EastEnders fans have declared that the late Roxy Mitchell 'would be proud' after her daughter Amy Branning stood up to the increasingly volatile Joel Marshall in scenes that aired on Wednesday night (August 27). The teenager, played by Ellie Dadd, confronted Joel after he insulted Lily Slater for becoming a mother at age 12, prompting him to throw a chair and threaten violence.
Joel, portrayed by Max Murray, has been at the centre of several controversial storylines since joining the BBC soap in March. His actions have included filming himself sleeping with Avani Nandra-Hart without her knowledge, showing Tommy Moon explicit pornography, and assaulting a young woman on the tube. He has also displayed misogynistic behaviour towards Avani over her abortion, used inappropriate language towards Kat Slater, and targeted Stacey over her SecretCam content.
In Wednesday's episode, Kat Slater attempted to rally the family for a summer BBQ at The Queen Vic, but tensions rose when Alfie and Stacey were distracted over Zoe. Jean overheard them discussing Kat's daughter and urged them to tell the truth. Meanwhile, Joel insulted Lily in the cafe, leading Amy to call him an 'incel boy band curtains' and declare she wasn't scared of him. Joel responded by threatening to 'smash them up' and throwing a chair, shouting, 'I'll show you how much of a man I really is.'
Kat arrived and told Amy and Lily to 'stay away from little boys with big mouths, they never grow up.' Later, Kat and Tommy had a massive row over his friendship with Joel, resulting in Kat kicking Tommy out. The situation worsened when Alfie finally revealed that he had gone to Spain to find Zoe. Despite the drama, fans on X focused on Amy's fiery defence, drawing comparisons to her late mother Roxy, who died alongside her sister Ronnie in a drowning incident on New Year's Day 2017.
Viewers praised Amy's assertiveness, with many calling her a 'spitting image' of Roxy. One fan wrote: 'Roxy Mitchell would be so proud. I'm glad someone finally put Joel in his place.' Another added: 'She clocked him, that's Roxy Mitchell's daughter.' Others expressed concern over Joel's escalating behaviour, with one stating: 'He's out of control and needs to be dealt with.'
