WARNING: This article is full of spoilers for today’s EastEnders episode, which is streaming on BBC iPlayer now but has not yet aired on BBC One, and sees Nicola blackmail Suki.
Ever since EastEnders aired its New Year’s Day flashforward scenes, viewers have been desperate to find out what causes Nicola and Chelsea’s apparent fallout.
And now, after Nicola’s latest showdown with Suki and Eve, many think the answer has been revealed
While some fans previously suspected that Chelsea and George could grow closer, that theory appears less likely given everything currently happening in Chelsea’s life with Jordan.
Instead, viewers now believe a crucial piece of CCTV footage could be at the centre of the Christmas mystery.
EastEnders: Nicola blackmails Eve and Suki
After Eve lashed out at Nicola in yesterday’s EastEnders, she is panicking that Nicola will go to the police with the CCTV footage. She tries to cover her worry in front of Suki. But things only get worse when Robin, their foster care liaison officer, calls to say he needs to see them urgently.
Eve panics that this means Nicola has been to the police. But he actually wants to tell them that they have been fully approved to foster. Not only that, but they have a child who needs immediate care.
Covering her worry, Eve says all the right things during their meeting with Robin, and the couple is thrilled that they will soon have a child in their care. But once Robin has gone, Eve is jittery, and she eventually admits to hitting Nicola.
Suki is stunned at the news, but takes matters into her own hands, meeting with Nicola and asking what it would take for her to delete the CCTV video. Nicola names her price – £50k – and Suki is horrified but promises to get the money somehow.
Harry makes Nicola see sense in EastEnders
Later, Harry is helping Nicola in the bar when a message from Suki comes through to Nicola’s phone. He sees the text, promising to get the money by the end of next week, and quickly works out that his mum is blackmailing Suki and Eve.
He is annoyed that she keeps talking about fresh starts and being a happy family when she is blackmailing someone else. Nicola tries to reason that they need the money to save the family businesses, but Harry tells her they need to find another way.
Harry’s words resonate with Nicola, and she later goes to see Suki and Eve once again.
She tells the couple that she won’t go to the police and that she doesn’t want the money. However, that’s not the end of it. She then threatens them both, saying she will hold onto the footage and keep it for a rainy day…
Fans spot a link between Nicola’s blackmail and her future fight with Chelsea
Fans think they know how Nicola’s CCTV footage of Eve links to Chelsea, which will explain why the pair have fallen out by Christmas.
In the flashforward, Nicola and George are in The Vic as the drama of Max’s arrest plays out around them. George asks Nicola, “Did you go and talk to Chelsea?” to which she replies, “No, I would rather eat glass.” Hmm, intriguing!
Viewers are convinced that Chelsea somehow deletes the footage from the bar, either deliberately or by accident, putting her in the bad books with Nicola…
“So Nicola is still keeping the CCTV footage for a ‘rainy day’. My theory is that this links to the flashforward and somehow Chelsea destroys the footage. Maybe because she wouldn’t want Ria to lose Suki and Eve like she could lose Denise,” suggested one fan.
Someone else agreed: “I think something very similar regarding the Chelsea/Nicola flash forward fallout. I have a feeling Chelsea will make a passing comment to Suki or Eve about the cost of Jordan’s physio. Then they’ll offer her 10k to delete the footage.”
A third fan added: “I totally agree. Today’s episode had a lot of flashforward clues. Not only about Chelsea and Nicola’s fight, but also I think all of Nicola’s mentions of Christmas mean the Mitchells/Knights will take centre stage in Christmas stories, while the Brannings are the focus of New Year.”
Whether fans have worked it out or not remains to be seen. But Nicola’s decision to hold onto the footage has certainly given viewers a brand-new theory as the flashforward mystery continues to unfold.