This article contains spoilers for tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which airs on BBC One at 7.30pm or can be streamed now on iPlayer.
It’s not fun to be Max Branning (Jake Wood) right now. With not a friend in the world and a family that are desperate to see the back of him, Walford is a lonely place for the lothario-turned-Billy-no-mates at present.
Crashing back into Walford like a red-headed wrecking ball a few months ago to attend daughter Lauren’s (Jacqueline Jossa) surprise wedding to Peter Beale (Thomas Law) did nothing but cause carnage, and while Lauren disowned her father and told him to do one, his leaving further broke son Oscar’s (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) heart.
Upon his latest return, he continued to act as a lightening rod for the dramz.
When he learned that his brother, Jack (Scott Maslen), had agreed with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) to not tell him that he’s the father of her daughter, Annie (Lois Hawkins) and then learned that, in his absence, he’d also had an affair with his previous lover, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner), a nasty festive punch up dominated the Beale/Branning Christmas dinner. Ho ho ho, indeed…
Heading to the Albert, he seduced Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), with the two unaware of each others true identities. Had Cindy known that she was bunking up with the man responsible for the death of her son, she’d perhaps have thought twice.
After taking a thumping from both Cindy and Peter (and after giving Peter a swift one right back) at his grandson’s christening, Max was finally dismissed from the proceedings by young Louie (Jake McNally). Finding him alone and drowning his sorrows, Linda tried to get through to him, but he cruelly snapped back at her and sent her packing.
Clearly, while possessing the ability to seduce every woman he’s ever clapped eyes on, he’s also mastered the art of narking off every human being in that same radius.
His run of making people hate him carried on when he attempted to throw the lips on Linda later when she again tried to comfort him.
While it appeared that Max would make headway with his children with an apparently genuine apology and a promise to do better, the appearance of Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe) put an end to that when she informed them of his antics the previous night.
After telling son Peter that he’d formulated a plan, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) found Max and offered him a fat envelope of cash to get lost, reiterating three or four times that nobody wants him around. It appeared that Max was going to follow his advice when Linda found him packing his bags.
Saint Linda, she who refuses to give up on Max, tried to convince him to stay and fight to regain the love of his family, even chasing him out onto the Square in a bid to get through. And she did.
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Max found a large portion of the Beale/Branning contingent celebrating New Years Eve in Harry’s Barn and, tossing the cash back at Ian, promised to be the father that his children deserve.
Lauren and Oscar, clearly sick to death of their dad and his enormous declarations, exited the club and headed home. Max chased them down, guaranteeing that in 2026, he’ll be the father that they deserve. Lauren and Oscar remained unconvinced and left Max as the fireworks started to explode.
Can't wait for the next twist?
Hi, I’m Stephen Patterson, Metro’s deputy soaps editor.
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With each bang, we were given a glimpse into the future. The first, a sonogram of a baby. The second, a metal angel. The third, a gun being pointed. As Max looked up, ‘2026’ had been replaced with ‘2027’ on the Vic’s sign, as we ready ourselves for the upcoming flashforward episode.
Incredibly eerie, but also incredibly significant, as it looks like a new baby Branning and an incredibly angry and armed enemy lie in Max’s future. With tomorrow’s flashforward episode set to catapult us a year into the future, will any of those glimpses make sense? Or are they simply teasers of what to expect throughout the year?
Who’s pregnant? Who’s waving a gun?! What’s going on?!
Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?
