Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) delivered a devastating revelation to her partner Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) in the latest episode of EastEnders, setting the stage for potential upheaval within The Six.
Following a tense encounter with Suki Panesar’s (Balvinder Sopal) ex-partner, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry), involving Stacey, Kat Mitchell (Jessie Wallace), Eve Unwin (Heather Peace), and Suki herself, Nish falsely implicated Stacey to DC Whisson, alleging that she had assaulted him instead of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), whose murder the women had previously concealed.
Stacey was summoned to the police station for questioning, where she reiterated her innocence and highlighted Nish’s vengeful motives following his breakup with Kat.
Standing firm on her initial statement, Stacey requested to make a phone call. Desperate, she contacted Jack, imploring him to intervene and persuade Nish to cease his vendetta.
Jack issued a stern ultimatum to Nish, threatening to ensure his imprisonment for attempting to harm Eve unless he retracted his statement. However, Nish retaliated by warning that if he faced consequences, he would implicate all the women involved.
Meanwhile, at The Vic, Suki, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) expressed concern over Stacey potentially striking a plea deal and incriminating them to the authorities. Their anxiety heightened with Denise Fox (Diane Parish) hospitalized, fearing she might divulge their secrets.
Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) confronted the women regarding Keanu’s innocence, prompting Kathy to assure her that she wouldn’t deceive her. Oblivious to the truth, Bernie questioned her brother’s whereabouts.
Meanwhile, Suki attempted to persuade solicitor Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) to assist Stacey, but he declined, indicating a strategy of patience instead.
The absence of the murder weapon fuels speculation that Johnny aims to protect his mother, Linda, by implicating one of the women.
At the police station, Jack disclosed that Stacey would be released without charge. He clarified to his colleagues that Nish’s relationship with Kat had soured, leading to his vengeful actions.
Stacey encountered her first significant stumble when she expressed relief to Jack that “the others” didn’t need to recount their story. Jack’s probing into this slip prompted Stacey to claim it was a mere slip of the tongue, but he remained unconvinced, sensing her evasion.
As Jack puzzled over Nish’s relentless pursuit of Stacey, thoughts of Denise surfaced, leading him to recall Stacey’s recent call to the mental health team.
Confronting Stacey, Jack accused her of orchestrating Denise’s removal to facilitate their affair, insinuating their actions led to Denise’s deteriorating mental state and subsequent hospitalization.
“That ain’t what put her in there, trust me,” she argued.
Jack’s deduction that Denise was protecting Stacey instead of Nish forced Stacey to reluctantly admit to Denise’s involvement. Despite her attempts to backtrack and maintain the facade regarding Keanu’s story, Jack saw through her deception, especially concerning Denise’s actions.
As Stacey anxiously questioned whether Jack would expose this revelation, the looming question remains: Will Jack uncover Keanu’s actual whereabouts amidst the unraveling web of secrets?