Two Walford favourites were hit by sudden waves of grief in Thursday’s EastEnders following the death of Martin Fowler (James Bye).
Martin was killed in the aftermath of the Queen Vic explosion last month when a steal beam fell from the ceiling and trapped him.
As he and ex-wife Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) confessed their love for one another, he later died with her by his side when the beam was lifted and toxins flooded his system.
Stacey has been consumed by grief since his death, with her mum Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) shutting out her partner Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman) as she tries to support her daughter.
Harvey then didn’t help matters when he had a blanket made out of an old football shirt of Martin’s for baby Charli, not realising the family had planned to bury him in it.
But in the latest episode of the BBC soap, Harvey’s grief came out as anger when he finally snapped at Jean.
‘That’s what you’re all forgetting – I’m grieving too! Martin was my mate,’ he said.
‘That might not be as important as Stacey’s grief, and it’s not, but that doesn’t mean I should be frozen out of everything.’
Jean could not believe what she was hearing, prompting Harvey to storm out of their conversation.
And we already know that his isolation will drive him into the arms of Kathy Cotton (Gillian Taylforth) next week…
Meanwhile, recent events also started to hit another of Martin’s ex-wives when Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy) opened up to sister Bianca Jackson (Patsy Palmer).
Having been wrapped up in the birth of daughter Julia, it was only after she brought the newborn home on Thursday that she started to feel the impact of her ex-husband’s death.
‘It’s just hit me I’m never going to see him again and [Julia]’s never going to meet him,’ she told Bianca through tears.
‘She’s never going to meet him, but she’s going to learn all about him, because you’re going to tell her how amazing her uncle Martin was,’ Bianca said.
There are set to be more emotional scenes in the coming weeks when Martin’s loved ones gather for his funeral.
Pictures from on-location filming have revealed many characters in tears as they bid their farewells, while fans also had their first look at the recast Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) back in the show.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
