EastEnders spoilers follow for Wednesday’s episode (19 November), which is available to watch now and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders has aired Joel Marshall’s first scenes in the soap for over a month, as the teenage villain makes a shocking return. Joel has been in a detention centre since he was arrested for brutally attacking Vicki Fowler, but it seems that this dramatic storyline is far from over…
This week, Vicki was devastated to find out that Joel was planning on pleading not guilty to her attack, and she continued to spiral as she came to terms with this news.
After a terrifying incident involving Chelsea’s married date Damon, Zack saved the day and came to Vicki’s rescue. The pair grew closer and shared a surprise kiss but were caught out by Kathy.
Ross later called round to see Vicki and made it clear that he was going to do everything he can to change Joel’s mind and stop her from having to take the stand in a trial.
BBC
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Sure enough, in today’s episode, Ross paid Joel a visit in prison – and he was concerned to see his son sporting a black eye.
Joel was encouraged when Ross said that he would do anything to help him. But the mood soured when Ross brought up the idea of pleading guilty and owning up to his crime.
He felt betrayed that his dad wasn’t willing to help secure his freedom, and things got worse when Ross explained how much Vicki was struggling after the attack.
BBC
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“I suppose I always had her down as some mad feminist man-hater,” Joel said, continuing his harmful and misogynistic language, “the sort that Drake talks about. If she’s going out attacking innocent blokes in pubs. It’s double standards, isn’t it?”
Ross was unable to make any progress with his son so stormed out, calling his visit a mistake. He returned to Walford and told Vicki that he couldn’t get Joel to change his mind.
BBC
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Vicki remained adamant that there was no way back for their relationship, but Ross was still desperate to fight for her and later told Harvey that he was planning a big gesture.
What does Ross have in mind, and will it work?
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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