So, we all know EastEnders Fi Browning isn’t exactly on the level when it comes to her work at The Queen Vic.
The Chairman openly confessed to the audience a few weeks ago that they had a “girl on the inside” trying to make sure the boozer is no more and Wayland & Co can buy it up along with the rest of Walford.
Stands to reason that “girl” is Fi, right?
As far as Mick Carter is concerned, she’s there to maximise profits and bring in new ideas to keep the place ticking over.
Shirley Carter, on the other hand, is getting increasingly suspicious of Fi – which is probably why Ms Browning is trying to persuade Mick to sack his mum.
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When it comes to it, Shirl quits and warns that all the changes Fi is bringing in will end up ruining the business. Trouble is, Shirley and Linda got Mick into this mess, so he’s determined to make the best of a bad situation. And it probably helps that Fi’s easy on the eye and a bit of a charmer too.
But as she slowly makes The Vic unrecognisable from what it was – micro brewery beers, sacking half the staff and bringing in newer, fresher faces, a menu that’s a bit posher than chicken in a basket – is she driving away the regular clientele too?
Max is obviously thrilled he’s got a helping hand in this one, knowing a place like The Vic is an important part of the community and the locals won’t let it go without a fight.
But is Fi’s whole plan about to be exposed? She needs to tread very carefully if she wants to keep things under wraps.
Suspicions are aroused when Ted Murray pops in to enquire about an anniversary party for him and his wife Joyce.
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Ted has recently started work at The Vic as a pot man and thinks they might do him a deal on a small celebration – especially seeing as Joyce isn’t finding it that easy to settle into Albert Square.
But Fi swoops in and offers him a quote, leaving Ted staggered at the outlandish price. Will Mick twig something’s not quite right with her pricing if he finds out?
It’s clear she’s deliberately trying to get rid of the boozer’s beloved punters, but is that to gentrify the place or is it to destroy it completely?
Let’s be honest, not many people drink in there unless they live locally, so by alienating the regulars, Fi is surely driving the business into the ground?
With Shirley on her case, and Linda due back soon, it can’t be long before Fi’s plans start to unravel and the truth about why she’s really there is exposed. But by then, will it be too late to save the place?