#maxbranning

Friday 19th February 2021

Hello again everyone! So we're finally at the end of the week and I'm happy to say I have finally caught up! I have seen a few spoilers about this episode already but I feel like I don't want to say anything until I've watched it. Oh and before I forget, it's been brought to my attention that on this particular day (19th February) it was EastEnders' 36th Anniversary! Happy Anniversary!! I know it's 4 years away, but just think how exciting the soaps 40th Anniversary is going to be! I have a feeling that it's going to be HUGE!!! Anyway, let's not waste any time and focus on Friday's episode.

*20 minutes later*

Wow! This was an emotional episode that's for sure!!! The main focus of the episode of course was Max! After a staggering 15 years on the Square, Max has taken the decision to leave Walford for good. It seems that there is nothing left for Max in Walford anymore, his children have fled the Square, every romance he's had has fallen to pieces, he's realised that he seemed to have caused a rift in a few too many lives. After being told by Linda and his brother, Jack, to leave, he's taken their advice and left Albert Square. 

Before we focus on Max's exit, we need to mention Ruby and Stacey! Stacey had come up with a plan to confront Ruby about her lies. At first, when she approaches Ruby at the club, she's acting as if she's being friendly and polite, asking her to join her for a drink, making the valid point that (If Ruby is pregnant) their children are going to be related, so they're going to have to put their differences aside for the kids. Even though Ruby seems to be a bit on edge at Stacey's kindness, things start to heat up when Kush appears, she knows full well that she's been backed into a corner. Stacey suggests having their discussion somewhere private to save prying ears, so they take their conversation into her office. It's there they confront her with the facts of paying Kush to run away with Arthur, Iqra accusing her of being the one behind robbery at the Minute Mart causing Martin's attack. Of course Ruby claims her innocence of everything they're accusing her of, but then to top it off, Stacey presents her with a pregnancy test, claiming that if she isn't lying about everything else, how can they know for sure if she's lying about her pregnancy. 

At first, Ruby is reluctant to take the test, claiming she has nothing to prove to them, but as time goes on, being locked in her own office with Stacey and Kush, Ruby knows that eventually she's going to have to go! Eventually it comes to the point where she agrees to take the test, without Kush being present. Kush willingly leaves the room so Stacey and Ruby can be alone. Ruby takes the test and as they wait for the results to show, she claims that all she ever wanted to have was a family of her own, and how Stacey is so lucky to have 3 children, a big family. Sadly, that's all that Ruby ever wanted. Eventually as they look at the test result, both Stacey and Ruby get the shock of their lives when the test comes back as positive! Ruby IS pregnant after all! ... What do we think of Ruby now? Is she still hiding so many lies or isn't she as guilty as we first thought? What do you guys think?! -- Okay, so focusing on the main headliner of the episode. Max! This was truly an emotional episode for him really wasn't it? After being hit by Mick in front of everyone at the Vic and being warned to stay away from Linda, Max takes it upon himself to head back home. Only Jean stops him on his way, I found this scene between Max and Jean very interesting. They have a history of being family and Jean knows full well what kind of man Max is. She tries to give him some wise words, stating that life is really too short to be making mistakes, suggesting that he needs to start life a new and focus on himself. I guess it's fair to say that Max can't seem to believe the words he's hearing from her and asks if she's drunk, he doesn't seem to be listening.

Meanwhile, Linda has followed Mick after his punch up with Max. Poor Mick claims that he's simply not going to be able to carry on if Max remains on the Square. It's going to end up torturing Mick knowing that another man living on the Square slept with his wife, let alone fell in love with her. As much as she tries to persuade her husband how much she loves him, Linda knows that enough is enough and she needs to confront Max, She eventually finds Max at home with Jack, it's then she finally has it out with him and informs him that he needs to stop what he's doing. Poor Max is still convinced that Linda loves him and is only sticking with Mick so she can be the caring wife and stand by his side after learning the truth about his past. But Linda drops the fact that she has loved Mick since they were kids, and she always will love him, she never loved Max, even though she can't deny she did have feelings for him once. 

