Lisa Fowler’s return to EastEnders was bound to bring with it huge amounts of drama.
And whilst we thought the inevitable showdown with Phil Mitchell would provide it (and it did), it turns out Lisa’s also been hiding a huge secret and that all is certainly not well in her world.
Lisa showed up last Friday after daughter Louise Mitchell was seriously injured in an attack by school bullies Alexandra and Madison, who pushed her into a table full of candles and the teen’s dress went up in flames.
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With Lou in need of skin grafts to treat her injuries, what she really wanted was her parents around her.
When Phil then returned from Italy to see his little girl, he wasn’t best pleased to see his ex and we caught a glimpse of the old Phil Mitchell as he manhandled Lisa outside and threw her onto the street like rubbish.
Despite Phil’s warning that she stay away, Lisa returned and slept by her daughter’s bedside all night and when Phil saw her she told him she was not going anywhere. It definitely seemed like Lisa had got herself together and wasn’t afraid of the hard man any more.
However, as she excused herself later to supposedly go home and get some rest, it turned out things aren’t always what they seem.
Phil followed her out and warned her in his very best menacing tone that he was watching her and one wrong move and he’d come after her, but she maintained her fighting stance.
Not long after, the camera panned in on the door of Dr. Alice Waldren and inside was Lisa.
“I haven’t seen you for a while, I was getting worried about you,” the doctor said to her patient.
“No need, couldn’t have had a better few days,” Lisa replied to the woman who it soon became clear was a therapist.
“I’ve been with my daughter, had the best time ever, shopping, eating, just walking around, it’s been amazing. I can’t wait to see her again,” Lisa continued in a story that was a very far cry from reality.
It was hard to tell from Lisa’s facial expression whether she even knew she was lying – does she genuinely believe that’s what they’ve been doing? And if she realises she’s not telling the truth, why is she lying to her therapist?
Fans posted to Twitter their theories on the storyline – with some suggesting it’s a court ordered therapy session, and others wondering if she’d been to prison or had an addiction and this is part of her rehabilitation.
‘Why’ is a pretty good question all round. Why is Lisa seeing someone – is it that she just wants help to cope or has something more serious happened?
Whatever the reason, it’s clear she’s far from well. And if she is battling mental health issues, is Phil really the best person for her to be around.
Read more: Lucy Benjamin reveals the truth behind Lisa’s return to EastEnders
Speaking to Digital Spy about her return, Lucy Benjamin, who has reprised her role as Lisa, said: “There’s always a worry that Phil triggers episodes of things going wrong for her.
“He’s someone she shouldn’t be around on any level. So she’s wary of being back near him and what he’s capable of doing.
“She knows the type of man that he is. I think she’s very wary and that’s probably put her off from coming back until now. But now she knows she has to deal with it.”