EastEnders spoilers follow for Thursday’s episode, which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders has aired an emotional turning point for Ravi Gulati, as his mental health struggle spirals out of control. Ravi is currently having a difficult time, dealing with the guilt of having attacked his son Nugget and the pressures of working as a police informant in the drugs operation he is involved with.
After being knocked down again this week in his failed search for a job, Priya demanded that Ravi go to the pharmacy to pick up Nugget’s epilepsy medication seeing as he forgot earlier.
But when Ravi arrived, with Nugget in tow, the pharmacist couldn’t find the prescription and asked him to come back tomorrow. This was the final straw for Ravi, who saw red and locked everyone, including Denise and Bea, in the pharmacy.
In today’s episode, Ravi refused to let anyone leave until he got the prescription and turned violent when he saw scared Bea attempting to call the police.
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The pharmacist followed Ravi’s orders and kept trying to find the medication, but when he had no luck, Ravi intervened and began searching behind the counter himself.
As Ravi grew more desperate and collapsed on the floor in tears, Nugget helped his dad look for the medication – while Denise secretly contacted Jack, alerting him to the situation.
Nugget eventually found his prescription and Ravi hugged his son in relief. Ravi came close to telling Nugget that he attacked him, but didn’t get the chance as Priya, Jack and Mark arrived at the pharmacy at that moment.
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Priya took vulnerable Ravi home, frightened about his fate after Jack promised that he would call in the incident and take statements from the witnesses.
Jack came round later and told Ravi that he’d managed to keep this off the charge sheet – but explained that if he hadn’t put his neck on the line again, Ravi would be on remand for his latest crime. Jack warned Ravi that he can no longer protect him if he jeopardises his informant role again.
Ravi and Priya had a heart-to-heart afterwards, and Ravi finally found the courage to up to her about his mental health struggle.
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“I feel like a fly trapped under a glass, and there’s no escape,” he said. “Whichever way I turn, I just keep hitting the sides.”
Priya supported him as he started hitting himself and broke down in tears. Will Priya be able to get Ravi the help he needs?
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.
Read more EastEnders spoilers on our dedicated homepage
If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this story, organisations who can offer support include the NHS, Samaritans on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393. Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.