There seemed to be a point of no return for Kat (Jessie Wallace) and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) in today's EastEnders.
It follows her distress over daughter Zoe Slater's (Michelle Ryan) death, which led to a dependency on alcohol and a breakdown this week. After roaming the streets with a bottle of vodka in her hand, ex-husband Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) guided her back to his house.
She was desperate to get a rise out of him, even tearing strips off his beloved late mum Peggy and best friend Nigel Bates. When Phil refused to give into her provocative behaviour, Kat returned to The Queen Vic.
Alfie was stunned to see her handing out free drinks, flirting with customers and showing a disregard for her loved ones. In one instance, she even wished granddaughter Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) dead.
He was determined just to ignore her, knowing that she was lashing out through grief. However, when she knocked son Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) to the floor in anger, Alfie knew that the time had come to intervene.
The latest instalment, which can be viewed now on BBC iPlayer, saw the beloved couple at loggerheads in the Vic's upstairs living quarters. She'd trashed the room and threw a drink off the wall, with glass shattering just inches from Alfie's head.
Kat then accused him of being the person who was with Zoe just moments before her death - though as viewers know, it was actually Max Branning (Jake Wood). Alfie was accused of being jealous of the attention Zoe was getting, and Kat insisted that he must be glad now she was gone.
Alfie was furious and asked her what she was trying to achieve by being so spiteful. Taking her wedding ring off, Kat said that she wanted their relationship to end.
She then rushed out of the door and barged past Phil, heading for the tube where she admired the flower from a thistle that reminded her of Zoe. A girl with a similar likeness to her dead daughter was stood on the train, though when Kat approached, she was heartbroken to realise that it wasn't her.
Looking upwards, a sign encouraged passengers to visit Epping Forest.
Back at The Vic, Alfie went to attack the man that Kat was flirting with earlier. Phil and Zack Hudson (James Farrar) had to get involved, and eventually he was pushed out of harm's way into the barrel store.
Breaking down, Alfie admitted to Phil that he's spent the last few decades as Kat's doormat and he now can't sacrifice himself for her anymore.
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At the forest, we discovered that Kat had poor mobile phone coverage and there was only 3 per cent battery remaining. Alfie was debating calling her when the pub closed, but ultimately decided to leave and give her space upon her inevitable return.
Tommy was asleep in Zoe's bed with twin brothers Bert and Ernie (Elliot and Cody Briffett), though heard his dad breaking down on the floor outside and begged him to stay. As Alfie crumbled, so did Kat. She screamed out for Zoe, tearfully scraping at the leaves on the floor.
Clutching the thistle close to her chest, she was alerted to the fact there was just 1 per cent of battery life left on her phone.
Despite Tommy's pleas, Alfie was heading to the tube and handed some money and his phone to a homeless man, telling him to sell it and use the cash to get himself a room for the night. As he turned his back, Kat began to call.
Alfie took the device back and discovered she was in Epping Forest, and became scared that she was about to take her own life. Using a location tracker, he could see that she was deep in the woodland.
Unfortunately, the last tube train had already gone, and the only option was to jump in her father Charlie's black cab and drive there himself.
Kat was lay shivering on the ground, and eventually lost consciousness. Alfie was edging closer to finding her, though the cab suddenly broke down and wouldn't restart. Screaming out into the dead of the night, Alfie asked for the late Charlie to help - and the engine fired up again.
Coincidence or not, it helped Alfie reach his wife before she slipped away. When she eventually woke, Kat claimed that she'd seen Zoe.
In the back of the cab, she explained that it wasn't death she was seeking, but love. And although Alfie would give her that in abundance, she wasn't sure whether it would be enough.
Kat then asked a big favour of Alfie. She wanted him to help her track down the man who was last with Zoe, and when they do, for him to die too.
Is Max in serious danger?
Read more:
- EastEnders legend Jo Joyner returns to Walford set for Branning 'family reunion' - 8 years after last Tanya appearance
- EastEnders star teases "fire and carnage" when Penny Branning's baby paternity secret is revealed
- EastEnders favourite Balvinder Sopal teases Ash return is "grenade" to the Panesar family unit this autumn
- EastEnders announces hard-hitting Amy Mitchell storyline as BBC soap works with charities
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