Mel Owen’s sham marriage to Ray Kelly and the subsequent showdown was THE EastEnders storyline of the New Year.
Brutal scenes showed Mel confronting Ray, Ray strangling Mel, the marriage going ahead anyway, the police arresting Ray, and then Ray kidnapping Hunter…
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In a dramatic storyline that spanned over the whole week, Mel – still wearing her wedding dress obviously – followed Ray into the woods desperate to get her son back.
There followed an epic battle in which Ray was eventually shot by Hunter… Who later appeared to turn the gun on himself.
We’re exhausted just writing about it!
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On Friday 4 January, viewers saw Hunter turn the gun towards himself before the camera panned to mum Mel as a gunshot rang out.
Shocked viewers believed the youth had shot himself, and flocked to Twitter asking if he was dead…
Naturally, the next week, fans tuned in to the BBC soap desperate for an update – but they were left frustrated as Hunter and Mel did not feature at all.
In fact, some fans were left wondering if they’d “missed an episode”.
This week, fans have become increasingly furious as scriptwriters have STILL not given us any scenes involving Mel and her son.
As the show has been focusing on other characters, BBC viewers have demanded to know why they have been kept waiting for so long for any news on the Owen family.
One complained: “Once again you’ve left a story incomplete. Have Mel and Hunter gone on their holibobs?
“She dropped a glass and there was a gunshot. You’d know that too if you bothered watching. Kate Oates, are you there?”
@bbceastenders once again you've left a story incomplete. Have Mel and Hunter gone on their holibobs? She dropped a glass and there was a gunshot. You'd know that too if you bothered watching. Kate Oates, are you there? #EastEnders
— Amal (@amal1612) January 15, 2019
Will we ever find out what happened to Hunter? Starting to think not 🤔 #EastEnders
— Court (@courtneyy_ac) January 15, 2019
Where the eff are Hunter and Mel? It appears their storyline died with Ray #EastEnders 🤔
— • (@kpopx28) January 15, 2019
Did the scriptwriters @bbceastenders miss a handover during the summer hols and forget to finish the Mel and Hunter storyline? #EastEnders
— GeorgeW76 (@GeorgeW76) January 14, 2019
Seriously though, where are Mel and Hunter?! #EastEnders pic.twitter.com/vSlhreRryM
— Louise Needham (@LouiseNeedham22) January 15, 2019
I’m beginning to think Mel and Hunter have been abducted by aliens. #EastEnders
— coffee hound (@coffeehound66) January 15, 2019
I’m beginning to think Mel and Hunter have been abducted by aliens. #EastEnders
— coffee hound (@coffeehound66) January 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/emily1999xo/status/1085259008813027329
#EastEnders Another episode. Another episode where we don’t know what’s happening with Mel and Hunter
— Jamie “Say Hello To The Bad Guy” Holmes 🏳️🌈 (@JamiePrestigio1) January 15, 2019
Dear residents of Albert Square. Can someone please go and check on Mel & Hunter. They haven't been seen for almost 2 weeks now. #Eastenders #ridiculous @bbceastenders @mouthwaite
— Rick (@EightFloorsUp) January 15, 2019
Another said: “Where the eff are Hunter and Mel? It appears their storyline died with Ray #EastEnders.”
A third added: “Did the scriptwriters @bbceastenders miss a handover during the summer hols and forget to finish the Mel and Hunter storyline? #EastEnders.”
“Seriously though, where are Mel and Hunter?!” queried another.
One even wondered if EastEnders has morphed into The X Files, asking: “I’m beginning to think Mel and Hunter have been abducted by aliens.”
After EastEnders fans were left wondering if Hunter had killed himself, bosses were forced to speak up and reassure them that he had NOT killed himself.
Amid the confusion, they confirmed that Hunter did not shoot himself in the episode and that the gunshot sound was in Mel’s mind and not in reality.
Actor Charlie Winter will soon bow out of the soap after bosses decided to axe the character just a year after he was introduced.
Do you think it’s strange EastEnders haven’t given fans an update on Hunter and Mel? Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think!