Phil Mitchell’s train wreck of a love triangle came to a screeching halt this week when Shirley Carter confronted newlyweds Phil and Sharon with a gun, resulting in Phil being shot… again!
Long time Eastenders viewers remained unconcerned for Phil’s welfare as the scenes played out, knowing well that there’s little to no chance that they’d actually kill Phil – if the most well known character in Soap Land was headed to the big drama-filled graveyard in the sky, everyone would’ve been well aware of it months in advance. Now referred to as the East End’s 50 Cent we can safely assume Phil will make a full recovery in no time and be back barking orders at the Mitchell clan by the month’s end.
The real excitement of Friday night’s episode came from watching a pregnant Ronnie cover up the crime scene and calmly instructing Jay and Ben that they needed to dispose of the gun or it would be traced back to her, and that would spell disaster for all of the Mitchells. Seeing Billy, Ronnie and a blood covered Sharon being marched off by a swat team also led to a moment of pure brilliance as Billy roared across the Square to the onlooking residents of Walford that Phil had been shot, to which Ian Beale non-chalantly echoed the thoughts of the audience with a perfectly timed “Again?”
Just when we thought nothing could top Ian’s disconcern the episode ended on one of the greatest comedy scenes the gritty London soap has ever given us as Dean Wick’s massively over-reacted to his mother Shirley making her getaway, Only Fools & Horses style, in the three wheeled Reliant Robin. While the scene was probably never intended to be comic genius, it will undoubtedly go down in the Soap Opera Hall of Fame as one of the funniest moments in Eastenders history.
Joking aside, the aftermath of the shooting should be great to watch as we’ll hopefully finally see the much anticipated showdown between The Mitchells and The Carters play out, once Phil is back on his feet again…