he's to blame? Just because he's gotten into a ritual of counting and he firmly believes that if he counts to a certain number, everything will be okay. It must be his OCD making him believe it? I hope he'll eventually get the help he needs as it's quite clear he needs it.

The second thing I want to mention is Rainie!! She's finally returned to the Square after disappearing for about 48 hours (or maybe more)! Her poor husband has been going out his mind with worry, leaving her countless phone calls and text messages, you can understand his relief when he's finally reunited with her. However it's not long before a police officer approaches them and inform them they're needed at the station for questioning. Firstly, Rainie appears to have no idea what has happened on the Square in her absence, she appears to be shocked after hearing the news about Ian. Only the interesting thing is, later on in the episode, she's on her own walking to the Cafe, when Callum spots her and hurries to have a word with her. When they're sat together and Callum is asking her all sorts of questions, it becomes clear that she's knows more than what she's letting on. She informs her Brother-In-Law that she told the police that during the night Ian was attacked, she was in fact at home with her husband watching Deal Or No Deal - (Is that even still on TV?!). But when Callum asks her further questions she responds with "No Comment!" - as if she doesn't want to give out any more information, or maybe to hide the fact that she does know something? Later on in the episode, Rainie appears to have cleaned herself up and had a wash as Stuart returns home from the police station. Rainie starts to beg forgiveness from her husband after leaving him in the lurch the way she did, and also not responding to his messages, I think we can all tell that she simply hasn't been with her Mum's - had she been sleeping rough? Or maybe gone to a hostel of some kind? Her face is in complete worry and concern as she panics her husband might've thrown her under the bus. Stuart softly questions her statement to the police, about them being home together, she nods tearfully. He then drops the bomb that he in fact gave the police the exact same statement - he was at home with his wife watching Deal Or No Deal! They both jump for joy in unison as they believe that they're alibi's are clear and that they've helped each other.

This episode seems to be all about alibi's doesn't it? Another person who's fretting about their alibi is Max. After pleading Linda to tell the police that they were together on the night in question, he seems to be having second thoughts? He visits her at the laundrette and she informs him that she told Jack that Max with with her. However, Max reveals the one thing that we didn't know earlier, that they didn't spend the whole night together, just part of it. So in all fairness, what did he do for the rest of the night? Where did go? Who did he see? As much as he seems grateful to Linda for giving him the alibi, later he informs his brother Jack, not to listen to a word she has said. It's quite interesting that he's chosen not to accept her alibi, as Jack states, the whole entire Square will be pointing at him and questioning him! Max admits that he can live with being looked at and gossiped about. Part of me is thinking is he doing this for Linda?! Is he doing it for her sake as he doesn't want to be the reason for her and Mick to call an end to their marriage?! It is an interesting one - why would Max not snatch up the alibi whilst he can? Or is he really a proud man and is certain that he has nothing to hide - so why would he need one? I don't know, I am simply guessing at this point. I'm just simply giving out my thoughts on what Max could be thinking.

Meanwhile, whilst all this is going on in the Square, sweet Honey has come up with an idea to hold a community Christmas dinner for those who have very little on Christmas Day. After what happened with her son, Will, shoplifting for his poor friend, she feels that maybe this should be the time when everyone rallies round together and help the community. She pulls in Jay and Isaac to help and even Billy agrees to help by asking Max if they could use the restaurant as a venue. I think this is a lovely idea and it seems only perfect for Honey to be the one behind it, as Jay explains she can cook and she seems to be the only one who cares. If this community Christmas Dinner takes place, it'll be very interesting to see on Christmas Day, that's for sure. Either way I'm looking forward to seeing it come together and have Honey be right in the centre of it, as she well deserves to be after what she's recently been through! Could this Christmas Dinner in fact be the start of her blossoming romance with Jay? (Yes! I'm still convinced it's going to happen - sooner or later!)

Looks like there are still people who are still needing an alibi, specifically Tina and Ben. Even though Tina admitted to hitting Ian, the main thing is is that their encounter happened at the Beale household and not the Vic. After being questioned, it was revealed that Tina went straight home after her punch up with Ian and the only person who will be able to vouch for her for would be a pizza delivery boy who delivered pizza to the wrong house. Since then, Tina has been trying to track down the pizza boy but to no avail. She spots Jack on the Square and asks him about Ian's condition, which we then find out is that he survived his operation, much to her relief. However it's then that Jack states that Ian isn't out of the woods yet, plus the main fact is, if Tina can't find the pizza boy for give her the alibi she so desperately needs, she will remain a suspect. Whereas Ben's story hasn't been mentioned yet - as far as we're concerned, no one knows when Ben was when Ian got attacked, the only thing that's known for sure, is that Ben did leave the pub that night - but did anyone see him? Will anyone really be able to give him an alibi? Callum perhaps? If it comes to it that Ben doesn't have an alibi, will Callum fight for his boyfriend and possibly give him a false one? Who knows? Things still yet remain to be seen when it comes to Ben, what do you think?!

Does anyone else think Sharon is acting very shifty?! Since agreeing to marry Ian, I am so convinced that she has something to do with Ian's attack - or maybe she knows more than what she's letting on. the thing that really stood out for me was when she and Kathy were talking to Ian just before he was due to go in for surgery. She happened to mention something along the lines of "I'm waiting for my wedding ring!" - what a thing to say just as someone is about to go into theatre! The thing that pops into my head as soon as she says that, is that as soon as she gets the ring on her finger, she'll basically own half of what Ian has - I'm guessing. I am still SO convinced that she's learned the truth about Ian's involvement in Dennis's death, that she is definitely out for revenge. If killing him hadn't worked, she will go to the next best thing and take him for everything that he's got! Even later on the in episode, Kathy questions whether Sharon will have their marriage annulled, as everyone knows she doesn't love him the way he loves her. However, interestingly, Sharon admits to Kathy that after seeing Ian pleading to her to marry him, she explains that it's become clear how much they need each other, and especially him during this tough time he's having. For her it's not a case of she won't annul the marriage, but she can't. In all seriousness - what's the difference?! Or am I just missing something? Don't you guys agree though? Why on Earth would she marry her best friend after just a few weeks prior to rejecting him?! She must be out for revenge or something?!

Right so, the Panesar's are also looking shifty! On the Square, it looks as if a van has some interesting with regards to Ian's attack. Kheerat is walking along the street as he watches with great suspense at the police investigating the vehicle. However it's only later on when Jack visits the shop to question both Suki and Kheerat about their whereabouts on the night in question, Suki reveals that she was at Ruby's club. Which, I guess is try - as we saw she was sat at the bar, but how long was she there for? Could she and Kheerat have cooked up the plan to attack Ian together?! However, when Jack takes an interest in Kheerat's whereabouts, Kheerat reveals that he wasn't even on the Square at the time of the attack and just happened to be out of time in a meeting. But then, to his surprise, Jack questions the vehicle in which he drove to the business meeting and whether there was some kind of accident. He then drops the bombshell that the van has been taken for testing as there had traces of blood found on the vehicle. Instantly you can see Suki and Kheerat have a panicked look in their faces, as Jack leaves the scene, Suki seems to lay into her son about being careful, however Kheerat informs his Mother not worry as he will sort it. Later on in the episode, we see a hooded figure enter some type of building after entering it in some kind of alley way. As Kheerat enters his office we see a hooded figure sat in a chair waiting for him, he mentions to the unknown figure that the police are sniffing round and asking them dodgy questions. Suddenly the figure removes his hood and we see that it's actually Peter!!! He asks why the police would go the Minute Mart, but as their conversation continues it looks as if Peter and Kheerat are more involved together as they are in the attack than we first believed. They agree to give each other alibis!

So what the heck does this mean?! The only thing I can think of is that both Peter and Kheerat had it out for Ian and they both went to the Vic for the same reason, but maybe things got out of hand and one witnessed the other attacking Ian? I'm unsure. I don't think they would've planned anything together, I do think they crossed paths purely by accident and because of their mistakes of getting caught, they basically have no choice but to give each other an alibi. So - who do I think attacked Ian?! Sharon, Peter and Max are on the top of my list. However I could be wrong, as we still yet to hear/see Ben's encounter of the evening. My opinion could change over the coming episodes, I do not however, think it was either Bobby or Tina - I feel I can positively rule them out! I'm feeling a little unsure when it comes to Stuart and Rainie, I'd like to think it's not either of them, but like I said - who knows? My views could change.

Tuesday 8th December 2020

Hello again folks! I'm back with another blog post following this week's drama. I wanted to do a blog yesterday but with the news of Dame Barbara Windsor's passing, it felt only right that I wrote a blog about her instead. However, I'm now back to review on this weeks episodes, there is so much to talk about.

There seemed to be a lot happening, the police are still searching high and low for Ian's attacker. There are about 4 or 5 main things I want to mention. Firstly, Tina - After not being able to sleep the night before, her day only gets worse by getting arrested for suspicion of attempted murder. As she's being arrested, she calls out her innocence to Shirley and Kathy. As being put into the police car, Kathy sees from across the Square and runs over to question why she did it, as she thought they were friends, why would Tina attempt to ruin their friendship by attacking her son?! While she's at the police station giving her statement, she informs them that she and Ian did have an altercation, but it was at the Beale household and not the pub. But the interesting thing she then happens to mention, that possibly the only person who would be able to give her alibi would be a pizza boy. She explains that when she returned to Gray's house, she was in the house alone, but a pizza boy called but he was delivering to the wrong house. If Tina or the police would be able to find this unknown pizza boy, that would potentially put a stop to her being a suspect. Personally, I don't think Tina was Ian's attacker, as a viewer I completely believe her story, it sounds reasonable, I believe she was no where near the Vic, yes she and Ian did have a row and a bit of punch up at the house, but Ian was alive and breathing when she left the household. I feel I can simply scratch Tina off the suspect list, it wasn't her.

The second thing I'd like to mention is Stuart. On the Square, he watches as Tina is arrested, but you can clearly see the fear in his eyes. I do feel he's hiding something, but what? What was he burning at the allotment? Blood-stained clothing maybe?! We know since Ian's attack, Rainie has gone missing. Stuart is completely worried sick about his wife. Where on Earth could she have gone? Stuart almost desperately seeking help, approaches Callum and informs him that he's going out of his mind as he can't get in touch with his wife. I feel for Stuart and Rainie, right now. I really do. Do I think that he or Rainie attacked Ian? Honestly, I do think Rainie is a person of interest - as the way she must be feeling, emotionally and mentally - initially, blaming Ian for ruining their chances of having a baby. She's basically grieving for the child that she may never have, and grief makes people do things without thinking. What if that grief turned to anger and she felt she just had to lash out to that one person who lost her the one thing she's always longed for. It's most definitely a motive. We saw her walking speedily through the Square on the night of the attack, what if she had left the Vic and was briskly walking to make her escape - what if she's gone on the run. She has gone missing and it would make sense, I think. Until we know where Rainie disappeared to, I feel she could be the one who attacked Ian.

