There’s been no shortage of tension between Ian and Elaine in recent weeks on EastEnders, with the pair constantly clashing over who should become Walford’s next councillor.
But after weeks of trading insults and trying to sabotage each other’s campaigns, viewers finally saw sparks fly between the rivals in tonight’s episode.
Ian won the council election
Today’s EastEnders saw Ian and Elaine fighting it out at the polling station. As Walford residents cast their votes, the pair waited with bated breath to see who would be crowned the winner. But while Elaine tried to put on a brave face after Ian and Bea’s smear campaign video, Ian was doing his best to try to make amends.
In a bid to show Elaine how sorry he was, Ian made another video, retracting his previous claims. However, it was too little too late for Elaine, and she told Ian just how hurt she was by his actions.
Even Linda couldn’t help but have a dig at Ian. She laid into him for upsetting Elaine, but Elaine was more interested in finding out who her daughter had spent the night with the evening before.
Soon, the results were in, and Ian was crowned victorious. Although Elaine was gracious in defeat, Ian still felt awful for sabotaging her campaign and didn’t feel much like celebrating.
Ian and Elaine kissed in EastEnders
Later, Ian went to see Elaine, who was wallowing at home alone. She was surprised to see him, commenting that he should be at his victory party. However, Ian said he still felt awful and wanted to check she was okay.
But Elaine was still finding it hard to forgive Ian, and the pair fought again. As tensions started rising, Ian made a dig about the video hurting Elaine’s feelings. But she hit back about how he wouldn’t know the truth if it slapped him in the face.
As they argued, Ian grabbed Elaine and went in for a kiss, leaving her momentarily shocked. However, she didn’t seem to mind, because when Ian pulled away, shocked by his own actions, she grabbed his face and pulled him in for another kiss.
The pair seemed equally shocked by what had happened, and Ian made a hasty exit from the B&B. But what will happen when Bea finds out what has been going on?
Fans are convinced this is only the start of the drama. “I’m terrified for Ian once Bea finds out!” said one fan on Reddit. Someone else agreed: “Yep, all hell will break loose when Bea gets wind of this!”
A third friend echoed: “Couldn’t agree more. Bea’s revenge is going to cause chaos!”
EastEnders next week: the drama continues for Ian and Elaine
Next week’s episodes see things spiral even further when Ian decides to end his relationship with Bea.
After kissing Elaine and then spotting a newspaper article wrongly referring to Bea as his wife, Ian realises it’s time to walk away from the relationship for good.
Unsurprisingly, Bea reacts badly to the split, leaving Ian stunned by her response.
But that’s far from the end of his problems. Ian soon discovers that Bea secretly paid for votes during the council election using a fraudulent credit card in Honey’s name.
He later heads to Honey’s house to confront Bea, who is eventually forced to admit the truth.
However, Bea isn’t prepared to go down quietly and soon starts plotting a dangerous revenge plan of her own.
With Ian now set to be single again, could this finally open the door for a romance with Elaine? Or will Bea destroy any chance they have before it even begins?