EastEnders fans are hoping Joel Marshall could finally get the chance to change his ways after the character survived his brutal attack.
Earlier this week, Joel was left for dead outside after being targeted by someone. He was then discovered by a group of Walford teens.
Now, after waking up in hospital, viewers are calling for Joel to be given a redemption storyline.
Joel attacked in EastEnders
This week in Walford, Amy and Avani invited Joel to join them at a gathering in the park. The girls claimed that they wanted to move on from everything that had happened.
After being reassured it wasn’t a set-up, Joel agreed to go along. However, while things appeared calm at first, the teens soon put their plan into action by tying him to an outhouse, pouring liquid over him and recording what happened.
As the group carried on with their celebrations, Avani started to become uncomfortable with how far things had gone.
When the teens returned around 45 minutes later to free Joel, they discovered he had already been released by someone else. They then found him nearby suffering from a serious head injury, leaving them fearing for his life.
The teens were later taken to the police station to give statements. Avani handed over her jacket and the blood on her hands for forensic testing. Meanwhile, Joel regained consciousness in hospital.
However, the drama took another turn when Barney secretly met Harry and asked him to recover a hidden hammer. Barney became emotional as Harry questioned what he had done. Viewers wondered whether Barney was responsible for attacking Joel or if he was protecting the real culprit.
EastEnders fans call for Joel redemption arc
With Joel now back on the Square after his time in young offenders for grievous bodily harm, voyeurism, and producing and distributing indecent images of a child, fans are hoping the character can be given a second chance.
Viewers of the BBC soap have been sharing their hopes that Joel could be redeemed, while still acknowledging the serious mistakes he has made.
One fan on X wrote: “Max Murray is one of the strongest young actors in the cast right now and I’m fully defending a redemption arc for Joel whilst still addressing he’s made mistakes etc.”
Another viewer commented: “So…. imma play devil’s advocate for once. If Bobby can change and get his redemption arc after what he did to Lucy and Jane, why can’t Joel?…”
A third fan added: “I hope Joel is not dead and stays around redeemed, good actor. This is out of character for Barney, he and his brother suffered because of Ravi and nothing was done.”
As Joel’s future remains uncertain, fans are now eager to see whether EastEnders will explore a different side to the character following the attack.
EastEnders usually airs weeknights on BBC One at 7.30pm.