THE women of Walford are set for an eventful week as The Vic remains open after hours.
But as they let loose, EastEnders‘ favourite ladies still struggle to find solutions to their issues. Get the lowdown.
Linda Carter is mourning the loss of her husband Mick
But she gets horrific news while behind the bar
She’s unable to cope with what she’s just learned
But she finds support in the form of Kathy Beale
1. Linda gets horrific news
The Vic landlady portrayed by Kellie Bright is slowly overcoming the pain of losing her husband Mick and tries to live as normal of a life as possible.
Mick vanished at sea as he was trying to save Linda and her love rival Janine Butcher from a certain death by drowning.
Since then, Linda was confronted with the news that his wallet had washed up to shore but there has been, meaning he is most likely dead.
However, as BBC One viewers know, this is still waiting to be confirmed as Mick’s body was never found.
Unfortunately for Linda, another traumatic event from her past resurfaces and news of Shirley Carter reopen old wounds she thought were perhaps fully healed.
In the wake of her son’s supposed death, Shirley Carter (Linda Henry) left Albert Square with bulldog Lady Di as she was too heartbroken to remain in Walford.
Linda’s world is rocked even further when she receives a photo of the tough woman from her daughter, Carly.
The snap shocks Linda to the core… as Shirley is seen next to her rapist son, Dean Wicks.
Devastated, Linda retreats to the hallway and breaks down away from everyone – but she fails to escape from eagle-eyed Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth).
Kathy joins her and tries to console her, leading the pair to talk about what they’ve been through in the past.
Viewers will indubitably remember that both women have had similar experiences… as they both survived rape.
How will Linda cope?
Can Sharon Watts rekindle her romance with Keanu Taylor?
2. Sharon takes action
Linda’s pal Sharon Watts is also troubled by a past lover but she may have a chance at giving things another go with him.
The gym owner portrayed by Letitia Dean has had her fair share of heartbreak due to her taste in men.
With Phil Mitchell being the latest to discard her in favour of fiancée Kat Slater, Sharon has been pushing matters of the heart to the side.
All that seemed to change when Keanu Taylor (played by Danny Walters) made a surprise reappearance in December, 2022.
While they bonded over their love for their son Albie Watts, Sharon made it clear they wouldn’t be rekindling their romance any time soon after Keanu left her broken for more than three years.
However, Sharon backtracks this week as she indulges in a steamy reunion with Keanu.
It all begins when the pair meet at The Vic and head to the bathroom after letting their true feelings emerge.
Sharon and Keanu return to the bar flustered only to be greeter by sarcastic comments from Denise Fox (Diane Parish) which expose their carnal relations to other pubgoers.
Unfortunately, Sharon is soon brought back down to earth by Linda.
The landlady reveals she received a counter offer from Suki and Nish Panesar for Mick’s half of the Vic, which Janine Butcher has been keen to sell.
But heartbreak is ahead for Sharon and, following a tense exchange with the Panesars, she hears Keanu receive a voice note from long-term foe Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf), hinting at their own romance.
Viewers may remember Keanu also shared a fling with the youngest of the Mitchell siblings while she was living abroad.
Devastated by Keanu’s actions and angry for letting her guard down, Sharon retaliates by banishing him.
As he reluctantly leaves the Vic, Keanu can’t help but feel heartbroken to have blown his chances with Sharon.
In later scenes, following an eventful lock-in at The Vic for the women of Walford, the pair bump into one another in the café but another sizzling encounter is clearly out of the question.
Keanu is taken aback when Sharon unleashes some home truths.
He’s then accosted by Kim Fox (Tameka Empson) on his first doorman shift at local wine bar Peggy’s to take part in her livestream.
The hunk accepts after some persuasion and is an immediate success… until a shocked Sam shows up.
Meanwhile, Sharon has a chat with former love rival Kat and decides to call Keanu to reveal that she still loves him.
Will he listen?
Eve Unwin brings breakfast to the ladies of Albert Square after an eventful night
3. Sleepless night in The Vic
When all else fails them, Square residents have the habit of turning to The Vic for advice or company.
But when the iconic pub closes one evening this week, Linda allows the ladies of Walford to have some time to themselves while everybody else heads off home.
The women bond over their shared experiences, moaning about the men in their lives.
However, it’s soon clear that everything can change for them in a flash.
An event is set to remind them of how fleeting life can be.
