EastEnders' Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) has hidden dark secrets, including her role in her son's girlfriend's death and letting her husband go to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Now, her mother Rose Hawkins (Marian McLoughlin) arrives in Walford, bringing a 'power struggle' and a vow to expose the truth.
A mother-daughter clash
Rose Hawkins is a steely matriarch, more than a match for her daughter. Actress Marian McLoughlin explains: 'She's had to be very tough because of what happened to her. She came from poverty, and had her house burnt down. Her husband came back from the war, things happened as we know. She's got a very sharp tongue and uses it as a weapon. Particularly with Nicola, it's a way of diminishing her retaining power. It's all about power struggle, mother versus daughter.'
The Hawkins family descended on Walford in Monday's episode, with Nicola less than happy to see them. Rose's first act was to try and sabotage Nicola's relationship with George Knight (Colin Salmon), calling her dangerous and unstable. George was not swayed, insisting Nicola was kind, loving and caring. 'Nicola is all of those things and more,' Rose purred. 'I just hope you never see the 'more'.'
Conflicting memories
George soon saw that 'more' when he and Rose walked into the Prince Albert to find Nicola threatening her niece Megan's abusive boyfriend with an icepick as he was tied to a chair. The conflict stems from Nicola's late father, Mister Hawkins. Nicola has confided traumatic memories to George and Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace), describing him as abusive and violent, lashing out physically on her and Rose, and freezing her out for days. Rose, however, remembers him as the man who kept the family together.
The differing recollections hark back to the day Mister Hawkins died. When Nicola discovered her dad attacking her mum, she intervened and warned him to leave. Despite Rose's pleas, Nicola wouldn't budge, and her drunken dad got in his car and left. Rose warned she'd never forgive Nic if anything happened to him. The abuser died in a car crash, and Rose kept her word, even trying to turn Nicola's sisters Gemma (Patricia Potter) and Jodie (Anna Constable) against her.
Uncovering the truth
Marian McLoughlin reveals why Rose is now in her daughter's backyard: 'She's there to sort out the truth of what happened all those years ago, coming with her version of the truth. It's up to the audience to decide who is telling the truth.'
Showrunner Ben Wadey discussed what drew him to the story: 'Nicola is not a bad liar. She is quite comfortable spinning her own version of events. What I found really interesting through the story is us hearing Nicola's version and then hearing different versions of the past. What her mum's version of the past is compared to her sisters'.'
'It's true of so many families. Everybody has these shared collective experiences of things that happened many years ago, but everyone remembers them slightly differently. It just creates endless drama. We will uncover things that will go in directions you weren't necessarily expecting.'
