EastEnders makes huge change to Joel story tonight in unexpected twist
EastEnders has made a huge change to the harrowing Joel Marshall storyline, as the Walford community discovers his terrifying act of violence against Vicki Fowler.
In last Thursday’s special episode, an incident at school led to some tough conversations between parents and teens about misogynistic attitudes. But when Vicki stood up to her stepson, Joel snapped and hit her, before continuing to brutally attack her.
Joel left Vicki barely conscious in the kitchen and fled the scene, and today’s episode began that same night.
Ross, who had gone for a walk to calm down before the attack, spotted Joel in the Square and apologised for their earlier argument – remaining oblivious to what his son had done.
Joel found Tommy, who pledged to help him with a problem. When Joel revealed that he’d hit Vicki, Tommy became cautious, but he agreed to help his mate hide out in the garage for a while.
Meanwhile, injured Vicki managed to make her way to The Vic to seek help, where to the horror of the punters, she collapsed into the pub.
As she was taken to hospital, Ross was devastated to discover what had happened, but he refused to accept that Joel could be responsible.
Zoe confronted Tommy about the situation, and in a poignant chat she explained that the Slater women only acted as they did because of the way they have been treated by men over the years – but she stopped short of telling him about the abuse his mum suffered.
Tommy refused to disclose any information about Joel, but when he went back to see his friend, it was clear that he was no longer on board with his friend’s behaviour.
At the hospital, Vicki underwent surgery, with the doctors saying she had a collapsed lung and a broken arm, but Ross was told that she would recover.
Ross had no alibi for the time of Vicki’s attack and therefore became the prime suspect. He returned home and looked at Joel’s laptop and was sickened to come across the footage of his son filming and attacking Vicki.
Unable to cover for Joel any longer, Tommy told desperate Ross where he was. The police soon raided the garage, and Joel was arrested while the community watched on.
Will Joel face consequences for his actions?