With a ground-breaking flash-forward sequence that revealed a significant fatality at the end of the year, EastEnders has audiences in awe.
Six of the show’s iconic women would experience major life changes, according to the BBC One soap opera, which guaranteed fans a pivotal episode of the serial drama.
They became friends during a lock-in as they shared their thoughts, including Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).
The women in question raised their last drink to all the males who had disappointed and wounded them throughout the years, hoping that one day they would receive justice.
But for one Walford guy in particular, that day of judgement will come, with a terrifying flash-forward sequence confirming a death at Christmas.
On Christmas Day, the six women described above were seen staring in complete and total shock as a dead man’s corpse lay on the pub floor, with Sharon—apparently on the day of her own wedding—checking the resident’s pulse.
The death was confirmed at the end of the spectacular episode as the six ladies processed what had happened.
I know, there are so many concerns.
For instance, WHO is Sharon actually getting married to? The identity of the deceased person is the greatest mystery, though.
Who exactly is it?
We’re sorry the verdict is still out on that one, but there are a lot of possibilities, so without further ado, let’s look at who it might be.
Panesar, Nish
Given that Nish Panesar has been portrayed as the villain in the show since his introduction, he would seem to be the most logical option.
The patriarch has made it his goal to undermine and rule over his wife Suki, removing everything she values in terms of her business and making it abundantly obvious that he is in charge.
Despite Nish’s bullying, Suki demonstrated her superior business acumen when she persuaded Linda to reconsider doing business with Sharon and suggested that she invest in the bar instead, demonstrating that Nish lacks this skill.
However, Nish changed the story in the following scenes, informing Suki that his cleverness was what made Linda change her mind, despite his wife’s attempts to possibly seal the deal.
The evil tycoon, like every other soap opera villain, is probably on borrowed time, so could it be that he passes away over the holiday season? Will Suki or one of her dependable pals lash out in an effort to end Nish’s suffering permanently?
Suki is forced to sit down after the attack because the realisation of what happened has taken place, so it seems possible that the dead body is someone she knows specifically.
It’s also important to bear in mind that the song You Don’t Own Me was used in the trailer teasing the episode, which may be a sign of how these Walford women are rebelling against patriarchy and taking back control from nasty and abusive men.
Who better than Nish could suit such a mould?
Vijay Gulati
It’s none other than Ravi Gulati, who has a history of running afoul of the law, who could also be a contender for the corpse. The well-known character has murdered before, taking Ranveer’s life in an act that he almost let Suki get away with.
Ravi, however, has shown that he is more compassionate than both his biological father Nish and his adoptive father Ranveer. Ravi seems to have a burning desire to be a member of the Panesar family, a goal that he has come very close to realising over the past year.
Denise has been the focus of his attention lately, and the two plan to start a romance soon. You may have observed that Denise appears to be the one who uses the murder weapon in the flash-forward; therefore, could she be claiming her lover Ravi’s life?
Could the restaurateur opt to come clean about the affair given that Ravi is being investigated by none other than Denise’s own beau Jack Branning? Could that possibly be the cause of his demise?
Or could it be because of his involvement in Ranveer’s passing? Something that is still a riddle to everyone in Walford. Again, the revelation of the reality might provide an explanation for why Suki in particular is so exhausted upon hearing of the death because it would be a lot to take in.
Phil Mitchell
As you may have seen previously in the episode, Phil Mitchell and Kat Slater plan to wed around Christmas. The hard-man exclaimed with delight that he would be happy to wait until the holiday season to marry Kat, his future wife.
However, ten months later, Sharon is getting married on Christmas Day, not Kat!
The issue is: Will Sharon and Phil exchange vows during the holiday season? Will Phil eventually come to his senses and realise that Sharon, not Kat, is the person he really wants to be with?
Or is Sharon actually going to wed Keanu?
If the latter is chosen, could Phil possibly lose control during a jealous rage and end up deceased on the big day?
We’ve been in this situation countless times before, with Phil always ending up in a critical state, but could this actually signal the end of the venerable soap hard-man?
Keanu Taylor
Similar to Phil, Keanu might end up being Sharon’s future spouse. But if that’s the case, could he, like Phil, eventually pass away in a fight during the holiday season?
If Phil disagrees with Sharon’s choice of groom, as we hypothesised above, could he lash out, setting off a series of events that would end in the former mechanic losing his life?
If so, how do the other ladies involved in the situation enter the picture? What could possibly have caused the ladies in question, who administer the fatal blow, to lash out at Keanu?
Wicks, Dean
When Carly sent Linda Carter a picture of Shirley with Dean Wicks during the episode in issue, Linda Carter’s world came tumbling down.
As viewers will remember, Dean sexually assaulted Linda back in 2014.
As the two women bonded over their shared trauma, Kathy provided support. Linda, on the other hand, admitted that she was concerned about Dean making a comeback with Shirley by his side. However, Kathy quickly emphasised that, should this improbable event occur, she has an army of women standing by to support her.
Was Kathy making a prophetic prediction here?
Could Dean visit the Square before Christmas, prompting Linda’s pals to come to her aid? If so, could the rapist sacrifice his life to atone for his crimes?
Rocky
When Kathy heard that Phil had agreed to marry Kat during the holidays, she wasn’t too happy about it and said that she couldn’t even get Rocky to set up a date.
Rocky is delaying getting married, but why? The query is that. He seems to be hiding a significant secret, one that Brian Conley hinted at earlier this year.
He added that the riddle of it all has him “intrigued,” asking, “What has Rocky really done for the last thirty years?”
The actor concluded, “I believe there are plans to find out,” and we were all very excited. Is there a potential downside for Tom “Rocky” Cotton? Will his behaviour building up to the holidays cause him to pass away on the big day?
Will Kathy and her friends reach their breaking point as a result of his justifications for delaying the wedding?
Scott Malloy
After learning that his 12-year-old daughter Lily Slater was pregnant, Ryan delighted his supporters by making a surprise visit to the Square last week. However, it soon became clear that Ryan was staging a comeback in order to take Lily back to Wakefield.
At first, Lily was all set to go, but she quickly changed her mind after witnessing her father’s true colours when he criticised Stacey’s parenting and stopped paying child support.
However, the former mainstay later revealed that he’d like Lily to visit him and his wife Helen during the holiday season. This led Kat to reschedule her wedding, assuring Lily’s attendance in Walford for the big event.
However, is it possible for Ryan to make another return in an effort to win Lily back? And if so, will he use force? In the flash-forward scene, Stacey actually has blood on her hands, suggesting that the victim may be connected to her in some way.
Tuesday, February 21, at 7:30 p.m. on BBC One, EastEnders will resume.
