EastEnders' Ben Mitchell return reminds us the character is so much more than 'Ballum'

But while the fate of 'Ballum' was a key component in Ben's brief comeback, the week's episodes showcased, for anyone who needed the reminder, that the character is so much more than one half of a soap super-couple.

Bowden gave a masterclass performance, treating us to the many different faces of Ben – a role he skilfully made his own back in 2019.

Ben went through quite the range of emotions: from confidently cocky and proud, to worried, heartbroken and angry as his new reality hit home.

As Ben delivered his trademark one-liners and settled back in at The Queen Vic, order felt like it had been restored, albeit only for a short time.

Then, instead of ending Ben's latest stint immediately after he announced a divorce from Callum, EastEnders delved into his mental health in a beautifully handled heart-to-heart between Ben and his 'reformed man's man' dad Phil (Steve McFadden).

This allowed us to envision a future for Ben outside of his once beloved relationship with Callum, and the arc was all the better for it.

Ben's mum Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) joined Phil in boosting his spirits and encouraging him to see out his shortened prison sentence and work towards being reunited with daughter Lexi Pearce (Isabella Brown).

Phil's explanation of his own struggles with depression also changed the dynamic between himself and Ben, with space created for the younger man to rely on Phil as a confidant rather than, as before, someone to endlessly try to impress.

Although the same old Ben delightedly shone through across the episodes, his growth as a person was evident: ensuring that Callum was to be treated right by new love Johnny Carter (Charlie Suff) and that Lexi wouldn't be used as a pawn in the split.

Their father-daughter bond, sadly unable to be revisited here, is what matters now.

After Phil's impactful breakthrough with Ben, Lexi should benefit from that more open, less restrained attitude towards talking - even if we have to settle for mentions of Ben putting this into action off-screen.

While we felt that Ben was going rather easy on Callum for his affair, we understood his acknowledgement of his own mistakes as a catalyst, and this really sold the idea that Ben has now learnt lessons that were previously never given room to stick.

This was a heartfelt revival of our love for Ben as a character in his own right, touching on aspects of the persona we got to know before, while also refreshing and updating who he is to account for his time away.

While we'll just have to hope that the BBC soap, and Bowden, can bring Ben home for good, what we've seen has perfectly paved the way for a strong new era for Ben should the chance arise.

Far from rendering the much-missed Ben surplus to requirements while Callum moves on, their break-up has expertly proved that Ben has so much more to give solo.

Read more:

• 5 EastEnders spoilers next week: Joel Marshall hides out after Vicki Fowler attack and Harry Mitchell is trapped
• EastEnders' Lacey Turner addresses return after BBC soap exit
• EastEnders star warns of "scary" and "upsetting" scenes for Joel and Vicki in dark storyline

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