Fans of EastEnders were left reeling after tonight's cliffhanger when Stacey Slater dashed into the Square upon discovering that Martin Fowler's market stall and his memorial had been engulfed in flames.
BBC viewers believe they have pinpointed the culprit behind this appalling deed.
Martin, who took great pride in running the fruit and veg stall, battled adversity—only a few months prior, his partner Ruby Allen (interpreted by Louisa Lytton) repurchased it from Ian Beale (played by Adam Woodyatt).
The stall was a significant source of happiness for Martin, and following his untimely passing, loved ones congregated to leave photographs, touching cards, and heartfelt messages.
Earlier in the episode, Ross chastised Tommy and Joel for their "messing around" antics.
Following an emotionally-charged wake, the atmosphere soured back at Albert Square amid a heated dispute between Ruby and Stacey, culminating in Ruby declaring that Martin "wasn't the man she thought he was," if he could fall for Stacey, and made a vow to make her exit.
At the gripping conclusion of the episode, as Stacey rushed towards the ablaze stall, suspicion quickly fell on Ruby as potentially responsible. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one viewer posted: "Ruby setting martins stool on fire please someone take her out #EastEnders.", reports the Mirror.
Echoing the sentiment, another commented: "how's ruby gonna set martins memorial on fire just because he didn't love her... such a low blow #EastEnders."
Viewers are sharply divided over who was behind the blaze at the market. While some fans suspect Ruby, others are adamant that Lily is the real culprit.
Venting their thoughts on social media, one viewer wrote: "once again, lily is being despicable. i get she's grieving but the way she's speaking to stacey is absolutely disgusting. as is ruby. like who does she think she is speaking to stacey like that? ! def think it was lily who set fire to the stall and not ruby though."
Yet another twist has fans eyeing Vicki's husband Ross and his son Joel with suspicion. The duo have stirred the pot since showing up in Walford, with a backstory of a substantial debt casting a shadow over their actions.
With recent developments pointing to Joel being the one in debt, speculation is rife that they could have caused the fire.
Reflecting on potential motives, a viewer speculated: "It's not Ruby, it could be Joel that started the fire. How could low can you go to do that," while another put forth a different theory: "I feel like ross or vicki are the ones that set martin's fruit and veg stall on fire for an insurance pay out or something, although that wouldn't make sense cos the money wouldn't go to them but somethings fishy imo."
Louisa Lytton, who plays Ruby, recently confirmed her EastEnders departure following Martin Fowler’s death. Discussing her future post-soap with The Sun, the actress shared: "I left EastEnders a couple of weeks ago. I was only back for six months, to tie in with the 40th and Martin's exit."
Clearly optimistic about the possibility of returning, Louisa added: "It's always good to come and go and I never see it as a big thing when I leave because I can be back again!".
Louisa Lytton, who reprised her role as Ruby along with her on-screen son Roman, mentioned that "it was all left open" for potential future plot developments.
Catch EastEnders from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer
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