Joshua Halm
Published December 25, 2025 10:15pm
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Has Max finally met his match? (Picture: BBC/Metro)
Max Branning’s (Jake Wood) latest return to EastEnders has proven to be as troublesome as he his, with him clashing with the entire Beale/Branning clan – though the biggest danger of all may come as a result of a festive frolic with Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
Both Max and Cindy found themselves alone as Christmas day came to a close. Returning home after her stint in hiding, Cindy was denied entry into the house after Max’s arrival to the joined Beale/Branning festive celebration, with Peter (Thomas Law) and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) keen to keep her away from the man that killed her son.
Viewers will remember that Max, in a plot to destroy all those responsible for framing him for the murder of Lucy Beale (Hetti Bywater) targeted Jane Beale (Laurie Brett), initially the only person who knew that the true culprit was Bobby Beale (Eliot Carrington).
He blackmailed Steven Beale (Aaron Sidwell) into setting Ian’s restaurant on fire, while Max held Jane hostage inside. Steven, however, had a change of heart and tried to go back into the burning building to rescue Jane. It was this moment that ultimately led to his death, which occurred in hospital after Max shoved him into a counter top, gravely injuring him.
Max learned the truth about his families secrecy from Oscar (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
In all honesty, though, the Beale/Branning conglomerate may have made the wrong decision, as Max arrived half-cut, now fully aware that brother Jack (Scott Maslen) and children Lauren (Jacqueline Jossa) and Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) knew that Annie Carter (Lois Hawkins) is his daughter and agreed with Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) that he shouldn’t be told.
A drunken Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) proved to be the catalyst for a brotherly punch up, as, unknowing that their problem revolved around Annie, inadvertently revealed to Max that Jack had had an affair with his previous lover/affair/friend-with-benefits, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
Fists and insults flew before Max took off, and, spying lonely Cindy in the Albert, enquired as to whether she’d serve him a drink. She agreed, and the two drowned their sorrows together, both lamenting their family problems. Max, in true Max fashion, turned on the charm, and it wasn’t long until the two drama-magnets were swapping spit…with not a sprig of Mistletoe in sight, mind you!
Cindy slept with the man who killed her son…uh oh! (Picture: BBC)
Max is a slippery guy. He has a penchant for affairs, trouble and being an all around pain in the backside to his entire family.
Cindy is a slippery girl. She has a penchant for affairs, trouble and being an all around pain in the backside to her entire family.
It’s almost as if they were made for each other, though that teeny tiny little issue of Max being responsible for Cindy’s son’s death? We reckon it could throw more than a spanner in the works.
When Cindy finds out that she slept with the man who killed her child? Surely all hell will break loose. She once hired a hitman to bump off husband Ian, and he hadn’t harmed any of her kids, so we know that her revenge can be both spectacular and deadly.
Can't wait for the next twist?
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With Max being the focus of a special, New Years Day flash forward episode, though, we know she’ll be neither bumping him off or out-sourcing the murder in the near future. Will she play the long game in order to make him pay for Steven’s demise?
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Their potential showdown upon Max’s last reappearance was avoided when Peter Beale (Thomas Law) intervened, and his reacquaintance with both Stacey and her cousin who he’d also had a dalliance with, Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan), led to him scarpering. We told you he was slippery!
Perhaps Cindy feels like forgiving, and when she finds out who she spent Christmas night with, she’ll let it all go. Stranger things have happened.
If we were Max, though, we’d worry about the potentially deadly revenge Cindy will want to wreak.
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