EastEnders’ monumental 40th anniversary week has taken a dramatic turn with the death of an iconic villain during the Queen Vic fire in tonight’s nail-biting episode. The inferno was accidentally sparked when Cindy Beale inadvertently caused her husband Ian to be pushed into the path of Reiss Colwell’s car, leading him to swerve and crash into the iconic pub. Panic ensued as George Knight realised that Reiss had hit a stockpile of gas canisters, urging everyone to flee before the building exploded. Amidst the chaos of Honey and Billy Mitchell’s wedding celebration trapped in the burning tavern, the show hinted that not all characters would escape with their lives, culminating in tonight’s heartbreaking reveal – Reiss Colwell didn’t survive the ghastly blaze. In a tense storyline, Sonia found herself in labour, surrounded by Lauren Branning and Bianca Jackson in the precarious Vic. Reiss suddenly emerged, telling her, “It sounds like congratulations are in order.”
The Queen Vic exploded in last nights episode and fans believe Martin wont survive
(Image: BBC)
To which a furious Sonia yelled back, “You are a freak, Reiss. You are a murdering freak. You’re not going to be any part of my daughter’s life,” only to receive his chilling response: “You don’t mean that, it’s the hormones talking. We’re meant to be together and the sooner you realise that- blood is thicker than water and that baby will always be my blood,” reports the Mirror. A confrontation followed, and after Bianca hurled at him, “Why don’t you just drop dead!” Reiss stumbled, narrowly missing injury from falling debris. Brushing off the encounter, he uttered, “Well, that was close.” Just seconds later, a massive bathtub suddenly came crashing down on him, killing him instantly. Bianca approached his lifeless body, and confirmed that he was dead, to which Sonia responded: “Good.” Earlier in the episode, Sharon Watts had a near-death experience, hallucinating a reunion with her deceased mother Angie, played by Anita Dobson. As Sharon lay trapped under rubble in the burning Queen Vic, Angie’s spirit appeared, urging her to find the strength to call for help. “I wish I could just put my arms round you and give you a great big hug but it’s not time for us to be together yet darling,” Angie said, spurring Sharon to make a desperate cry for help.
Angie Watts appeared in a hallucination
Meanwhile, this week’s 40th-anniversary celebrations have been marked by high drama in Walford, including Kathy Beale’s shocking revelation that she was behind the Christmas Day attack on Cindy. Confronting Cindy, who was pointing a gun at her estranged husband Ian, Kathy explained that she had snapped after seeing the devastating impact of Cindy’s infidelity on her son. “I thought anything could happen, his heart but you know what, at least you were gone. At least he was safe from you,” Kathy said, her anger and hurt still raw. “Oh no – there you were, traipsing past the house. Back.” Kathy’s only regret, she revealed, was that Cindy was still standing. She also explained why she had taken the locket Cindy was wearing after the attack – it had belonged to Lucy, who had received it as an 18th birthday gift. “You do not get to keep it,” Kathy told Cindy, her voice firm. “You do not get to steal that memory too.”
