On Friday (September 3), EastEnders may have seen Phil Mitchell suffer the ultimate Albert Square betrayal as his ex-wife Sharon Watts reported Ian Beale’s attack last year to the police.
Despite the fact that Ian hasn’t been seen in the Square in a while, his presence was felt throughout the episode once the plot reappeared.
Tina Carter (who, although being slain by Gray Atkins, is still thought alive by her family) fled after being identified as a suspect in the attack, but Ian was injured after Sharon and Phil joined up to take him down following his participation in Denny’s killing.
Sharon told Phil on Friday that she still felt bad about what happened to Ian all those months ago, and that Shirley Carter was pressuring her to tell the police what she knows so Tina could return home.
Sharon said she was considering going to the police to clear her name, but Phil told his ex-wife that she would almost certainly face prison time if she did.
“We settled this months ago,” Phil informed his ex-wife, Sharon, but she confessed that while “Ian deserved what we did,” Tina didn’t. “That’s enough of the bleeding heart,” Phil shouted back, clearly unimpressed.
Shirley next tried her luck with Sharon at the café, encouraging her to do everything she could to reclaim Tina, even blaming Phil for everything.
“I’m sorry, I tried,” Sharon said, and Shirley burst into tears, admitting, “Tina didn’t do nothing,” recalling a fabricated tale Gray told her when he pretended to see Tina being hustled into a bus by two guys.
Sharon subsequently saw Albie playing with Zack at the park and asked if her brother could care after his nephew for a bit, clearly affected by Shirley’s impassioned request.
Sharon went to the police station despite Phil’s ominous warning. Phil tried several times to contact her but was unable, finally leaving her a voicemail in which he advised her against “doing anything dumb.”
Sharon acknowledged to Ian’s assailant when sitting in the questioning room: “Tina Carter was not the culprit. I’m quite sure that wasn’t “..
The episode closed with the guys in blue barging into the Queen Vic to inform Phil that he was being “arrested for the attempted murder of Ian Beale,” while he was speaking with lover Kat Slater.
Shirley then confessed, almost gleefully, that the break in the investigation meant Tina could finally return home… or so she thinks.
But how much did Sharon actually tell the cops? Could she be next in line for Phil’s wrath?
