SAM Mitchell returned to Albert Square in the hopes of proving she’s worth the family name.
But when Jonah strikes back during Peggy’s grand opening, lives are hanging in the balance this week in EastEnders.
1. Shooting horror at Peggy’s
Since her return to Walford, Sam Mitchell (played by Kim Medcalf) has caused a stir, notably by spending the night with Nancy Carter’s boyfriend Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
But aside from this, Sam has also proven herself to be quite the businesswoman by buying local nightclub Ruby’s and rebranding it Peggy’s in honour of her late mother.
However, the purchase has caused some tension between her, long-term rival Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace).
The squabble eventually led to Sam being fired from Peggy’s – but she’s being kept at arm’s length to handle all the dirty work.
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This week, Kat and Sharon are preparing for the grand opening of Peggy’s and, despite being sacked, Sam orders the staff around.
Seeing this as an opportunity to make her life a little harder, Kat and Sharon leave her with a long list of issues to sort out.
Sam decides to enlist Dotty Cotton’s (Milly Zero) help and gives her the keys before rushing off to get ready.
Unbeknownst to her, Dotty has agreed to help Shirley Carter with her own plans.
The Walford tough woman portrayed by Linda Henry vowed revenge on the Mitchells after Zack Hudson’s cheating was revealed to all during a party at The Prince Albert.
Sharon and Kat are seen bonding as they work together to get everything ready but their happy moment is abruptly interrupted when they arrive to see Shirley has trashed the club.
Shirley tells them her actions were for all the times members of the Mitchell clan have hurt her family and promises that this is only the beginning of her vendetta.
But everyone gets a reminder that there are more dangerous people to fear from.
Shirley’s plan for revenge goes awry when she’s interrupted by two men coming into the club and waving a gun.
Fearing for her safety, she runs to the office to take cover as Kat and Sharon try to call Sam… and a gunshot rings out.
Sam wouldn’t be Phil Mitchell’s sister if she backed down and she decides to confidently face the men, discarding their demands before telling them to send a defiant message to Jonah.
When she realises their threats are not to be taken lightly, she gives in and takes them to the safe – where Shirley is hiding.
Both women are trying to keep their cool but another shot is fired.
Who is left in danger this week?
2. Rainie makes a decision about Roland
Meanwhile, Rainie and Stuart Highway’s (portrayed by Tanya Franks and Ricky Champ) family is on the line after he revealed he felt no connection with baby Roland.
The undertaker has displayed signs of postnatal depression and Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) is forced to give Rainie an ultimatum to ensure her biological son gets all the love he needs and deserves.
This week, after talking to her friend Dotty Cotton, Bernie tells Rainie that she can have Roland – on the one condition she leaves Stuart.
Rainie finds support in the form of Mitch Baker (Roger Griffiths) – while Stuart is listening to their conversation.
Rattled, Stuart makes the move himself, telling a heartbroken Rainie that he’s ending their marriage.
Rainie realises that this is clearly the end of their romance when she finds him packing up his things.
Later on, Stuart is in The Vic when he’s confronted by Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley) about abandoning Roland.
Thankfully for him, Patrick makes her realise there might be more to the situation than expected.
With Roland by her side, Rainie soon tells Jack she’s made the decision to leave Albert Square.
Will she go through with it?
3. Ash plans her exit
Speaking of potential exits, Ash Panesar (portrayed by Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) is already planning to leave Walford and her family behind as she’s determined to get herself another job.
However, her mother Suki (Balvinder Sopal) will do whatever it takes to stop her from leaving.
This includes ordering her to apply at the new GP surgery with Nina Gupta (Hersha Verity).
Unfortunately for her, Ash stands her ground and tells her mother she’s planning to leave for Canada.
Suki later meets with Nina regardless and both discuss the job for Ash – but she’s devastated when she learns Nina is dating Ranveer.
This only pushes Suki to want Ash to work at the surgery even more.
In a desperate move, Suki tries to bribe her into applying for the GP job with a car.
Meanwhile, Ash is dealt with a huge blow when she finds out her job in Canada has fallen through – the perfect opportunity for Suki to insist.
Later on, it seems Ash gives up the fight as she agrees she’ll apply for the job at the new GP surgery.
But things go from bad to worse for her when she realises scheming Suki has been through her emails and knows all about the job in Canada.
How will they resolve their issues?
Can they ever get along?
Will Ash really leave?
4. Suki opens up to Eve
Unbeknownst to Suki, her son Kheerat (Jaz Deol) is also working on some plans of his own as he rekindled his romance with Stacey Slater in secret.
This is despite his family’s intention of setting him up for an arranged marriage.
The businessman’s secret is on the verge of being exposed when Stacey meets with him at No.31 again and Billy Mitchell tells Suki he has heard people inside.
This prompts Suki, Ash and Eve Unwin (Heather Peace) to go check.
When Eve finds Stacey hiding behind the sofa, she helps her out by keeping Suki distracted.
Believing they’re alone, the owner of Minute Mart on Bridge Street talks to Eve and brings up the children’s emotionally abusive father being released from prison.
In later scenes, Suki invites Eve for lunch to thank her for her support, and the former lawyer agrees that Stacey can tell Kheerat about her former husband.
Eve and Suki meet up and, sensing a spark between them, she rushes to stop Stacey from talking to Kheerat.
Soon after, another conversation leads to an intense moment as Eve leans in for a kiss.
Will Suki reciprocate or will Eve go through the same turmoil Honey Mitchell did?
5. Ben suffers a setback
With Lewis’ attack etched in his mind, Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) is finding it hard to live his life carefree.
To make matters worse, his nephew Peter Beale (Dayle Hudson) knows he was the one who attacked him and is determined to make him pay.
Ben and Jay return home but Kathy, the first one to know her son was raped, quickly realises that Ben is still struggling.
He reluctantly agrees to take his daughter Lexi to a Pride fair in the Square, perhaps in the hopes his spirits can be lifted.
But when the pair get ready, Peter decides to drop off a box of lost property and Lexi pulls out the shirt Lewis was wearing when he attacked Ben.
Overwhelmed with panic, Ben locks himself in the bathroom, leaving nine-year-old Lexi utterly distraught.
Kathy arrives and snaps at her grandson Peter for his nonchalant attitude towards Ben and insists he should take Lexi home.
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Can Ben and Peter ever resolve their differences?
EastEnders airs on BBC One.
