GEORGE Knight set the tone upon his arrival in Albert Square, making sure all residents knew he is not to be messed with.
But could some of EastEnders' most iconic characters try to measure up to him? What other big events could shake up Walford?
1. Shock affair rocks the Square
Phil Mitchell (played by Steve McFadden) has a busy week ahead of him on BBC One.
Lola Pearce drew her last breath in tear-jerking scenes, leaving the Mitchell clan devastated, including the tough man.
However, this week, Phil is unimpressed that his son Ben (Max Bowden) intends to sell the Arches to Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and he's hellbent on the deal.
Once the sale is done, Ben focuses all his attention on his daughter Lexi (Isabella Brown) but she's finding it hard to open up.
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Meanwhile, Phil is determined to get to the bottom of things and questions Sharon about her intentions with the Arches.
He's incensed when she admits she's bought The Arches to set up her fiancé Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) with his own business venture.
With a new feud brewing, soap viewers are suspecting that all hopes of a reunion between Phil and Sharon are dashed.
They are instead convinced he may embark on another, more shocking affair, with a surprising character.
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Viewers believe they've sensed a growing chemistry between Phil and Honey Mitchell (Emma Barton) in recent scenes of the London-based program as they prepared themselves for Lola's death and fought to get Billy Mitchell released from police custody to say his goodbyes.
"Phil and Honey affair I can feel it in my waters", one fan commented on Twitter.
Another jumped in: "I know the timing isn’t great right but Billy is obviously going to be grieving over Lola, and it has been known that the other partner may cheat due to lack of sexual interaction and affection in general. Could something happen between Honey and Phil due to this?"
2. One couple is torn apart
As mentioned above, Sharon is trying to set Keanu up with a business, thus pushing him to be a provider for his family.
But Keanu himself is stunned when Sharon reveals she’s bought The Arches for him.
In The Vic, Phil makes his discomfort worse with snide remarks, and Keanu leaves to get some fresh air.
Later on, Keanu admits he’s finding it difficult that Sharon is supporting him as he believes he should be the one taking care of her.
A headstrong Sharon demands he leaves his pride at the door and grabs the Arches opportunity with both hands.
When Keanu accepts the offer, Sharon begins to worry about his ability to run a business while Phil stirs the pot.
Sharon soon confides in Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), who advises her to have faith in her fiancé.
Sharon gets an idea to help Keanu and hires Reiss Colwell (Jonny Freeman) to help him look after the books.
Soap star Danny Walters teased upcoming hurdles for his on-screen alter ego and his fiancée.
"There [are] a few references this week to Keanu being a school dropout and not doing great in education. Bernie even says that he didn't score well in maths."
According to him, Reiss' arrival in the new business will rattle him.
"He's shocked and nervous when he first hears the news, but he does eventually comes to terms with it and quite confidently owns being the boss and wants to make the most of this opportunity."
"He's a bit in over his head in this situation. It's his first-ever business to run, and it's quite a big scale, so he conveys a bit of apprehension and nervousness — which Sharon sees, so she then gets worried about the business and whether he has credentials."
With their relationship going through many ups and downs, we wouldn't put it past the lovebirds to bicker until they reach a breaking point.
What's in store for them?
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3. Murder mystery unravels
Colin Salmon made his EastEnders debut as Elaine Peacock's partner George Knight.
This week, a major clue is dropped about his potential connection with Cindy Beale, who allegedly died behind bars after giving birth to a daughter.
However, upon his arrival, viewers noticed that he was introduced to almost all the protagonists of the upcoming Christmas murder mystery – with the exception of Suki Panesar.
"Obsessed with [the] way each of the six were introduced to George (except for Suki? which is… interesting given his interactions with Nish??"
With Suki (Balvinder Sopal) set to seek her independence from her husband this week, could George have an important part to play in the whodunnit?
Could he be the victim under the Christmas tree?
EastEnders airs from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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