EastEnders: Reiss Colwell reads sympathy cards at Dot's wake
EastEnders' Reiss Colwell (played by Jonny Freeman) has been grappling with mounting problems due to his spiralling debts. The situation is further complicated as he struggles to pay for the care of his comatose wife Debbie, who suffered a stroke.
In addition to this, Reiss has been secretly spending his wife's savings on IVF treatments for his girlfriend, Sonia Fowler (Natalie Cassidy). However, Debbie's care home chased him up on payments during his recent visit to Walford (July 22), piling on the pressure to find the money quickly.
Sonia shared her deep fears with her long-standing friend, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth), confessing that she was "terrified" about a potential negative result from her pregnancy test following her treatment.
Kathy provided the moral support Sonia needed, advising her to find out whether her IVF treatment was successful and to take a pregnancy test. Concurrently, Reiss dropped in on Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) making up a story about some unpaid bills, reports the Daily Star.
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Reiss exonerated himself by blaming Sharon's forgetfulness about the payments on Keanu Taylor's (Danny Taylor) death.
Sharon revealed that the late Keanu had considerable faith in Reiss, which justified entrusting him with the financial handling of her business.
Fearing being exposed, Reiss offered to discover a workaround rather than settling the bill immediately. He later visited Debbie to admit his guilt for his dishonest actions and described the chaos that resulted from his deception against both Sharon and Sonia.
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The book-keeper confessed to Debbie about his sleepless nights and inability to face Sonia. He further revealed that the proceeds from their marital home sale had depleted, leaving him unable to cover her care fees.
Upon his return home, Sonia shared the delightful news of her pregnancy, momentarily alleviating Reiss's stress. However, as his problems resurfaced, Reiss dampened Sonia's spirits by downplaying their chances of a successful pregnancy.
In an attempt to reconcile with Sonia, he admitted the extent of his debt to the care home and the looming threat of Debbie's eviction.
Sonia was distressed by Reiss's continuous deceit and worried about affording a baby amidst their escalating debt. In a bid to rectify the situation, Reiss approached Sharon again, admitting there was no escape from the tax bill.
He urged Sharon to transfer £13,500 into the business account, to which she agreed to arrange the funds. But will Reiss' latest scheme succeed?
EastEnders airs Monday - Thursday on BBC One and iPlayer.
