Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) was left with no choice in EastEnders but to issue Linda Carter’s (Kellie Bright) with an ultimatum after coming to realise just how bad her alcohol addiction had become.
Linda, as viewers know, relapsed last Christmas, which saw her unexpectedly claim the life of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) while trying to protect Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean).
Her reliance on the booze has since spiralled, with her loved ones worried sick about her.
Earlier this week, Johnny (Charlie Suff) tried to get through to his mum but he was left with little choice but to kick her out once he realised that her presence was terrifying Ollie (Harry Farr).
Linda retreated to stay with Sharon, who also kicked her out, refusing to put her own son Albie in danger.
Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), who both know what it’s like to battle addiction, offered to take Linda to a meeting but she ultimately relapsed again before they could do so.
Elaine, meanwhile, returned home from her honeymoon on cloud nine and she soon came plummeting back down to reality when she found out about Linda’s behaviour in her absence.
The landlady was seething at first, taking her frustrations out on Johnny and Sharon, but she soon realised what they were faced with when she set her sights on Linda, who had spent the whole night sleeping rough.
Elaine took Linda inside and cleaned her up. Linda, however, wasted little time in getting herself another drink and, shortly afterwards, she vanished.
As night fell, Elaine grew worried for her daughter, who subsequently returned home with a drunk man named Glen (Gary Finan), much to Elaine’s dismay.
Elaine did her best to get rid of him but Linda put up a fight, which left the former contemplating getting the police involved. Her instincts soon kicked in, however, when Ollie woke from his sleep to find Glen in his room, with the drunk man believing it to be the bathroom.
Elaine grabbed Glen by his collar and shoved him towards the door, telling him never to return. Linda yelled at her mum, unable to see what the issue was, claiming the man in question was a ‘friend’.
Elaine roared back, desperately trying to get through to Linda, telling her how dangerous and reckless her actions are.
At the end of her tether, Elaine held a meeting in the barrel store with Johnny, Phil, Sharon and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), apologising for coming down so hard on them, acknowledging that she should have never left in the first place when Linda was in such a bad way.
Sharon and Phil offered advice, telling her that in order for Linda to see that she needs help, she must first hit rock bottom. Johnny was in agreement and therefore Elaine confronted Linda once again, holding a bottle of vodka in her hand.
In intense scenes, she told her daughter that she needs to make a choice. ‘If you don’t stop drinking then you’re on your own’, she said. ‘On the streets if you want, but you are not staying here.’
‘Either you go to rehab tonight and start getting yourself better or you take this bottle and you get out the door. And if [the bottle] is your choice then you’re not coming back’.
The question is: which option will Linda take?
According to spoilers for the next episode, it’s the latter option, with a dangerous night of alcohol abuse set to ensue in an unmissable episode on Monday (December 16).
But will Linda make it through the night alive? Filming pictures captured on-location appear to hint at a bleak end for the much-loved character, so it’s certainly not looking good.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
