Following this week’s revelation that 12-year-old Lily Slater is pregnant, EastEnders fans were left scratching their heads in an attempt to determine who is to blame.
When Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner’s character) learned from the doctors that Lily (Lillia Turner) is expecting a child, she was shocked and devastated. The news was nearly unbelievable to her because she had no idea Lily had ever been in a relationship.
Since the EastEnders scene aired, viewers of the BBC soap have speculated about the father. Eventually, Lily informed Stacey that the father is Ricky “Jr” Mitchell (Frankie Day), but some viewers aren’t persuaded, and others predict a more sinister theory involving her grandmother’s partner, Harvey Monroe (Ross Boatman).
Many theories have been circulating among fans, with some speculating Lily may be stepping in for someone else, such as Denzel Danes or Davinder “Nugget” Gulati (Juhaim Rasul Choudhury) (Jaden Ladega).
Since Lily’s former best friend Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd) is dating Denzel, the revelation would be even more shocking, the Denzel theory has gained popularity.
Others surmise Lily lied about the father because she was really being trained by a more senior male.
One sinister theory is that the schoolgirl has been being groomed by Harvey, Jean Slater’s (Gillian Wright) boyfriend.
“If it’s one of the boys, it’s either Nugget or Amy’s boyfriend,” a Facebook user wrote. “But if abuse comes from an older guy, it’s either Freddie or Harvey, but I really hope not.” (sic)
Another wrote: “I don’t think Ricky is the dad; I’m worried that Harvey is the father.
“We don’t know him very well, and since Dotty he hasn’t been the same.
And it makes me wonder if that was the initial reason he chose to be with Jean.
“I believe this is a narrative about abuse. I sincerely hope not, but awareness is key.” (sic)
Another fan agreed and said, “Yes, and I see that Martin and Stacy have a big story coming up.
Added to that: “Although it seems unlikely, my theory is that the child is Harvey’s. When it was revealed that he was ill while speaking to Jean, the young men were shown. Harvey in the cafe believes she is lying to shield Jean in the event of another episode. That may be my entire theory, though.” (sic)
Watching #EastEnders with mom and she thinks Harvey is the father of lily’s baby, according to tweet from @mitchdavies1996.
Swordfish2869, a Reddit user, said: “Harvey seems a little off.
Could Harvey have been torturing Lily right in front of Jean?
Although it seems unlikely, it might provide an explanation for why Lily was so opposed to telling her grandmother about the pregnancy.
Lily has always been fiercely protective of Jean and extremely aware of her bipolar disorder, so she is probably not going to want anything to set off an episode.
Lily yelled at her mother and said she can’t trust her when she learned earlier this week that Stacy had told Jean.
Later, when Jean and Stacey were attempting to get Lily to reveal the identity of the father, Lily’s mother had foreseen it would be Ricky after observing her daughter smiling at him.
Could Lily have simply said Ricky to Jean to stop their questions?
It’s possible that Lily was gathering the courage to tell her mother the truth before Jean learned, and that she is now desperately trying to remain silent.