When Oscar Branning (Pierre Moullier) knocked over Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) during a robbery gone wrong, it wasn’t long before Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) realised what her brother had done.
Confronting Oscar, Lauren urged him to face the consequences, as the police would soon be making door-to-door enquiries about Patrick’s attack.
But when Oscar described what it was like growing up with their mum Tanya (Jo Joyner), who had become broken after the death of daughter Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald), Lauren softened.
Having moved on with her own life, Lauren was busy and dad Max (Jake Wood) was absent, so Oscar sought solace with a gang and got into trouble.
By the time the police arrived, Oscar accepted that it was time to face the music – only for Lauren to end up lying for him, claiming that Oscar had been at home all night.
Lauren then ordered Oscar to give Patrick’s cash back without getting caught.
Pierre Moullier as Oscar Branning for EastEnders. BBC
At the hospital, it was revealed that Patrick would make a full recovery, and an emotional Yolande (Angela Wynter) asked him to marry her, putting their earlier row over gambling to rest.
But after police took a witness statement from Howie Danes (Delroy Atkinson), in which he couldn’t offer anything of note, Howie mulled over what he had seen and realised who was responsible for the evening’s events.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Howie had been struggling with money problems, and the money Oscar had taken had been racing winnings earned by Howie, not just Patrick.
So Howie headed over to pay Oscar a visit, waking Lauren, who joined the conversation.
Explaining that he knew what Oscar had done, Howie demanded the money back that very minute.
But when Lauren realised that Howie was planning on keeping the cash for himself, that he had no proof that Oscar was involved and that this was an attempt at blackmail, she laughed in his face.
As Lauren insisted they had no idea what Howie was talking about, he left – but is this the last the Brannings will hear on the subject?
Somehow, we doubt it!
Read more:
Visit our dedicated EastEnders page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
Add EastEnders to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.