Denise’s family could be in trouble
4. Denise flirts with danger
Spending the night at a Vic lock-in turns out to be somewhat beneficial for Denise – until she turns to a man she shouldn’t.
Prior to her evening at The Vic, Denise joins a distracted Jack for a drink.
When Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) enters the pub, she feels awkward and tries to prove a point to both him and herself by kissing Jack publicly.
Unfortunately, Jack also has a career to maintain aside from all the family drama and he ditches Denise for a work commitment.
A drunk Denise makes a move on Ravi and, not wanting to take advantage of her in her drunken state, he turns her down.
Denise, who undoubtedly already feels rejected and undesirable, lashes out, forcing Ravi to leave.
Later on, the hairdresser seeks advice from Sharon Watts as she secretly searches to validate her feelings for Ravi.
The following day and after an eventful lock-in, a hungover Denise wakes up alongside Sharon and Stacey Slater to Kathy Beale and Eve Unwin delivering them breakfast.
Denise has a wake-up call and rushes to meet Jack before he leaves for a work conference.
Again, she kisses him outside of No.27, in eyeshot of Ravi – but it doesn’t stop him from trying to get closer to Denise.
When Denise’s sister Kim is on the hunt for a Walford man to take part in a livestream event, Ravi puts himself forward.
However, Denise is clearly flustered in Ravi’s presence at Fox & Hair and, after realising he wouldn’t be getting into her good books, Ravi withdraws from Kim’s event.
He later heads over to No.27 to patch things up with Denise, laying his cards on the table and deciding to stop playing cat and mouse.
Ravi thus asks her to spend the following night with him at a hotel.
While her reaction remains to be seen, everything will seem to point at a potential love affair between Ravi and Denise.
When she’s unsuccessful at avoiding him, the pair share a steamy kiss in the alleyway of The Vic… and she agrees to meet him later that evening at the hotel.
Is Denise throwing her marriage away?
Karen is accused of a shock crime
5. Karen makes a mistake
Thrown back from the limelight as drama continues to unfold, Karen Taylor makes a huge mistake which leads to her being accused of a shocking crime.
The cleaner played by Lorraine Stanley does all she can to make ends meet in Albert Square with some help from her adult children.
Aside from providing for her large family, she also tries to keep a launderette business afloat.
But she worries when Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) has to reduce her hours at the launderette.
Meanwhile, Karen’s daughter Bernie (Clair Norris) is just as concerned about her longevity at the local café.
With pressing matters on her mind, Karen later heads to the Minute Mart to fill up a shopping basket.
She’s soon distracted by a phone and accidentally walks out of the shop without paying for her purchases.
Cold-hearted Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) catches her in the act and furiously accuses Karen of stealing.
Suki was scammed by her own husband
6. Suki walks on eggshells
A blazing row ensues between both women as Karen protests, prompting Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) to get involved.
The pair quickly grow angrier and vow to never shop in the Minute Mart again after the harsh treatment they received.
In later scenes, Suki’s husband Nish (Navin Chowdhry) convinces her to apologise to Karen in a bid to protect their image in front of fellow Walford residents.
Could he make her life harder than he already has?
Will Kat Slater really marry Phil Mitchell?
7. Christmas plans get unveiled
Times have been particularly hectic for the Slater clan.
As the new year began, the family suffered from a carbon monoxide leak in their home – which led them to find out that twelve-year-old Lily Slater was pregnant.
Since then, tensions have been brimming and Ryan Malloy (returning actor Neil McDermott) came back to Walford, putting an end to the chaos.
But there are still many thoughts racing through Stacey Slater’s (Lacey Turner) mind.
Sensing Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) may need a break from the mayhem caused by Suki and Nish Panesar, the owner of Stacey’s Baps tries to distract her by showcasing a new coat she has bought for Lily.
Unfortunately, Stacey struggles to kill two birds with one stone as Eve finds it hard to cope with her emotions and leaves the pub in angst instead.
In later scenes, Stacey joins Kat, revealing that Ryan has invited Lily and her baby to Wakefield for Christmas.
Worried that her daughter may actually decided to live with her father, Stacey is stunned when Kat comes up with a plan to keep the young girl close to home.
With her fiancé Phil Mitchell’s approval (Steve McFadden), Kat plans to postpone their wedding until Christmas Day, allowing Lily to stay in Walford to be her bridesmaid.
Will she really go through with it?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday on BBC One.
