Yahoo News EastEnders: 6 things Phil needs to do now he's back
It's been a long six months without him, but EastEnders finally welcomed back Phil Mitchell earlier this week as he rushed to be by Louise's side following her horrific prom accident.
Proving that not even a near-death experience can keep him down for long, Phil wasted no time in unleashing his sadistic side once again – fiercely (and forcefully) warning away his ex-flame Lisa.
But while we are pleased to see Phil back to his old self again, we hope he won't run out of steam again anytime soon, because we've got a fair few requests of what – and who – needs sorting now he's home.
1. Put Keegan in his place
We'd be lying if we said we weren't starting to warm to troublesome teen Keegan Baker, but he could still do with being taken down a peg or two.
Keegan has been causing trouble for Louise for months now, but he did his worst when he spread a rumour about them having sex on the night her drink was spiked by Madison and Alexandra.
He did eventually own up to his lies, but not before a distraught Louise had gone through a harrowing ordeal at the police station and been dumped by her boyfriend Travis.
Keegan has also terrorised Phil's stepson Dennis, has no respect for his elders, and generally just thinks he's a bit indestructible. So come on Phil, sort it out!
2. Have a bust up with Karen
That said, it's unlikely Phil will be able to put Keegan in his place without some involvement from his feisty mum Karen. Karen proved that she'd do anything to protect her boisterous brood when she went head-to-head with Sharon over Louise's rape allegations – but how will Phil feel if he gets wind about her punching his missus?
Shazza might have been no match for Karen, but it's a whole different ball game with Phil involved. And Karen vs Phil is something we'd pay to see.
3. Give Travis a fatherly warning over Louise
As soaps teens go, Louise could definitely do a lot worse than nice guy Travis Law-Hughes. He's the same age, he's not hiding a criminal past (that we know of), he's not lying about having a brain tumour (we're looking at you, Steven!), and he even shares Louise's love of drama.
And given her colourful upbringing, Phil should be grateful that Louise hasn't brought home a total wrong'un.
So while we can't see Phil doing cartwheels over his daughter's budding love life, it would be refreshing to see him not throwing his toys out of the pram and just give Travis a simple fatherly warning instead.
Louise is going to need everyone's support as she comes to terms with her life-changing injuries and the last thing she needs is Travis messing her around again. So a few choice words from Phil should settle this nicely.
4. Be more supportive of Ben
Ben's relationship with Phil has been harrowing to watch at times, but the pair seemed to make a major breakthrough last year following the tragic death of Paul Coker.
It's no secret that Phil has struggled to accept his son's sexuality, and it was that very reason that Ben struck up a sham romance with Abi Branning. But prior to his liver transplant, Phil finally appeared to be embracing Ben for who he is, as opposed to who he wanted him to be.
Ben's love life has been pretty quiet of late – aside from his birthday fun with Johnny Carter – but we can only hope that Phil is more welcoming of any future love interest than he was of poor Paul, and that he'll continue to be the Dad that Ben's always wanted.
5. Resolve things with Lisa – one way or another
Lisa and Phil's showdown has been about 15 years in the making and it certainly didn't disappoint. However, this time, wouldn't it be nice to see them actually resolving at least some of their issues?
You don't have to be a long-term EastEnders fan to know that Lisa and Phil share a long and ultra-complicated history (let's be honest, everyone knows she shot him), but sadly, it doesn't look like Phil is about to build bridges anytime soon.
It's clear that our favourite roughneck still has some major beef with Lisa and given that that Lucy Benjamin is only back for a handful of episodes, we doubt they'll even be scratching the surface where an olive branch is concerned.
Still, we hope they'll at least try – for Louise's sake, if not for ours!
6. Stop Max's reign of revenge
Max has been ruling the roost in Walford in Phil's absence, and his ruthless revenge plan is really starting to take hold. While the lines are still blurred in terms of what Max's overall aim is, it is clear that he has some big (and worrying) ideas for some of the Square's key sites and time is starting to run out.
Max's employer Weyland & Co has already got its hands on The Vic and Ian's chippy, and the market appears to be next on his hit list – and with it looking like no-one is immune from Max's enigmatic plot, it really does appear to be a losing battle where the residents are concerned.
But insert Phil and everything could change. Because, if anyone can get to the bottom of the mysterious goings-on with Max and Weyland, then it's gotta be him, right?
EastEnders continues on Thursday, June 27 at 7.30pm on BBC One.
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