Eve Panesar-Unwin (Heather Peace) and her wife Suki (Balvinder Sopal) received the news they desperately wanted in EastEnders as they were approved for adoption. However, the happy development came at a precarious time, just after Eve had assaulted Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) at Harry's Barn.
Adoption Panel Turmoil
Earlier, Eve had been drowning her sorrows after the adoption panel meeting went awry. Suki was on edge leading up to the meeting, worried about discussing her past as a parent in front of strangers. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that it fell on the anniversary of her son Jags' (Amar Adatia) death. Jags was sent to prison five years ago after Suki framed him for a crime committed by Vinny (Shiv Jalota). He was later attacked behind bars when Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) withdrew his protection, devastating Suki.
During the panel, when questioned about Jags, Suki fought tears and quickly exited. Eve chased after her, urging her to return, but Suki apologised and left, unable to continue.
Eve's Confrontation with Nicola
Devastated and believing they had lost their chance to be parents, Eve headed to the bar at Harry's Barn, where Nicola was working. Eve squared up to Nicola, telling her she should have left Suki alone. Nicola acknowledged that Eve would have made a great mother but claimed Suki would never be a good parent, belittling her children. Enraged, Eve slapped Nicola.
Nicola responded by telling Eve to 'smile', pointing to the CCTV camera and reminding the former lawyer that with her 'previous', she faces years in prison. Eve was shocked.
Adoption Approval and Looming Threat
Upon returning home, Eve was taken aback when Suki revealed that, despite the meeting's conclusion, they had been approved for adoption. But Eve's excitement was overshadowed by worry about what Nicola might do next. The question remains: will Nicola destroy Suki and Eve's happiness, or can they stop her? EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
