EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders’ Patrick Trueman is faced with some devastating home truths next week, as he boldly confronts Zoe Slater in the prison visiting room! Will the Albert Square stalwart regret his quest for closure over Anthony’s death?
Clearly struggling to cope after his son’s untimely demise, Patrick decides to take the bull by the horns by speaking to Zoe in person. His grief for Anthony is overwhelming, especially with so many unanswered questions haunting him day and night. But could this frank conversation with Zoe make matters even worse?
“Poor Zoe has a terrible dilemma when she comes face-to-face with Patrick,” warns our Walford source. “On one hand, she wants to be honest with Patrick as he’s genuinely trying to understand how his son’s life ended in tragedy at Christmas.
“But if she’s too tactless in her approach, it risks sending Patrick on a downward spiral, which would just be cruel.”
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The week begins with Patrick starting to organise Anthony’s funeral, but he finds it difficult to handle the heartbreaking task. Denise and Kim step in to assist him, but they’re stunned when Patrick drops a bombshell – he wants to see Zoe!
It seems Patrick can’t concentrate on the plans for Anthony’s send-off until he fully understands why his son died in the first place. While he already knows some of the sordid details of how Anthony mistreated Zoe, it’s crucial for Patrick to uncover the missing pieces of the puzzle.
“Patrick asks Denise and Kim to help him obtain the prison visiting order, knowing that they’ll do anything for him,” reveals our insider. “Kat steps in and warns that seeing Zoe isn’t a good idea, but there’s no stopping Patrick now that his mind is made up.”
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The next day, Zoe braces herself for a difficult conversation as Patrick arrives. She tries to answer his many questions about Anthony as truthfully as she can, without hurting his feelings.
Zoe must also avoid letting slip any secrets about why she isn’t fighting harder to save herself from a long jail sentence, as she’s still trying to protect long-lost daughter Jasmine.
Just when Zoe thinks that she’s handled the situation as delicately as she can, Patrick leaves her unnerved with a cryptic comment about Jasmine, who has gone missing from Walford. Are Zoe’s efforts to shield her daughter from trouble still under threat?
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Once Patrick returns to the Square, he admits that he doesn’t know how to grieve for Anthony after hearing Zoe’s emotional account of everything he did to her. Denise and Kim continue to rally round, but it may not be enough…
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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