THE truth could be catching up quickly with Sam Mitchell and she’ll have to think even faster to avoid trouble.
This week, her nephew Ben’s behaviour becomes a threat to her plans. Get the lowdown on this week’s EastEnders drama.
Ben Mitchell’s drug spiral continues
But his life will be hanging in balance this week
Meanwhile, his daughter Lexi feels let down
Can Ben make it up to her?
1. Ben has an overdose
With the lingering trauma from his horrific rape still weighing heavy on his mind, Ben Mitchell’s drug problem only grows.
Matters will be going from bad to worse for the troublemaker played by Max Bowden.
Coming up, Kathy Beale (portrayed by Gillian Taylforth) is unimpressed to see Ben has spent the night with his old school friend James.
The pair make plans for later but Kathy reminds Ben his daughter Lexi will be going undergoing her dance exam and the family have organised a family meal.
Meanwhile, Suki tries to make amends with her son Kheerat but things get heated when they see Ben is listening.
Ben tries to offer some advice but Kheerat makes his feelings clear and their friendship is clearly broken beyond repair.
Things go from bad to worse when Ben shows up late for Lexi’s exam and is forced to explain the delay while noticing how hurt his daughter is.
Lexi tells Ben she misses her old dad, the one who had no issues with addiction, but he only snaps at her and makes her cry.
Ben is gutted and turns to Jonah Tyler’s man Tez for drugs while Sam (Kim Medcalf) realises he’s pushing her to walk on thin ice with Phil (Steve McFadden).
Worried she’ll be exposed along with her plan to destroy the family empire, Sam tells Ben to pull himself together but, instead, he heads to a party to find James and takes more drugs.
With his behaviour spiralling more out of control than ever, Ben is asked by James to go home.
Realising he’s late for Lexi’s dinner, he leaves her an emotional voicemail and says he’s on his way – but he collapses.
In later scenes, Lexi is upset Ben has let her down again and her family try to comfort her as Callum Highway and Jay Brown arrive.
Lexi plays the voicemail she received from Ben and all of them realise something is wrong.
Ben is eventually found with no pulse and the paramedics soon rush him to hospital.
Will he be saved in time?
Sam is aware the truth is catching up to her
2. Sam comes up with a dangerous plan
Ben’s overdose becomes a major problem for Sam as she remembers he has been getting high thanks to Jonah Tyler‘s accomplice whom she allowed into Peggy’s.
This was due to her own fear of her plan being exposed to her tough brother Phil by Jonah.
With Ben in hospital, Sam knows she’s running out of time and options to stop Phil from realising she’s been working against him.
Coming up, Zack Hudson (played by James Farrar) tells his sister Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) about Ben’s overdose without mentioning Sam.
Sharon realises he’s keeping something from her and, when Phil returns, she tells him the truth.
She makes her long-term foe pay by telling Phil that Sam knew about the drugs and has been enabling Ben’s addiction.
With her plan about to come to light, Sam knows she may be in danger and is on edge when her brother ignores her calls.
She instructs a guilty Zach not to tell anyone about the drugs before telling Jonah the dealing has to stop – but he may retaliate.
Sam is then furious to learn Phil knows about the drugs thanks to Zack and she tries to fire him, but Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) beats her to the punch and has an announcement to make.
Awash with guilt, Zack offers to make it up to Sam but he’s left shaken when it’s clear she’ll stop at nothing to stay on Phil’s good side.
Desperate to earn Phil’s trust back before everything gets too out of hand, Sam comes up with a plan and Zack has to go along with it.
What will they do?
Kheerat won’t be satisfied until Suki is thrown out of the family altogether
3. Kheerat gets revenge on Suki
Being honest about her involvement in Jags’ death will come at a cost for Walford businesswoman Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal).
Since finding out what their mother has done, the Panesar children are ready to avenge their late brother.
The oldest of the family, Kheerat (played by Jaz Deol) orchestrates a brutal revenge and Suki could lose all that she holds dear.
It all begins at the Minute Mart, where Suki tries to reconcile with Kheerat but things get heated when they see Ben Mitchell is listening.
Matters go from bad to worse for Suki when Kheerat tells her he’ll be renting No.41 and he, Vinny and Ash will all be moving out.
No.41 Albert Square has been left empty since January, 2022, after Iqra Ahmed managed to find her dream job in Bristol.
This means Suki will be living alone at No.31, and she stoops to a new low to convince them to stay, leaving Dotty Cotton stuck in the middle.
Dotty awkwardly helps everyone to pack up and Kheerat drops another bombshell on Suki – he’s planning on buying her out of the family businesses.
But while Kheerat shows off his ruthless streak, Stacey Slater preaches peace and encourages him to sort things out with his mother.
However, he stops the conversation as he doesn’t want her son Arthur to overhear them.
Meanwhile, Suki receives a letter and doesn’t like what it says but things, yet again, get worse.
She sees Nina and realises Kheerat is pushing her even further out of the family, leading to her turning to Vinny for help.
Will he accept?
Ravi Gulari gets to Albert Square this week
4. Ravi makes an enemy
Actor Aaron Thiara has been cast by soap bosses as the new hunk set to stir up some trouble in Walford – and Kheerat will be the first resident in his target line.
The character was first seen in prison with Phil, trying to get some information on the Walford businessman in exchange for a burner phone.
Ravi makes his entrance in the Square and bumps into Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
He immediately ruffles her feathers as he flirts with her, unaware she’s actually romantically linked to Kheerat.
Meanwhile, Phil is chatting with Sharon and gets an idea after spotting Ravi – what plan does he have in mind?
Suki prepares for a business pitch for Ranveer but tensions continue to flare up when he questions why Kheerat is pitching against her.
She covers, making it seem like all is well and Kheerat is simply trying to be independent.
However, everyone is rattled when Ravi arrives.
The newcomer goes a step further by pushing Kheerat’s buttons and questioning his loyalty to his mum.
How will Kheerat react?
Howie isn’t being completely truthful with Kim – but what is he hiding?
5. Howie is keeping a secret
No relationship can grow without any major obstacles in Albert Square and Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson) will be proof of it.
The children’s entertainer has become a big part of Kim Fox’s (portrayed by Tameka Empson) life in a matter of months.
But he is keeping a huge secret from her.
Coming up, Howie takes a phone call and later visits Kim, suggesting a talk and a date night.
Kim quickly assumes Howie has every intention of popping the question.
While their relationship appears to be going well, Kim is adamant a proposal would be too early for them and tells Felix Baker she’ll be letting Howie down gently.
However, she soon gets a rattling call – Howie cancels their evening.
As Kim jumps to conclusions and dwells on the fact she may not be ready to tie the knot with another man just yet, Howie meets with a woman called Delilah behind her back.
The newcomer implores him to tell Kim his secret but what is she referring to?
EastEnders airs on BBC One from Monday to Thursday.
