This article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which airs on BBC One at 7.30pm or can be streamed now on iPlayer.
The floor has fallen from beneath Suki Panesar-Unwin’s (Balvinder Sopal) feet as Avani Nandra-Hart’s (Aaliyah James) pregnancy was exposed to their family.
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks, ever since Avani got a positive test and confided in best mate Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman) about her desire to have an abortion.
She was terrified by the prospect of raising twisted Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) child, but her attempts at researching a clinic were spotted by Suki.
Despite asserting that it could be Avani’s only chance to have a child, the teen remained firm on her decision, and was prepared to open up to mum Priya (Sophie Khan Levy) and dad Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) about her ordeal.
However, at the abortion clinic, Suki dealt a troubling offer – she would raise the child alongside wife Eve (Heather Peace), despite not consulting her about the matter.
When Eve found out, she was furious but eventually warmed to the idea of being a parent, something she hadn’t considered before. However, she could also see how much the pregnancy was already starting to have an impact on Avani’s physical and mental health.
She knew that Suki was pressuring her into giving birth, and wanted the decision to be Avani’s. After a heart to heart, she had an abortion. The two then revealed all to an enraged Ravi and Priya – just as Suki walked in.
In today’s episode, Ravi implored his daughter to tell him who the father was – though Priya knew what problems that could cause and reassured their daughter that Joel needn’t know if she didn’t want him to.
Suki desperately tried to build bridges with her family, telling Ravi that she was prepared to remortgage the Slaters’ house to pay off the debts he owed at Walford East.
But for once, Ravi was speechless. He had absolutely nothing to say to his step-mother, other than comparing her to his wicked, late father Nish (Navin Chowdhry).
Regardless of Suki’s offer, it seemed to be too late as an order to wind up the restaurant had already been issued.
She then tried to turn the tables on Eve, saying that it was irresponsible of her to take a child to have such a major procedure without her parents’ knowledge.
In response to Suki’s desperation, Priya swanned into the room and slapped her, branding her ‘poison’. She then chased after Ravi, who was on the warpath to find Joel.
In their absence, Avani began to bleed, and Suki had to take her to the hospital. There, she confessed that she felt her ill health was a punishment from God for having a termination.
Meanwhile, a blissfully unaware Ravi launched a verbal attack on Joel.
When his dad Ross (Alex Walkinshaw) suggested that Avani may have slept with someone else – or multiple people – Ravi saw red. Ross’ only saving grace was the fact news reached Priya that Avani had been hospitalised, and the two left.
Later, Joel branded her ‘weak and stupid’ for making the decision without him.
At the end of the day, Suki came home and found Eve, son Vinny (Shiv Jalota) and grandson Nugget (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) packing their bags and leaving.
They were so disgusted by her behaviour that they couldn’t bare to be under the same roof.
For Eve, she said that Suki had opened her up to the hurt of believing that she could one day be a mother, and she doesn’t know what they have left in their marriage.
Is this the end of Sukeve, and what will Suki do without her family?
Balvinder Sopal’s new project
This could well be leading up to somewhat of an absence for Suki, in the wake of losing her clan?
We know that Balvinder Sopal is heading to the Strictly Come Dancing ballroom this autumn, though she has confirmed that she will still be in Albert Square.For example, Jay Brown actor Jamie Borthwick continued to appear – albeit less frequently – during last year’s competition.
‘I can’t stop butterflies. Every time I think about it, they just go,’ the actress told Good Morning Britain yesterday.
‘I dabbled a little bit. I did ballroom and Latin as a kind of hobby, and I really love it. And I think when you’ve got a passion for something, you’re naturally kind of inclined to enjoy it. So I’ll definitely enjoy it.’
‘I don’t know if I’ll be any good!,’ she added, saying she loved the drama of Latin dancing.
