The Walford teens have scrambled to cover their involvement in Joel Marshall’s attack in today’s (23 July) EastEnders.
It comes following a shocking twist for the troubled character following his return last week.
It’s safe to say that nobody was happy to see him upon being released from a young offenders institute. Stepmother Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) was determined not to have him living under her roof again – fearful of another attack – but dad Ross (Alex Walkinshaw) was left in an impossible situation.
Joel had been abandoned by his mum Cleo (Mazz Murray), and after realising that his peers were in no mood to forgive, he attempted to flee.
Lily Slater (Lillia Turner) found him at the tube station and tried to convince him to stay. When her pals Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) and Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) discovered this, they were furious and devised a plan to teach him a lesson.
With help from brothers Nugget Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) and Ricky Branning (Frankie Day), and their classmates Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) and Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman), they lured Joel to the park under the illusion that he was welcome at their end of term celebrations.
Avani challenged him, saying that although she was unable to forgive him for recording them having sex and sharing it online, she was prepared to move forward in life. She then passed him a drink.
It seemed entirely innocent, until Amy demanded that Lily take him off for a walk to the allotments. The lads then ganged up on him, tying him to a fence and soaking him in beer.
They then continued with their evening, and when they woke up from a drunken slumber, Will Mitchell (Freddie Phillips) ordered them to unchain him. However, upon their return to the scene of the crime, he was gone.
Just metres away, Joel lay unconscious with a serious head injury.
In today’s episode, the group were sickened by the sight of his body. Will confirmed that he was still alive, and the others debated whether or not to call an ambulance.
Suddenly, there was an onset of sirens and it became clear that somebody had already alerted the authorities. Ross and Vicki rushed to the hospital, though she was shaken by memories of the attack that Joel had imposed on her last year.
Meanwhile, the parents gathered at the station to chat to their children, seemingly unable to get a clear answer out of any of them. DC Craig Ingram (Matthew James-Bailey) assured them that nobody was under arrest, though they were all witnesses to the assault.
Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) and Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy) knew that there was something unusual happening with Nugget and Avani, but neither were prepared to admit to what they’d done.
That night, the teens gathered in The Arches to get their story straight. They all agreed that they had nothing to hide, but Barney looked visibly sheepish.
Suddenly, Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway) arrived and told them to leave, saying that garage owner Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) would be furious if he knew they’d used his premises as a meeting point. It then transpired that Barney had taken his spare key.
With everyone gone, Barney then asked his brother if he’d located something. Harry pulled a carrier bag out of his coat – which contained a hammer – and said he needed to know everything.
Did Barney attack Joel?
Read more:
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- EastEnders confirms Zoe Slater exit as legendary character tipped to be killed off
- EastEnders confirms Hollyoaks favourite cast as new detective for major Branning storyline
- EastEnders legend teases “dangerous” dynamic between Max Branning and Cindy Beale
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