EastEnders viewers were left fearing the worst for Mark Fowler Jr after today’s episode saw Grant Mitchell make a huge mistake that could cost his son everything.
Grant thought he was helping when he stepped in to deal with Russell, but things quickly spiralled out of control. And by the end of the explosive showdown, Mark’s life was hanging in the balance.
With Russell now making deadly threats, fans are already wondering whether Mark could be living on borrowed time.
Mark’s drama with Russell got worse
Ever since he arrived in Walford, Mark has been working for a dangerous gang. We now know his boss is called Russell, an old acquaintance of Phil and Grant’s – and Mark’s in big trouble.
After failing to get rid of Ravi after discovering he was the police informant Russell’s gang had been looking for, Mark had a huge debt that he couldn’t afford to pay off.
Mark has been trying to sell dodgy cars through the car lot, but Lauren can’t shift them fast enough, and Russell is getting impatient.
Mark turned to Phil for help, and he offered to get his hands on £30k to buy him some time. Mark was grateful, but knew he still had to find the rest of the cash from somewhere else.
Grant makes things worse for Mark in EastEnders
Grant has been desperate to reconnect with Mark since he arrived back in Walford last month. But after years of being estranged, Mark isn’t interested in getting to know his dad.
However, when Grant heard of the drama his son had with Russell today, he decided fixing Mark’s gang problems could be his key to getting into his son’s good books.
Despite Sam and Phil both warning him away from getting involved, Grant didn’t listen and arranged to meet Russell in the boxing gym.
At first, the men exchanged pleasantries until Russell reminded Grant that he slept with his wife. Russell punched Grant for what he did, telling him he’d waited 30 years to hit him.
From that moment on, things went downhill. Soon Grant punched Russell back, and Russell retaliated by announcing that not only had he now doubled the debt Mark owed, but that if he didn’t pay by the end of next week, he would kill him.
Phil arrived and was shocked to realise Grant had just put a hit out on his own son.
EastEnders: The drama continues for Mark tomorrow
Russell seems determined to go through with his plan to teach the Mitchells a lesson tomorrow. He breaks into Vicki’s house and tells her the truth about Mark’s debt. She is terrified and goes to find her brother to tell him what has happened.
This makes Mark realise what Grant has done, and he orders Grant out of his life for good.
Later, Lauren heads to the Arches to confront Mark on the legitimacy of the cars. Mark insists everything is above board, but will she believe him?
Is Mark going to die in EastEnders?
Fans may be worried about Mark’s future, but it looks like he’s safe for now.
We already know Mark is sticking around until at least the end of the year after appearing in the flashforward episode.
What happens beyond that remains unclear, but for the time being, it doesn’t look like Russell’s threat will be the end of him.