Thirdly, after Stuart approaches Callum for asking help of finding his wife, interestingly he drops the bomb that Ben could've been the who attacked Ian. Of course, Callum is quick to defend his boyfriend. But I guess you could say that Stuart is doing the same thing for Rainie, they both want their partners to be the innocent party. Later on in the episode, it's clear that what Stuart said to Callum is playing on his mind. Ben is at home when Callum comes home and instantly he wants to know why Ben has been avoiding him over the past 2 days. Since Ian's attack, Callum informs Ben that he hasn't responded to any of his calls or texts and he keeps leaving the room when Callum walks in. Ben claims that he's had a lot on his mind as his brother has just been attacked, which is understandable. But deep down, Callum can't help but wonder whether his boyfriend had something to do with it, he asks him out straight. But Ben denies his involvement in the attack, he acknowledges that he was raging with his brother after finding out that he was the one who grassed him up to the police, he admits he wanted to hurt his brother, but never acted upon it. But however we did see Ben leaving the pub on the night in question, so the big question is - What was he doing there? Maybe having a confrontation with Ian? I do think that Ben could also be a suspect, until we know for sure what he was doing in the pub. I think he could also be the one who attacked Ian. Interestingly, before Callum even speaks to Stuart or Ben, his first visit is to question the Panesar family. He appears to be asking Suki of her movements of the night of Ian's attack. She informs Callum that she was at Ruby's club the whole night, but when she left and walked past the pub, she reveals she saw nothing and no one. However, was she at the pub whilst Kheerat went to the pub and help his Mum plan an attack on Ian? Who knows? Suki and Kheerat are both looking pretty shifty, even if he states that he was at a business meeting. I'm unsure about these two, what about you guys? Do you have an opinion on Suki and Kheerat?!

Fourth, the return of Kat and Kush. After a couple of days on the run, they return to the Square to grab a few belongings and finally get their money they're owed from Phil. Whilst Kat goes off to visit Phil, Kush looks after the children. Phil is alone in the house, it looks as if he's getting himself ready to go court regarding his divorce with Sharon. He's stunned to see Kat walk into his house, regardless of there being police dotted about the Square. Kat demands that enough is enough and he pays them their share of the money, Phil finally sees to reason and hands over a wad of cash from his safe, it's enough to get them away from the Square and start a new life. Meanwhile, back at the Slater household, Kush is looking after the children, after catching them unwrapping Arthur's birthday presents, he decides to give Tommy a very important job. Unfortunately we're not too sure what that job may be? Look after everybody maybe? As later on in the episode, we see Kush is hovering around the police station, as discreetly as possible. From a distance he sees Jack and calls him over, Jack is surprised to see him. Kush asks if he voluntarily gives himself up to the police, could there be a chance that he'll be released on bail? His only concern is being able to see his son, Arthur for his birthday and for Christmas. Jack urges Kush to do the right thing, and if he gives himself up, they might be able to sort something out for him. I'm surprised that Kush actually chose to go to the police, this may ruin Kat's plan of starting a new life together with the children in France. She's going to be devastated when she finds out what Kush has done! I do hope that he will be let off on bail and will be able to see Arthur.

Finally, during the police search, Bobby and Peter are at home. Bobby seems to be reliving the moment he found the blood on the living room floor, he feels as if he's slowly going back to the night Lucy passed away. He explains to his brother that he can't bare going back to the dark place he once was. Peter tries his absolute best to console his young brother, but suddenly the police turn up at the household, informing them and Kathy that they want to search the house, as due to Tina's statement, there could be traces of blood at the house. The brothers look surprised, however with Bobby scrubbing the blood he found, could he done for tampering with evidence? Or because he cleaned the blood, could the police look to him and question why he was so frantic to get rid of his Father's blood? Whilst all this is happening at home, Ian is lying in his hospital bed with Sharon sat by his side. He's convinced himself that due to the pain he's feeling, this will be the end for him, he claims he has nothing now his sons hate him. Sharon tries her absolute best to console her friend and inform him that what he's saying is absolute nonsense. She tells him that the boys do love him and would be lost without their Dad, but Ian can't seem to believe the words she's saying. As she leaves him to get some rest, Ash approaches Ian and he wants to know exactly what's happening to him, he wants to know whether he'll pull through or not - it's then that Ash informs him that CT scan showed that he has a bleed on the brain, which will be the cause of his head pains. However, they do need to do some more tests to see whether there's any lasting damage. This seems to really distraught Ian, he knows that it's not looking good. When Sharon finally returns, he informs her that he wants to make sure that she's looked after and provided for, he speaks about their friendship they've had through-out the years and how they've always been there for each other. Sharon states that her friend is talking stupid but he seems completely and utterly convinced that this will be the end for him. He then informs her that deep down, he has always loved her, regardless of her not feeling the same way about him. He states that he's going to give her the full ownership of the Vic and - here's the big bombshell, he wants to make sure that she and Albie are looked after and provided for, with that he asks the big question and asks for her hand in marriage!

Friday 4th December 2020

Good evening everyone! Hope you all had a brilliant weekend, I unfortunately have been working all through the weekend and it looks to be another busy week ahead for me! This is the episode I've been eager to be blogging about, it's the one that the majority of us all were waiting for, I feel like I'm so late to the party and I apologise that this is late!

But oh my goodness, what an absolutely fantastic episode!!!!!! THAT ENDING!!!! WOW, WOW, WOW! I will come to that a little later on, but boy, what a jam packed episode it was, I love how everything and everyone has/had some form of scenario of who could be Ian's attacker!

The first thing I kind I noticed when the episode started was the birds eye view of the Square, and how it call came down to seeing the man at the centre of the stage, Ian, walking down the Square. We know this is going to be a gripping episode as we know there are a lot of people who are going to be out for their revenge! Ian has hurt so many people in recent weeks/days, it was only a matter of time before someone was pushed over the edge and felt their need to get their own back on him.

Before we come to the juicy part, there are 2 or 3 main things I want to mention first about this episode, one being that Ian got arrested for mortgage fraud. Before he is even arrested though, Ben approaches him regarding his knowledge about his brother reporting him to the police, he is absolutely seething with his brother, almost to the point where he wants to go for him. Callum fights to keep Ben off his brother, Ian remains silent but keeps his distance from Ben, that is until the police turn up. Ben instantly assumes that they have come for him and puts his hands out ready to be handcuffed, however when they asked for Ian Beale, Ben steps to one side and is almost thrilled to see the police arrest his brother for something he's completely unaware of. I guess the most thrilling part of this, is that Ian is seen getting arrested by the majority of the community, some look happy, some look surprised, some just don't have a clue what's going on! But the one main person who's thrilled to see Ian getting arrested, is Tina - as she was the one who reported him in the first place!

The second thing I want to talk about is how such a fantastic actress Tanya Franks is! I absolutely love her, she nearly brought me to tears in this episode. Devastatingly, Stuart informs his wife, by giving her a document silently, that Keegan and Tiffany have changed their minds in regards to being her surrogate. She, at first, refuses to believe it and informs her husband to force the young couple to sign the document. But later on in the Square, Rainie sees the young couple walking away down the street, she runs towards them and begs them to change their mind. Even falling to her knees, in floods of tears, begging Tiffany to change her mind, she promises to be the best Mum she can be. You can see she's absolutely heartbroken to have such a treasured thing be taken away from her, it's as if her unborn baby has simply been snatched right out of her hands. To be honest, as Rainie is pleading on her knees and trying to reassure them that she'd do her best to be a good Mum, I'm sure neither of them doubt her for a second - she would make a good Mum, regardless of her past - being a Mum is all she's ever wanted, and she would live for her child! Tiffany kneels to Rainie's level, even though she is completely and utterly heartbroken, Tiffany deeply apologies for changing her mind and explains the reason has nothing to do with Stuart or Rainie, but the simple fact is that she's just not ready. At such a young age, it's hard for her to commit to such a huge agreement, she physically, emotionally and mentally can't do it. It's a devastating, heart wrenching blow for poor Rainie as she sobs and watches Tiffany and Keegan walk away. Tanya Franks was absolutely incredible in this scene, I almost felt I was going to cry myself, I feel for Rainie, I really do and I just hope, as Stuart says, they will find another way to have a child - even if they ask someone else to be their surrogate. Later on, as the heartbroken couple sit on Arthur's bench in the gardens, they see Ian walking towards them, Rainie can't help herself and blames Ian for talking to Whitney, as - to her realisation - she has convinced Tiffany not to go ahead and help them have a baby, it's then that Ian makes an awful insult to the couple and basically - in not so many words, say that they don't deserve a baby! Honestly, how cruel can someone get?!

The third thing I want to focus on is the Lucy Beale charity money, we all know that Ian stole the money from his deceased daughter's charity fund and transferred it into Max's account. However, to begin with Max was completely unaware where Ian got the money from, as far as he was concerned, Ian had simply paid an instalment of the money he owes him, it was later on that Ian revealed to him, after Linda won the Lucy Beale Award, where the money had come from - informing him that he'd simply framed him. In this episode, Max is in a blind panic as he visits Linda and informs her about the winning cheque. She is completely stunned to hear what Ian has done, but after he caught them kissing, it doesn't surprise her - she knew he would be up to something and make them know that they wouldn't get away with it. The interesting thing is, when Linda is told about the money, she takes it upon herself to inform the Beale brothers, simply stating that she can't cash in the cheque as the money has been stolen, from their own Dad and transferred into Max's account. I do feel sorry for Bobby at this point, Peter doesn't seem at all surprised as he knows that all their Dad cares about is money, but when Bobby checks the laptop, he devastatingly notices that all the money that had been raised has simply gone. As Linda leaves the young lads to it, she warns them that they need to stop their Dad from doing something he may regret. Once they're left alone, Bobby is seen counting on his fingers again and counting how many times he taps the laptop down, whilst he's doing this, Peter is informing him how he and Lucy grew up with their Dad making terrible decisions and watching him care about other things than them, but Bobby was too young to see and went to prison at such a young age, for a complete accident. He points out that Bobby was too young to understand, even mentioning that Ian doesn't care about how much he's tried to better himself since being released from prison and especially how the day in hand was meant to be one for their sister, but Ian managed to make it all about him. As Peter continues, Bobby can't seem to take anymore and smashes the laptop in a rage, to which Peter is finally happy to see his brother taking his anger out on their Father, it's then he says that Lucy shouldn't be the one who's dead, but Ian instead!  

Later on Tina informs her brother that she was the one who got Ian nicked by the police, she informs him excitedly that they be able to get the pub back. However, this is where Mick turns nasty once again to another one of his family members. He turns around and starts to insult his sister, telling her that getting the Queen Vic back in their name, is not going to help what is going on inside his head. This is where I begin to feel sorry for Tina, she's been trying so hard to cheer her brother up after seeing him so low over the past few weeks, of course she was only trying to be nice in getting the pub back for him. However, Mick insults her, telling her she's pathetic, how not only she, but no else understands what's going on inside his head and how getting the Vic back is not going to help, not even close. Tina is teary as her brother tells her leave, as she does - I've come to notice that she is the final person, in Mick's close family circle, that he has finally pushed away. First it was his Mum, Shirley, then his wife, Linda and now his sister, Tina. I do think that now Mick is going to find himself with no one, and he'll end up turning to Katy - which may be the most terrible idea! As Tina returns to the Square, she stares as the Queen Vic pub through tears, Ian watches her and approaches her from behind. It seems that he's discovered that she was the one who reported him to the police after Kathy drunkenly revealed the truth to her. Through angry, gritted teeth Tina informs Ian that the Vic doesn't belong to him and should belong to someone who deserves it, like Mick! But Ian laughs at her response and ironically says that they can have the Vic back - over his dead body! It's then she runs after him and informs him that everyone on the Square absolutely despises him and one day there is going to be a queue of people waiting to dance on his grave, and she will be the first in line! Ian doesn't seemed phased by her outburst, he simply shrugs and says he doesn't hate her, just feels sorry for her - suddenly Tina is enraged and barges into his house and shuts the door with an almighty BANG!