It's then that Max drops the bombshell that he was only trying to be nice, to help the situation. At first Linda is completely confused by what he's saying, but it's then that he reveals that he's managed to get the Vic back into their name. He did that for her so she wouldn't have to worry about Mick and that she and him could leave the Square together and share a life, a family. Linda looks as if she's absolutely speechless, she has no idea what to say! The only thing she cares about at this moment in time is her husband. She asks Max that if he had any feelings for her at all, that he would do her the biggest favour and leave, let her wake up in a place where he isn't. As she leaves the room to be with her husband, Max looks absolutely devastated as he's left alone with Jack. His brother then tries to admit that what Linda was saying was right, he needs to do the best thing for himself and everyone around him and to just leave, start a new life and try and move on from Linda. 

As tears fall down Max's face, it looks as if his mind has been made up. Now Linda has got everything she wants, her husband and the Queen Vic back, there's simply nothing keeping him on the Square anymore. He hurries to collect his Granddaughter Abi, ready to pack their belongings and leave, even though Jack attempts to suggests he gives it a week or two. But Max's mind is made up. He hurries over to Rainie and Stuart's apartment to collect Abi. Without an explanation, he informs Rainie that he's leaving with Abi and won't be coming back. Gathering Abi's belongings and taking her out of the apartment, poor Rainie begins to fret. She has adored that little girl since the day she was born, and of course she's her Great Niece and would be devastated if she wasn't going to be able to be a part of her life. Desperate in need of some help, she calls Stuart. 

Night time seems to descend on the Square as Max gathers the last few bits of his and Abi's belongings and hauls them into the car. Jack is still trying to plead to his brother to reconsider and stay for a couple more days, just to clear his head. But Max is adamant that he has to leave. It's this small brief scene between Max and Jack which kind of got to me a bit. This is the last time we'll see the Branning Brothers. Jack opens up to his brother that he loves him and will always have his back, to which Max responds with "You're the best brother!" - I have to be honest, even though it's fair to say that Max and Jack have had their pretty big fall outs and fights in the past, they have very much always had each other's back. Jake Wood and Scott Maslen have a brilliant onscreen chemistry when it comes to brothers, dare I say just as much as Phil and Grant. I will really miss watching scenes between these two, the dynamic was always so electric! 

Meanwhile, as Max is making the final move to leave Walford, Phil takes it upon himself to give the Carter's a visit, informing them that Sharon is agreeing to sell the Queen Vic back to them. Mick at first is a little suspicious as to why she's not informing them herself, but Phil explains that she's putting champagne on ice for their arrival. The Queen Victoria is now there's if they so wish to accept, I guess it's easy to say that they're not going to refuse. Mick and Linda will be back behind the bar where they belong. As much as I'm happy for them, I do worry that the main reason for them leaving the Vic in the first place was for Linda's health due to her alcoholism. If them being back in the pub, will it put Linda in a more vulnerable position? Who knows? Maybe she knows now that she needs to be there for her husband and will refuse to even touch a glass of alcohol. What do you guys think? Are you happy that the Carter's will have the Vic back? Or do you think the pub should be belong to someone else? 

Unfortunately, Max couldn't quite get his car to work so he and little Abi are having to walk. I also have the mention the final scene between Max and Stacey. I guess it's fair to say that these two individuals have quite a huge history, it would've been wrong for Max to leave without having a final last conversation with Stacey. She notices them walking along the street with luggage and questions where they're going. Max informs his ex-flame that he's taking Abi on a surprise trip. As short and brief as their conversation is, Stacey knows that something isn't quite right. Does she know deep down that this is going to be the last time she sees him? I also have to mention the small notification of Bradley once again. It made me sad that Bradley's picture had been left on the floor in the pouring rain, but thankfully Max had found it and was willing to give it back to Stacey, however she's adamant she wants him to keep it. I have to say it was a huge comfort to know that Bradley hasn't been forgotten, Max hasn't forgotten his first born and will now treasure that picture of Bradley, wherever he goes. 

As Max and little Abi continue on their way, little Abi stops in her tracks and looks up at a window with fairy lights. Max knows exactly what she's looking at and it looks as if a deep feeling sinks inside him. He can't take Abi away from her family. Rainie is a state of panic whilst Stuart tries to calm her down, claiming he'll do his best to track down Max, but before any of them can act, a knock is heard at their door. Rainie rushes to the front door to see little Abi stood there on her own, Max is no where to be seen. A sense of relief floods Rainie, even though she can't seem to understand where Max has gone. But from behind a dark wall, Max watches on with tears in his eyes as he watches Rainie take his Granddaughter inside. Max did the right thing, he gave Abi the chance to have a family with parents who absolutely dote on her and adore her. He knows she will be safe with them.

