He sure knows how to pick his spots, doesn’t he? After his last re-emergence in EastEnders, strolling into the Queen Vic just in time for daughter Lauren’s (Jacqueline Jossa) surprise wedding, Max Branning (Jake Wood) is back again after his son, Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) was caught in a house fire.
Oscar bravely rescued Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) from the blaze after she found herself locked in a room with a burning teddy and landed himself in hospital, before Max rocked up to claim another duff duff…and, y’know, to check on his son.
Poor Oscar has been firmly on his toes since Jasmine turned up and cast her spell on him. Her electric personality and fearless nature enraptured him early, and he’s essentially been helpless ever since. The one problem in their relationship, though? She’s completely unwilling to open up to him.
Re-emerging after being (quite rightly) accused of pushing Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) down a flight of stairs, Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) immediately called the police, with the family being convinced that Jasmine is a member of the feared Ford crime family, who Cindy had previously gone into witness protection to escape.
While at the police station, coincidentally at the exact same time that Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) discovered he’s the father of Zoe’s twins, Jasmine revealed herself as the female half of the twins. The one Zoe believes was stillborn. Keeping up?
After being released and reuniting with Oscar, they stopped at the café to procure some French pastries, while Oscar attempted to impress with his tenuous grasp of the language. Preparing to face the combined Beale/Branning congregation in the hopes of winning them over, Jasmine was evidently nervous.
And, she was right to be. With Lauren, Ian, Kathy (Gillian Taylforth) and Peter (Thomas Law) assembled, Oscar attempted to mend fences between them and Jasmine, and failed epically. Kathy, Peter and Ian were unwilling to bend, even if Jasmine isn’t a Ford, and Jasmine was her usual spiky self.
Retreating to McTucky’s for some deep-fried goodness, Oscar again pleaded with Jasmine to open up – she’s clearly hiding something. Despite professing that he’d fallen in love with her, she implored him not to push. It isn’t that she doesn’t trust him, it’s that she feels it’s best not to involve him in her ultimate plan. Tearfully, Oscar decided to walk away, ending things between them.
Back at his home, Zoe was spooked by noises in the house. She found the smoke detector unhooked, then was locked in a bedroom with a flaming teddy bear. She begged for help as the room flooded with smoke, attracting the attention of Oscar, who was working out his issues via punching garage doors.
Oscar busted into the house, scooped Zoe up and rescued her, as a terrified Jasmine pounded on the front door, terrified that the fire had consumed him, having been watching suspiciously from a bench.
As ambulances descended on the Square, a panicked Jasmine clung to a damaged Oscar.
At the hospital, she tried to gain entry to his room, but was challenged by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) who attempted to send her away. True to form, Jasmine stood on business, squaring up to Jack and refusing to be intimidated by him, informing him that he had precisely zero chance of forcing her to leave.
Enter Max, who reckoned he might fare slightly better.
As fans know, unlike his previous return, Max is back full-time, and there’s no shortage of chaos to come.
‘A lot has happened since we last saw Max, but also since he permanently lived in Walford, so there’s a mountain of secrets waiting to be exposed, and a whole lot of drama,’ said Jake Wood.
As he reunites with a family that are, on the whole, estranged from him, comes face to face with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), who’s daughter, Annie is secretly his and looks set to make an enemy of just about everyone, it’s not a case of when Max is thrown into the drama, but which drama he’ll find himself neck deep in first.