Then silence, blackness! It's night time - the camera draws in onto the Queen Vic, out of the dark shadows we see the silhouette of Ian, lying face-down on the Queen Vic floor, a visible wound to his head, and then - the montage begins! All of sudden we're seeing different characters with different scenarios, leaving the Vic, hiding in the darkness, covered in blood - all of whom have a motive of wanting Ian dead. This piece of film and editing was absolutely incredible! This is definitely EastEnders at it's absolute best!!! A classic WhoDunIt? Let's take a look at the suspects EastEnders have lined up:-

Who Attacked Ian?!

Tina Carter

Rainie Highway

Ben Mitchell

Stuart Highway

Peter Beale

Suki Panesar

Bobby Beale

Max Branning

Tuesday 3rd November 2020

Good afternoon/evening everyone! I realise this will be my second post of the day but I am wanting to try my absolute best to catch up as much as I can. I am in work tomorrow morning, quite early, so tonight's episode will be reviewed tomorrow. This post will be covering Tuesday's episode. We have a lot to get through so I'm not going to waste any more of your time and jump straight into it.

This episode begins with Kush slumped on the kitchen table, it looks like he must've slept there during the night. He is woken by Kat walking through the front door. Understandably, things a looking pretty awkward between the pair. Kush voices his concerns to where his girlfriend had been through-out the night, but it's plain to see that she stayed out all night. Kush explains that one of her children were awake in the night asking for her and he made sure that they were okay. Kush once again goes very sheepish as he takes a huge breath and prepares to tell his girlfriend that he thinks he needs help for his gambling addiction. But his pleas fall of deaf ears as Kat completely ignores him and turns the conversation to wanting to get her children ready for school. I think it's going to need a lot more for Kat than him just accepting he has a problem, he needs to do something more in an attempt to fix the situation.

Out on the Square, Jay and Honey are sharing breakfast as she receives a phone call from the Detective who's working her case. Could this be the news regarding the sexual assault or whether they're going to charge Paul with his crimes? Either way, Jay pushes her to answer the phone, as he will be there to support her no matter what the outcome. Meanwhile, at the laundrette, Max finds Linda in the middle of her shift. Is it just me, or can you still sense sexual tension between them? It's like ever since they shared that kiss, they've both been nervous around each other. The reason Max has popped into see her is to ask her whether she'd be interested in working another shift at the restaurant for the afternoon, he insists that he wouldn't have asked if he wasn't desperate. I guess the Carter's need as much money as they can get right now, will she agree?

Back at the Slater household, Kat returns explaining that Stacey has taken the children to school instead. She informs Kush that she has been told the good news that they've been allowed to stay in their house, on the catch that they pay more rent, which Kush confirms that if they don't get they will kicked out of their house for sure! Kat takes a seat opposite and feels like this might be the time to hear him out, she needs an explanation. She asks him straight out why did he feel the need to gamble everything they had? At first, Kush doesn't know how to answer the question, until he reveals that the gambling gave him a buzz - which is the typical feeling an addict gets when they gamble. It's that rush of adrenalin and excitement, the buzz. As Kush continues, I begin to feel for the guy. He mentions to Kat about losing his Zaair, his son to Shabnam and then losing his brother Shaki, over the years he feels like he has slowly lost his spark, his swag, and gambling was kind of the only way to replace it. Kat looks as if she understands and agrees to give her boyfriend one last chance. Kush even admits he almost played another game last night while she was away, but he didn't and he forced himself to delete the game from his phone - which is a massive step for a gambling addict. Kush is deeply apologetic and regrets everything he has put his family through and panics how they're going to be able to pay Suki the rest of the rent, but Kat tries to reassure him and informs him that once Stacey returns, they'll sit down together as a family and sort it, as she has an idea.

Meanwhile, Honey is having her meeting with the Detective supporting her case and they have confirmed to her that there was no evidence of her being raped. However, just because there's no evidence of sexual assault, does not mean that she hasn't been assault in any other way. Unfortunately, the detective confirms that there are no possible ways of finding out such things, the main evidence they have is the video of her on Paul's phone. It's then that the Detective drops the bombshell to poor Honey that the case might have to go to court and she may have to give evidence. Honey's thought of this clearly worries her, she'd have to be in the same room as her attacker. But as Jay watches her with concerned eyes, she says she'll do whatever she can to help, to which he gives her a small smile, he looks quite proud of her and how brave she's being. I can seriously sense them both falling for each other during this storyline.

Back on the Square, Mick is walking down the street in his own world as he hears voices from across the Square. As he looks up he sees his wife and Max discussing her shift, before he leaves Max just happens to make a joke regarding a pair of knickers that we found attached to Linda's apron earlier. Obviously, Mick isn't going to react positively to this. As Max walks away, Linda sees her husband and approaches him asking whether he wouldn't mind her working another shift. But clearly it's a big deal for Mick, it looks as if he doesn't want his wife anywhere near him. But the only thing he says to her is "That's up to you!" and walks away. Once again, pushing away the people who care about him the most. Meanwhile on the other side of the Square, Tiffany rushes out from the undertakers. Rainie sees her catching for breath and understands what's caused her reaction. Stuart had taken her down to the refrigerators to see all the other deceased bodies. This, I feel is a brilliant scene, very funny! Again, with Stuart and Rainie, just a little bit of comedy that we need in the soap right now! Tiffany then proceeds to ask Rainie what happened with their previous beautician. I loved the fact that they share a mutual opinion at this point when Rainie explains that she used her expensive lipstick on a corpse! Tiffany completely agrees and when Rainie compliments her saying she'll do really well at the undertakers, a little smile grows her face.

At the Mitchell household, after having to skip breakfast with his boyfriend after preparing it so beautifully but then having to rush off due to call message from DI Thompson, Callum returns to the house. Ben approaches his boyfriend and being polite, asks how work went. But Callum doesn't really want to talk and insists that he has a banging headache and just wants to go for a lie-down. It looks as if he's shrugging of Ben again. Ben can see that his boyfriend is hiding something, he's been acting shifty for quite a while now and Ben has clicked on that something isn't right. Callum tells his boyfriend that he just wants to be alone and storms up the stairs, as he does so, Ben tries to tidy up his jacket on the banister when suddenly Callum's phone falls out the jacket pocket. For a split moment it looks as if Ben contemplates looking through his boyfriend's phone, I mean, I wouldn't blame him! But surprisingly, he does the decent thing and puts it back. Suddenly Callum returns and instantly accuses Ben of checking up on him and looking through his phone, Ben is quick to defend himself saying he was just tidying it up. Ben makes the valid point that Callum has been acting strangely over the past few days and it's no wonder it's given him reason to worry. He's acting like he actually has something to hide. Something is telling me that it must have something to do with Callum trying to dob in Phil, how the hell will Ben react when he finds out what his boyfriend has been up to? Even though I feel Callum doesn't want to do it anymore, he's definitely got himself in too deep and can't really find a way out. I think Ben should've looked at his phone while he had the chance! Callum accuses his boyfriend of not trusting him and walks away. Why do I fear things are going to go wrong for Ballum before things go back to the way they were?!

Back on the Square, Mick is sat gathering his thoughts. Suddenly Frankie appears as she exits the Prince Albert. Mick is quick to get a moment with his daughter. He hasn't seen or spoken to her the past week or so, he asks how she is and why she hasn't responded to any of his messages. Frankie simply tells him that it's been hard for her to deal with she's learned in recent weeks about her Dad and her Mum. Realising that her Mum sexually abused her own Dad, it must be tough for a young adult to come to terms with, realising that maybe she is the result of sexual abuse ... (I know that sounds awful, but it could be true). Mick tries to explain to her that he wants to help her as much as he can, but she make the very valid point that he can't even help himself right now. He can't come to terms with it either, so how on earth is he going to be able to help her? From the way I see it, they're both become victims of her Mother's actions, they're both suffering and having to deal with the devastating truth, to be fair, it should be the main thing that brings them closer as Father and Daughter. I have a feeling that maybe when Frankie's Mum arrives, Katy, it will be the main thing that brings them closer together. What do you guys think?! It's quite devastating, both Mick and Frankie admit that things were easier for them both before they entered each other's lives, Frankie suggests that they should not contact each other anymore and she walks away. The look on Mick's face, he is absolutely distraught, something tells me he's not going to be able to walk away that easy, how on earth could he walk away from his own daughter? Even though she had no idea she existed, he'd do anything for his kids like any other Dad, I don't think he'll be able to simply walk away from her, not now that she's made such a huge impact on his life.

Meanwhile at the Slater household, Stacey can't believe what she's hearing. Kat's idea of helping the family and getting some money in their pockets is a potential robbery. It turns out that the security guard Kat went on a date with the previous night got so drunk and told her all the information she'd need about the building. She knows all the lock codes she needs to get into the building, the only thing they need is a way to get inside and someone who will help them pull it off. Stacey isn't wanting anything to do with it as she insists that she's has been the best this year. Kat reassures her that she doesn't have to be involved, she needs to be able to stay at home and be with the kids, just in case something goes wrong. Kush voices his concerns whether it is such a good idea, but when Kat asks whether he has a suggestion, there isn't much that he can say in response. It's then that Kat reveals she's got someone in mind who might be willing to help them out …. but who could it be?!

Returning to Mick, he makes his way into Walford East ... now I don't know about you, but this is the Mick that we have been missing, don't you guys think? He sneaks his way into the restaurant and grabs a table and hides his face from his wife. As Linda approaches his table, he makes himself known and basically (in not so many words) apologises to wife for the way he's been acting and basically states the fact that he loves her more than anything in the world and is wanting her more than anything right now. Now it's nice to see Mick back to his old funny, flirtatious self, but is he really being able to forget all about Frankie and move on? Because even though this is nice to see after so long, something tells me its not going to last. Linda giggles at her husband's flirtation and they both giggle as they leave the restaurant together.

Meanwhile, in the Vic, Jay is finally catching up with Lola. They're discussing their offer on a potential flat they've looked at. It looks as if Lola is really wanting this future with Jay, but with him being at Honey's side in recent days, it seems Lola isn't being able to see her boyfriend as much. They had originally made plans that evening for a drink and a Chinese together. However, Jay admitted that he promised Honey he'd check on her, much to Lola's disappointment Jay asks whether they can postpone their date for another time. Lola is visibly upset but she reassures her boyfriend that it's fine and she understands. But when Jay just happened to describe Honey as "Amazing" - Lola's ears prick up, I mean, it's true that everyone loves Honey. But something tells me that Lola is going to be feeling a little jealous and upset that Jay is spending so much time with her lately. As Jay goes to check on her, Lola is left in the Vic, suddenly Isaac swoops right in after overhearing their conversation and offers Lola a drink. Uh-oh, is Lola going to cheat on Jay for a second time?!

Back at the undertakers, Tiffany is still experiencing her first day and is having her first lesson on what to do when there's a fire drill. This scene was once again brilliant, more comedy from Stuart and Rainie. I found it funny when Tiffany and Stuart were waiting for Rainie to appear whilst the alarm was still blaring. Eventually she emerges from the building with two cups of coffee in her hands. I just loved the way that Stuart commented how slow she was and she had a go at him claiming she wasn't as quick as she used to be! It's then that they turn to Tiffany and offer her the job as a beautician, which she completely agrees. I have a feeling that there could be some brilliant scenes ahead for them all in the undertakers, it'll be interesting when Keegan finds out, but surely he'll support his wife?!

