This week on EastEnders, Max kidnaps Tim, Ravi finds out that Mark is in the firing line, Julie gets in touch with Nigel’s step-daughter Clare, and can Howie win Kim back?
1) Max hatches a plan to get revenge on Tim
Last week’s episodes saw Johnny (Charlie Suff) reluctantly agree to Tim’s (Tom Ratcliffe) sordid demand – if Johnny spend the night with him, he’d stop his blackmailing efforts and wouldn’t take the video of Callum (Tony Clay) breaking into his house to the police.
As the week came to a close, a drunken Johnny sat drowning his sorrows in Harry’s Barn, and as Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) entered, having been tipped off by Chelsea (Zaraah Abrahams), she immediately realised that her grandson had slept with Tim.
This week, Linda (Kellie Bright) admits to Elaine that she knew about Tim’s ‘test’ and could have stopped Callum from falling for it.
While Elaine tries to get Linda to keep it to herself, Linda soon tells Johnny the truth, and he’s furious with his mum for interfering in his relationship.
Later, as Johnny meets Tim at the office to sign the paperwork, he’s shocked when Linda turns up and begins berating Tim.
Johnny sends her away, but it seems that his ordeal with Tim is far from over as Tim insists that they go for a drink together – is he hoping that their night of passion wasn’t a one-off?
Things then go from bad to worse when Callum shows up!
Back on the square, Linda admits to Max (Jake Wood) what’s been going on – and, as Max continues his mission to win over Linda, he takes matters into his own hands as he pretends to be Tim’s taxi driver.
After picking up an unsuspecting Tim, Max bundles him into the boot of his car! What does he have planned?
2) Julie and Phil have another big decision to make
Nigel (Paul Bradley) has spent the past few weeks in hospital after passing out in the bath while Phil (Steve McFadden) was downstairs talking to Mark (Stephen Aaron-Sipple).
In the meantime, Julie (Karen Henthorn) and Phil finally came to an agreement on Nigel’s future as they accepted his place in the care home.
This week, the care home call Julie to let her know that his place is ready as soon as he leaves hospital. However, at the hospital, Nigel throws a curveball when he keeps asking to see stepdaughter Clare (Gemma Bissix).
It was recently announced that Gemma Bissix is set to reprise the role of Clare Bates, who left he square back in August 2008 after her relationship with Bradley Branning broke down.
But will Julie be happy to have her back?
3) Will Ravi protect Mark?
A dramatic end to the week saw Ravi (Aaron Thiara) barricade the door of Turpin Road Pharmacy after the pharmacist was unable to find Nugget’s (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) epilepsy medication.
He locked himself, Nugget, Denise (Diane Parish) and Bea (Ronni Ancona) inside, refusing to let them out until he had his son’s medication.
Everyone was eventually released without harm after Denise managed to alert Jack (Scott Maslen) and Priya (Sophie Khan Levy), and Ravi broke down in Priya’s arms at the end of Thursday’s episode as he continued to struggle with being the cause of his son’s epilepsy diagnosis.
This week, Priya tries to reassure the kids that Ravi is okay after the incident, while Jack worries that Ravi is now too unwell to continue acting as the police informant.
Ravi insists that he can handle it, but is stunned when he learns that the cops are planning an operation to take down some of the drug gang’s lower-tier members, which means Mark could be in danger of being arrested.
Torn and unable to decide where his loyalties lie, will Ravi alert Mark to the police’s plans and risk exposing himself in the process?
4) Ravi’s mental health worsens
After finding out from Jack about the police’s plans to swoop, Ravi’s feeling guilty about the prospect of Mark being arrested after the pair have helped each other out in recent weeks.
Priya tells Ravi that he needs to stay out of it – he’s meant to be working as an informer after all, so he’s simply doing his job – but when Ravi and Mark later meet up for a beer at Harry’s Barn, he comes close to warning Mark about what’s about to happen.
Priya arrives at the bar just in time to stop him from doing so, and as they head home, she reminds him that he’ll lose everything if he ends up revealing to Mark that he’s the informant!
The following day, the pair remain at odds. Meanwhile, Vicki (Alice Haig) demands that Mark take her out, but he tells her he’s got a job to do first.
Is he about to walk into a police trap?
Meanwhile, Priya and Ravi finally get some good financial news.
Last week, Ravi was turned down from the job at the car lot after Max told him that his reputation meant he couldn’t take the risk, but this week sees Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) agree to give Priya the sales job instead!
5) Max gives Tim an ultimatum
In Tuesday’s episode, as Linda discovers that Max has taken Tim, she panics and tells Johnny what’s going on. However, he’s got more pressing matters, as he finds himself forced to tell Callum about his and Tim’s night together.
Callum is understandably furious, but Johnny goes on the defensive, explaining that he only did it to try and protect him and Lexi (Isabella Brown).
Callum’s consumed with guilt – now knowing that Johnny only did it in a misguided attempt to help him out of his sticky situation, can the pair reconcile?
Meanwhile, as Max pulls Tim out of the car, he makes it clear to him that he should never set foot in Walford again. Will Tim listen, or is Max messing with the wrong man?
6) Julie gets in touch with Clare
After Nigel begins repeatedly asking for his adoptive daughter Clare, daughter of his late partner Debbie, Phil tries to convince Julie to call her, but Julie puts her foot down.
When Lexi finds out about Nigel’s wishes, she gives Julie a new perspective, and Julie decides to make the call.
The following day, Clare makes an unexpected arrival at No. 55, but despite Julie being the one to call her, things are tense between the pair as they trade barbs.
Phil warns them that there can’t be any drama at the hospital, and the trio soon head there to pay Nigel a visit and reunite the step-father and daughter. However, Clare soon gets upset when Nigel fails to recognise her.
Later, Clare bonds with Lexi, and Lexi implores her to make things up to Nigel while she still can.
7) Howie serenades Kim
With Patrick (Rudolph Walker) struggling to deal with the death of Anthony (Nicholas Bailey), this week’s episodes saw Denzel (Jaden Ladega) come up with the idea of creating an AI Anthony to allow him to hear his son’s voice again.
This week, Yolande (Angela Wynter) is worried as Patrick begins to increasingly rely on the AI app to talk to his son.
When Kim (Tameka Empson) tries and fails to intervene, she turns to ex-partner Howie (Delroy Atkinson) for support.
The pair split earlier this year after Kim discovered that Howie had stolen a parcel meant for Penny (Kitty Castledine), containing a ring which he went on to use to propose!
After seeing how low Kim is over Patrick’s situation, Howie pays Patrick a visit to try and help him open up.
When it ends up being Howie who opens up over his regret at losing Kim, Patrick uses his recent loss to encourage Howie not to waste another day in trying to get Kim back.
Howie then sets about planning a big surprise, and when Patrick invites Kim and Denise for a midday drink, they turn up to find Howie flanked by drag queens, ready to serenade Kim.
Are the pair about to reunite?
8) Nigel moves into the care home
At the end of the week, Julie is furious when she finds out that Clare and Lexi have discharged Nigel from the hospital without telling her.
Meanwhile, on the square, Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Zoe (Michelle Ryan) work to get The Vic ready for a party in Nigel’s honour.
As Nigel arrives, Chelsea supports Clare as she and Julie continue to clash over their chequered history.
Later, Clare and Phil take Nigel to the care home as he finally moves in, whilst an emotional Julie stays behind on the square where she’s supported by Yolande.
As the week comes to a close, the enormity of the situation takes a heavy toll on everyone involved.
