Chrissie Watts' sinister motives explained as she's revealed to be Jasmine's boss

Chrissie's back!!
Joel Harley
By Joel Harley

Chrissie Watts returned to EastEnders tonight (Wednesday, December 24), as the soap finally revealed why Jasmine’s been stalking Zoe, and who her boss is. Yes, it’s Chrissie Watts, back in a terrible scheme of revenge against her former co-conspirator and old flame of Dirty Den’s.

This also means that Jasmine really was behind Zoe’s stalking (bar the Christmas lights, which we know was Jean). But why? And what do they have planned for Christmas Day?

Here’s everything that happened in tonight’s game-changing episode of EastEnders.

Zoe looks shocked on EastEnders
Zoe was no closer to finding either her stalker or her son (Credit: BBC)

The search for Zoe’s stalker continued

After an eventful night on Albert Square (for Nigel, at least), it was back to relative normality on Albert Square. Which is to say, Zoe’s stalker was the topic of conversation again.

But who’s responsible? Is it Sam, who’s been back in the UK for the last few months? Jean, who’s now in a suspiciously perky mood? Or Anthony, who continued to snap at his family as his mood darkened more.

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In The Vic, she chatted with Jasmine, who was now giving her the cold shoulder after their conversation on Monday. As Zoe headed out on a bonding mission with Jean (!), Kat was shocked to find Sam lurking around the back of The Vic.

Kat accused Sam of being behind Zoe’s torment – forcing Sam to admit that she’s got cancer. Upstairs, the old enemies shared a bottle of wine as Sam filled Kat in on her diagnosis and upcoming treatment.

She’d been in The Vic looking for support from Zack – and not stalking Zoe. Accepting that Sam was telling the truth, it was back to the drawing board for Kat. So who is stalking Zoe?

Chrissie Watts glares in the rear view mirror of a car
Chrissie is back! (Credit: BBC)

The Chrissie Watts connection revealed in EastEnders tonight!

That evening, as Kat and Alfie headed out to Yolande’s carol service, Zoe remained home alone. Upstairs, she found a Christmas card addressed to her.

Far from another threatening message, this one seemed to be from her son – including her Ibiza keychain as proof – and he wanted to arrange a meeting.

Meanwhile, Jasmine snuck off from the carol service to meet with a mystery figure. As a flashback showed her carrying out each threat against Zoe, Jasmine climbed into the passenger seat of a nearby car.

And who was waiting for her? None other than Chrissie Watts – the architect of all Zoe’s pain thus far.

Zoe, Sam and Chrissie in The Vic in 2005
Chrissie took the brunt of the blame when she, Sam and Zoe killed Dirty Den (Credit: BBC/YouTube)

Why is Chrissie tormenting Zoe in EastEnders?

Just like Sam, Chrissie has a dark and bloody history with Zoe. The three women were directly involved in Dirty Den’s 2005 death, covering up the crime after Zoe whacked him over the head with a doorstep.

However, it was really Chrissie who delivered the killing blow – hitting him a second time when he gasped back to life. Chrissie, Sam and Zoe then buried him in the cellar of The Vic, under a layer of concrete.

While Zoe believed she’d killed Den, Sam had witnessed Chrissie finish him off, and attempted to blackmail her into silence. Chrissie, meanwhile, betrayed Sam by framing her for the crime, making her look like the sole perpetrator.

It all came out in the wash when a tape of Chrissie admitting to Den’s murder emerged, and the police arrested her before she could flee the country. Chrissie was then sentenced to life in prison – although she was granted an early parole in September last year.

Now a free woman, Chrissie is seemingly back for revenge against Zoe. And why not? Of the three women, Zoe never did any jail time for their crime. Chrissie is also likely still harboring resentment over Zoe’s relationship with her ex-husband – with whom she even fell pregnant, and later aborted his child.

Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns.