I’d never seen an episode of EastEnders but these moments in 2024 made me a superfan

As Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) walked into The Vic, helium received a acold reception from the iconic radical of women known arsenic ‘The Six’.

Comprised of Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), it was the hotly-anticipated whodunit execution enigma for the Christmas Day EastEnders special successful 2023.

‘Merry Christmas, ladies,’ Nish muttered, ‘what a pleasant surprise’.

What happened adjacent was 1 of the astir gripping 10 minutes of television, including Suki revealing she was leaving Nish for Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), a carnal altercation, past Denise smashing a vessel implicit Nish’s head.

Just erstwhile you thought the iconic ‘doof doof’ would commencement to play, Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) walked into the pub and different statement began. This time, Sharon was astir choked to decease earlier Linda plunged a nutrient thermometer successful his back.

I was instantly hooked.

I had ne'er really watched a afloat occurrence of EastEnders earlier this 1 (I’m Australian, truthful I grew up connected Neighbours and Home and Away instead!) but the months-long hype surrounding The Six had pulled maine in. 

Now I’ve been watching this iconic soap each time since – and I couldn’t beryllium much excited for the 40th day special.

It’s been 4 decades since 13million viewers tuned successful connected February 19, 1985, to ticker Arthur Fowler, Ali Osman and ‘Dirty’ Den Watts unit their mode into Reg Cox’s level to find Reg adjacent death. And present the show’s reportedly readying a full week of twists and turns to observe the day – including a spectator vote, large cameos, and a unrecorded episode.

So let’s recap immoderate of the champion and astir almighty storylines implicit the past twelvemonth oregon so.

Linda’s alcoholism

After sidesplitting Keanu, Linda deed the vessel (or should I say, pinkish reusable java cup) – and hard.

Then erstwhile the assemblage was discovered nether the cafe 4 months aft The Six buried him there, things truly started to unravel. This is particularly truthful erstwhile The Six framed Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) for the execution and Linda had to attest against him – the antheral who raped her.

Later successful the year, Linda heart-breakingly spiralled and ended up soiling herself successful beforehand of everyone successful Albert Square. We past saw a shocking flash guardant episode, wherever Linda got sexually assaulted and drank herself to death, which broke the remainder of her family.

This is what ended up shaking her to the halfway and yet getting the assistance she needed. Kellie Bright gave a superb show passim – genuinely eye-opening to anyone affected by intoxicant abuse.

Nugget and Denzel’s steroids

Early past year, Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) became obsessed with moving retired and gaining value aft struggling with his assemblage image. This led him connected a unsafe way to taking anabolic steroids successful a bid to summation musculus faster.

When Davinder ‘Nugget’ Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) caught on, helium wanted successful too. But Nugget rapidly realised that helium wasn’t getting the aforesaid results – oregon attention.

Unfortunately, Nugget’s steroid usage led to him collapsing, ending up successful infirmary with kidney failure, and needing regular dialysis. It was a heart-breaking result, but shone a spotlight connected an ever-growing occupation plaguing young men successful particular.

Around the clip the storyline aired, Juhaim wrote connected Instagram: ‘There are truthful galore people, particularly teenagers, who consciousness insecure astir their assemblage representation and instrumentality drastic measures to alteration their body. Please effort to beryllium assured successful your assemblage and recognize the quality of it.

He added: ‘You are beautiful. We are beautiful.’

Denise’s sectioning

For Denise, the guilt of covering up the execution of Keanu (not to notation the nerves of knowing her necklace could’ve been discovered astatine immoderate infinitesimal among the remains of his body) led her to commencement hallucinating, including believing Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) is the devil. 

It each came to a caput erstwhile she ran distant from location and into a adjacent wood holding a Bible, convinced that Johnny was pursuing her. After Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) managed to way her down successful a harrowing hallucination scene, Denise was sectioned.

Diagnosed with psychosis, it was an eye-opening look into a intelligence wellness information seldom explored connected TV. Denise’s vacant look portion she was being convinced to voluntarily spell to infirmary is hauntingly impactful.

Diane Parish said of that scene: ‘What broke my bosom erstwhile I watched it backmost was watching what Scott and Zaraah [Abrahams, who plays Chelsea Fox] were giving… it was seeing the world of however it was affecting the different actors [that] made it existent and what made those scenes heart-breaking.’

Eve and Suki’s wedding

Let’s beryllium honest: Nish’s year-long downfall was ludicrously chaotic.

He went from astir dying connected Christmas Day 2023, to astir sidesplitting his lad Vinny (Shiv Jalota), blackmailing and manipulating beauteous overmuch everyone, going to jail, breaking retired of jail, faking his death, poisoning Eve, and attempting a murder-suicide with Suki – each with an imminently life-threatening bosom condition.

Of course, the last showdown connected New Year’s Day – with Nish falling to his death – was gasp-inducing, but the existent wedding was incredibly moving and a existent tear-jerker. 

Reminiscent of Julia Roberts successful Notting Hill, Suki said to Eve arsenic they waited to spell successful for the ceremony: ‘I’m conscionable a small miss sitting successful my bedroom, listening to doom metal, waiting for idiosyncratic to spot me.’

‘I spot you,’ Eve reassured her.

During the vows, Eve past called Suki for being courageous successful giving up everything for their love, to which she replied: ‘See, it’s casual to beryllium brave erstwhile there’s idiosyncratic similar you to combat for.’

A beauteous country – earlier it each came crashing down.

Yolande’s intersexual assault

After weeks of grooming and gaslighting, Pastor Gideon Clayton (Howard Saddler) sexually assaulted Yolande Trueman (Angela Wynter) astatine a religion fundraiser successful April. What followed was a peculiar hour-long episode, successful which Yolande dissociated successful real-time, past dilatory opened up to Elaine astir what happened.

‘He grabbed maine truthful choky and helium enactment his manus wherever helium had nary close to enactment it,’ Yolande revealed, ‘he wouldn’t stop.’

Throughout this almighty speech with Elaine – successful which they discussed what to bash successful the aftermath – there’s a montage of different survivors of Pastor Clayton dealing with their ain trauma. Some women aren’t believed, portion others spell done reporting it to constabulary but can’t get justness arsenic there’s insufficient evidence.

It’s a heart-wrenching occurrence that ended with Yolande and the different women feeling lost, alone, and questioning their religion successful God.

In a afloat ellipse infinitesimal aboriginal successful the year, Yolande past met with the different survivors and – though Pastor Clayton had since died by suicide truthful helium couldn’t beryllium convicted – she was hauntingly brought to floods of tears aft listening to a religion choir and having her religion restored.

Brava, Angela Wynter. Brava.

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