EastEnders rarely lets emotion arrive without consequence, and Monday’s episode proved exactly why. The reunion between Kat Moon and Zoe Slater was raw, painful, and long overdue — but it was also built on a lie that threatens to obliterate the Slater family from the inside out.

Because the truth about Jasmine Fischer is no longer just dangerous. It is calculated.

Last week, EastEnders confirmed that Jasmine was responsible for the death of her biological father, Anthony Truman, killing him on Christmas Day in what was described as an act of self-defense. Yet instead of remorse, Jasmine has shown something far more unsettling: a willingness to let her mother take the fall.

Zoe remains on remand for a murder she did not commit — and Jasmine appears ready to let that injustice stand if it means protecting herself.

Kat returned to Walford after weeks abroad, having chased a theory Jasmine herself planted — that Chrissie Watts was behind Anthony’s death in a calculated frame-up reminiscent of Den Watts’ murder. The search led nowhere. And with doubts gnawing, Kat turned back to the one place she could no longer avoid: prison.

Taking Jasmine with her, Kat visited Zoe for the first time since her arrest. The tension was immediate. Kat pressed Zoe to fight the charges, to expose Chrissie, to stop protecting people who were not protecting her. But Zoe refused — not out of denial, but loyalty. She would not accuse Jasmine. She would not even raise the arson attack she herself committed.

Then came the gut punch. Following advice from Richie Scott, Zoe revealed she plans to plead guilty to manslaughter in the hope of a reduced sentence. Kat was furious. The reunion that should have healed instead fractured — and Jasmine stood at the center of the damage, saying nothing.

Back at the Queen Vic, Jasmine’s mask began to slip. She told Kat she would finally go to the police and reveal the truth about Chrissie. Kat believed her. She even felt relief — convinced that with a new solicitor and fresh evidence, Zoe could still be saved.

But the promise was a lie.

In private, Jasmine admitted to Oscar Branning that the only way to stop the destruction was to leave Walford entirely. Not confess. Not explain. Run. When she asked Oscar to go with her, the devastation on his face said everything. This was not protection. It was escape.

Spoilers suggest Max Branning will intervene — and when he does, the fallout is explosive.

Viewers have already turned sharply against Jasmine. Sympathy has curdled into suspicion, with many questioning how a character framed as acting in self-defense could show such indifference toward her mother’s fate. Social media reaction has been brutal, branding Jasmine manipulative, reckless, and dangerously self-serving.

The contrast is stark: Kat is fighting for truth. Zoe is preparing to sacrifice herself. And Jasmine is preparing to disappear.

Elsewhere in Walford, another mother-child relationship reaches a crossroads. Sam Mitchell’s complicated bond with Ricky Branning has been scarred by years of abandonment. Now facing breast cancer and an impending lumpectomy, Sam is finally forced to stop running.

When George Knight urges her to tell Ricky the truth, Sam listens — and for once, honesty doesn’t destroy the relationship. Ricky promises to stand by her, offering a rare moment of steadiness in a Square defined by chaos.

Meanwhile, danger circles elsewhere. The volatile spark between Max and Cindy Beale intensifies as Jasmine’s lies spiral. When Cindy overhears Max confronting Jasmine over the escape plan, old memories resurface — including the moment Jasmine shoved her down a staircase.

Cindy warns Max plainly: Jasmine is far more dangerous than he realises.

But Max doesn’t listen.

Taking the confrontation straight to Oscar at the Vic, Max unknowingly hands Jasmine the stage she needs. With a pub full of witnesses and her grip slipping, Jasmine escalates — making a bold, unsettling move that leaves Max stunned and Oscar emotionally shredded.

The damage is no longer private. Walford is watching.

EastEnders has drawn a brutal line. Kat is fighting for justice. Zoe is ready to go down for a crime she didn’t commit. And Jasmine — the one person who could stop it all — is choosing herself.

As escape plans accelerate and loyalties snap, one question looms over Albert Square: when the truth finally explodes, will there be anything left of the Slater family to save?

Is Jasmine Fischer acting out of fear — or has self-preservation finally turned her into the most dangerous person in the Slater family?