EastEnders aired a shocking twist on Tuesday night as Ben continued his vigilante actions against homophobes.
In a case of mistaken identity, Ben ended up beating up his own nephew, Peter.
But while Ben was horrified at his actions, some EastEnders viewers at home seemed less bothered!
The episode saw Ben was struggling with his feelings in the wake of Callum's gay police recruitment poster being unveiled in the Square.
After a target was painted graffitied over the poster, Ben was left frustrated.
Later, he spotted a group of lads laughing at the poster, so Ben angrily confronted them.
Prince Albert barman Lewis stepped in, and diffused the situation before it turned nasty.
Later, however, the lads appeared at the Albert, where Ben was having a drink. Lewis saw them off again, but Ben was more infuriated than ever.
As he left the bar later, he spotted the ringleader walking down the road.
Grabbing a metal bar, he followed him and whacked him with it, before kicking him for good measure after he fell to the ground.
With the fella out cold, Ben was horrified when he realised he'd got the wrong man – and viewers saw the battered face of Ben's own nephew, Peter, who had been wearing a similar hoodie to the lad earlier.
The cliffhanger raises the stakes in Ben's vigilante plot. But while it was certainly a shocking twist, some viewers cruelly joked that there were worse outcomes in this plot than Ben clobbering Peter!
With Peter turning into a carbon copy of his dad, Ian Beale, he's quickly becoming one of the most objectionable characters on the Square.
He's often seen throwing his weight about at his dad's businesses, smarming over people he needs to impress or making barbs at other people's expense – just like his dad.
Last night, we saw him make a cruel jibe at the state of Mick's marriage, leaving a disgruntled Mick to brand him 'a mug'.
So, viewers took to social media with their opinions on the shock attack twist.
"I figured his would end up with Ben attacking someone innocent, but the fact it was Peter is darkly hilarious," said one.
While another reasoned, "Look, Ben isn't doing what's right, BUT I'll let it go because it was Peter."
I figured this would end up with Ben attacking someone innocent but the fact it was Peter is darkly hilarious. It was also brilliantly foreshadowed two years ago in Ben’s hearing loss episode the last time he was spiraling. #EastEndersMay 11, 2022
So, the moral message that I'm getting from EastEnders right now is that if I go out attacking homophobes, I'll either a) get the right person and up beat up a homophobe or b) get the wrong person and beat up Peter Beale. There are no downsides to any of this.May 10, 2022
Look what Ben’s doing isn’t right BUT I’ll let it go because it’s Peter #EastEndersMay 10, 2022
While the shock twists might not quite have pulled on the heartstrings as bosses intended, it certainly adds another layer to the story.
Will Peter recover? And will Ben finally admit what he's been doing to his family now things are clearly spiralling out of his control?
EastEnders airs Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7.30 pm on BBC One — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on BBC iPlayer now.
