EastEnders is lining up a dark new storyline for Joel Marshall (Max Murray).
The teenager has displayed a concerning behaviour pattern since arriving in Walford from Australia earlier this year.
Arriving alongside his dad Ross (Alex Walkinshaw), and his partner Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig), it soon became clear that the trio had quite a few skeletons in their closet.
Vicki needed money – and quick – because Ross was in debt with a loan shark. She believed that their affair and his subsequent divorce from his wife had left them out of pocket, but that wasn’t the case.
Joel was the one who had racked up $50,000, and his dad hoped a new life in Albert Square would help to rid him of his daemons.
Initially, it seemed to have worked. He struck up a wealth of new friendships and even tempted Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) away from the AI chat bot that he had been conversing with.
At a party, he defended Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) from a hammer-wielding drug dealer who had decided to use her party as a base for new customers.
However, his relationship with Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) is set to bring fresh devastation in the wake of her police strip search.
As viewers of the BBC soap know, she has faced a tough time in recent months after a traumatising time at the station, and has taken to drinking heavily and smoking weed.
Joel noticed her upset and bought some weed for her, and the pair agreed to meet up to smoke it.
In the moments prior, he and Tommy gatecrashed her heart to heart with Barney Mitchell (Lewis Bridgeman) and began to blast music.
Avani and Barney left the room, and the lads decided to watch pornography on his phone. This was just days after Joel had introduced Tommy to the videos, telling him that he could take some advice for how to form a sexual connection with a woman.
When Barney returned, he was disgusted to see what they were watching, and horrified further when Joel proposed that Avani could be up for partaking in what they’d seen.
When she returned to the room, Barney had attempted to defend her in a punch-up. She argued that she could defend herself – unaware of what had caused the fight.
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With an empty house, Avani invited Joel round and they slept together. He assured her that she meant a lot to him, and in today’s episode, they hooked up again.
When Ross and Vicki returned home, they found the youngsters getting dressed.
In upcoming scenes, fans will learn that Joel has recorded one of their encounters – without Avani’s knowledge.
A shocking twist will soon ensue, as he shows the footage to Tommy.
These scenes play out as Vicki reels upon learning the truth behind Ross’ debts.
He really is a deeply troubled young man.
