Sam Mitchell (Kim Medcalf) has been determined to prove herself to brother Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) ever since her return to Albert Square in EastEnders last year.
Unfortunately, it has proved more difficult than anticipated, and her latest attempt went about as well as all the others.
Having learnt that Sharon Watts’ (Letitia Dean) son Albie is actually Phil’s, Sam saw an opportunity to win some brownie points and get back in her brother’s good books.
She wasted no time in heading over to see Sharon, only to be told that she was out of the country by a less than impressed Zack Hudson (James Farrar).
As Sam began throwing around talk of custody battles and court cases, Zack soon sussed out that she was only there to try and rebuild her reputation with Phil, and soon sent her on her way.
With Sam having asserted that she was acting on Phil’s authority, Zack headed over to the lion’s den to confront the Mitchell patriarch himself, and in doing so, dropped Sam right in it.
As Zack warned Phil not to go through the courts as Sam had suggested, Phil made it clear that that had never been his intention, and assured Zack that Sam was wrong.
When Sam later arrived home, she got both barrels from Phil, who insisted that she would regret getting involved in his business if she ever tried it again.
This struck Sam as suspicious, as she couldn’t understand why Phil wouldn’t be fighting harder for access to his son.
It was then that she was struck by the possibility that Phil was still in love with Sharon, though he dismissed the idea immediately.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, Sam caught up with Zack once more in the Vic, where he unintentionally dropped a huge bombshell.
Sam’s eyes practically lit up as Zack revealed that Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace) had known about Albie’s paternity long before Phil had, and viewers will know that Kat’s biggest fear would be Phil finding that out.
Armed with this new discovery, Sam headed back to face Phil once more, where she attempted to apologise, only to be brushed aside.
Determined to get to the truth, Sam revealed that she believed Phil was telling the truth when he said he wasn’t in love with Sharon, pointing out that Kat didn’t appear threatened by her.
It was then that she suggested that Sharon had leverage over him which was why he didn’t want to stir the pot, and the look on his face told her everything she needed to know.
Viewers will remember that Phil slept with Emma Harding (Patsy Kensit) just days before his wedding to Kat, and it didn’t take Sharon long to find out.
Could Sam be set to discover the secret too and, armed with the knowledge of both Kat and Phil’s secrets, end up tearing them apart?
