EastEnders' Phil and Sharon back together after becoming united in grief?
From burying Dennis Jr to burying the hatchet
Sharon Mitchell screaming, "I will rip your heart out!" as she lunges at Phil with a cake knife in The Queen Vic is not many people's idea of an olive branch, even in EastEnders, but in a tender scene later that evening which possibly proves that Hell has frozen over, the grieving parents finally found common ground and even comfort in each other as both took the blame for Dennis Jr's death.
"He should have been safe with me," admitted Phil (Steve McFadden) after returning to Walford too late to bury his stepson. "Today I just wanted our little boy back. How did we get here, Sharon? How did all of this happen?"
The answer was of course Sharon's disastrous amour fou with Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and the baby that followed (hi Kayden) which sent Phil ballistic when he finally discovered the truth. Clutching a framed photo of her dead son Sharon acknowledged her massive error of judgement.
"I am so so sorry hurting you - Keanu, the baby," said Sharon (Letitia Dean) as Phil nursed a cup of tea. "Whatever I was missing, whatever I needed, I was still your wife... I started it. I started everything." Reaching out her hand to his Phil grabbed hold and promised Sharon that he was here for her.
It was quite the night for heart-felt gestures and confessionals. After being caught by Shirley trying to cover up her alcohol lapse, Linda told Mick how she couldn't remember a time in her life when she hadn't been surrounded by booze culture. From the moment her dad, a publican, first gave her a sip of one of his pints and turned it into their little daddy/daughter game.
Elsewhere a soap nation's collective hearts melted as first Ben let slip to Callum that he loved him and then his heart of gold trainee copper repeated those same three words back to Ben in sign language. And as Mick and Linda reached the big decision that a pub was no longer the place for them to be it was left to Mick to explain it all to Ollie with the help of a toy rabbit.
"We just need to be brave," said Mick with the little lad snuggled up between them in bed. "Because a burrow's just a burrow. As long as Daddy's with you and Mummy's here. As long as we're all together it doesn't matter where we are. It will be our home."
Whether Phil will feel as warm and fuzzy about his new accommodation as he handed himself in for questioning at Walford police station after being mocked by Ian Beale for always doing a runner remains to be seen.
- EastEnders confirms Ritchie Scott return - can she keep Phil out of jail?
- EastEnders cast: Who is joining, leaving and returning to the soap?
- EastEnders spoilers for next week: Shocks at Dennis';s funeral, plus Jags and Habiba get passionate
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