Back at the Vic, Ben finds Callum sat alone with a pint. It looks as if this will be the opportunity Ben will only have to get to the bottom of what's bothering Callum. He sits beside his boyfriend and admits he knows what's been bothering him, explaining that he understands he's been pulled from pillar to post whilst helping his Dad with the whole Ellie situation. Callum doesn't know what to say, of course he has to just play along, he can't tell his boyfriend truthfully what's bothering him, only that it's really complicated. Ben tells his boyfriend that he'll never forget what he's done for his Dad, he makes the valid point that the Mitchells always remember loyalty. He tells his boyfriend how proud he is of him, Callum can't do anything but smile. Ooooo I just really hope that Callum will come clean eventually. I don't want to see the Mitchell family falling to pieces just because of something Callum was going to do. Something tells me Christmas is going to be explosive, it's going to cover all sorts of big reveals and secrets for all the families ... the Mitchell's, the Slater's and the Carter's. What do you guys think?

At home, it looks as if Mick's goofy flirtatious mood didn't last very long. He's sat in the living room in another world of his own, Linda walks again and tells him not worry as "These things happen!" - So he wasn't able to perform for his wife as things were still painfully on his mind. Linda suggests it could've been his anxiety medication, Mick softly agrees but also reveals to his wife that he was trying to pretend to be something he's not. Which is actually really sad, he shouldn't have to pretend to make an effort to perform for his wife. I mean, I think it's kind of nice he tried to make an effort as clearly things haven't been right for them in recent weeks, but it looks as if not being able to perform has made the blow much harder, mainly because he's got other things on his mind. I do feel for Mick right now, but as much as I'm not enjoying seeing him lash out to his loved ones, I feel like I just want him to reach out to Frankie, make an effort with his daughter and (I know it's hard) but he needs to come to terms with what happened in the past, and not pass the blame onto his Mother.

In the park, Honey is on her own as she watches a young couple canoodling. She's looking almost upset as she watches them laughing and enjoying their time together. Jay approaches her and she comments how the couple look so in love at young age, and no one has turned up to ruin it for them yet. Jay sits down beside her and comforts her, tells her that at some point she will meet someone. Maybe not tomorrow, not next week, not even next month - but eventually she will find someone who will love her, because plain and simply there is nothing to not love about her. Jay compliments his friend and says she is just too lovely to not let anyone love her. Honey smiles and thanks Jay for being there for her the past couple of days, he's been the one who's been there more than anyone, even Billy. They slowly swing together and share a small laugh and smile. Something really does tell me that eventually either Jay will fall for Honey, or Honey will fall for Jay. Do you see something happening between them? I'd love to hear your thoughts on these two!

The final scene of this episode, we're returning to Kat, we can see she's slowly approaching someone's house. The camera turns and we can see the Phil is approaching her from behind. Later inside she's trying her absolute best to convince him to help her with this robbery job. She confirms she's got all the information they need to get into the building and out, she proposes it'll be an easy job for them to pull off. But Phil gives her the blow that he isn't interested. He simply doesn't understand why she needs him for the job, to which she explains it's simply for the muscle and perhaps to make their getaway. But once again, Phil declines her offer, she begs him to help as this is the only thing that could help her family. Unfortunately it makes no difference and he asks her leave. Is Kat going to maybe attempt the robbery on her own? Will she get someone else to help her out, Kush maybe, considering he was the one who caused this whole mess, couldn't he be the one to help her sort it?! Or will Phil maybe change his mind and take her up on her offer?!

Monday 9th November 2020

Hello everyone!  Hope you've had a brilliant weekend! Seeing as we've been put into a second lockdown, I have recently been watching EastEnders episodes from 2008 on BBC iPlayer! I have to say there are so many characters I miss, to name a few:- Bradley, Tanya, Roxy, Ronnie, Peggy, Bianca, Ricky, Pat, Christian, Masood, Zainab, Jane ... A lot of these characters I do wish would come back, its a crying shame that some of them have passed away. What do you think guys? What characters from years back would you like to see return? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Anyway, let's get back to the episodes of this week, what a cliff-hanger Friday's episode was left on. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next this week, let's delve right into it. This episodes basically starts where Friday's finished, Mick coming face-to-face with his abuser, Katy. Mick is as white as a sheet, he looks like he's seen a ghost as she approaches him. It's interesting how innocent she is acting, but of course how else would she act after seeing him for the first time in so long. She informs him that Shirley had rang her informing that Frankie had been around, the first question out of Mick's mouth is why did she never tell him that Frankie was his daughter, Katy seems a bit shocked to hear this, she the tells Mick that Frankie is 100% NOT his daughter. Now, is she telling the truth? Has Frankie accidentally made a mistake? Depending how long Katy is going to be on the Square for, I can see this storyline be a really hard hitting one for Christmas! Katy suggests to Mick that they sit down have a talk and she makes her way towards the Vic.

As Mick slowly follows Katy into the Vic, the scene changes to Lola alone in her flat. She's just confessed everything to Jay about sleeping with Peter, months back! Honey walks in to find her almost in tears, at first she doesn't realise that anything is wrong as she asks her about her flat deposit, but when she turns to see Lola looking all teary, she asks the poor girl what's wrong. Lola comes clean and confesses that she slept with Peter months ago, she informs Honey that she's told Jay the truth before they moved into their new apartment, but she fears she has ruined everything between them. Honey sits down as she takes in the recent news, she then tries her absolute best to console her, she suggests that maybe Jay has gone to speak to Peter, considering they were best friends, Jay must feel some kind of betrayal from his friend, so perhaps he's gone and spoken to him about it. And she's not wrong - Jay is next scene in Beale household, he's sat with a cup of tea waiting for Peter to appear, poor Bobby has no idea what's happened and he's been left alone with a seething Jay. Jay informs the young lad that he's willing to wait for Peter to show up.

Meanwhile at the Vic, Mick is trying to understand the situation with Frankie. Katy informs him that Franke's father is just a random bloke that she can't even remember the name of. But Mick can't seem to quite understand, as in his mind, regarding Frankie's age and the fact the Katy simply just disappeared all those years back, it would make sense and would fit they she would be his daughter. Katy appears to be shocked at what she's hearing, she then happens to say something very interesting "You have to have sex to have a baby!" - she's implying that they never had sex?! Hmmm ... something really doesn't sit right with me, even Mick recalls of their relationship all those years ago and Katy can't even begin to believe what he's saying. She believes that he's told Frankie about her and that is why she is no longer speaking to her. Is Katy simply lying about their relationship? Is Mick perhaps mistaken? Or is this going to turn into something much darker and Katy is going to deny everything until Mick reveals everything to everyone and she'll be seen as his groomer/abuser.

Out on the Square, Lola finds Peter and admits that she's told Jay about them. Peter is shocked to hear about Lola's confession and informs her that Jay is waiting inside his house for him. Instead of walking into his house and facing the music, he decides to walk the other way, much to Lola's surprise. It's then he informs her that he has a job interview the next day and doesn't want to show up to it with a black eye. Hmm, I think that's a bit of a coward's excuse to not face his best mate and basically admit to his mistake. He can't keep hiding, he'll have to face Jay sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Rainie and Stuart are in the same position as we saw them in the previous episode. Bless them, they had both fallen asleep on the sofa together. Suddenly a bell rings (I instantly thought it was their doorbell) Stuart wakes and he looks at his phone to which then his wife wakes up and asks whether it's anything important. Stuart reassures his wife that it's nothing and he gets himself up to make themselves a cup of tea. As he looks in the fridge, Rainie takes a look at her husbands phone, as he turns round he sees her looking at his phone and she points out that the notification on his phone was a reminder for a visit to the fertility clinic, for the following day. Rainie admits to her husband that because they had booked it so long ago she had forgotten all about it, but Stuart didn't want to remind his wife as he didn't want to upset her. Will they still go this appointment? They both admit to each other that they still want a family, even if it means just being a family of two, but I'm sure deep deep down, both of them would love have a child if there was a way.

In the Vic, Ian is surprised to see his son, considering they haven't been speaking since the family found out about him re-mortgaging the Café and forging Kathy's signature. Peter informs his Dad that he needs to lie-low for a while, yep- he's simply avoiding Peter. Peter makes his way to the upstairs of the Queen Vic with his Dad's acceptance. Meanwhile, over at the Beale household, Lola has found Jay waiting for Peter. She's trying her absolute best to plead to her boyfriend and apologise, but Jay isn't having any of it. He's wanting to know where Peter is, but Lola admits she has no idea but Jay doesn't believe her, ask they're arguing Bobby can seen counting on his fingers again in an attempt to calm himself in this heated situation. Jay suddenly storms off in search for Peter.

Returning to the Vic with Mick and Katy, Mick is informing Katy about everything he remembers from their time together, going the cinema and she telling him she loved him. But Katy seems to have an explanation for everything he mentions. She recalls calling it their "little secret" because she took him to a rated 15 movie while he was just 12 and she didn't want to get into trouble. Plus she also admits telling him she loved him, but only in a motherly way. She appears to be really twisting it and telling him that he's not remembering things properly. (I'm sure that's a common factor of being an abuser, persuading the victim that they've got their facts wrong!) But suddenly Mick seems to remember everything so vividly, he starts to describe the night in question when he first slept at Katy's. Remembering the memory of being told to go upstairs and use a towel, her undressing him and then being asked to join her in her bed, to which he recalls that's when everything between them started. Katy doesn't seem to recall what Mick's saying is true, when they leave the Vic, Mick attempts to escape, informing her that he hopes she manages to find Frankie, but Katy isn't going to let him escape that easily, she informs him that what he has pretty much just accused her of, she could go to prison for. She tells him that their discussion isn't over and Mick takes her someone else more private.

Meanwhile in Cafe, Rainie watches as Denise enters with young Raymond. Rainie smiles at the small boy and asks Denise a pretty forward question, "How old were you when you had him?!" - understandably, that catches Denise off guard. It is quite a forward question which, to be fair, no one she be asked, but poor Rainie, in such desire of being a Mum, I guess she's probably thinking if Denise can, then why can't she? Regardless of their age! As far as I can make out, Denise seems to reveal to Rainie that she had Raymond at the age of 45? Which to be honest is absolutely incredible! Maybe this might give Rainie some hope? Maybe it's not too late for her to have children?

Returning to Mick and Katy, they eventually find themselves in the park. Katy seems to recall Mick's memories a bit differently, she recalls cleaning him up and putting him to pet, tucking him in and then she suggests that actually she slept on the sofa downstairs and not in the same bed. She remembers him crying and wanting to help him. While Katy is giving her version of events, a voice is heard from the other side of the park and Tina appears, she is incredibly excited to see Katy after such a long time. But as the camera looks to Mick as Tina and Katy are reminiscing, he looks like he's close to bursting into tears. Katy informs Tina that she's come looking for Frankie, it's then Tina mentions that she used to work at her bar and she instantly invites Katy to go round and have a look. As they walk on ahead they call out for Mick to come and join them, but he looks as if he'd much rather be 1000 miles away from Katy.

Meanwhile, in the Vic, Jay is still searching for Peter. He asks Ian whether he has seen him to which Ian denies ever seeing his son. As Jay orders a pint, Honey watches from a distance as Jay sneaks into the back of the Vic and up the stairs. Suddenly he becomes face-to-face with the Beale offspring and he scarpers into the bathroom. Jay chases after him as bangs against the bathroom door, calling Peter a coward for not facing him like a man! Peter makes a really pathetic excuse claiming he had no idea that he and Lola were even serious, to which Jay flips just that little bit harder and bangs against the door violently. Suddenly, Honey appears from the stairs and calls out to Jay to calm himself down ... I do believe that Jay would like to get his hands on Peter, but in all seriousness, what good what it do? It really wouldn't make the situation any better.

