The following article includes spoilers for this week’s episodes of EastEnders, which have not yet been shown on television but are now available to watch as a boxset on BBC iPlayer.
In upcoming sequences, Steve McFadden’s character Phil Mitchell (who is being targeted in prison by fellow convict Craig Erskine) faces danger to his life (Connor Mills).
The tough guy tries to make it apparent that he shouldn’t be trifled with, but Erskine responds by threatening to kill him and telling Phil that he has fewer than 48 hours to live.
Meanwhile, DI Keeble learns of the fighting on the wing and offers Phil a safety net, telling him that if he’s in trouble, he may send a pre-written text to her by tapping the “3” key on his burner phone.
However, by doing so, he would have accepted the agreement she had previously presented to him.
When prisoner Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) is placed in solitary, he has no other option except to rely on Phil, who keeps repeating that he is not a “grass,” to buy him protection.
Having broken up with Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Phil turns to his true love Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), telling her that he’s going to pass away before the night is over.
He hands her a stack of letters and tells her to distribute them once Peggy’s wine bar opens. However, Sharon sobs uncontrollably as she tells Phil once more how much she loves him and commands him to fight.
Following horrific circumstances, Phil is attacked in his cell and pronounced dead. Meanwhile, Sharon puts on a brave face to make sure Phil’s ‘last’ wish comes true and Peggy’s debut goes well.
But when Sam (Kim Medcalf) discovers the letters, she is completely devastated—both by the news that her brother is dead and by the fact that he neglected to send her a note.
However, there is more to this story than first appears, as Phil shows up at Peggy’s opening, beaming, and he’s actually still alive!
How exactly did he gain his freedom is the question. Also, who has passed away?
Wimbledon interfered with EastEnders’ usual broadcast schedule, thus it was decided to give viewers the option of watching episodes of the BBC One soap online before transmission.
Up until mid-August, new episodes of the soap opera will be released on iPlayer every Monday.
Later this week, these programmes will still be broadcast on BBC Two. And this is a week in Walford that should not be missed, whether you’re binge-viewing or watching on television.
