EastEnders viewers got an early look at tonight’s tense episode on BBC iPlayer, which saw Zoe Slater suffer a major breakdown after a long-lost VHS tape was played in The Queen Vic.
The discovery of the old home video and what it reveals pushes Zoe to her limit, sparking a dramatic confrontation that leaves the Slater family in pieces.
The episode opens with Zoe walking in on Kat and Alfie discussing her recent deception involving Sharon Watts. Still trying to regain trust after lying about Sharon’s late husband Dennis, Zoe insists someone was trying to frighten her by smashing the picture frame of her and Kat and smearing it with blood. Kat is sceptical and accuses Zoe of damaging it herself to gain sympathy.
Before the argument can go further, a power cut plunges the pub into darkness, a fitting start for a Halloween episode that quickly turns tense.
A tape resurfaces…
As Alfie deals with a leak that has ruined his Halloween decorations, Ross arrives to help and uncovers an old VHS tape labelled ‘Slaters Halloween 1988.’ Alfie decides to find a video player to see what is on it, despite Kat’s unease about digging up the past.
Meanwhile, Jean’s patience with Zoe is wearing thin. Under pressure, she admits she ‘hates Zoe’, making clear just how divided the Slaters have become.
Elsewhere, Zoe’s feud with Vicki flares again at the café. Zoe accuses her of smashing the picture frame, while Vicki tells her to leave Walford altogether. Anthony steps in to calm things down and offers Zoe a place to stay, but when he asks if her son might be his, Zoe snaps, denies it, and storms off. A mysterious text message then follows, leaving her unsettled.
Back at The Vic, Alfie tries to ease tensions with a ‘Slater intervention’ over a fish and chips lunch or ‘funch’. Zoe apologises, and Kat stands by her, urging Jean to move on, but Jean refuses, storming out instead. Kat reassures Zoe she doesn’t need to move out, and for a brief moment, the family seems to find some peace.
That calm is, however, short-lived. During Kat and Alfie’s Halloween party, Zoe stays upstairs, keeping out of sight. Ross then returns with a video player so Alfie can finally play the old VHS tape.
Kat immediately warns him not to, worried it might show upsetting footage of her parents. But when the tape begins to play, curiosity gets the better of them. At first, the video appears harmless, old clips of a young Kat and Zoe celebrating Halloween in the 1980s. Then, Uncle Harry appears on screen.
Kat reacts instantly, shouting for Alfie to turn it off. The atmosphere in The Vic changes in seconds. Zoe’s expression turns from nostalgia to shock as she begins to panic. Kat screams at Alfie, who insists he didn’t put on the tape.
Zoe quickly turns on everyone else, accusing Jean and Vicki of setting her up by putting the tape on. Her fear turns to fury, and she orders everyone to leave the pub.
Zoe’s emotional collapse leaves the Slaters shaken. Once the pub is empty, she warns Kat that ‘someone is out to get her,’ before isolating herself once again. Anthony tells Kat that Zoe’s behaviour is deeply worrying, suggesting she might be showing signs of a psychotic break.
With Zoe’s mental state deteriorating and old secrets resurfacing, it’s clear the fallout from the tape is only just beginning. Fans will have to wait to find out whether Zoe’s paranoia continues to spiral or if someone really is targeting her.
