What is EastEnders’ Theo Hawthorne really up to with the Slaters?

His behaviour is very concerning.

By Laura Denby

Published: Thursday, 15 June 2023 at 12:00 am

Theo Hawthorne (William Ellis) displayed more worrying behaviour in tonight’s EastEnders (15th June), leaving us wondering exactly what his motives are with the Slater family.

Theo first appeared as the former schoolteacher of Freddie Slater (Bobby Brazier) back in April. After Freddie confronted Theo for treating him badly in lessons, Theo admitted that he thought Freddie may have ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which may have caused his concentration issues at the time.

In scenes thoughtfully portrayed by Brazier, Freddie decided to pursue an official diagnosis, so Theo came to Walford again to offer his support, joining Freddie and Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) to see the specialist who eventually confirmed that Freddie did indeed have ADHD.

When Jean worried that Freddie was bottling up his feelings about the condition, Theo spoke to him, and, out of guilt for his past behaviour, vowed to do what he could to help Freddie now. This included motivating the teen about his future when Freddie felt deflated over not going to university.

"Bobby
Freddie was diagnosed with ADHD in EastEnders
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

Meanwhile, Theo has seemingly begun to worm his way into the Slaters in other ways. When Freddie informed him that pregnant youngster Lily (Lillia Turner) was complaining because her mum Stacey (Lacey Turner) couldn’t afford to buy her new trainers for her birthday, Theo returned later with the very pair that Lily wanted – claiming that a friend of his worked in a sports shop and gave him a great deal.

Stacey was not happy, saying that they couldn’t accept the trainers as it wasn’t fair to her other children. But, outside, Theo handed them back to Lily, before suggesting that if he put them in the bin and Lily retrieved them, her mum couldn’t be cross about it.

But when Lily showed off the new trainers to her friend Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), Amy worried about Theo’s intentions as an older man. So Lily asked Theo outright if he was a pervert, and he laughed. He claimed that if he was a random man, his gift to her might be strange – adding that he wasn’t exactly a stranger as he knew Freddie, Jean and Stacey. He also suggested that Lily’s friends were simply jealous, dismissing her worries entirely.

"Lacey
Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater, Lillia Turner as Lily Slater, Gillian Wright as Jean Slater, and William Ellis as Theo Hawthorne in EastEnders.
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

But when Amy told Stacey that Lily had accepted trainers from an older man, Stacey confronted her about Theo’s gift again. Lily explained that she had thrown the shoes away rather than risk her reaction, then told her mum that she had been rude to Theo.

At The Vic, Stacey apologised to Theo, who offered to buy her a drink. Stacey refused as she’d had a hectic day, so he suggested they have a drink some other time, to which she agreed out of politeness. He then watched on from across the road as Stacey gave Lily a hug. So what is Theo really up to here?

What is EastEnders’ Theo Hawthorne really up to with the Slaters?

"William
William Ellis as Theo Hawthorne and Lillia Turner as Lily Slater in EastEnders.
BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron

The only background we have on Theo so far is that he used to teach Freddie and now, apparently, he wants to make up for his poor handling of the young man’s situation. So is Theo merely sticking around to help Freddie and the entire Slater clan? It’s now looking very unlikely that there’s an innocent or simple explanation for Theo after the way he was looking at Stacey and Lily. So what exactly is going on?

Well, could Amy’s concerns that Theo is a predator be accurate? We don’t yet know, but his words to Lily when she questioned him weren’t as reassuring to us as they seemed to be for her. Yet, with EastEnders already busy with a pre-teen pregnancy storyline for Lily, which has seen star Lillia Turner pick up a well-deserved award for Best Young Performer at the British Soap Awards, would the show go down the dark path of a grooming story at this point?

"Lacey
Lacey Turner as Stacey Slater in EastEnders.
BBC

One alternative theory is that Theo is actually focused on Stacey. Remember her OnlyFans style ‘Secret Cam’ account? Stace had a mystery client who was willing to pay extra when she showed her face during her risqué content, and he got in touch again pretty quickly after that first transaction. Could Theo actually be this person, having developed an unhealthy interest in Stacey – hence his enthusiasm to have a drink with her? If so, she may end up with a stalker on her hands.

Another option is that Theo has some other secret connection to the family, for example, as a relative they wouldn’t recognise for some reason. We’ll have to keep watching to find out what kind of character Theo really is, but it’s not looking good at this point…

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