BBC/Composite: EastEnders Insider Share By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025 By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025 OPINION: Yes, Joel's attack on Vicki was hard to watch - but that's the point The soap tackled an important issue Features Joel Marshall Vicki Fowler Share By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025 By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025 EastEnders fans were left shocked last week as Joel Marshall unleashed an appalling attack on stepmum Vicki Fowler. Finding himself in hot water after getting physical with Amy Mitchell and making a teacher cry, Joel faced the wrath of his furious parents. With Ross setting another terrible example by punching the door, he then stormed off, leaving Joel all alone with Vicki. She continued in a vain attempt to get through to Joel, dismissing his ridiculous views as such, and ridiculing his beloved influencer, Drake Zagan. His father’s violent outburst at the back of his mind, and his brain rotted by online grifters, Joel reacted with terrible inevitability – punching Vicki to the floor. And, as Vicki lay stunned on the kitchen floor, Joel continued his horrific assault. Harrowing, deeply uncomfortable scenes from the soap, and ones which left viewers shocked, repulsed and appalled. Some think EastEnders went to far in airing last week’s scenes (Credit: BBC) Joel attack should have aired after watershed, EastEnders viewers assert As last week’s scenes aired, fans took to social media to share their thoughts. And some felt as though the BBC should have aired Joel’s vicious attack after the 9pm watershed, and away from more innocent eyes. Article continues below Read all the latest spoilers “Yes I agree the attack Joel committed in eastenders should have been shown after the so called watershed time,” wrote one fan on X. “Soaps going to [sic] far… what happened to watershed.. horrendous,” said another. “There should be a warning about tonight’s Eastenders! The final scenes should definitely not be seen by young children at 7:30pm! Important storyline yes, but the shouting & violence shown in tonight’s episode really should have been assessed,” said another. Clearly, Joel’s attack on Vicki caught a nerve for some. But would airing the episode after the watershed have diminished its power? Joel attacked Vicki (Credit: BBC) EastEnders sparks discourse on a terrifying issue as it airs Joel attack scenes Joel’s attack on Vicki came in the name of raising awareness for a terrible issue faced by today’s teenagers. For months, the soap has been highlighting the dangers of online radicalisation and grifter-led misogyny. In airing Joel’s chilling attack, the soap is hoping to spark important conversation between parents and their children. Joel’s assault was tough to watch (those pained noises Vicki made as she lay on the floor? Nightmare fuel!) but it needed to be, highlighting the very real violence women and girls face from men and boys like Joel every day. Sure, young and impressionable viewers may be watching at home, but that’s the entire point. Better sat in front of EastEnders with their families than locked away in their rooms, watching Drake Zagan Andrew Tate videos, right? Max Marshall isn’t acting his socks off just to be hidden after the 9pm watershed (Credit: BBC) A vital conversation for the whole family… yes, all of them To shuffle these scenes away after the watershed would be to diminish the point EastEnders is trying to make – and the one it spent Thursday’s episode (not very subtly) making. To baulk at the last hurdle and condescend to the parties most directly affected by Joel’s story would have been a huge mistake. The attack was vicious, but it was sensitively filmed (what did we really see?) and not at all salacious. Far from glamorising Joel’s actions, it left viewers – especially young ones – under no illusion that Joel is anything but a monster. A victim of poor parenting and online radicalisation, yes, but one who’s now crossed a line. A line that he’ll struggle to come back from. Just as important is what EastEnders does next. Can Joel be redeemed? How far is Ross prepared to go in support of his son? And will those around him take responsibility for how they’ve enabled his behaviour? At the end of the day, the soap is attempting to foster conversation here. If it succeeds in getting through to a young Joel-in-the-making, an oblivious Ross-type-dad, or a gormless follower like Tommy, then it will have been a conversation well-worth having. As Thursday’s scenes with Priya, Billy, Sharon and the other Walford residents proved, toxic masculinity is a pernicious beast, and one from which no-one is fully exempt. So talk to your sons about what they’re watching online. Call out your mates when they make sexist jokes. Listen to women, when they tell you they feel unsafe. This isn’t an easy conversation, granted, but the ones most worth having rarely are. Read more: Who’s leaving, joining and returning to EastEnders? Complete list of cast exits, arrivals and returns. Share Good to Know Share By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025 By Joel Harley Oct 13 2025
