EastEnders’ Sonia Fowler fate ‘sealed’ after past murder link is exposed

Sonia Fowler’s past connection to Pauline Fowler’s murder may catch up with her following her arrest for Debbie’s death.

After receiving confirmation she was pregnant during Tuesday’s episode of EastEnders, the nurse portrayed by Natalie Cassidy was ready to celebrate her engagement to Reiss Colwell, played by Jonny Freeman.

But Debbie’s death hung over them like a dark cloud and chaos erupted in The Queen Vic when the couple were arrested in the midst of their celebrations.

This Wednesday (August 21), the pair were grilled over their involvement in Debbie’s murder and while BBC One viewers know the accountant is the real culprit, Sonia’s tumultuous past with former mother-in-law Pauline Fowler may lead the prosecution to build a solid case against her.

The mother of Martin, Mark and Michelle, Pauline Fowler was one of the London-based drama’s original characters, appearing in the show’s debut on the Beeb in 1985. She was portrayed by actress Wendy Richard. While her marriage with Arthur Fowler was far from the most peaceful, her relationship with Sonia was complicated at best, with the pair often rowing as Pauline refused to accept the nurse as her daughter-in-law, despite her son Martin’s efforts to make the romance work.

The long-term row began when Sonia became pregnant at the age of fifteen, giving birth to her daughter at home and she decided to put the baby up for adoption, triggering a huge feud between the Jacksons and the Fowlers. Eager to be involved in her granddaughter’s life, Pauline demanded custody of the baby but she lost out.

Five years later, Bex’s adoptive parents were killed in a car accident, prompting Martin and Sonia, who were then married, to track her down. Once again, Pauline demanded to be a part of Bex’s life and paid her a secret visit during which she misled her adoptive grandmother Margaret Wilson in an attempt to have her son and Sonia named as the young girl’s guardians in her will. The plot backfired but Martin and Sonia were still given custody of Bex following Margaret’s death.

Devastated in the long-term by the death of her son Mark, Pauline grew increasingly lonely and depressed, even in her marriage with Joe Macer, and lied about having a brain tumour in a bid to ruin Martin’s relationship with Sonia. When this failed, Pauline was more alone than ever.

Determined to make a fresh start, Pauline decided to join her daughter Michelle in Florida, selling the family veg stall and separating from Joe. But she eventually backtracked and stayed in Albert Square. Unfortunately, an argument with Joe would lead to her death, as the latter hit her over the head with a frying pan, causing her to collapse and succumb to a brain haemorrhage at the age of 61.

Before the truth was rumbled, Sonia was a number one suspect as her daughter Bex caught her in the middle of a heated argument with Pauline, which escalated into a physical altercation. Sonia was eventually arrested for the murder in the middle of Pauline’s funeral in early, 2007, but she was never involved in the murder.

Joe finally confessed to his wrongdoings during a chat with the late Walford stalwart Dot Cotton, and explained what had happened. When Dot tried to convince him to do the right thing and turn himself in, she was held hostage by Joe until her husband Jim Branning showed up.

Both men were involved in a brawl, resulting in Joe’s death as he jumped through a window, landing to his death on a market stall. Sonia was later cleared of all suspicion but the gossip she endured following the ordeal has remained – could it be used against her?

While this remains to be seen, an early BBC iPlayer release revealed that this Wednesday’s episode of the soap ends in Reiss walking away from his police interrogation without charge as no evidence pointed to him being Debbie’s killer. Unfortunately, Sonia didn’t have the same luck as she was deemed to have a motive to smother a comatose Debbie. To make matters worse, she has no alibi.