EastEnders’ latest killer twist is nothing new – and needs retiring

Do you agree? **SPOILERS** ahead.

By Laura Denby

Published: Monday, 08 August 2022 at 12:00 am

**This article discusses scenes which have not yet aired on television, and can be found in this week’s EastEnders boxset currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.**

A shocking murder has taken place in Albert Square, with Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) central to the action. But the twist in this EastEnders tale will be all too familiar to viewers, involving another character who stepped in to finish the job when – surprise, surprise, the victim wasn’t dead after all!

When Ranveer Gulati (Anil Goutam) revealed he would only sign their business deal if Suki slept with him, she set him up by recording him – forcing him to sign the contract. But Ranveer trapped her, pinning her down and attempting to rape her.

Suki struck him with a clock in self-defence, and Ranveer appeared dead while she stared on in shock. But then his son Ravi (Aaron Thiara) arrived, and as Suki explained that Ranveer had set out to sexually assault her, Ravi was understanding. He ordered her outside, promising to deal with everything himself.

But as Ravi prepared to dispose of his father’s body, Ranveer regained consciousness. As blood poured from his wound, he referenced Suki’s camera, before realising what Ravi had been about to do. He threatened Ravi, who pleaded with his dad until Ranveer shouted: “I was never your dad and you know it!”

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Suki found herself at Ranveer’s mercy. BBC
BBC

Before we could wrap our heads around that revelation, Ranveer was telling Ravi, “You’re finished!” and the latter picked up the clock and hit him with it – ultimately killing him.

In the scenes that followed, Ravi kept quiet, getting rid of the body before telling Suki that she must never tell a soul about what happened. Suki was traumatised and wanted to go to the police with the footage, certain that it could prove that she had no choice but to hit Ranveer. But Ravi was aware that the footage would expose him, talking Suki out of it before editing the recording.

If this extra web of lies and deceit sounds like déjà vu, it’s because EastEnders has delivered this kind of killer twist again and again.

Remember the (second) death of Dirty Den Watts (Leslie Grantham)? When he attacked estranged wife Chrissie (Tracy-Ann Oberman) in the Queen Vic, Den’s one-time lover Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) hit him with a metal doorstop. Thinking she was responsible for his death, Zoe was frantic as Chrissie ushered her into the back.

As Chrissie stepped over Den’s body, he grabbed hold of her and declared: “You’ll never get me out of the Vic!” Chrissie grabbed the weapon and bludgeoned him with it, making her Den’s true murderer. But poor Zoe only learned she was innocent when eyewitness Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) filled her in later.

As twists go, this was one of the most memorable moments of EastEnders’ reign. Then the soap repeated history when Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) killed husband Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd), shortly after their nanny Alice Branning (Jasmyn Banks) had already stabbed him. Alice was arrested, charged and put on trial, and only when she was quizzed about the second stab wound did Alice realise she wasn’t actually guilty.

The real twist came when Janine stepped up to help exonerate the fragile Alice, owning up to Michael’s murder – albeit exaggerating the truth along the way in true Janine style.

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EastEnders’ Janine allowed Alice to take the blame for her husband’s murder. BBC
EastEnders

Over in Emmerdale, a live episode delivered a similar scenario to Suki’s – in more ways than one. The show’s 40th anniversary saw Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) ‘kill’ Carl King (Tom Lister) when he tried to rape her.

Chas ran off, convinced she had ended her ex’s life – but villain Cameron Murray (Dominic Power) was there to strike him down with a brick when Carl rose up to declare himself “indestructible”. Chas spent a large chunk of time believing she was guilty as she languished in prison, before Cameron’s role was unearthed.

Were the above storylines powerful, strong soap plots? Absolutely, and it must be noted that this week’s EastEnders features outstanding performances from Balvinder Sopal and newcomer Aaron Thiara. Suki’s tough exterior crumbled, and her unravelling was captivating. But the point is that we’ve seen a fate like Ranveer’s several times before.

Some time in the future, Suki’s torment will inevitably be eased when she learns what Ravi did, but it’s a timebomb we are all too used to. For years now, we have been questioning soap deaths, unwilling to trust that a lifeless-looking character is definitely gone for good – and it’s all thanks to a twist that shouldn’t really be deemed a ‘twist’ at all any more.

Prolonging the agony for Suki is, admittedly, what this plot point is all about. But it might just be time for soapland to give up the ghost on this predictable trope.

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