NEW UPDATE! Ross takes desperate action in EastEnders to win back Vicki as she cracks
The climax of Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) misogyny storyline utterly blew Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) and Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) apart in EastEnders, though Ross is still holding out hope that he can mend things.
When Vicki returned to the Square from Australia with Ross and Joel in tow, it quickly became apparent that all was not right with the family. In a bid to protect her family, Vicki initially went to disturbing lengths to keep Joel out of trouble, but things reached a terrifying crescendo when Joel turned his ire toward Vicky, violently attacking her.
Though Ross did the right thing by reporting his son, desperate to remain with Vicki, she kicked him out, unable to process the thought of living alongside any link to Joel.
As she tries to piece her life back together, though, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the psychological scars she suffered after Joel’s brutal attack are still very much open.
Vicki is shaken up next week when she learns that Joel is planning to plead not guilty at the upcoming trial.
‘It’s completely dominating all Vicki’s thoughts. She’s always been very comfortable in her own skin and a confident person, but Joel’s attack has really damaged that confidence,’ said Alice.
Attempting to return to some form of normality and take her mind off things, Vicki agrees to go to the quiz at the Vic and comes face to face with Ross. Though the ice is still very much in place, they end up on the same quiz team and she gradually warms up to his presence.
When she heads to the bar, though, she’s instantly triggered by the behaviour of Chelsea Fox’ (Zaraah Abrahams) date, Damon. Keeping her focus fixed on him, she later overhears the date on the phone to his wife.
‘Vicki notices Damon very quickly and from her perspective, he’s all over Chelsea and seems untrustworthy. So, when she later hears him on the phone and gets what she believes is confirmation that she’s right about him, she snaps,’ Alice mused on the clash.
‘The trouble is that Vicki has had quite a bit to drink, and she lets him know what she thinks of him in a very public way. So, she embarrasses everyone, including herself,’ she added.
Vicki’s conflict with Damon spills over to the laundrette, when things become physical and she shoves him, causing him to fall and hit his head.
‘Damon is very intimidating and quite aggressive with her, verbally not physically, but Vicki is not in the right place to deal with it. So she ends up pushing him and the situation gets very serious,’ Alice explains.
Though it ends up being Zack Hudson (James Farrar) who steps in to help, Ross remains concerned about Vicki’s state of mind. While she and Zack later give in to passion, Ross comes up with a plan to win her back.
Visiting his toxic son, Ross is determined to convince him to plead guilty and save Vicki the trauma of going through a court case, allowing her to find peace and get back to normal. While we won’t reveal the outcome of their confrontation, when Ross returns home, he tells Vicki that he won’t give up on the chance of them reuniting.
Speaking on whether a guilty plea would bring her some peace, Alice said: ‘If Joel had pleaded guilty, she would have been able to put the incident in the past. Even though she would still be suffering with trauma, at least she wouldn’t have to relive what happened all over again in court.
‘But with Joel pleading not guilty, there now must be a trial and for Vicki, the thought of having to stand up in court, in front of Joel, and go through it again is terrifying.’
Meanwhile, Ross makes a big gesture to remind Vicki of the good times they’ve had together, but she’s unimpressed, perhaps due to her burgeoning passion for Zack?
‘Zack and Ross have such different energies and characters, but they’re also both really great men. I can completely understand why Vicky might be torn between them,’ Alice said on her alter ego being torn between two men.
Where does Vicki’s heart belong?