SHOCKING NEWS!! Violent incel Joel’s return ‘sealed’ after major EastEnders update

EastEnders spoilers follow for Wednesday’s (April 8) episode which is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Joel Marshall (Max Murray) has finally been sentenced following his reign of terror, but what happens next?

When Joel rocked in on Albert Square alongside dad, Ross Marshall (Alex Walkinshaw) and step-mum, Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig), it wasn’t initially clear just how warped and dangerous he was. In fact, only Ross was fully aware of what the twisted teen was truly capable of.

Ross had paid off a family in Australia after Joel had brutally ‘upskirted’ a school mate to the tune of $50,000, with the family fleeing shortly after – another condition of the girls father not reporting the incident to the police.

Vicki brought them to Walford, believing it to be an opportune place to recoup the cash Ross had spent, though she believed the money had gone toward paying off his divorce and he was being hunted by loan sharks.

She learned the dark truth when she and Ross caught Joel and Avani Nandra-Hart (Aaliyah James) in the act and blew his top. Though Vicki was perplexed at Ross’ harshness with his son after what she believed was typical teenage hijinks, Ross confessed all when he discovered that Joel had filmed his tryst with Avani – without her consent.

Despite Ross and Vicki’s best efforts, Joel wouldn’t be stopped, and his terrifying, misogynistic views continued to fester in his mind, reinforced by his following of deeply troubling influencers.

He posted the video of himself and Avani online, before viciously shaming her on the same forum, while also introducing Tommy Moon (Sonny Kendall) to extreme pornography, going on to share the content of the misogynistic influencer he followed with him, too.

Terrifyingly, his behaviour continued to worsen, leading up to him sexually assaulting a commuter on the tube. Though Vicki paid the victim off, desperate to keep the situation under control for Ross’ sake, it eventually became apparent to her that no amount of covering, attempts at understanding or interventions from Julie Bates (Karen Henthorn) were working.

Unfortunately, she learned this the hard way when she finally snapped at Joel, her words striking him so deeply, he unleashed a brutal attack on her.

Joel tried to hide, initially, seeking refuge with Tommy, though both his dad and Tommy himself eventually reported his location to the police and he was arrested for his violent assault.

Though Vicki and Ross’ relationship was destroyed in the aftermath of what happened, Ross sought to win Vicki back in any way possible. Joel determined to plead not guilty, requiring Vicki to stand up in court and testify against him, reliving her torment and facing her trauma.

Joel gleefully delighted as both Vicki and Avani suffered over having to regurgitate what he did to them in court, only being struck when his dad, Ross, urged him to take responsibility for all of his grotesque acts and, most importantly, to leave Vicki out of the proceedings.

Joel, completely unexpectedly, listened and changed his plea to guilty.

Ross and Vicki have since reunited, although not without serious problems, and yesterday they were struck with important news: Joel’s sentencing had been brought forward to tomorrow.

When Ross returned home today, a panicked Vicki waited to greet him, concerned about his condition after seeing his son sentenced. Ross tentatively told her that Joel had been sentenced to six months in a young offender’s facility.

Recounting how Joel cried upon sentencing, Vicki asked what came next. Ross responded that after Joel’s sentence, he’d be rehabilitated in the community.

Things started to heat up as they discussed what that would look like, including where Joel would live. With Vicki clearly uncomfortable at the prospect of Joel returning to live with them, she brought the conversation to a close, promising that whatever happened, they’d deal with it together.

But can Vicki truly consider a future living under the same roof as the person who brutally beat her and traumatised her so deeply? And if not, is this the end for Vicki and Ross?