EastEnders spoilers follow from Monday's episode, which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. This article contains storyline details that some viewers may prefer to avoid, as this episode hasn't yet aired on TV.
EastEnders aired a new twist in Lauren Branning's return storyline in the show's latest episode.
Monday's visit to Walford (January 8), which is already available to watch via BBC iPlayer, saw Lauren finally get released for prison, following her cousin Penny's deal with the police.
Lauren was arrested after Penny planted a huge supply of drugs in Lauren's bag when they were travelling on a flight from Paris to London together.
Lauren had no idea about this, until she caught the attention of a police sniffer dog at the airport upon her return to the UK.
With Lauren facing a lengthy prison stint as a result, a guilty Penny was forced to face the consequences and ended up cooperating with the police over the drug dealers she was involved with.
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As Lauren returned to the Square, a delighted Peter made a huge effort to try and get her to stick around a bit longer.
Unfortunately, the harmonious reunion between the pair fell apart when Lauren discovered that Peter knew about Penny's involvement in her arrest and hadn't told her.
Furious, Lauren decided that she could no longer trust Peter and made plans to go to Tanya’s after all.
Meanwhile, Lauren's return had renewed Linda's fears that Max could find out the truth about Annie's paternity.
Whitney and Sonia both promised not to tell Lauren, but this all started to change following a conversation with Lauren in the Square.
When they questioned Lauren on why she was leaving so suddenly, Lauren explained that she was struggling with all the memories of Abi and Lucy, and felt she had no immediate family left on the Square.
As Lauren and Louie get into the taxi, Sonia stopped her to reveal that she’s got another sister in Walford. What will this mean?
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
