EastEnders viewers have been left baffled by Mark Fowler's sudden transformation after he carried out a violent attack on Ryder Hawkins under blackmail from Ned. The harrowing episode aired as newcomer Ryder was violently attacked at the request of his father, Ned.
Blackmail plot unfolds
In recent episodes of the BBC One soap, Ryder (Felix Uff) told his auntie Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) that he was gay, a secret he wants to keep away from his parents. However, Ned (Jamie Bamber) spotted his son kissing another man in the Square and was furious. On Monday (October 12), Ned slyly attempted to steer Ryder's life in a different direction as Ryder planned to come out to his mum that evening.
Elsewhere, Ned stumbled across Mark Fowler (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) in bed with Lauren Beale (Jaqueline Jossa) and put a new blackmail scheme into motion. Ned told Mark that Ryder's life was in danger of going down the wrong path, and asked Mark for a "favour" in return for keeping his affair with Lauren a secret.
Attack on Ryder
In a disturbing development, he asked Mark to scare his son and show him that the world can be dangerous. Mark was horrified and immediately refused to follow Ned's orders. Ned returned to his family in the club, and when he realised that Ryder was about to have an important chat with his mum, he gave his son some cash to have a night out with friends instead.
Ned followed Mark home, pouring them a drink and trying another tactic. Ned told Mark that if he wanted Lauren to end her marriage with Peter (Thomas Law), then Mark needed to continue the affair, and said he would confirm where and when he wanted Mark to carry out the attack on Ryder. Later in the episode, Ryder stood outside a gay bar and phoned his mum after being approached by Mark, who was wearing a balaclava.
Fans react
In a violent scene, Mark attacked Ryder, who initially fought back, but Mark was too strong, and he was left lying beaten in the road. Harry Mitchell (Elijah Mitchell) found a bloodied Ryder in the street and rushed him back to No.1. His mum Gemma (Patricia Potter) was devastated, while Ned suggested that Ryder had been attacked because he was outside a gay bar.
EastEnders fans were left confused as a normally strong-willed Mark, who is the son of Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) and the nephew of local hard nut Phil (Steve McFadden), pandered to Ned's request instead of standing up for himself and Ryder. Turning to Reddit, one viewer wrote: "The son of Grant Mitchell pandering to Ned? Look at him, he's younger and twice the size, just put Ned on the floor, and tell him where to go!"
A second explained: "Yeah, Mark is gross. Lauren obviously didn't think it was something this dark that Ned was asking. I’d like to hope she wouldn’t have been okay with it, and I don’t really get what Ned is trying to do by having Ryder beat up." A third added: "Omg Mark!! You’re related to the OG MITCHELLS!!! Just deal with that awful, meddling, and manipulative Ned! He’s also half your size!!"
"Mark is disgusting. He didn't have to do this and only did it because he thinks Lauren will leave him if the affair comes out," added another. While one fan stated, "I can’t believe a nephew of Phil’s and a son of Grant’s would let himself be blackmailed by a sleaze like Ned over a girl. How is Mark going to explain his roughed up knuckles tomorrow?"
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