As Max grabs his suitcases, without a word he slowly strolls away and out of Walford for good, as Julia's Theme plays. I have to say I am so thrilled they used Julia's Theme for Max's exit, it was sad but really well done. Quite an emotional ending for Max I feel, but I am happy that the door has been left open for him to return one day. Who knows? Maybe Tanya, Lauren and Max might return together again one day? The only remaining Branning left on the Square is Jack, so there could be chances that his whole family could return one day in the future. I personally, would love to have them back one day. I need to applaud Jake Wood for portraying Max Branning, he's been an absolute legend and has been an icon in some of EastEnders's most memorable storylines. I wish him all the luck in the world for the future. 

Wednesday 10th February 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope your week is going well so far! Just want to say thank you for all your support over the past year! I'm really looking forward to seeing what the next year has in store for EastEnders. Already there are so many exciting storylines, characters coming and going. I can't wait for all of it to come!

Now following Wednesday's episode, the first thing I want to talk about is Max. I guess its fair to say that the poor man has been struggling over the past few days/weeks. After accidentally stumbling across a leaflet for a clairvoyant, he felt that possibly it could help with his emotions and maybe reaching out to his deceased daughter, Abi. When the lady arrives, she's nothing like you would expect … no turban on her head, no crystal ball, pretty normal from the looks of things. She slowly begins to talk and question Max about Abi, at first it seems that he doesn't seem to believe the nonsense about ghosts and spirits. She advises Max to not question it all, but just to talk and let it flow. He begins to talk about when Abi was a little girl and how he called her his "Princess". I have to say, when it comes to reminiscing about Abi, I also miss her character. There was a time when she did become a bit of a brat, but then what teenagers don't go through that phase? The one thing which Abi always loved though, was her Dad. He was her hero. I guess you could say that she was very much a "Daddy's Girl".

Understandably, as Max reminisces, its gets a bit too emotional for him. I do start to really feel for the guy, okay he has made (countless) mistakes in the past, but to be fair, he's not really a bad guy is he? The clairvoyant informs him that Abi remains close and states the fact that she does forgive him and she still loves him. This appears to be a comfort to Max, hearing confirmation that his daughter is always close to him. Later on in the evening, Jack returns home whilst Max is doing the washing up, when he notices the clairvoyant leaflet on the kitchen counter, at first he seems baffled that Max has gone ahead and approached one. Informing him that he needs to be careful as they are co-artists, however Max notifies Jack that there was no ghosts going around the house, but most importantly that he felt a close connection with Abi, which is what he's been needing for a very long time. To be fair, Jack can't argue with that, if his brother insists that he felt his deceased daughter, then there's simply nothing left to be said. We know Max's exit is slowly creeping upon us, but the one thing that I'm left questioning is - what will happen to baby Abi? Will Max take her with him? Or will he leave her with Rainie and Stuart and allow them to bring her up? Or maybe leave her with Jack? Who knows?

--

The next thing I've got to mention is Gray and the Carter family! After hearing news from the detective that Tina has been spotting shoplifting, Mick seems to feel that there could be some hope that Tina will come home. But Shirley still can't help but feel that Tina disappearing, living on the streets, shoplifting to survive is all her fault, even though Mick and Gray try to console her and inform her that she's not to blame. The horrible thing that they don't know though, is that Gray has paid a homeless woman to portray herself as Tina, to make the Carter family believe she could still be alive. As I'm watching this particular storyline continue, I really don't know how much further Gray can take this, what is he going to do next? If the scent goes cold once again on Tina's whereabouts, how else is he going to make it look like she's still alive? Does he still have Tina's phone? I have to say though, I do feel for Shirley right now, blaming herself for really no reason. Mick tries to console her, stating that she was also looking after her son during the time when Tina went missing, she simply couldn't be in two places at once. How was she supposed to know Tina would go missing?! I have to be honest though, I hate how much Gray is being so two-faced!!! Informing the Carter family that he's going to do all he can to help locate Tina, knowing full-well that she's dead and he in fact murdered her. That's just pure evil isn't it?!

