EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s episode (14 September), which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders has aired a devastating standalone episode focusing on the Slater Moon family after Zoe Slater’s heartbreaking and sudden death. In last week’s episodes, Zoe tripped and hit her head while stealing Charlie’s cab and picked up a head injury that she ignored.
During an altercation with Max that evening, Zoe’s condition deteriorated, but Max ignored her cries for help and left her calling out for Kat. In the early hours of the morning, Kat was horrified to find her beloved daughter dead in her bed.
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Kat struggled to take in this shocking news, and in today’s episode – set the next morning – she made Zoe a cup of tea to try and warm her up, but she was forced to accept that her daughter had died.
Meanwhile, Jean, Mo and Lily prepared to move out of No.31 and into The Vic. Alfie welcomed them and their huge pile of belongings to the pub, recruiting Jasmine, Josh and the boys to help.
Kat tried to get Alfie’s attention so that she could tell him about Zoe, but he was distracted by the chaos of moving day, with the Slaters reminiscing about iconic family memories while sorting through their stuff.
It all got too much for Kat, and it became clear to Alfie that something was wrong when she stopped Jasmine and Josh from going into Zoe’s room. Alfie went in himself and screamed as he discovered his stepdaughter’s death.
Struggling to control his own emotions, Alfie told the whole family that Zoe had died. Everyone headed downstairs and Alfie began to call the police, but Kat stopped him, taking his phone and locking herself in Zoe’s room.
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As Alfie sat on the other side of the door, Kat expressed her regret that she went to find Tommy yesterday instead of going with Zoe to buy the cab – but Tommy was devastated to overhear this and sobbed alone in the pub.
Meanwhile, Jasmine and Josh processed their grief for their mum together in the barrel store, and Jean comforted devastated Mo as she broke down in tears in the bathroom.
Alfie eventually convinced Kat that they needed to call the police. When she let him in, Alfie comforted his wife and encouraged her to take the time to say goodbye to Zoe, but she couldn’t bring herself to.
Despite their differences over the last year, Jean took a moment to sit with Zoe alone and brought with her a photo album of the Slater girls – with Gillian Wright delivering a gut-wrenching monologue celebrating this iconic soap family.
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“Slater blood, it runs through all of you,” she said, “causing chaos and noise. A whirlwind wherever you go. And love, so much love. It’s a fierce love and it’s messy and it has sharp edges, but it’s real. You were loved so much.
“I believe that love lasts. I think we take it with us where we go. I think you’ll already be up there now, with Charlie and Viv, and they’ll have their arms around you and they’ll be looking out for you.”
It was then time for Zoe’s body to be taken away, and as Julia’s Theme soundtracked the final moments, the community watched grief-stricken Kat run after her daughter and collapse in tears.
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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