Why was Joel attacked in EastEnders? The full story behind the shocking revenge plot

EastEnders has launched a gripping new whodunnit mystery after Joel was found unconscious following a brutal attack this week. The incident was the dramatic climax to weeks of tension between the troubled teenager and a group of Walford’s young residents.

While the mystery now centres on who struck the final blow, the events leading up to the attack have left viewers divided over whether the teenagers’ revenge plan went too far.

Why did the teenagers target Joel?

Joel had made plenty of enemies before finding himself at the centre of the latest mystery.

His behaviour had caused pain for several people in Walford, particularly Avani, leaving many of the teenagers united in their anger towards him.

Determined to make Joel face the consequences of his actions, the group came together and devised a plan to publicly humiliate him.

The idea was never intended to leave Joel seriously injured. Instead, they wanted him to experience some of the fear and humiliation they believed he had inflicted on others.

The revenge plan spirals out of control

The teenagers lured Joel to the park before locking him to railings and pouring beer over him as part of their revenge.

Believing they had made their point, they left him behind and agreed to stick together over what had happened.

However, when they later returned, the situation had changed dramatically.

Joel had somehow been freed, but had then been struck from behind and left unconscious with a serious head injury.

The discovery left the teenagers horrified, as none of them admitted carrying out the attack.

Police investigation begins

Emergency services rushed Joel to hospital while police launched an investigation into what had happened.

The teenagers were questioned and each gave their own account of the evening’s events.

Meanwhile, their parents found themselves caught up in the fallout as they tried to establish exactly what had taken place.

The mystery deepened further when Joel later regained consciousness but admitted he could not remember who attacked him, leaving detectives without the answer they needed.

The mystery is only just beginning

As Joel begins his recovery, suspicion continues to fall on several different characters.

A hammer later discovered by Harry has already raised new questions, while Joel’s memory loss means the truth remains hidden.

With relationships under strain and trust rapidly disappearing among the teenagers, the search for the person responsible looks set to become one of EastEnders’ biggest mysteries.

Whether the attacker is someone already under suspicion or a completely unexpected figure, viewers will have to wait to discover who really delivered the devastating blow.

EastEnders can be viewed on BBC One, while episodes are also available to stream and catch up on through BBC iPlayer.

Images: BBC used for editorial purposes only.

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