Episode 5012 (10 February 2015)

Synopsis

Lauren wakes in the car lot office, the bottle of whiskey beside her nearly empty. She staggers home and lies to Max and Abi that she stayed over at the Beales’. Abi asks Lauren to sign Ian and Jane’s wedding card. Lauren suddenly runs from the room, nauseous. On the market, Peter asks after Lauren. Abi realises Lauren lied and later frets to Max that Lauren’s drinking again; a search unearths the whiskey bottle under Lauren’s bed. Meanwhile, Peter finds Lauren in the café, who muses that if they’re to marry they should be honest with each other. They’re interrupted by Max and Abi; Max confronts Lauren with the whiskey bottle and demands to know where she stayed last night, clocked by Stacey. Lauren denies drinking and exits. Worried Peter follows, begging her not to shut him out, but Lauren heads off.

Stacey reluctantly agrees to speak to Lauren on Max’s behalf. On Turpin Road, Lauren bolts again when Stacey approaches, then feels faint and is caught by Pam. Back at No 91A, Lauren admits to drinking, explaining she was stressed. Stacey lectures her, urging her to let Max help. Lauren refuses - and there’s something else... Later, having confided in Stacey, Lauren asks for advice. Stacey insists she can’t just ignore it. Meanwhile, Max is alarmed on learning of Lauren’s funny turn from Pam and heads for Stacey’s flat. As he drags Lauren from the bathroom, Lauren covertly passes Stacey something - she didn’t have time to look. Lauren admits to drinking and allows Max to lead her home. Stacey turns over the pregnancy test in her hand – it’s positive...

Fatboy’s convinced there are squatters at No 23 after hearing noises. Stressed, Dot leaves for work early and Charlie worries she’s struggling having Matthew around. Fatboy offers to babysit. At No 23, Nick’s feverish and pleads for heroin. Dot offers to get methadone from a clinic instead. Nick threatens to go himself, but warns that in his state he might say all sorts - with Dot and Charlie in prison baby Matthew might be taken into care. Later, Fatboy’s perplexed to find the Launderette closed and Dot at home instead, counting out cash from a tin. Dot claims she felt a migraine coming on and makes a speedy exit. Fatboy finds a piece of paper Dot’s left on the table. Later, Dot exits a rundown block of flats to find Fatboy waiting – what is she doing here? Back home, Dot spins Fatboy a story about visiting someone for Reverend Stevens. When Fatboy suggests Charlie and Matthew move into No 27, Dot won’t hear of it. Still suspicious of her strange behaviour, Fatboy deduces that Nick is back. Dot admits he is, but claims she doesn’t know where Nick’s staying and couldn’t go through with buying the heroin, to Fatboy’s relief. But later, alone, Dot takes a bag of heroin from her handbag.

Roxy bombards Charlie with internet research about a private clinic for Ronnie, refusing to give up. Aleks and Billy are dubious, but Charlie agrees to speak with Ronnie’s doctor. At the hospital, Dr Badini states again the likelihood that Ronnie may have brain damage. Roxy refuses to believe it, and is hurt when Charlie doesn’t back her up. Charlie demands that Roxy accept Ronnie won’t get better. Roxy storms out. Back home, Charlie apologises but explains it feels they’re losing Ronnie more as each new hope is dashed – maybe they should give up, for her sake. Roxy cries that it’s not fair. Charlie holds her as she sobs. After a moment, he kisses her and she responds passionately…

Kat avoids Alfie on the market, humiliated. Stacey confides Kat’s stressed by their rent increase and is cutting her meal portions to feed the kids. Alfie drags Kat round to help sample burgers from Beales; he suggests she take Tommy leftovers and Kat bristles, suspicious Stacey’s told him they’re skint. Alfie insists he’s just apologising for the previous evening. After lunch, Alfie asks Kat to go to Ian’s wedding but Kat declines – they’re nowhere near there. At the Beales’, hung-over Ian’s suffering as Bobby practises projecting for his wedding reading. After he’s ridiculed in the café for his antics at the stag party, Ian determines to throw a pre-wedding dinner to restore respect for the Beale name.

Credits