WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Tuesday, June 17th’s episode of EastEnders, which is already streaming on iPlayer – and continues the return of Zoe Slater to the soap.
Zoe Slater returned to EastEnders last night, in a shock twist which saw her reunite with Alfie Moon at a flat rented by cousin Stacey. The soap spent most of last night’s episode building up to the reveal – including several fake-out hints that it might be Hayley Slater instead.
But those rumours (and leaked reports) turned out to be true, and the mystery slob sleeping off a hangover on Stacey’s sofa was none other than Zoe Slater. As the episode ended, Alfie came face-to-face with Kat’s daughter once again – leaving a whole raft of unanswered questions.
Where has Zoe been? Why has she come back? And will she return to Albert Square to reunite with her mum?
Early BBC iPlayer release reveals Zoe Slater return
Picking up where last night’s cliffhanger left off, a stunned Alfie reunited with a dishevelled-looking Zoe. While his first instinct was to call Kat, Zoe soon made it very clear that he and Stacey would never see her again if they told her mum. Don’t expect to see her back in Walford proper anytime soon, then…
The flat, it emerged, was Stacey’s – which she’d been renting during her time out from Walford. Cousin Zoe had been staying over, although relations between the pair weren’t exactly good – Zoe had stolen Stacey’s credit card and gone on a bit of a spending spree.
But why has Zoe Slater chosen now to return to EastEnders?
Zoe reveals money problems amid EastEnders return – but is she telling the truth?
Stacey then revealed that Zoe was in trouble with loan sharks, who she owed money to back in Spain, where she had been living prior to her return. Except that turned out to be untrue – Zoe had been sending the threatening messages to herself. Clearly, Zoe’s in need of money and somewhere to stay, which is partly why she’s back in London now… but what does she need the money for?
As Alfie and Stacey pressed her on what was really going on, Zoe began to break down, suggesting that something has gone seriously awry during her 20-year absence from Walford.
What is Zoe not telling Stacey and Alfie? In the aftermath of last night’s bombshell, fans took to social media to share their theories as to what has Zoe in such a state… and why she’s come back now.
What’s Zoe Slater hiding amid EastEnders return? All the fan theories so far:
1. She’s Joel’s mother
In last night’s episode, Joel also opened up to Tommy about his past in Australia – revealing that he didn’t know his mother, who he described as a ‘slapper.’ Some took the timing of Joel’s heart-to-heart as a sign that a very popular fan theory might be true.
“Imagine if Zoe turns out to be Joel’s long lost mum who ran out on him when he was little. It can’t be a coincidence he mentioned his mum the episode Zoe returns… I know soaps. Plus his sexist behaviour is giving Harry! Nothing is a coincidence,” wrote one fan on X.
“As much I’ll HATE this for Zoe but I’m getting a feeling that Joel is her son unfortunately,” said another.
“Why do I have a feeling they are lining up Zoe as being Joel’s mother,” agreed a third.
Might Zoe have returned to Walford in search of estranged son Joel? And if so, what will she make of the young man she finds waiting for her in Walford?
2. Unresolved trauma over Harry
Others have speculated that Zoe’s clear pain may be due to the revelation that she was the child of abuse at the hands of Harry Slater. Might she have been sent into a spiral in the years following her exit from Walford?
“Zoe is clearly a mess and it’s not unrealistic that some unresolved trauma over Harry would have caused it to some degree,” wrote one fan on Reddit.
3. Zoe Slater EastEnders return continued: Is she an alcoholic?
Meanwhile, others took her severe hangover and alcoholic intake to suggest that she may be suffering from an addiction problem, with one social media user writing: “So are we all thinking Zoe’s an alcoholic and did we all collectively groan when we came to that realisation…”
But is Zoe’s alcohol use an addiction, or merely a symptom of her pain?
‘She needs help,’ teases star Michelle Ryan of Zoe’s return
Meanwhile, star Michelle Ryan, who plays Zoe Slater on the soap, has teased what fans might expect from her sudden return – revealing that Zoe is now ‘a mess,’ and is in dear need of help from her friends and family.
“I can’t say too much as there is a lot of drama to come, but Zoe is a mess,” Michelle said.
“She’s not the girl that left Walford twenty years ago, and she’s been really struggling on her own. She has her defences up, but this week you will see that she needs help, but whether she is willing to accept it is another story.”
Can Alfie and Stacey get Zoe the help she needs?
Read more: Who’s leaving EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns
EastEnders usually airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One
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