As Albert Square residents in EastEnders come together to mourn a favorite, feelings are running high, and not all of them are due to the grief hanging in the air. With old friends catching up and old rivalries simmering just below the surface, no one in Walford anticipates the week turning dark. But when it does, it comes painfully close to home.
Jack Branning Leads the Charge on a New Case
Detective Jack Branning is thrust into action next week when a profoundly disturbing crime falls into his lap. It all starts after Martin Fowler’s funeral, a long-time market trader whose life was brutally cut short after the Queen Vic explosion earlier this year.
As Walford struggles to come to terms with the loss, heartbreak gives way to horror all too quickly. Martin’s market stall is deliberately torched just hours after the community shows its respect. The timing leaves many of them reeling. None more so than Stacey Slater, Martin’s ex-wife and one who still had him near her heart.
Refusing to stop until she has discovered the identity of someone capable of doing something so evil, Stacey promises Lily that she will discover who did this, no matter what.
But Jack, who is now the lead on the case, tells Stacey to back off and allow the police to do their job. Their complicated past creates tension in the already difficult process, but Stacey has never been one to take orders silently.
EastEnders: Stacey’s Guilt Drives Her Desperation for Justice
With Jack’s restraint, Stacey doesn’t hold back for very long. Her grief for Martin is still recent—more acute than most folks appreciate. It’s not widely known in Walford, but she and Martin had broken up and reconnected in private just before his death. Their secret chapter in their love life only makes this loss more tormenting.
As Stacey plunges further into her enquiry, actress Lacey Turner hints that viewers will experience a different facet of her character. “Stacey isn’t coping, and she’s being thoroughly self-destructive. She’s mourning for Martin but feeling so much guilt as well,” Lacey elaborates. “I don’t think she’ll ever recover from losing Martin. They were such close friends even when they were apart.
As Stacey seeks justice, she becomes certain she’s found the one responsible for setting the fire. She is ready to face them head-on, against Jack’s protests. But who in Walford would be heartless enough to profane Martin’s memory in this way? Only the upcoming EastEnders spoilers can tell. Until then, stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more soap updates.
