Has Max Branning (Jake Wood) ever met a situation he couldn’t make worse in EastEnders?
Currently at war with his deeply vengeful ex, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), who, at this point, wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire, he finds himself in a tight bind when she uses the information that the one who left Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) to die to her full advantage.
Zoe, suffering with a brain bleed, had staggered downstairs at the Vic and found Max in the arms – and lips – of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), and despite her pleas for help, he cruelly dismissed her while believing she was drunk, essentially sealing her fate.
When Max set son Oscar (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) the task of proving that he and Cindy hadn’t consummated their marriage by getting her tanked and recording her admission, he drunkenly planted his foot right in it when he told Cindy the truth about Zoe.
Cindy being Cindy, of course, went straight to Max, demanding answers, while threatening to expose the truth, leading him to offer her £50,000 to keep her mouth shut…
…the only problem? He doesn’t have £50,000, and he can’t pull it out of the car lot business accounts. If only he was the trustee of a massive lump inheritance, eh?
Enter Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd).
Amy’s in a tight spot of her own, groomed into a hideous relationship with a predator, creepy Craig Ingram (Matthew James Bailey), and he also has designs on the lump sum she’s got coming.
This week saw Max meet Amy and learns she’s desperate to access her inheritance, and discovering that she’s as desperate to get her mitts on it as he is, and when he tells her of his deep debts, she offers him a deal: if he helps her access the cash, she’ll help him out financially.
Seeing her leave a climb into Craig’s car, he instinctively goes to tell his brother and Amy’s dad, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), about what’s going on, but realising it could scupper his chances of getting the money, holds his tongue, ringing Amy instead to agree to the deal.
Next week, Max tells Oscar about his plan, promising to sort Craig out in the process, later summoning Craig and Amy and learning that he covered up Amy’s involvement in Joel Marshall’s (Max Murray) attack.
Striking a deal that would see Max sign the forms to release Amy’s money as long as she confesses to her relationship with Craig to her dad.
When Max heads to meet Jack, planning to reveal all, he’s too late, as Oscar arrives and tells them that he’s seen Amy and Craig flee the Square; the brothers give chase but it’s too late: they’re gone.
Jack is terrified and launches an investigation while keeping the police out of the equation.
Drafting his brother in to help, Max is busy paying off Cindy, with Amy having followed through on her end of the deal and sending him the money he needs.
With Amy in possession of a heap of cash, and trapped with a known predator, have Max’s actions doomed her? And what will Jack do when he learns of his brother’s role in his daughter’s disappearance?
EastEnders airs these scenes from Monday 26th October at 7.30pm on BBC One or stream first from 6am on iPlayer.