The EastEnders Christmas Special on BBC One delivered a night of brutal drama that culminated in a shocking murder at the Queen Vic, leaving one of Walford's major villains dead and viewers with a chilling cliffhanger.
A Festive Bombshell and a Deadly Confrontation
Thursday night's first festive episode revealed a monumental secret to Zoe Slater. She discovered that both of the children she believed did not survive birth are, in fact, alive. This revelation unfolded against the backdrop of Chrissie Watts's vengeful return to Walford, where she has been manipulating events using her daughter, Jasmine.
However, the dramatic showdown at the Vic did not claim Chrissie or Jasmine as a victim. Instead, the episode focused on a tense and ultimately fatal confrontation between Zoe and Anthony. Zoe, believing Anthony had been stalking her, confronted him, unaware he was not responsible. The situation rapidly spiralled out of control.
The Violent Unraveling at the Queen Vic
When Zoe realised Anthony had not written a card supposedly sent by her son, she became convinced her child was coming to find her. Anthony pleaded for a second chance to build their family together, but Zoe was furious, shouting that she wanted nothing to do with him ever again.
The argument turned physically violent when Anthony lashed out, grabbing Zoe and slamming her head against a bannister, which left her unconscious. Later, Kat Slater went upstairs and made a horrifying discovery: Zoe was still unresponsive, and Anthony was lying dead nearby.
In a panic, Kat cried out to Zoe, "What have you done? He's dead." With Anthony's lifeless body on the floor, the episode ended, leaving audiences to question whether a recovering Zoe was responsible for his death.
The Return of a Legendary Villain
The special also marked the highly anticipated return of Tracy-Ann Oberman as Chrissie Watts. The character was originally sent to prison for the murder of her husband, Den Watts (Lesley Grantham), in a legendary 20th-anniversary episode that drew 14.34 million viewers in 2004.
Chrissie's original storyline saw her bludgeon Den to death in self-defence before burying him under the Queen Vic with help from Sam Mitchell and Zoe Slater. She was eventually exposed by Phil and Grant Mitchell and sent to prison.
The EastEnders Christmas Special is available to watch on BBC One and to stream on BBC iPlayer.