Back at the undertakers, Rainie brings her husband a cup of coffee. Stuart is looking crushed after the recent events, but something tells me that after Rainie bumping into Denise, perhaps it's given her some form of hope that perhaps there still could be a chance that they could become parents. Rainie admits to her husband that she thinks they should still go ahead with their appointment to the fertility clinic. She states that they've already paid and they wont be able to get their money back, and if there is just the smallest chance that it could work and they could become parents, they should grab the opportunity whilst they can. Stuart seems absolutely thrilled with the idea, but of course he's bound to have some concerns, he begins to tell his wife "What if -!" but she stops him in his tracks and reassures him, "If it doesn't work, then we've still got each other!" ... I have to say, I really do love this couple. They're the couple I never thought I would've loved and would've wanted them to have so much happiness. I feel so happy that EastEnders have brought these two together, they fit so perfectly and I know it sounds mushy, but I do hope they get their happily ever after, they are the ones who seem to deserve it more than any one else. Don't you think?

Back at the Vic, Honey is trying to console Jay, telling him how much she came to hate Adam by the end of their relationship. She tries to reassure Jay that things wont be like that for him, as Lola is deeply sorry for what she's done, and plus considering the fact that Jay loves her. Jay admits he wants to smash Peter's face in, which is understandable. But when Honey in speaking about Adam and how after everything he had put her through, it was the final straw for her, after a long line of straws, Jay is staring at her. Not talking, not even blinking - but Honey can see that he's looking at something, he's looking  straight at her. Has he come to realise he has feelings for her? He quickly thanks her and leaves the Vic, leaving Honey completely speechless.

At the Prince Albert, Tina and Katy are reminiscing after Tina informs Katy that she's attempted to get hold of Frankie. As they continue their conversation, Tina asks Katy why she left the care home so suddenly all those years ago, she explains that she fell out with the manager after he made a pass at her. She recalls being chucked out the next day without being able to say goodbye to anyone. It's then Tina mentions how devastated they all were that she had left, and described Mick as a love-sick puppy. Mick is sat on his own as his sister chats to his unknown abuser. Mick then speaks and recalls writing letter's to Katy but never receiving a reply from her, to which she admits is her biggest regret. She reveals she got pregnant with Frankie soon after leaving the home and that her head was all over the place during the time. Suddenly, Katy's phone pings and she reveals that finally Frankie has been in touch and she's wanting to talk to her Mum. As she gets herself ready to leave, she asks whether Mick will show her the way to the train station, Mick looks ever so uncomfortable as he follows her exit from the bar.

Back at home, it looks as if Jay has returned to talk with Lola. She is deeply apologetic for her mistake. Jay has calmed himself down and listening to everything she's saying. She must've apologised numerous about of times as Jay tells her that she doesn't have to repeat herself. She make a promise to him that she will never make the same mistake again. She asks for his forgiveness and he admits that he forgives her, but there will no way back for them after this, he tells her that things are over between them. He makes the interesting point that he's not as upset about it as he thought he was going to be. Lola is clearly devastated by what he's saying, but what he says makes sense - when she fell pregnant, Jay wanted to keep it but she didn't, when Jay wanted to get married - he wanted it, she didn't and it's probably the same with the flat. Jay reveals that he's not even sure whether she wants it, however Lola confirms that she does want all those things but just not yet, they don't need to rush into things. It's then that Jay drops the bombshell that he's come to realise that he doesn't love her in the way he used to anymore. Lola is absolutely devastated and pleads to him, she tells him that she can't be with anyone else except him, as no one else knows her as well as he does. But Jay is very gentle with her informs her that she will find someone else eventually as she's a very strong woman and someone will love her for who she is. With a mutual understanding between them both, they decide to end things. Which I find very sad, I've always loved Lola and Jay together and utterly believed that they belong together, I certainly can't see them being with anyone else on the Square, especially Lola. Something does tell me however, that Jay has developed feelings for Honey over recent weeks, what do you guys think? Do you think Jay will take his chance with Honey?! Are to sad to see Jay and Lola call it a day on their relationship? Who do think will be their next love interest?

The final scene of this episode is also quite an interesting one. Mick leads Katy to the train station and it appears he's still coming to terms with the information that his memory isn't quite what he thought it was. He seems baffled that his mind "invented" the memory. However something is shouting at me that his memory is true, and Katy has just completely twisted it to make him think it's not. Mick thanks her for everything she did for him back in the day and mentions that he hopes that she and Frankie will be able to sort things out. He also asks her to tell Frankie that he's sorry, it's then Katy tells him to tell her himself, but Mick feels like it's best for him step away for a while and let things settle. But Katy then drops the bombshell that Frankie will only meet with her Mum if Mick comes to. I feel like once again, Mick is being thrown into situation he really doesn't want to be in.

Tuesday 29th September 2020

Good evening everyone! Hope you've all had a good day, before we dive into tonight's episode, I have a few spoiler pictures to share with you.

Hopefully these pictures won't give too much away, but obviously you can see for yourselves. Gray doesn't look like he's going to be able to cope during Chantelle's funeral. Do you think he'll eventually tell the truth about how Chantelle died? It's only a matter of time, plus it's also been revealed that Kheerat will not be welcome at the funeral, will he keep the peace and walk away or will he demand to be there?!

In other spoiler pictures, does Frankie come clean to Mick? Is she really Mick's secret daughter? How and why has she come to find him? What does she want with the Carter family?! If she is truly his daughter, how will Linda react and will they both want to create a Father and Daughter relationship?!

Of course there are many questions that need answering, but I'm sure we'll find out the truth in the upcoming episodes! I'm really looking forward to seeing how they unravel! Now lets focus on tonight's episode, it began with Callum in the police stations, from what we can make out, he's listening to a voice message from Phil, asking him to already asking him to do a police check on some individuals he could be potentially doing some dodgy business with, of course he's listening to the voice message with his boss standing with him. From what I can make out, his boss needs something harder to be able to put Phil behind bars, Callum is unsure how he's going to be able to do it - he admits it's going to be hard! I feel like the Detective is just telling Callum what we wants to hear, manipulating him a bit, telling him he understands how hard it is to be the first one on the scene of a huge car crash and also complimenting him saying how much of a good copper he is! Callum explains to his boss that he record every conversation when he's with Phil, it's then his boss passes over to him a small recording device and asks him to place it in the Arches. Callum instants refuses, but once again his boss worms his way into his head and says that if he really wants to keep Ben safe, he'll do what he's asked. 

Meanwhile, Stuart is getting ready for his wedding day, it's the happiest the he's ever been. He and Jay are discussing how lucky his is and whether Rainie will be changing her name when Lola appears, explaining that Rainie is having some kind of nightmare with her wedding dress. As far as I can make out, it was some kind of wedding dress from a Christmas box, Wilma Flinstone? Obviously Stuart finds the situation amusing, but when Lola insists that she's serious about the whole thing, Stuart makes himself scarce so Rainie can go and get a proper dress for her wedding day. 

As he leaves the scene, Denise can be seen cleaning the salon, Sheree approaches her and she thanks her for standing up to Phil Mitchell and defending Isaac. Denise doesn't know what to say, I guess she doesn't want to take any form of "Thanks" - obviously, unbeknown to Sheree, things we getting on top of Denise and she it looks as if Phil was the one she needed to lash out at, especially considering the fact that he's the father of Raymond. The conversation changes slightly and they end up talking about Mitch and Chantelle, Sheree states that she can't even begin to imagine what it must be like to lose a child, as Denise takes in every word she says, she also mentions that she wouldn't know what she'd do if she was to lose Isaac - Denise suddenly asks Sheree to cover for her, has her words started ringing in Denise's ears? Is she going to focus on what she can do for Raymond?!

Meanwhile, at the restaurant Max is sat on his own looking at his laptop when Bobby comes up behind him, he clocks on to what he's looking at on his computer screen and realises it's his website he's created for The Lucy Beale Foundation. Bobby is in shock when Max reveals how impressed he is with his work and says that he'd like to support him. Bobby says it's not necessary for him, considering what's been happening between him and his Dad. Max apologises to the teenager for how he acted the other day. He also just happens to mention that he's that impressed by Bobby's website that he's called a journalist to come and speak to him about the charity, Bobby instantly seems surprised, he admits he doesn't want to go public with the information just yet, but Max is insistent - what he's portraying is good and it needs to be shown that he's trying to make a difference, and if he's passionate about then so will everyone else! 

Dressed in his Best Man attire, Callum looks like he's about to break into the Arches, he successfully makes his way in by unlocking the padlock. My only thought process is, where did he get the key from? Did Phil give it to him? Ben perhaps? I can't recall who or where he got the key from? I mean, of course you'd think Ben would trust him to have given him access to the Arches, but has is instead just also nicked it from someone/somewhere? Once he's in, he quickly scours the room trying to find a decent hiding place for his recorder, from what I see, he decides to leave it in the far corner of the Arches. As he's doing this, his brother is getting enjoying his celebrations with the locals, a hearse is seen outside the Vic with flowers made into the letters S and R! Stuart lets himself inside the car and begins to play "In The Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. The next part of the scene I loved, Ben and Stuart bonding as they enjoy the music, as Jay is trying to get a hold of Callum, Rainie is ready for her big day, and can I just say - she looks absolutely stunning in her wedding dress! Lola is following along behind her holding her train, when she asks where Stuart is, Jay reveals he's hovering around the hearse, suddenly Rainie's face drops - Stuart has only gone and locked himself in a car with dodgy electrics!!

Back at the Arches, Callum is perfectly hiding his recorder, sticking it underneath a type of ledge of some sort. Once doing this, he begins searching all the documents on the table, taking photographs of each one. Part of me is saying that he's going to be caught at any minute, what I didn't expect was for Danny Hardcastle to make his way in! Instantly, he's suspicious - he questions Callum what he's doing looking at all the paperwork, but then to him, it all makes sense - Ben Mitchell dating a copper and suddenly he's being arrested for the robbery, Callum instantly plays dumb and acts like he has no idea what Danny is talking about. Just then, Phil walks in! Something tells me he's here to perhaps save and stick up for Callum, what is going to happen now he's become face-to-face with Danny again?!

I just want to say how much I loved the next scene! Rainie is going ape at Stuart for getting in the wrong car, of all bloody days! Stuart reassures her that not matter what, they will be getting married. This little hiccup will not ruin their day! It's then he turns and asks Ben to get the car started, Callum is nowhere to be seen so he's now asking Ben to help with Best Man duties! For a split second my heart was in my mouth when Ben realised he had to go the Arches, what would he do if he knew his boyfriend, his Dad and arch enemy were in there?! Wait! I know the answer, he'd go bursting in demanding to know what was going on! Then, when Ben realises he hasn't got the keys, he asks Jay to go instead, they swap roles - Ben calls the wedding venue to change the time of the wedding and Jay goes to the Car Lot to get some jump-leads!

In the Arches, Callum is still - kind of - trapped with Danny and Phil. Danny insists he's only wanting to say adios, after he's had a discussion with him about his arrest. It's then that Danny turns the conversation about Callum, explaining to Phil how he caught him going through his paperwork! This scene had me worrying for Callum. Danny was on him like a dog on heat!!!! Every word he was saying, we knew, was right!!! But of course, Phil isn't going to believe Danny, he'll take the word of his son's boyfriend. Callum attempts to talk his way out of being caught out, explaining that he used Ben's keys to get in as he picked them up by accident. When Danny uses the words to Phil "He's playing you!" I am just praying that Phil will realise what Callum is doing ... Okay, please be honest with me folks, how are you guys feeling about Callum's current situation? Do you think he's doing the right thing? Do you understand why he's doing it? I have such a split feeling about this, I don't like what he's doing to the Mitchell's - to Ben and Phil, he's betraying their trust - and yet I can kind of understand why - to protect his boyfriend. It's such a horrible situation and I really don't like it! It's only going to end badly!! When Callum claims that Danny is lying about everything, Phil does the one thing he's been needing to do - asks Callum to prove he's on their side!! 

