Hunter Owen kills again as he returns to EastEnders?
Mel worries her son is spiralling out of control when he lashes out
EastEnders sees the return of Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) and son Hunter Owen (Charlie Winter) next week who are seen on screen for the first time since fleeing the Square in the aftermath of Hunter shooting his sinister stepdad Ray Kelly (Sean Mahon) dead, but is the toxic teen about to claim another victim when he lashes out at Keanu Taylor? (Danny Walters)
Mother and son are back on Monday 28 January to cover up their murderous secret as they try and remove all traces of Ray from the house, with Mel unaware Hunter still has the gun he used to kill Ray hidden away.
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Volatile Hunter clashes with Keanu when he innocently invites him to a surprise party for Louise Mitchell celebrating the fact she's passed her driving theory test, and the antagonistic encounter between the fellas leads to a fight in which Keanu punches the Owen teen in the face.
Mel is worried for her son's state of mind after the fist fight, fearing he could be provoked into another moment of violence, and tries to get him to open up - but he mocks her concern and sneaks out. Jack Branning finds the underage lad trying to hit on girls at the E20 and takes him home to mummy, where the stressed schoolboy turns on the tears to make Mel feel sorry for him as opposed to dishing out punishment.
However, Mel soon has more to worry about when bigamist Ray's other wives, Nicola and Maddie, turn up demanding to see their philandering husband. As far as they know, he's still on the run having escaped custody when he was arrested at his and Mel's wedding, but in actual fact his corpse is buried in nearby woodland…
Managing to put her co-conspirators off the scent by insisting she has no idea where Ray is, Mel hopes she's dealt with Nicola and Maddie, but Hunter panics when he notices the women watching him on Thursday 31 January.
Will Mel betray Hunter and hand him over to the cops?
Seeking advice on Hunter's worrying behaviour on Friday 1 February, but not wanting to reveal his killer secret, Mel turns to old flame Ian Beale but puts her foot in it when the conversation turns to Ian's son Bobby, currently in prison for murdering his big sister Lucy. Having offended him at the mention of Bobby, Mel apologises for upsetting Ian but as he opens up about his troubled offspring, Mel comes to a big decision about Hunter…
Will she go to the police and tell them everything, having realised prison is the best place for her unpredictable son? Or take the blame for Ray's murder herself to protect him from a life behind bars?
EastEnders has already confirmed Hunter will be leaving this spring, with Charlie Winter exiting the cast after a year in the role. Could next week's twists pave the way for the character's dramatic departure?
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