Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) is having a right old time of it recently in EastEnders.

Between navigating the horrific situation her son, Harry Mitchell (Elijah Holloway), found himself in, imprisoned for months and force fed drugs until he developed a raging addiction and the jailing of ex-husband, Teddy Mitchell (Roland Manookian), who took the fall following Harry’s accidental slaying of Okie Okyere’s (Aayan Ibikunle Shoderu), it seemed things couldn’t get worse for the Mitchell clans resident ice queen.

Sure enough, though, they could. She dealt with the realisation that she was pregnant with George Knight (Colin Salmon) while also masterminding a revenge plot against Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), the man responsible for nearly all of her family’s trauma, and narrowly escaping when he discovered what she’d done and came for both her and Harry.

For a long while, it seems Nicola has been torn between what could be a lovely future with her new baby and potential new man, George, and the dark, violent, wrath-filled past she’s seemingly unwilling to totally step away from.

Nicola’s plot caused carnage

Nicola’s revenge against Ravi took the form of a drink laced with drugs. Determined to ensure that he experienced what Harry had been forced to, she served up the concoction with a smile and waited for the narcotics to take effect.

They certainly did, as Ravi ended up a staggering, incoherent mess, hallucinating visions of his evil dad, Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry). At the height of his confusion and drug-induced visions, he began to swing at what he thought was his dad. He realised only the next day, when he woke up covered in blood and with news that his beloved son, Davinder ‘Nugget’ Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) had been attacked and put into an induced coma, that he was responsible.

Things between Ravi and Nugget have been fraught in the aftermath, as Nugget thinks his dad is ashamed of him for getting attacked so brutally, and Ravi is wracked with guilt and has turned to self harm.

Next week sees Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman), who’s been staying with his biological dad, Zack Hudson (James Farrar), overhear Ravi’s girlfriend and Nugget’s mum, Priya Nandra-Hart’s (Sophie Khan Levy) venting about Nicola and Harry being responsible for the state of her family and rushes to confront his mum and brother.

Barney wants the truth

Though they deny any involvement in Nugget’s attack, Barney approaches his best friend, Nugget’s sister, Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James), asking how much Nugget remembers about what happened.

Having heard everything, though, Nugget confronts Barney, demanding to know if the Mitchell’s were behind what happened to him. When Barney is unable to provide answers, Nugget storms away to confront the Nicola and Harry.

As Priya and Ravi intervene, they both pale to realise that the truth could come out and desperately try to talk the Mitchells into going along with what they’ve already told Nugget.

Will they go along with Ravi and Priya? Or is the war between the Gulatis and the Mitchells destined to go on forever?