EastEnders confirms unexpected and very disturbing Cindy twist – and there is no coming back
This article contains spoilers for Thursday’s episode of EastEnders, which is already available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) has added fuel to Lauren Branning’s (Jacqueline Jossa) problems – and supplied her with drugs.
The ordeal kicked off earlier in the week, when Cindy snuck off amid George and Elaine Knight’s (Colin Salmon and Harriet Thorpe) wedding party to meet up with her former step-son Junior (Micah Balfour), who she has been having an affair with over the last year.
The pair shared a kiss, unaware that Junior’s uncle Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) was watching on.
She chased after him, though following a scuffle he fell from the top of an emergency exit staircase and has been in an induced coma ever since.
The first person to find him was Lauren, who immediately questioned why Cindy was involved in the altercation and didn’t believe her false alibi.
Meanwhile, Lauren had stolen some of cousin Amy Mitchell’s (Ellie Dadd) medication to ease her pain from injuries sustained during the Peggy’s club crush.
After previous issues with addiction, and given she’s currently pregnant, this could have devastating consequences.
It wasn’t long before the bottle of liquid morphine fell out of Lauren’s bag, and Cindy used this as an opportunity to make them equal.
Later in the evening, Lauren assured Cindy that she would get to the bottom of why she was behaving suspiciously with Kojo, even if it meant putting her own reputation and relationship with Peter Beale (Thomas Law) at risk.
In today’s instalment, Kojo was taken in for surgery as doctors advised he needed an intracranial bolt to relieve pressure on his brain.
Cindy was fearful that when he woke up, he would reveal all. Lauren assured her that no matter how hard she tried, the truth would prevail. She also noted that she was no longer going to provide a cover story.
Elsewhere, Peter was worried that Lauren was slipping with her parenting responsibilities for their young son Louie, and opened his heart to half-sister Anna Knight (Molly Rainford).
Anna compared her behaviour to that of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), who has also suffered with alcoholism in the last year – and Peter was given food for thought.
He asked Lauren outright if she’d hit the bottle again, leaving her mortified. She rushed outside and binned the medication, telling Cindy that she was going cold turkey moving forward.
The thought that Lauren finally had something over her was troubling for Cindy, so she quickly thought up a vicious plan.
In The Vic, she spoke with daughter Gina (Francesca Henry) about where she used to get her drugs supply from. Gina mentioned that Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) had helped her in the past.
After speaking to him, and meeting a dealer, Cindy approached Lauren’s flat with a gift – some pills. Lauren was shocked, but was more than happy to take them off her.
Has Lauren made a grave mistake?
