EastEnders Christmas SPOILER – Max Branning is back and he wants his sweet revenge
Also...Is it Phil's final farewell? Shakil kisses Louise and Roxy drops a bombshell
UNLIKE your Christmas dinner, revenge is a dish best served cold.
It’s been six months since Max was released from prison and made a brief return to the Square to let the Beales know they were at the top of his hit list for letting him languish behind bars for Lucy’s murder.
Now, with the actual killer, Bobby, locked up for battering his half-sister over the head with a jewellery box, Max is free to wreak havoc.
But will he make it another festive season full of misery? Or will he spread goodwill to all men – including his nemesis, Ian?
“Max got out of prison, disappeared for a bit and now, as he returns, he’s changed a lot,” says Jake Wood, who has – apart from a brief stint in June – enjoyed a year away from the soap to take part in the Strictly Come Dancing tour and spend time with his wife and two kids.
“I think prison has had a big effect on Max; he’s very different from when we last saw him.”
It’s Christmas Day when Max first shows his face, and he does have revenge on his mind.
Lauren receives a text from her dad, asking her to meet him on Boxing Day.
She’s daunted by the prospect, given that he’d previously told her she was dead to him after finding out she’d known for months that Bobby killed Lucy.
So, unaware of the threatening letter Max sent Ian warning him that he’d never forget what he did, Lauren tries to build bridges and asks Ian if Max can join them for Steven’s birthday drinks.
Ian is obviously horrified by Lauren’s idea, and when she returns from spending the holiday season with Tanya, Abi is also less than overjoyed that Max is back on the scene. Given that she was the one who betrayed her dad by calling the cops when he was on the run, it’s no wonder she’s nervous.
“Max’s relationship with his daughters is…a little fractured,” laughs Jake.
“Things are better with Lauren and Max than they are with him and Abi. Lauren will be more pleased to see him, but hopefully Abi will come round. Max has changed, so the girls should see that.
“The reaction Max gets from everyone else in the Square will be interesting.
"Some people will be happier to see him than others. Jack should be pleased to see his brother, but I’m not sure how welcome Max will be when it comes to the Beales. If he’s going to live on that Square, they’ll have to come to some sort of understanding. Max spent all that time in prison as a result of them lying, so it depends whether he feels willing to forgive them.”
The Max of old would never have dreamt of letting Ian and his family get away with such a travesty of justice. But in this case, can a leopard really change its spots?
“Let’s wait and see,” teases Jake. “He might go back to his old ways. I think the viewers will be surprised by the changes and, at certain points, they will know more than the on-screen characters.
It’s going to be incredibly exciting.”
Is this Phil's final farewell?
Despite their recent differences, Phil has always looked at Jay as a second son and, with time running out, their feelings come to the surface.
And Jay really needs Phil’s support, what with social services sniffing around, concerned about his presence at the Mitchells’.
The situation is becoming too much for Sharon and she breaks down on Jay, revealing she just wants to make this the perfect Christmas for Phil – though that doesn’t look likely when Ben returns home and delivers yet more bad news.
As Christmas Day approaches, Jay is suspicious when he sees Phil talking to Billy and demands to know what’s going on.
However, what he hears floors him and he probably wishes he’d continued in blissful ignorance.
Meanwhile, Ben and Louise are left speechless when their dad shows them an unusual level of kindness.
Phil then slips a present under the tree for Sharon and attempts to sneak off, determined that it’s his time to die and he’s going to do so on his own. Sharon catches him leaving and begs him not to go, but his mind is made up.
However, after visiting Peggy’s grave and talking to some well-meaning locals, Phil begins to have second thoughts.
He’d better make up his mind fast, though, as his health suddenly deteriorates and it seems this could be Phil’s last Christmas…
Shakil kisses Louise
Shakil’s interest in Bex appears to be dwindling like the number of fairy lights on Twelfth Night.
After making several unsuccessful attempts to discuss their relationship with him, Bex confides in her stepmum Stacey. But she gets more than she bargained for when Stacey then fills in Martin on the situation and he goes straight into ‘protective dad’ overdrive.
Bex is humiliated when her furious father goes for Shakil in the market, but not half as embarrassed as she feels when, at the rehearsal for the Walford Players’ Christmas play, she’s forced to watch as Louise and her boyfriend share a kiss on stage.
It may be just a peck, but with ‘best friends’ like Louise Mitchell, you really don’t need any enemies.
Still, there’s the prospect of the opening night of A Christmas Carol to look forward to.
It’s a sell-out performance, but as the audience waits for the curtain to rise, it seems there are problems backstage…
Roxy has some shock news for Ronnie
Never has someone cut such a tragic figure as Roxy doing the walk of shame on Christmas Day after yet another drunken night out.
And it’s made worse that she’s spotted by Jack as he and Ronnie parade their perfect family and take Amy out on her shiny new pink bike in the Square.
Ronnie returns home to find her sister sleeping off a hangover and gives Roxy a stern talking-to. However, there is one task that Roxy can be trusted to get spot-on – and that’s organising a party!
Despite Ronnie insisting that she doesn’t want a fuss, Roxy goes ahead and arranges an Ibiza-themed bash in a bid to remind straight-laced Ronnie of how much fun they had when they lived on the party isle.
With Shirley and Tina leading things on the dancefloor, Ronnie finally lets her hair down and the party is a massive success. But the happy atmosphere doesn’t last very long as Roxy drops a bombshell that chills her sister to the core…
Also over the festive period...
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