WARNING: The article below is packed full of spoilers for EastEnders today, which is already available to stream on BBC iPlayer, but has yet to air on terrestrial television, and sees Tim blackmail Callum.
There is serious drama brewing in Walford as Callum finds himself caught in a nightmare. In today’s EastEnders, Tim tightens his grip and blackmails Callum after setting him up in a calculated trap that leaves relationships hanging by a thread.
Callum has been wrestling with Ben’s letter all day. His head tells him to ignore the request to collect a mysterious USB from a random address and concentrate on building a future with Johnny. But his heart, still tied to his ex and thinking of Lexi, pulls him in the opposite direction.
It’s important to us that you never miss our articles when searching for stories! We have all the latest TV & Celebrity news to share with our community of loyal readers.
Click here and tick Entertainmentdaily.com
Unsure what to do, Callum turns to Kathy for advice. She is horrified to hear that Ben could be facing even more trouble and insists they have to step in, if only for Lexi’s sake.
Callum vows to help Ben
Kathy and Ian make Callum see that Lexi would be devastated if her dad got another 10 years in jail. Evetually Callum agrees, and the unlikely trio make plans to break into the house that evening.
Meanwhile, Linda has a run-in with Tim in the Square. She tells him she knows about his illegal request and tells him to back off, worried Johnny is going to get hurt. But Tim is annoyed that everyone rates Callum so highly, and tells Linda he has a plan to prove that Callum isn’t the man everyone thinks he is.
As night falls, Callum, Ian and Kathy get to the address in Ben’s letter, ready to break in. Ian and Callum head into the house as Kathy waits in the car as a lookout.
While they are searching the house, Callum is shocked to see a framed photo of Tim by a security camera. Stunned, the sickening realisation that he has been framed sinks in.
Telling Ian to get out, they run for it, and Kathy has to give her best impression of a getaway driver as they speed back to Walford.
EastEnders: Tim blackmails Callum
Tim finds Johnny and Linda in The Vic, and knowing he has caught Callum red-handed, he can’t wipe the smug smile off his face.
Callum arrives and is horrified to see Tim there. Tim reveals that Callum went against his word to Johnny and went to help Ben, admitting it was a setup and he now has incriminating footage of Callum.
Callum is fuming with Tim and Johnny is heartbroken that Callum lied to him. But that is soon the least of their worries.
Tim then announces that if Callum doesn’t want anyone at his work to see the footage, then he needs to dig up the dirt that he asked for last week, leaving Callum stunned.
EastEnders: Things that don’t make sense as Tim blackmails Callum
This storyline is packed with plot holes. Here are some of the things that don’t make sense…
1. No one makes sure the letter is real
The man who delivered the letter to Callum last week was a complete stranger. Surely the first thing anyone in the family would do is check with Ben to see if it is legit?
Linda has a go at Callum for always visiting Ben in jail in today’s episode, revealing he could have requested a visit or even a phone call.
2. Callum should know Ben better
It also makes no sense that Ben would ask Callum to get rid of the USB. Not only are they getting a divorce, but he is also a police officer.
Knowing Callum as he does, Ben would understand that this puts Callum in a predicament with his job. So Ben would ask Phil to get rid of the USB and not his ex.
Surely, this should have been a huge red flag for Callum when he got the letter?
3. Why does Callum go to Kathy for help?
There is also no logic to the fact that Callum goes to Kathy for help with Ben’s letter and not Phil. Does he really think that Kathy would be the perfect person to break into a house at night and locate a USB?
Clearly, Phil, with many years of crime under his belt, would be the better bet. But of course, that wouldn’t work in the storyline.
Using Kathy instead of Phil is the writer’s way of getting Callum involved in the break-in.
4. Linda doesn’t work out Tim’s trap
Linda knows that Ben had asked Callum to do something illegal because Callum tells her about Ben’s message. Five minutes later, Linda talks to Tim, who reveals he is ‘testing’ Callum to see if he is the sort of man everyone thinks he is.
How does Linda not put two and two together and realise that the letter from Ben was fake and Callum was about to walk into a trap?
5. Johnny’s angry with Callum, not Tim
Tim openly admits to framing and blackmailing Callum. Yet Johnny directs his anger at Callum.
Yes, Callum lied. But he was trying to help Lexi. The real villain here is Tim. So why can’t Johnny see that?
EastEnders has delivered a dramatic twist, but as Tim’s blackmail plot takes hold, it is hard to ignore the glaring questions surrounding it. One thing is certain: Callum’s world is about to get even more complicated.
Read more: Mark Jr affair ‘sealed’ as fan theory ties his return to EastEnders flashforward