While Ben is calling his boyfriend, asking where on earth he has got to. Everything is kicking off at the Arches, my mouth drops during this scene! Danny is egging Callum on and on and on! Claiming to Phil that mainly because of his career choice, Callum is using the Mitchell to his advantage, claiming everything they tell him will get back to the police. It's then that Danny turns nasty, saying when his back is turned he'll get his hands on Ben. Callum is getting angrier and angrier at the minute, how dare he threaten Ben again after what he put him through? After causing him to lose his hearing and almost never being able to hear again! Callum lashes out - grabs a sturdy pole and whacks Danny to the floor, Phil watches on as Callum continues to beat Danny over and over again - I'm sure this would be taken as a sign that Callum is proving himself to Phil?! 

Wow!!! How long has it been since we've seen Billy?! He joins Mitch the Queen Vic, Mitch makes it quite clear that he's not wanting to have another argument. But Billy insists that's not why he's come to see him. - Random question - Are Billy and Karen still together? I'm assuming they are?! - Mitch has been sleeping at the salon after accusing Gray of being involved in Chantelle's death. Karen, understandably doesn't believe a word that is coming out of he ex's mouth! She's warned him to stay away until he's rid of his unbelievable theories! Billy assures Mitch that he doesn't have to stay away, especially considering Bailey will be returning and she'll need somewhere to stay. He asks Mitch whether he could apologise and forget ever mentioning Gray, but the poor man admits it'll be too hard to do! Billy tries his absolute best to get through the grieving father, Karen is the only one who knows how it feels, they both need each other right now - now more than ever! 

Back with Denise, we see her visiting the hospital again, she watches as Ellie is being told that Raymond is progressing really well. Denise approaches Ellie, revealing she's brought pyjamas for the youngster. Ellie warns her that if she really doesn't want to help then she'd best stay away, but Denise reassures her that she is truly eager to help in any way she can. She explains to her that she wasn't close to the young boy's parents, she probably didn't speak to them as much as she'd like, but she truly does want to help her young son. Ellie allows Denise to sit with the boy. 

At the Taylor household, we can see, as Billy described to Mitch, that Karen is going through pictures of Chantelle, deciding on which picture to use for her funeral. We can hear her softly sobbing as she looks through the pictures, to me - it looks as if she's looking for a specific one? She looks to the heavens with tears in her eyes, we hear footsteps approaching and Mitch walks in, seeing Karen on the floor he crouches beside her, they don't say a word, Karen acknowledges him and her sobs get harder and harder. Billy was right, they need each other right now. They have lost a child they both loved dearly, only they can understand how the other one is feeling. 

At the salon, Jack is seen looking for Denise, Sheree reveals to him that she has gone out and she has been holding the fort for her - for 4 hours!! Jack is clearly beginning to get suspicious of his girlfriend, where is she going and why is she being so secretive? Meanwhile at the hospital, Denise is watching over Raymond. She starts to speak softly to him as he sleeps, apologising for giving him up as a baby, explaining how much she wanted him to have a family who wanted/loved him. Suddenly the little boy wakes - "Mummy!" - Denise is shook, the boy is asking for his Mummy! Part of me thought she was going to start crying softly and perhaps even embrace the young child? She leans in slowly - only to be stopped by Ellie! Do you guys think Ellie is suspicious of Denise also?! Something is telling me she's going to figure out who Denise really is! She explains the child was asking for his Mummy and that she wasn't sure what to do, she quickly exists before things get any more awkward for her. 

Back on the Square, where the fun is still going on with Stuart being locked in the car, Jay is trying to jumpstart the car, after a certain amount of attempts, it's clear that the battery of the car is dead. Rainie groans in frustration, of course her groom would get trapped in a car on their wedding day! Suddenly, Ben appears with another fellow in tow! He explains to the couple that he is willing to marry them then are there, otherwise they'd have to reschedule for another day - I just want to mention how much I loved that one-liner by Stuart - "Who's the bowtie?!" - Rainie explains to him the situation and they both agree! It's clear they both love each other, what does it matter where they get married?! As long as they'll have each other, that's all that matters. Finally Callum shows up to his brother's wedding, asking what he's missed, Ben gives him quite a serious look as if to say "Where the hell have you been?!" Ben makes it clear to his boyfriend that he's been trying to get hold of him. 

Oh yes! I almost forgot about that - so much as has gone on in this episode tonight! As Max and Bobby leave the restaurant, they both appear to be thanking a journalist for interviewing Bobby and that they'll look forward to reading their article. Of course, Ian is wondering towards them and overhears what they're talking about, "What article?" he asks. Bobby informs his Dad how much of a help Max has been and that hopefully now they'll start to get donations for his sister's charity. As Bobby thanks Max once again, Ian warns him not to play games with his family. Max tells Ian that he's fond of Bobby, even though he's done wrong in the past, he's trying to turn his life around and do something positive, he states a very clever point - why would he want to play games? The only thing he's wanting is his money back and he warns Ian that the clock is ticking! 

Back at the Taylor household, Mitch and Karen are reminiscing about their daughter. It's quite a sad scene really, Karen has so many memories of Chantelle's childhood, while Mitch realises he should've been there a lot more for her. He starts to torture himself with thoughts of Chantelle calling for him as she was fighting for her life, Karen tells him not to think of such horrible haunting things! As Karen softly cries, she reminds him on what a beautiful girl they created and how much she will live on through her children. As they both share in their grief, they both lean in for a kiss - when suddenly Gray walks in on them! I don't know about you guys but I can certainly feel the tension between Gray and Mitch as they both look at one another - as much as Mitch wants to be there for Karen, he can't shake his doubts about Gray.

On the Square, Rainie and Stuart are finally getting married, it may not be as they imagined, but they are finally tying the knot! With Ben, Callum, Jay and Lola and all the locals gathered around the car. They are finally announced as husband and wife. It's a beautiful scene as everyone applauds the happy couple! Ben instructs everyone to head into the Vic for drinks and food! Callum watches as his boyfriend walks on ahead, he knows he's going to have to come up with an explanation. As everyone makes their way inside, Rainie decides to stay with Stuart (as he's still trapped in the car) - she then asks whether he wants to know about her surprise! It's then she announces to her new husband that she's pregnant! Honestly, I feel so happy for Rainie and Stuart, they're probably the main couple who deserve all the happiness in the world, after everything they've both been through in the past, they deserve to have a happy married life and to have a child. Why do I fear though that Rainie's pregnancy could be a difficult one?! Happiness only lasts so long in soaps! 

Callum finally re-joins Ben, of course Ben has been wondering where the hell his boyfriend has been! Callum lies once again to his boyfriend that he just got caught up at work, which is why he was running so late for his brother's wedding. Ben clocks onto the blood stain on Callum's shirt, what he says then rings truth, his police business is starting to look like Mitchell business! I guarantee, the first thing that is going to come across Ben's mind is, what has his Dad got his boyfriend into?! 

Please tell me folks, what do you think of this current storyline with Callum?! I'm really interested to know your thoughts! I hope you enjoyed this post, I apologise for it being up so late, but I hope you'll enjoy reading through it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! I'll be back on Thursday following Thursday's episode! Also I just want to give out a huge thank you to @artsy-highway​ for the shout-out earlier, if you haven’t already please give them a follow, another fellow EastEnders and Ballum fan who writes brilliant fan-fiction! Get on it! <3 

Thursday 17th September 2020

Good evening everyone! I am very aware that I am very far behind right now, my apologies for being incredibly late. I don't think I've ever been behind with episodes this much before. Due to being away from my laptop/computer for about 4 days, I've not been able to write up about the past 2 episodes. Of course I'm aware there is an episode to air tonight, I'm going to try my absolute best to catch up and write up my blogs as quickly as possible so I can catch up with the rest of you all.

Firstly, there have been quite a few different stories about EastEnders cast in the headlines recently, but there are three which I am quite eager to focus on. The first one being, that Jake Wood who plays the incredible Max Branning will be sadly leaving the soap after portraying the Branning brother for 15 years. I for one, will be very sad to see Max go! He's been an incredible part of the soap and has been a part of so many iconic storylines. During his time on the Square Max has had 4 marriages, 10 affairs, 4 children (2 of which have died after falling from the Queen Vic roof!), been buried alive and been framed for murder! The door, luckily, has been left open for Max to return in the future. As far as I'm aware, we've still got Max until the end of the year, apparently with him being such a huge character of the soap, his exit is expecting to be a really hard hitting BIG one! I'll be sad to see Max go, but I'm thrilled that they've left the door open for him to return one day.

Secondly, it has been announced today that Lacey Turner will also be leaving the soap, only temporarily I'll add, as 4 weeks into her return on the Square, Lacey found out she was pregnant with her second child. Lacey will also be leaving on Maternity Leave at the end of the year, it is rumoured that perhaps Max and Stacey will end up leaving the Square together, with their history, who knows? Anything is possible when it comes to EastEnders. I am so thrilled for Lacey, it'll be a shame to see her leave again, but I'm sure her return will be massive when she comes back from Maternity Leave.

Lastly, it's been revealed that Maisie Smith has signed up to take part in this years Strictly Come Dancing! Fans will know she took part in the Children In Need special of Strictly along with Rudolph Walker (Patrick), Ricky Champ (Stuart) and Louisa Lytton (Ruby). She ended up winning and it looks as if that she did performance so well, she's gone for doing the show properly. She has announced that she will be filming EastEnders while also doing Strictly!

Right, after all the excitement of the recent EastEnders cast news, lets jump right into Thursday's episode! So as I remember, the previous episode ended with Chantelle on the Kheerat saying she was ready to cash in and be with him, little to her knowledge that Gray was standing right behind her, listening to her conversation. The episode starts right where the last one was left off, Chantelle clearly has no idea that Gray is stood right behind her as she asks Kheerat to do her the favour of grabbing the memory box from under her bed. She even gives him the security code for the alarm over the phone as Gray watches and listens. As she hangs up the phone as is given the doughnuts for the children, Gray makes his way out of café and leaves, Chantelle still none the wiser! 

At the Mitchell house hold, Callum is getting ready for Stuart's Stag Do! Ben arrives with a bottle in tow, Callum is visibly surprised to see him, not even expecting him to join him at his brother's Stag night! Ben assures him that he's happy to go along. Callum decides to ask his boyfriend about the set up that he had planned for Danny, Ben reveals to him that Danny was found in a car with the stolen money in his boot and the police had arrested him. Callum is clearly relieved to her that Ben's plan actually worked, only the downside is that Phil is unaware of what has happened. Ben promised him he'd inform his Dad, but Ben deciding to let his guard down told Callum that he doesn't want to lie to his boyfriend anymore. He's going to start an be more honest with him. I think that statement meant more to Callum than anything ... the amount of times Ben has lied to Callum, to be fair he always did it to keep him from being hurt or in trouble, his heart was always in the right place, even though lying to his boyfriend hurt Callum. Meanwhile, at the police station, Danny is being questioned by police! He states to the police that he's been set up, but refuses to say by who! 

