EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s (October 12) episode, which can now be streamed on BBC iPlayer. The episode in question will air at 7:30pm.
Ned Hawkins (Jamie Bamber) was left speechless when son Ryder (Felix Uff), armed with a new-found confidence following a chat with Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington), stood up to him.
Ryder, as viewers know, is belittled by Ned at every opportunity, which has left him worried about coming out to him.
Little does he know, however, that Ned witnessed him kissing another man in the Square last week – and his reaction was exactly what Ryder would have predicted.
Monday’s visit to the Square saw Ryder return home from a night out, having spent the evening with his man.
He was in good spirits, having enjoyed being able to be himself for the weekend, but that good mood was ruined by Ned, who demanded to know why he didn’t come home and who he was with.
Ryder covered his tracks but he was taken aback when he arrived home to find his old football coach Matty on the sofa, with a proposition for him, revealing there is a job opening – and he wants Ryder for the position.
Ryder was apprehensive, especially when Matty recalled the circumstances in which player Kit left the team after coming out, with both Matty and Ned making upsetting and disappointing comments on the situation.
Ned urged Ryder to take the role. Later, it became clear that he’d set the whole thing up.
Ryder shared his fears with Nicola, who encouraged him to open up to his mum about his sexuality. Ned, meanwhile, urged him to knuckle down and ‘release his potential’ in the wake of Matty’s proposition, intimidatingly suggesting he’ll be keeping a watchful eye on him while he’s ‘under his roof’.
But armed with confidence in the wake of his chat with supportive auntie Nic, Ryder put his dad firmly in his place, reminding him that it’s Nicola’s roof they’re living under – not his.
For the first time since his debut, Ned was speechless.
Later, Ryder made plans to come out to mum Gemma (Patricia Potter). Determined to prevent such a thing, Ned set a plan in motion – and it’s one that involved blackmailing Mark Fowler Jr (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) into helping with a favour, using his affair with Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) as leverage after he caught the two in bed together.
The question is: just what does Ned have planned for Ryder? And how exactly will Mark factor in?
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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