It’s inevitable that when you have plots and lives as dense as those in soap, sometimes you’ll drop the ball with continuity.
But usually it happens when soaps forget someone used to date someone else, or something else that’s, you know, a bit more minor than murder.
In this week’s Enders though, Phil confessed to a killing that he didn’t actually do.
Phil! You’ve done enough bad stuff! No need to claim the ones you didn’t even do!
The mess-up came when Phil told Jay that he had murdered his dad Jase, even though viewers saw Jase being killed by a gang of ‘thugs’ (word no longer used in real world but used in soap) nine years ago.
Billy Mitchell was there – hiding in the shower – but Phil Mitchell? Not so much.
“What are you so guilty about?” asked Jay, as Phil hit the booze. “What’s it got to do with the car lot?”
Phil yelled: “It’s where I killed him, it’s where I killed your dad!”
And then viewers kicked right off on social media.
One posted on Twitter: “Wtf how could Phil or even killed jays dad when we watched him get killed by a gang in a house?”
Another added: “#Eastenders Phil didn’t kill Jay’s dad he was killed in the flat by some thugs while Billy hid in the shower”
And a third said: “Phil didn’t murder Jay’s dad!! He was stabbed to death by the gang leader Terry while Billy hid in the next room. WTF???!!!”
And another said: “Where you killed Jay‘s dad? We rewriting history now?”
So, one of three things is happening.
Option one: Someone’s about to get the sack at EastEnders for rubbish continuity work, and Steve McFadden’s going for a memory test too.
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Option two: Phil WAS somehow involved and that’s going to come out.
Option three: Jase wasn’t Jay’s dad and Phil killed someone else, AKA Jay’s real dad.
Twitter’s buzzing about option three, with one post saying: “Maybe the homeless guy Phil killed 20 years ago was actually Jay’s dad and Jase wasn’t really Jays dad.”
The theory was backed up by others, with one suggesting: “Jase was murdered by Terry Bates right? Unless Jase isn’t Jay’s real dad?!?!?”
But lots of people weren’t happy, if that is the way that Enders decides to go, saying: “So Jase wasn’t Jay’s real dad but it was the guy killed in the car lot fire. Why ruin Jase and Jay’s bond and a classic story!?”
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The good news? Monday night sees a whole episode dedicated to just Jay and Phil though so whatever the hell is going on, we should find out then. As you were.