At the club, Ruby is struggling as things start to fall down on top of her. Whitney sees her with her head in her hands and asks if she's alright. It's then Ruby opens up and informs Whitney of her money issues. She reveals she told Martin that she loves him, but her fears have escalated that he doesn't love her back. Plus she's also worried about the fact that she's lied to him about her money problems and he has no idea that she's struggling. Whitney advises her to do the right thing, stop lying to Martin and start telling him the truth, if he truly loves her back, he'd do anything to help! While Ruby and Whitney are having this conversation in Ruby's club, in the Vic, Martin and Kush are also having a similar conversation. Martin reveals to Kush that unfortunately nothing has come of his attack, because the person who attacked him wore a mask, it's pretty much impossible for him to know who it was who attacked him. It's then he also mentions to Kush that Ruby dropped the L-Bomb on him! Kush is also quite surprised to hear the news, but is also shocked to hear that Martin didn't say the L word back to her. Kush states that Martin needs to make up his mind, does he really want to be with Ruby? Or was he just enjoying the ride?

Also waiting in the pub to start their special celebrations are Stuart and Rainie! Can I just say how brilliant they both look? Rainie in her sparkly gold dress and veil and Stuart in his big leather jacket with the badge saying "Groom!" they both look very dapper in their party gear. 

Back at the holiday destination where the Taylor family are staying, Chantelle returns with the doughnuts for her children. She's look so excited to see them, as she enters the room she asks where her children are. Karen reveals to them that Keegan and Tiffany had taken them to get ice creams, we can see that behind Chantelle there's a shadow in the hall way of something or someone lurking, as Karen reveals how excited the children are, Chantelle breathes a sigh of relief. Only then to hear a voice behind her "So am I!" Gray appears from the hall and Chantelle is suddenly is in deep shock as she sees her violent husband standing in front of her. Her face drops and she softly says that she wasn't expecting him to come. Gray instantly states that it was the children's idea, stating that they wanted him around. The first thought in Chantelle's mind is to instantly go and find them, she needs to see them! Karen stops her in her path and tells her not to worry, they'll be back soon and that they all have a fun-filled night ahead planned. Karen suggests Chantelle takes Gray to their room, Chantelle is hesitant, but when Gray makes the slight dig at her by saying "Glad someone appreciates me around here!" Chantelle pretty much trapped in a corner and feels forced to take Gray to her room.

Once in their room, Gray makes a sarcastic comment saying the room is a 5 star! Chantelle sighs and claims she knew Gray wouldn't like it. But then he smiles at her, tells her he loves the room. Chantelle is wanting to be as far away from Gray as possible, she makes an excuse to leave and let him get settled while she goes and sees the kids. Gray is then approaching her, closing the door slightly as she is forced to make a decision to either step in or out of the room, she is pretty much backed into the corner as he approaches her. Stating that he knows her, he is inside her head and warns her not to forget it! He instructs her that during their stay they'll appear all nice and happy with their family, but they will leave the following morning. Chantelle decides to agree, knowing that he'll only attack her again if she doesn't. She leaves the room and goes to see her children, the voices of the kids can be heard shouting with excitement "Mummy!" - Gray then takes it upon himself to search Chantelle's suitcase. At first, all you can see are the children's belongings such as toys and clothes, but then as he searches deeper into the case, he finds her make-up bag with poker chip inside. Back on the Square, Kheerat is watching the Atkins house, waiting for Gray to make an appearance, we then see Gray go to change the house alarm code on his phone. Is Kheerat going to be able to make it into the house in time before he changes the alarm?!

Back in the Mitchell's, Ben and Callum are making themselves ready for Stuart's big night! Ben is promising to give Stuart and brilliant time. Callum can see that Ben is doing everything in his power to make him happy, he smiles to himself as they leave for the party. As they leave, Callum asks his boyfriend if his offer of him moving in still stands. Ben smiles and nods, "Of course!", Callum smiles back, "I'd better get packing then!" - at the one moment in their life, they're happy and looking forward to the future. Ben begins to lead the way, only to be stopped in his tracks by the police and ends up being arrested for armed robbery. Has Danny actually decided to grass Ben up?! Callum can only wait and watch as his boyfriend is taken by his boss! He takes a sneaky look around the corner of a wall while Ben goes to sit in the police car, only quickly turns away when boss looks around. Has he been seen and will his boss put two and two together? Will he question Callum's involvement with Ben?! 

While all this is happening out on the Square, in the Vic both Stuart and Rainie are looking miserable as they sit and wait for their friends and family to come and join them for their parties. Rainie assures Stuart with Callum would have something up his sleeve in store for him, but Stuart feels disheartened as there literally appears to be no one around him to celebrate his Stag Do. You can see he's hurting, both of them are - as much as they are disliked people on the Square, I do believe that everyone deserves a bit of happiness and they both deserve happy Stag and Han parties. While they mope in the corner of the Vic, Ruby makes her way in and approaches Kush and Martin. Kush decides to leave them to it, but as Ruby is trying to explain herself to her boyfriend, Martin interrupts and tells her that realises how he made her feel, but not saying the L word back. Ruby instantly tells him not worry and forget about it, as that isn't what she came in to talk to him about. But Martin states that he can't forget what she's said, and he reveals to her that he feels exactly the same way about her. "I love you, too!" - A huge smile is plastered on Ruby's face! They both share a laugh and a smile as they both finally reveal their feelings for one another. Suddenly, across the other side of the bar, Ian makes his way into the pub. He slams a wad of paper on the bar for Sharon to look at, she first approaches him with a smile - still trying to make amends for turning him down, only to then realise what his intentions are. He states he's got a list of all the targets he wants her to reach, she simply tries to explain to him that his targets and figures are not realistic, she tells him, basically what everyone else is thinking - it's not about the money, the whole reason why he is acting this way is because she turned him down, she instructs him that he needs to take the rejection as a man and move on! He ignores her completely and just tells her that if she can't make the money, he will find someone who will!

At the holiday home, the Taylor family are huddled together around the TV, watching an old-style, black and white horror movie. As Chantelle walks in the room to join her family, Gray smiles at her, expecting her to take a seat beside him. Chantelle walks towards her parents and grabs a seat beside her Dad, much to Gray's disappointment. As Mitch and Chantelle begin to reminisce about watching the movie together when she was younger, Gray can't help but watch and glare at Chantelle. Is he actually jealous of the relationship she has with her father?! She then tells her Dad she loves him and snuggles up to him. Part of me is thinking that while Chantelle is watching the movie, she's actually wanting to be the woman in the movie who appears to be running away from a monster. Is Chantelle thinking about how she could run away from the monster in her life?! 

At the police station, Ben is now being questioned by police. He's been asked questions about whether himself and his Dad were at the scene of the crime. All Ben is answering is "No comment!" The Detective reveals that they have images of Ben on the CCTV, but once again Ben states "No comment!" the Detective then decides to end the questioning for the time being, but without being recorded, he informs Ben that Danny is willing to grass him up to the police. Ben once again tries to worm his way out, telling the Officer that he doesn't know him. It's only then when he pulls out a statement, Ben appears shaky, he reaches behind his ear (I'm unsure at this point what he's grabbing) - either grabbing at his hearing aid or the actual imprint, takes it off/out and places it on to the desk and demands to see his lawyer. Outside in the corridor, Callum and Jack are sharing a tense conversation. It looks as if Callum is asking Jack for help, whether he can find out the charges of what Ben might be facing. Jack informs him that he can't get involved, and neither should Callum. Callum claims that he can't stand back and do nothing, but Jack then advises him that if he values his career, then he should. 

While the Taylors are watching their horror movie, Kheerat, back at the Square, is seen sneaking into the Atkins household. Going by the instructions that Chantelle gave him, he types in the code. Only suddenly the house alarm begins blaring. Kheerat doesn't know to do, he begins to panic and flies up the stairs. As the house alarm is going off, Gray gets a notification on his phone, he claims to Chantelle that someone has broken into their house and shows Chantelle his phone. The look on her face is concern and worry, is she worried for Kheerat's sake? She claims it must be some kind of mistake, but Gray instructs her to get ready and he informs her that they're leaving. Chantelle is of course hesitant to go, but Gray hurries her along, so she feels she has no choice but to follow him. 

Back at the police department, Callum is waiting to hear news of Ben. His boss suddenly appears, surprised to see him. He does, however, reveal that he saw him at the house when they arrested Ben. He then asks the question what his involvement with Ben is. When Callum bows his head and looks to the floor, the Detective then realises the truth behind their involvement together. He starts asking quite personal questions, whether they had been together long. Callum claims that that has nothing to do with anything, but the Detective informs him that he had to let them know whether he has had a relationship with a criminal, otherwise he could end up being sacked. The Detective is very sneaky here, he claims he is happy to have caught Danny Hardcastle, he claims Ben will do but the one person he is wanting to catch, is Phil Mitchell! He asks what Callum's relationship with Phil is like, but to be fair, they haven't really made any form of relationship. This is where he starts to bribe Callum, he says that there is a way he can turn a blind eye, and get rid of the CCTV of Ben, the only thing Callum needs to do is get him Phil Mitchell! But, part of me thinks that Callum wouldn't do that! Would he turn his boyfriend's Dad in, just to save his boyfriend? Could there be some other way he can sort it? It would break Ben's heart if his boyfriend was to serve his Dad up to the police! This is interesting dilemma Callum has found himself in, what is he going to choose to do?! 

Back at the holiday destination, Gray is rushing Chantelle to get them all home. Chantelle is very hesitant to go, she asks why not she and the children stay and Gray goes on his own. Gray informs her that the children are already set and waiting in the car, he claims that they're scared and wanting to go home. Chantelle is looking more and more defeated the more she tries to stay. Mitch looks as if he can see what's going on, there's a VERY important moment here when you can see he senses something. This is the moment where you feel Chantelle will finally say something! Mitch says to Chantelle that if she really wants to stay, she can, that's all she has to say. He is sure Gray can cope on his own. There's a moment of silence, the camera goes from Mitch's face, to Gray's and then Chantelle - you can see she is wanting to scream at the top of her lungs that she wants to stay with her family. Gray is looking at her from across the room with serious, dead eyes - she sighs deeply and says she'll go with Gray.  She goes to leave the room but before she goes, she turns back and says one last goodbye to her Mum and Dad. They both wish them a safe journey and say that they'll see them tomorrow. Chantelle leaves the room as Gray follows and wishes them a lovely evening. 

As they leave the room, Karen sighs a heavy sigh in disappointment that they've had to leave. Mitch looks as if he knows something isn't right, but decided to stay quiet. Chantelle is seen walking along the corridor, carrying her coat in her arms, she looks lost and defeated yet again as Gray has managed to worm his way into her plans and bring her back home. Gray follows from behind and gives such an evil look, you know things are not going to be right when they get back home. Will they find Kheerat in their house? Will he have managed to escape before they return?! Only bad things are going to happen next!

Monday 28th September 2020

Good evening everyone! Hope you've all had an enjoyable weekend! As of today I will back being up to date with my blog posts. I'm looking forward to seeing what this week of episodes have in store! Let's not waste any time and jump right into it!

Tonight's episode started with Max still looking for Ian, Max is wanting to get his hands on his money, he's already fuming at Ian for dodging him and ignoring him. Ian has come up with excuses upon excuses to Max for not being able to get his money to him urgently. As Max leaves after having a word with Kathy, Ian is seen peering behind the door-frame, as if he's been hiding from Max, which we know he is - he's avoiding him like the plaque! Ian is such a weasel isn't he? Why doesn't he just grow a pair and admit to Max the truth, it's only a matter of truth before all his secrets come out!

Meanwhile, Gray and Karen are catching up at the club. Karen informs Gray that Mitch is currently sleeping at the salon as he's not welcome at the house for having doubts about Gray. Gray tries to ask Karen not to act harshly on Mitch, as everyone is still grieving for Chantelle. Karen can't believe he's sticking up for the man who's basically accused him of murder, it's then she turns to him and says "You're such a good man!" ... the only thing my brain is saying is "If only you knew Karen, if only you knew!" Ooooo I can't wait for Gray to be found out, it's going to be SO good when he finally gets seen for the murderer he truly is!

