Fighting a losing battle with cancer, Denise Fox’s (Diane Parish) last hope in EastEnders is a potential stem-cell donor – her long-lost brother.
Dee’s rapidly advancing acute myeloid leukaemia has isolated her from friends and family. Even after being discharged from hospital, she was practically confined to her bedroom and wrapped in cotton wool by her loved ones.
Her partner Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) has seen the strong woman he loves at her most vulnerable, hair falling out, sickly and forced to sleep in a separate bed.
All the stress of life in Walford hasn’t helped. When Denise’s daughter Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) struggled to care for her son Jordan Fox (Jahsaiah Williams) after he sustained life-changing injuries from a hit-and-run caused by Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt), Dee put her treatment on hold to look after her family.
Unfortunately, the cancer has advanced to the stage that chemotherapy is no longer proving effective, and Denise has been placed in a medically induced coma. The Fox-Trueman’s best chance is the long-lost half-brother that her sister Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) found on an ancestry website – Darnell Larson Jr (Christopher Colquhoun).
The family reunion didn’t go well. As soon as Darnell discovered why Kim got in touch, he became overwhelmed and fled.
Steve McFadden as Phil Mitchell, Scott Maslen as Jack Branning, and Christopher Colquhoun and Krysstina Frempong as Darnell and Grace Larson. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Today’s episode saw Denise brought out of her coma and showing signs of improvement, to Jack’s relief. However, the doctors revealed that the treatment wasn’t working, making the search for a stem cell donor more urgent. While Denise took comfort in the discovery of Darnell, Jack remained determined to find him.
But when he finally tracked him down, alongside daughter Grace (Krysstina Frempong), emotions ran high, leaving the family fearing they may have lost their best chance of helping Denise.
However, just when things seemed to be at their darkest, Darnell unexpectedly arrived to see Denise. Will this stranger agree to help the sister he’s never met?
Christopher Colquhoun as Darnell Larson and Diane Parish as Denise Fox. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Elsewhere on the Square, police officer Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey) was about to cross a serious line with Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) – and there’s no going back.
Ever since Joel Mitchell (Max Murray) was violently assaulted, Craig has been conducting an investigation and grilling the teenagers of Walford in an effort to root out the attacker. The troubled teenager’s vile misogynistic abuse of Vicky Fowler (Alice Haig) and Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) meant there was no shortage of suspects.
Little did Craig know, the guilty party was right under his nose.
As his investigation progressed, Craig displayed some questionable conduct with Amy. The creepy copper repeatedly overstepped personal boundaries by offering her a shoulder to cry on, having clandestine meetings together alone and even giving her his personal mobile number.
These manipulative tactics yielded results, as Amy finally confessed to hitting Joel with a hammer when he wouldn’t stop taunting her. Craig agreed to keep Amy’s secret, withholding evidence. He even joked that if the truth ever came out, they could “do a runner together”.
It’s obvious what Craig is doing to Amy – grooming. The worst part? He’s done this before.
Ellie Dadd as Amy Mitchell and Matthew James-Bailey as Craig Ingram. BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron
Last week, it was revealed during a meeting with Craig’s superior officer that he had been suspended from duty following a serious complaint against the detective. He is being investigated for gross misconduct regarding an incident that took place earlier this year, due to somebody alleging that Craig engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a female officer.
In today’s episode, it appeared that the conduct was only going to worsen as Craig persuaded Amy to join him for a drink.
Letting her guard down, Amy opened up to him about Jack’s confrontation with Darnell. After several drinks, the pair left together and, once out of sight, Craig kissed Amy.
Will Amy realise Craig’s sinister intent before it’s too late?
Add Radio Times as a Preferred Source on Google
Keep up to date on what’s worth watching with your favourite entertainment news from Radio Times – see more of our exclusive news and interviews featured prominently in Top Stories when using Google.
Read more:
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
Add EastEnders to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.