EastEnders' Linda Carter's life at risk in early BBC iPlayer cliffhanger

With Linda receiving vicious threats over the murder of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters), which she committed, her nerves were in pieces and she turned back to alcohol.

Meanwhile, Keanu's sister Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) was stunned when Dean Wicks (Matt Di Angelo) dropped her as soon as their blackmail led to a drunk Linda messing up her pre-trial meeting, making it less likely that Dean would be convicted for the killing.

Her son Johnny (Charlie Suff) was at the end of his tether as Linda was dropped as a witness for the prosecution, and he despaired to find Linda sleeping off the booze at the kitchen table.

Still drunk, Linda blamed Johnny for stopping her from taking Dean's recent deal, while Johnny lashed out when Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) worried about the consequences for herself.

Gina Knight (Francesca Henry) promised she would keep an eye on Linda while Johnny used his legal brain to try and salvage the situation - a chat witnessed by Bernie, who eyed her pint at the bar, still hellbent on getting justice for Keanu.

As Gina told Linda that she understood the mind of an addict, Johnny visited prosecutor Tamara (Carryl Thomas), urging the woman to use Linda as a witness despite the previous day's disaster.

Back at The Queen Vic, Bernie arrived upset, pleading to speak to Linda alone. Gina left them to it, getting delayed by a row with sister Anna Knight (Molly Rainford).

As Bernie presented a bottle and claimed she needed a drink to settle her nerves, she poured more vodka into Linda's glass, all the while talking through Linda's version of events.

Making out that she understood Sharon's anger at Keanu's behaviour leading up to his death, Bernie praised Linda's courage over all that had happened, but insisted that she didn't understand where Dean fit into the events of Christmas night.

As Linda looked shaken and began apologising to Bernie, Bernie put her hand on Linda's and spoke of Linda unburdening the weight on the shoulders, just as Johnny arrived home.

Johnny was furious that Gina had allowed Linda to be alone with Bernie and that the pair had been drinking, and Bernie fled the scene.

In her bedroom, Linda clutched the bottle of vodka, and Johnny explained that he had got her back on the witness list, on the condition that Linda went to rehab.

Linda replied that she wasn't strong enough, thanks to Johnny giving her a drink before the pre-trial meeting. Raging as Linda ranted at him, Johnny shouted that he wished Linda had died, instead of his dad Mick (Danny Dyer).

Alone and broken, Linda drank from the bottle, while Sharon told Johnny that his mum was lucky to have him.

But when Johnny returned to see Linda, he found her gasping for breath on the bed. As Gina took control and ordered Johnny to call an ambulance, will Linda survive?

What has brought on this medical emergency? Did Bernie spike the vodka bottle, leading to Linda being poisoned?

Read more:

• EastEnders' Dean Wicks makes twisted new move in Linda Carter plot in early BBC iPlayer release
• EastEnders reveals Linda Carter's unexpected blackmailer in early iPlayer release
• 6 EastEnders spoilers: Linda Carter in peril and Cindy Beale is under suspicion
• EastEnders spoilers as horrified Sonia Fowler and Reiss Colwell arrested in dramatic Queen Vic scenes
• EastEnders spoilers as Bernadette Taylor and evil Dean Wicks scheme to destroy killer Linda Carter

EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One and from 6am on BBC iPlayer.

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