A ladies\u2019 lock-in at The Queen Vic gave way to a futuristic scene which saw a bridal Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) confirming the death of a lifeless corpse. It\u2019s making detectives of us all, which is nothing original; but the way in which we\u2019ll watch from now on has changed, even as EastEnders\u2019 classic roots are revisited.<\/p>\n
The show has been on top form recently<\/a>, following the arrival of new executive producer Chris Clenshaw. The new era has been a resounding success, and now this brand new \u2018whodunnit\u2019 may have officially restored the long-running serial drama to its former glory.<\/p>\n We\u2019re all familiar with a soap murder mystery; and EastEnders is particularly famous for this tradition. So you\u2019d be forgiven for wondering if the team could outdo previous shockers, like \u2018Who Killed Lucy?\u2019 and the saga of Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb). But they\u2019ve achieved that goal.<\/p>\n In fact, while much of the same elements remain this time around \u2013 like guessing who the killer is and spotting all the clues \u2013 there\u2019s much more to this story than the usual features. While the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) also kept us in suspense for almost a year, now we seemingly have to wait the same length of time to find out just who has met their untimely demise.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an inventive and refreshing decision, because although there might seem to be obvious choices for this death (looking at you, Nish), we\u2019ve still got 10 months left to find out, meaning there\u2019s every chance an entirely different Walford fella will head on the path that ultimately cuts their journey short.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also got the surprise of Sharon\u2019s festive wedding, the mystery of the groom<\/a> and the added question of whether said groom might also be the dead man! So, a lot to consider and plenty to look out for.<\/p>\n And yet, despite the fact that this twist has genuinely \u2018never been done before\u2019, this is not the first time the BBC soap has gone down such an ambitious route and had it pay off.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go back to that Archie Mitchell murder \u2013 also airing at Christmas. Back at the end of 2009, evil Archie had burned all bridges. He\u2019d controlled, conned and abused his way around Albert Square, before being fatally bludgeoned by the Queen Vic bust. The list of suspects was so long that EastEnders chose to film a series of alternative reveals ahead of the live 25th anniversary episode the following February.<\/p>\n At the time, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) \u2013 also seen in the flash-forward with blood on her hands \u2013 made a secret confession that she had been the one to end Archie\u2019s life<\/a> after being raped by him; with only father-in-law Max Branning (Jake Wood) knowing the truth for several months afterwards.<\/p>\n The live episode meant that the cast had to film the aftermath scenes before they shot that big bombshell \u2013\u00a0 before any of them even knew who Archie\u2019s killer was.<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/02\/Eastenders-Stacey-Slater-Lacey-Turner-Flash-forward-a69faa3.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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