EastEnders’ latest episode returned the BBC soap’s focus to the Slater family, as the search for Anthony Trueman’s killer continues with one family member narrowing her search to close to home
EastEnders air ‘dangerous’ Slaters scenes as fans fear the worst is yet to come(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Recent scenes on EastEnders have some fans fearing the worst is yet to come for the Slaters. The BBC soap has often explored to effects of being bipolar through Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) and her daughter, Stacey (Lacey Turner).
During Monday’s episode (5 January), viewers watched as Jean started to hunt for Anthony Trueman’s (Nicholas Bailey) killer. Having set up a ‘murder board’, Jean told Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) that Zoe Slater’s long lost daughter Jasmine (Indeyarna Holness-Donaldson) was the killer. When he didn’t believe her, Jean became extremely angry.
Later, as she spoke to a doctor, who was asking about her moods, Jean continued to accuse Jasmine, before deciding that famed crime writer Agatha Christie was speaking through her. Jean proceeded to pay a visit to Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) and quoted the bible to her, insisting that there is “good and evil” and that “evil must be punished”.
Jean worried fans with her recent behaviour(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Fans are certain that Jean is having a “manic episode” and is about to undergo a serious mental health crisis. They pointed out that her monologue about good and evil mirrored those Stacey gave when she was suffering from postpartum psychosis and believed she was seeing the Devil, which ultimately escalated until the character was sectioned.
“All this talk from Jean about “Good & Evil” – it reminds me of Stacey and her postpartum Psychosis when she started taking about seeing the devil,” one fan wrote online, who felt Alfie’s idea that Jean is just being a little obsessive and can be managed without constant care was wrong. “Jean is incredibly unwell and Alfie is deluded.”
A second fan agreed that Alfie’s optimism was not just misplaced, but “dangerous”: “This is a dangerous observation from Alfie – making out that Jean is just being obsessive and isn’t having a meltdown or manic episode. It’s clear that Jean hasn’t been the same since Stacey and Freddie left and she’s clearly unwell.”
Her behaviour mirror Stacey’s when she went through postpartum psychosis(Image: BBC/Gary Moyes)
Another person added that it was the bible quoting monologue to Yolande that convinced them Jean’s suffering: “The Jean Columbo thing was funny at first but the scene with Yolande brings it crashing down… Jean really is having an episode.”
“Section Jean already, I’ve had enough,” said a fourth, very blunt fan. Jean has been sectioned before, following a series of mental health crises.
The character has been worrying fans for months, as following Stacey’s exit from the show, and then fellow Slater Freddie’s (Bobby Brazier), the character has had a vendetta against Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan).
Jean has been acting strangely since Zoe’s return(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
It started with Jean just blaming Zoe for Stacey’s absence constantly but slowly grew. Jean started to blame Zoe for everything and, on one occasion, took advantage of the fact that Zoe was being stalked to write a message telling Zoe to leave in the window of the Vic.
After being caught by her granddaughter Lily (Lillia Turner), Jean went into a slump and wouldn’t leave her house. Though Lily tried to take care of her, the teenager couldn’t cope and turned to her cousin Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie.
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