EastEnders has left the jaws on the floor, with a groundbreaking flash-forward sequence confirming a huge death at the end of the year.

The BBC One soap promised fans a game-changing outing of the serial drama, confirming that everything would change for six of the show’s iconic women.

Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Denise Fox (Diane Parish), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean), Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) and Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal) bonded during a lock-in, as they opened up about what was on their mind.

As the night came to a close, the ladies in question toasted their final beverage to all the men who have upset and hurt them over the years, hoping that they would one day get what they deserve.

That day of judgement they wished for, however, will arrive for one Walford man in particular, with a chilling flash-forward sequence confirming a death at Christmas time.

The six aforementioned women were seen in complete and utter shock on Christmas Day as a corpse of a dead man lay on the floor of the pub, with Sharon – seemingly on the day of her own wedding – checking the pulse of the unfortunate resident.

The spectacular episode concluded with the confirmation of death, as the six women processed what had transpired.

So many many questions, right?

Like, for example, just WHO is Sharon getting married to? The biggest question, however, is in relation to the identity of the dead body.

Just who is it?

The jury is still out on that one, we’re afraid, but there are many possibilities, so without further ado, let’s take a look at who it could be.

Nish Panesar

Nish Panesar seems like the most obvious choice, given that he’s been portrayed as villain since his debut in the show.

The patriarch has made it his mission to belittle and control wife Suki, taking away everything she holds dear in terms of business, and making it quite clear that he is the boss.

Despite Nish’s bullying, however, Suki proved just how brilliant she is when it comes to business – an area that Nish is lacking in – when she made Linda think twice about going into business with Sharon, suggesting that she invests in the pub instead.

Nish, however, rewrote the narrative in scenes later, telling Suki that it was his brilliance that led to Linda reconsidering, ignoring his wife’s efforts to potentially clinch the deal.

The vile businessman, as with every soap villain, is likely on borrowed time, so could it be he who winds up dead during the festive season? Will Suki, or one of her trusted friends, lash out in a bid to put Nish out of his misery once and for all?

The realisation of what transpires takes quite the toll on Suki, who is forced to take a seat in the wake of the attack, so it seems likely that the dead body is someone known to particularly her.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that the trailer teasing the episode utilised the iconic feminist track You Don’t Own Me, which could it be indicative of these Walford women fighting back against patriarchy and reclaiming their control from abusive and nasty men.

Who fits such a description better than Nish?

Ravi Gulati

Another possible candidate for the dead body is none other than Ravi Gulati, who is no stranger when it comes to getting on the wrong side of the law. The popular character has killed before, having claimed Ranveer’s life – a crime which he almost let Suki take the fall for.

Ravi has, however, proven himself to be more kind-hearted than both his biological dad Nish and adoptive dad Ranveer, evidently wanting nothing more than to belong to the Panesar clan, a dream which he’s almost fulfilled over the past year.

His attention in recent weeks has been on Denise, with the two set to embark on an affair in the coming weeks. Denise, as you might’ve noticed, is seemingly the one who wields the murder weapon in the flash-forward, so could it be lover Ravi’s life that she’s claimed?

Ravi is under investigation by none other than Denise’s own beau Jack Branning, so could the restaurateur perhaps decide to come clean about the affair? Could that be what leads to his potential demise?

Or could it be in relation to his role in Ranveer’s death? Something which currently remains a mystery from all those in Walford. The truth coming out could, again, offer an explanation as to why Suki in particular is so winded by news of the death, as it would be a lot to process.

Phil Mitchell

Phil Mitchell, as you might’ve noticed earlier in the episode, is set to get married to Kat Slater come Christmas time. The hard-man was full of the joys of life as he told wife-to-be Kat that he’d gladly wait until the festive season to wed her.

But flash-forward ten months, and it’s not Kat who’s getting wed on Christmas Day, but Sharon!

The question is: is it Sharon and Phil that will walk down the aisle during the festive season? Will Phil come to his senses and realise that it’s not Kat he wants to be with, but rather Sharon?

Or is it Keanu who Sharon is set to marry?

If it’s the latter option, could Phil perhaps spiral out of control in a jealous rage, resulting in him winding up dead on the big day?

We’ve been here countless times before – with Phil ending up in a serious condition – but could this be truly the beginning of the end for the legendary soap hard-man?

Keanu Taylor

Keanu, much like Phil, could prove to be Sharon’s husband-to-be. But if this is the case, could he, also like Phil, ultimately end up losing his life in a scuffle over the festive season?

If, like we speculated above, Phil takes issue with Sharon’s choice of groom, could he lash out, resulting in a chain of events that lead to the former mechanic losing his life?

If so, then how do the other women in question factor in to the equation? Given that it’s one of the ladies in question who deliver the crushing blow, just what would drive them to lashing out at Keanu?

Dean Wicks

Linda Carter’s world came crashing down during the episode in question when she received a photo from Carly of Shirley in Dean Wicks’ company.

Dean, as viewers will recall, raped Linda back in 2014.

Kathy offered support, with the two women bonding over their past traumas. Linda, meanwhile, revealed that she feared Dean making a comeback with Shirley by his side, but Kathy was quick to reiterate that, should this unlikely event occur, then she’s got an army of women ready and waiting to support her.

Was this perhaps Kathy predicting the future?

Could Dean return to the Square prior to Christmas, which results in Linda’s friends coming to her rescue? If so, could the rapist pay for his crimes with his life?

Rocky

Kathy wasn’t too pleased to hear of Phil’s agreement to wed Kat over the festive season, remarking that she cannot get Rocky to book a date.

Yes, Rocky is stalling on tying the knot, but why? That is the question. It appears that he’s harbouring a big secret, one which Brian Conley teased last this year.

‘What has Rocky really done for the last thirty years?,’ he said, adding that he’s ‘intrigued!’ by the mystery of it all.

‘I think there are plans to find out,’ the actor concluded and consider us very excited. Is there a dark side on the horizon for Tom ‘Rocky’ Cotton? Will his actions leading up to the festive season result in his death on the big day?

Or will his reasons for stalling where the wedding is concerned push Kathy, and her fellow companions, over the edge?

Ryan Malloy

Ryan delighted fans when he returned to the Square last week after getting word of 12-year-old daughter Lily Slater’s pregnancy, but it soon became apparent that he had ulterior motives in staging a comeback, wanting to take Lily back to Wakefield with him.

Lily agreed to go at first, but she soon reconsidered when her dad showed his true colours, berating Stacey’s parenting and withdrawing his child support money.

The former mainstay, however, revealed in subsequent scenes that he’s keen to have Lily come stay with he and wife Helen over the festive season, which prompted Kat to move her wedding, ensuring Lily’s presence in Walford for the big day.

But could Ryan, perhaps, stage another comeback in a bid to worm his way back into Lily’s life? If so, will he resort to violence? Stacey, quite literally, has blood on her hands in the flash-forward sequence, so it’s possible that the victim is somehow tied to her.

EastEnders continues Tuesday February 21 at 7:30pm on BBC One.

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