Oh yes! At the hospital, Denise is still watching over her biological son, Raymond. Ellie seems to be surprised that Denise is back visiting him, as they chat she informs him that Raymond made it through the night and he seems to be slowly recovering. Denise is visibly relieved, Ellie also seems surprised by her reaction. -  I'm not 100% sure what to make of Ellie, it's been revealed she's going to be a type of villain? I have my speculations about this current storyline, I'm really excited to see where it's going to go, but something tells me it'll be a battle of who gets custody of the young child. I think, perhaps, Denise will try and get Phil on side - if she tells him everything she knows about the adoptive family passing away, Phil will probably do the right thing and help Denise get custody of her son. But how is Phil going to act when he learns about Ellie and what will she do to get in their way? - Ellie asks Denise if she'd still like to help out and Denise insists that she'd love to, she's instructed by Ellie to get some new pyjamas for the young boy, Denise is only willing to do whatever she can for the boy so she goes off without hesitation. As she leaves, Ellie looks really suspicious - why would Denise want to help? Is she just being a good Samaritan? Or is there more to it? (Oooo I can't wait to see when Ellie finds out who Denise actually is!)

At the club, Mick walks in on Frankie taking pictures of Ollie, at first it seems only friendly and as if she's doing no harm, of course Mick is a little suspicious as Frankie barely knows the child. But it's when he grabs the camera without her looking and takes a look at the photo's, he realises there are quite a lot of photo's of Ollie that she's taken, plus also ones of other family members. When Frankie realises, she makes the excuse that it's Street Art Photography that she's doing. Mick does seem very uncomfortable at the fact that he's been photographed without his knowledge, he asks Frankie is kind of polite way to not to post them on social media and maybe to delete the images, mainly because Linda would feel uncomfortable about it. Frankie promises to do as he asks, but surely his mind must be racing? Who is this girl and why is she taking photos of him and his family?! I've heard some kind of rumour that perhaps Frankie could be Mick's secret daughter, but I'm not 100% sure whether to believe it's true, I mean, it could be - but who knows?!

In the cafe, Stuart is visibly excited to be marrying Rainie, both Callum and Ben are watching on as he's happily smiling as he's having a conversation on the phone with his future wife. I thought it was cute, personally, after so long of being such a dark character, Stuart is finally getting some happiness - and I think he bloody deserves it, as does Rainie! As they're saying their goodbyes on the phone, Ben makes a silly comment to Callum "A tenner says this marriage doesn't last as long as this goodbye!" - It's lovely seeing Stuart all smiley! When he finishes the call and turns to the boys he starts talking about how weird it feels, him getting married and then Callum moving in to the Mitchell's, it's then Ben says that he'll be a Mitchell now he's living under their roof! It's funny as all these one liners comes out, I'm thinking to myself, he's pretty much there now after what he's doing to Phil! As Stuart leaves after reminding Callum of his Best Man duties, Ben again makes a comment of Callum and his Dad being best mates, it seems as if Callum comes clean to his boyfriend, he reveals that he and Phil have been chatting a lot recently, plus he reveals the big news about Phil offering him a job to work on the family firm side of things, Ben is clearly surprised and perhaps confused to hear this news.

In the laundrette, Kathy and Bobby are picking up their clothes from Linda, I just want to say that I absolutely loved the moment when Linda couldn't remember where she had stored their dry-cleaning - B for Beale or C for Cathy, only for it to be under K for the correct spelling of Kathy! I don't know why, I just thought it was brilliant! As she finds the clothes, she overhears Kathy and Bobby talking about Ian's money problems, Kathy informs Bobby that Ian needs this new contract otherwise he wont be able to pay Max back! Linda knows the situation regarding Max and his money, is she going to do the right thing and tell Max? He deserves to know what's happening and what's happened with his share of the restaurant. I kind of hope she does.

Back at Ruby's, Denise and Jack are catching up. He questions Denise on where she has been, she claims she's been shopping and the thing she bought she's planning on taking back anyway. Suddenly Jack's phone rings and he excuses himself to take the call, as he moves to one side, Denise watches as Phil makes his way into the club and sits by the bar. Will she tell him the truth about his son? Next minute, Isaac and Sheree are seen in the club corridor, they appear to be talking about Isaac's run in with his boss about the allegation of him using drugs, as they both walk in they see Denise on the other side of the club, and then Phil sat at the bar. Phil is the one to break the silence and makes a snide comment about him coming to see his dealer. Isaac isn't wanting to hear another word, it's only then that Denise gets involved in the conversation and reminds Phil that's he's not as innocent as he makes out, claiming he doesn't his granddaughter to be taught by a druggie, when he was addicted to crack a couple of years back. She basically insults the Mitchell family name, accusing them all of being criminals! Isaac, Sheree and Jack watch on in disbelief as Denise stands up to Phil! It's a pretty brilliant scene I have to say! Something tells me though that Denise is only doing this because of being reunited with her son, Raymond, who Phil just so happens to be the Father of. As she leaves the club, she appears to be holding a gift bag, we see that it's a set of boys pyjamas that Ellie asked her to buy for Raymond, she then suddenly decides to bin the clothes and walk away.

Back at the Mitchell household, Ben is looking like he's wanting answers from Callum, he wants to understand what his boyfriend has been asked to do. Then suddenly it clicks, he realises that Phil has asked Callum to perhaps get him inside information about what the police are looking for and what they might want. Ben can't understand why Callum would risk losing his job and his future if he was to do what Phil was asking him. He explains to his boyfriend that he is good and that is one of the reasons why he loves him. It's then that Phil walks in, Ben wants answers now! Why is he bringing his boyfriend into this? Why is he making Callum do dirty work? Phil explains to him plain and simple, it's good for business and he's part of the family now, which is why it will work! As Callum and Phil both leave the room, Ben is stunned!

Back at the Vic, Karen is drowning her sorrows in a pint when Kheerat walks in. She tells him not to even think about causing any more trouble, he tries to defend himself, whether it was right or wrong, he cared for Chantelle. He loved her. Karen asks him to picture Chantelle if she was to hear their conversation, she'd hate everything that was happening. Kheerat pauses for a second, thinking that actually what Karen is saying is true. He agrees, he apologises to her and promises not to say anything again and peacefully leaves her with her drink.

At the Beale's house, Ian is looking ready for his meeting, he greets Charmaine and welcomes her into his home. At first, she feels perhaps his house is a little bit unprofessional, as she's after a catering company, you'd think the restaurant would be a better place. Ian insists that she enters his living room where there appears to be a dining table very elegantly displayed with cutlery and dishes. It's then Ian introduces Bobby to Charmaine, and she is instantly aware of who he is. She reveals, much to Ian's surprise, that Bobby and herself had been emailing about a charity named The Lucy Beale Foundation, which Bobby has designed and created himself. Ian's shocked and his ears are ringing as Charmaine admits that Bobby had her reaching for her cheque book, he instructs Bobby to get themselves some food and invites him to join them both for lunch.

Meanwhile, back at the laundrette, Max is opening up to Linda, revealing that Jack is wanting to be a proper family with Denise and the kids, he's worried that Jack might end up asking him to move out. He reveals he's contemplating going to New Zealand to go and see Lauren and Louie, even promised little Abi that he'd take her, once Ian returns his money to him. As Max is revealing all this to Linda she can't help but look guilty, she tells him not to get the little girl's hopes up. Instantly, that doesn't sit right with Max, why would she say such a thing? Why would Abi be disappointed? He moves in on Linda and can see that she's hiding something, he asks her why she's looking so guilty, she backed into a corner, she can't let him think everything is okay when truthfully it's not, she lets out a sigh - will she tell him what she knows?!

Back at the Beale's, Bobby is talking confidently to Charmaine, explaining how much he had to rebuild his life and how much he wanted to focus on turning such a tragic event in his life, to potentially something positive. Charmaine is truly touched by Bobby's honesty and asks whether Ian will match her donation to the charity, Ian insists he will but turns the whole subject back on to the catering contract. She says that she can see how much it means to him, it's then that Ian starts to take advantage of Bobby's idea and - I don't know whether you guys think so too - but does he actually lie saying he's doing it to honour Lucy?! Or is he just playing at her heartstrings just so she'll sign on the dotted line?! Bobby is clearly annoyed with his Father for making such a claim, just then Max storms in - (Linda has told him everything then!) - Max storms in on their meeting and bellows to Ian that he knows he's been lied to for weeks, he's stolen his share of the restaurant, his life savings and he wants them back!!

Back to Denise, we can she's on the phone to Ellie, explaining that something has come up regarding the little boy's pyjamas. Suddenly, Jack walks in on her phone call and she hangs up almost immediately. Jack is already realising that something isn't right with Denise, he asks who it was that she was talking to on the phone, but she brushes it off saying it wasn't important. It's then Jack is asking her for answers, asking why she let rip on Phil earlier in the club, she explains she was trying to stick up for Isaac. Jack informs her that that is not their fight and they don't need to get involved. Denise apologises and reassures him that there is no need for her to speak to or even go near Phil Mitchell ever again!

Meanwhile, back at the Beale's - Max is keeping quiet as Charmaine apologises to Ian and states that she can't do business with him after what has been revealed. Once again, Ian is trying to worm his way out of the situation, telling her that him and Max had an informal loan arrangement in which the terms have been disputed. Max isn't having anymore of Ian's lies! As Charmaine leaves, he reveals he knows about him using his money to buy the Vic! Max instructs him to sell the pub so he can get his money back - I don't know whether you guys noticed, but as Max and Ian are arguing, Bobby is seen counting under his breath, quite tensely squeezing or pinching the side of his arm - is this a coping mechanism? Can he not handle confrontation and big arguments at the scene of where his sister died? Max almost goes lashing out at Ian, as he does so, Bobby shouts at them to stop fighting! Ian tries to calm the situation, he explains to Max that they will find a solution, but not in this current situation where everyone is shouting to have their say.

I'm not 100% sure where Mick and Linda are staying right now? To me it looks like Kush's old apartment, or it could be Ted's old apartment? Who knows? I know I'm wrong, so if anyone could shed some light on where Mick and Linda are currently living, I'd appreciate it! Anyway, Linda admits to Mick about telling Max everything she knows about Ian buying Sharon the Vic with Max's money. He jokingly calls her a "Grass!". As they both get comfortable on the sofa, Mick opens up about his concerns about Frankie taking photos of Ollie. He explains to her that she had taken pictures of the family from a distance, he tells her that Frankie told him it was art, but should they be worried? Linda seems pretty unfazed, she suggests that that is what teenagers are like nowadays, taking pictures of people and things and calling them art. Which, to be fair, is kind of true?! It's clear to tell that Mick is unsure, only time will tell exactly what Frankie's obsession with Ollie and the Carter family will be.

The final scene of tonight's episode, I feel was an absolutely brilliant one! Ian walks into the Queen Vic cellar and realises the light isn't working. As he goes to grab some alcohol, we can see Max lurking in the shadows. He softly speaks to Ian and slowly approaches him, now Bobby isn't around they can carry on their conversation from earlier on. Ian is now finally backed into a corner as Max gets closer. Ian proposes to pay Max back in instalments, at first Max sees that as an insults, why would he agree to that?! But then Ian confesses, it's the only way he'll be able to pay him back the full amount. Max looks to floor, nods and agrees to the arrangement, but he gives Ian one final warning, if he missing any payment, then he will come for him!!!