By Joshua Halm
Copyright metro
He’s after something… (Picture: BBC)
Max Branning (Jake Wood) is quite possibly the most legendary of all Albert Square lotharios, and if next weeks EastEnders is anything to go by, he’s not about to give up that mantle any time soon.
Ever since cousin Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) has re-emerged, bringing with her a seemingly endless supply of utter carnage, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) has been questioning her future in Walford.
Haunted by the demise of Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters) and the loss of long-time love interest Martin Fowler (James Bye), Stacey is immediately lifted when her brother, Sean (Rob Kazinsky) offers for her and Lily (Lilia Turner) to come and stay with him in Brazil.
Though initially excited about the prospect of a move, Stacey is brought back to Earth with a bump when Lily that both she and her young daughter Charli will be staying put. Unwilling to leave without her, Stacey resigns herself to also staying, though Lily is deeply unsure that her mum has made the right choice.
When Lily decides to stay in Walford, Stacey does, too (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Stacey’s travel plans shrink to the back of her mind, however, when her ex-father in law and ex-lover, Max, returns to Walford for the wedding of his daughter, Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa) to Peter Beale (Thomas Law). Well, apparently…
Stacey and Max’ history dates back to nearly twenty years ago. Their sordid affair began while Stacey was in a relationship with Max’s son, Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements), that continued up until their wedding day.
When Lauren captures a kiss between Stacey and Max before the ceremony on camera, she put it on the wedding DVD, leading to one of the most explosive and celebrated Christmas Day reveals in all of soap land.
Max and Stacey’s affair was one of the biggest storylines ever featured in EastEnders (Picture: BBC)
The secret came out on Christmas Day (Picture: BBC)
Though Stacey and Bradley reunited, he died when attempting to escape from the police who were descending on the Square to arrest him for the murder of Archie Mitchell (Larry Lamb), a crime that Stacey had committed.
The two later reignited their affair in 2017, leading to a confrontation with both Lauren and Abi (Lorna Fitzgerald) on the roof of the Queen Vic.
This only lead to further tragedy, when both sisters fell, resulting in Abi’s death.
Kat instantly warns Zoe off of Max (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
While Stacey is left reeling, one resident who’s particularly happy about Max returning is Zoe.
In her long time away from the Square, Zoe met Max in a bar, and the two seemingly felt an instant connection. During their brief dalliance, he helped her out with money in an attempt to extract information on her missing son from dodgy investigator, Greg Dolan (Dean Williamson).
When things turned violent between Zoe and Greg, however, Max brought an end to their time together. Though Zoe called him in the aftermath of her shooting, begging him to pick her up, he never came back.
Stacey is floored by Max’ return (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
Though Kat immediately warns Max off of Zoe, it’s clear his focus is entirely on Stacey.
As she leaves, however, and Lily desperately tries to convince her Mum to head to Brazil, Max’ head is instantly turned back to Zoe.
Will Stacey still leave now that her ex-lover is back? Will she discover the truth of what’s happened between Max and Zoe? Which of the two Slater ladies does Max truly want?
Sorry, guys. You’ll have to wait and see…
