You should be aware by now that we have to look carefully at every frame of every episode of EastEnders in order to find hints about the imminent Christmas murder, which has kept us completely gripped since the flash forward episode in February.
The interior of the Queen Vic was decorated for Christmas as the flash forward jumped immediately to December 2023. But it was obvious that something nefarious had happened before the incident.
Following some sort of altercation, we saw The Six—Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean)—gathering over a mysterious dead corpse.
Since since, the identity of the victim has remained a mystery, but fans think they have found a clue that may go in that direction.
Viewers watched Ian and Cindy Beale (Adam Woodyatt and Michelle Collins) enter the Queen Vic to celebrate receiving half of the proceeds from the sale of George Knight’s (Colin Salmon) Marbella bar in yesterday night’s (September 28) episode of the BBC soap opera.
Things start to get complicated when George offers the pair a bottle of champagne on the house in an effort to act like a larger guy. Please be patient with us as there is a lot to discuss about that one gesture.
Rewinding to the flash forward episode, we saw several indications as to who may have been the killer and what the murder weapon might have been. Denise Fox held a shattered champagne bottle in her hands, while Stacey Slater had blood all over her hands.
A bottle of champagne that just so happened to be the same brand as the one George had placed in Ian’s font.
Has this shown that Ian is the body?
Perhaps, but he isn’t the only one.
Over the past seven months, that bottle has made multiple appearances, all involving members of The Six.
It first surfaced when our legendary queen Drunk Kathy made an appearance at Albie’s christening.
While pouring champagne directly from that bottle into her glass, she casually remarked that it got her incredibly intoxicated. We immediately noted this on our detective-style murder sheet.
The bottle later resurfaced, this time as a gift from Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) to Sharon and Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) on their engagement.
Does this imply that Ian and Keanu are both now wanted for murder?
At the National Television Awards, both actors were seen donning the fabled cufflinks, which raises the possibility that they are.
We’ve also previously talked about a hypothesis that claims Keanu is the body, and as the proof mounts, we can’t say things are looking good for him.
It’s still anyone’s guess with 86 days to Christmas, but we’re keeping a close eye on Mr. Ian Beale.