EastEnders’ special Linda Carter episode was a game-changer – but it was braver in another powerful way

However, in a true break from the format, much of the episode was focused on an in-universe imagined sequence where Linda saw what would happen if she died.

This It’s a Wonderful Life/Sliding Doors/dream sequence for Linda provided a gut-punch of an episode but wasn’t outrightly reckless in its storytelling. Because EastEnders has been so sparse in its use of format changes in recent years, this felt all the more impactful.

With haunting but grounded filming from Lance Kneeshaw and a moving script from Richard Davidson, the Carter cast hit the ball out of the park here too, with particular shout-outs to Harriet Thorpe as Elaine Knight and the Carter children, especially Charlie Suff as a broken Johnny Carter.

However, the star of the show is undoubtedly Kellie Bright, whose latest transformation into an ever-degraded Linda feels like a new high for her on the show.

When filming photos leaked in the press of a Carter-centric funeral and Linda was absent, fan speculation went into overdrive as many debated whether the soap would truly kill off the beloved character.

Some anticipated a faked death or something similar to what we ended up getting but recent weeks have been showing such gruelling depths of Linda’s alcoholism that it began to feel like the soap may genuinely bring the character to a tragic end.

Linda dying, frankly, would have been a mistake.

A character who has combated so many traumas in her decade on the show means that such tragedy would have veered into trauma porn territory – gratuitous and mean-spirited. This also would have evoked the exit of Ronnie Mitchell in 2017, another character who had endured such relentless misery that another final tragedy felt deeply unsatisfying and wasted the opportunity of an enjoyable return down the line.

Linda as a character needs a break and the audience will need one too. Following the twists of The Six and turning Linda into a k.i.l.l.e.r last Christmas meant that she has rightfully been at the forefront of many scenes this year. Still, as a result, the character has become a sad shell of herself, so far removed from the bubbly and bright personality of her early years and what audiences loved her for.

The show made a wise decision giving Kellie Bright such weighty material in the wake of on-screen husband Danny Dyer’s exit as Mick Carter in 2022, and also bringing back her mum Elaine and moving a new family into the Queen Vic with her. However, Linda remains so weighted down with guilt and tragedy that it’s been hard to revive her fully.

Realistically what Linda has been through would always test the sobriety of the most strong-willed recovered alcoholic, so the show was right to tap into the impact of trauma on Linda, but – as is often the case – many viewers may find this repetitive.

However, by nature, addiction is repetitive and anyone who has suffered from it or has been impacted by it knows that it will erode much of a person’s life and their relationships and sobriety can be punctuated with relapse.

EastEnders has not shied away from the gritty and grim realities of addiction – this last bout of relapse with Linda has genuinely shown the character at her worst – abusive, spiteful and viscerally neglectful of herself and others.

It would have been easier in a way for the writers to have abruptly brought this long struggle to a close with Linda’s death – to end that addiction story with a full stop and finish the cycle in the firmest way possible.

This long and winding road was also evident in the exemplar episode the previous Wednesday, penned by Bryan Kirkwood, which saw Bright act opposite the superb Steve McFadden as Phil and top-form Jacqueline Jossa as Lauren – two characters who struggle with addiction themselves and are at different phases in recovery or relapse. This is gutsy EastEnders – which shows the reality of how cyclical, far-reaching and long-running this social and health issue can be and how it blights those beyond the addicts themselves.

Yet, the real bravery in this special on Monday comes from being merciful – an episode that shows the absolute worst-case scenario but gives Linda a chance to set things right.

Now comes the opportunity. After some time away in rehab, Linda can return and truly begin her next chapter as a character – but still, one that shows recovery is a process that never ends.