Oh, I know I've said this many times before, but I really can't wait for Gray's secrets to be revealed! The Carter family are going to want to get their revenge! Suddenly Shirley makes the drastic decision that she's going to leave in search of her sister, she's going to walk the streets and possibly go knocking at Tina's friends in an attempt to find her. When Gray hears this news, he tries to persuade her not to as it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, but Shirley has her mind made up and nothing anyone says or does is going to change her mind! Is looks as if as soon as Gray got past one hurdle, something else props up and he's got to try and find another way of stopping them from finding out the truth. How will he be able to stop this one?! Can I also just mention that regardless of hating the character of Gray, Toby-Alexander Smith is doing such an incredible job in portraying him, his performance is just - Wow! If it ever comes to it, I'd like to see him win a Best Villain award, it would be so well deserved!

--

The final thing I need to mention is the main focus of the episode, Lucas and Denise! At the beginning of the episode, we see that Denise is trying to get in touch with Lucas, after her discussion with Chelsea in the previous episode, eager to get Lucas on that plane to Ibiza and frame him. Eventually Lucas agrees to meet with Denise and hear to what she has to say. As they meet in Lucas's apartment, Denise tries her absolute best to convince him to make his relationship with Chelsea work. I just want to mention the specific moment when Denise is trying to persuade Lucas that their daughter still loves him, even though she knows full well that it isn't true, it looks as if she has to force the words out of her mouth as it makes her sick to the stomach to even say such a thing. The look in Denise's face I thought, was brilliant! She drops the biggest hint of all though that if he really wanted to go the full hog with getting his daughter back on his side, he should go to Ibiza with her. Now, this was really interesting - the look in Lucas's face changed slightly, almost as if he knew full well what Denise's intention was. He knows that Chelsea was going to plant drugs on him and frame him, but to hear Denise talk about it, makes him suspicious that she could be in on the plan also. Lucas isn't dumb, he knows exactly what they're planning, but without giving any hint that he knows, he gently nods his head and agrees to Denise's suggestion. However, later on Lucas is seen alone in the church, praying. Now I think this is the moment where people think "Oh, has he actually changed his ways?" Because it certainly had me thinking! He appears to be deeply upset to realise that the people he cares about the most, refuse to believe he's changed and is convinced that they will only ever see him as the killer he once was. He lets out a heartfelt, devastating cry which leads to the pastor confronting him and asking him what's wrong. He opens up to the minister, informing him about his knowledge about Chelsea and Denise coming up with a plan to frame him, it's then he questions the minister - What is the point in him trying to change his ways when his family don't believe in him? For a moment, it looks as if he really is going to stop trying.

Returning to the Square, as Lucas returns from the church, Denise is finding herself getting distracted in the salon. As Raymond sits happily with a ball, Denise is having to deal with irritable customers on the phone, suddenly she receives a phone call from the pastor who just so happened to be with Lucas earlier, as she goes to grab the phone, she notices that little Raymond has suddenly disappeared. Raymond had taken himself outside and began kicking his little ball around, but unbeknown to him, a cart had come lose from a car was slowly rolling backwards towards him. Denise pops out and sees the vehicle heading towards the small boy and desperately calls out his name - out of nowhere Lucas leaps into action, pushing little Raymond of out harms way. I have to be brutally honest, for a split second, when Raymond disappeared I had assumed that Lucas had taken Raymond, just to get his own back on Denise - but maybe Lucas really has changed his ways?! Denise is more than relieved to see that Raymond is unharmed. Later on, when everyone is gathered to the Vic and Denise is happy to see that Raymond has no lasting trauma, Chelsea subtly thanks her Dad for saving Raymond and takes the little boy home. It's then that Lucas and Denise finally get to sit down and discuss things, Lucas acknowledges that him saving Raymond isn't going to change people's opinion of him and it won't make up for the terrible things he's done in the past, but he pleads to Denise that if Chelsea is willing to give him a second chance, he really doesn't want to mess things up. It's then that Denise drops the bombshell that their daughter is actually in deep trouble, even though she doesn't explain details, Lucas seems to click on to the subject very quickly, acknowledging that he knows about Ibiza and the drugs and that she was attempting to set him up, which leaves Denise incredibly stunned! Eventually they arrive back at the house and Denise realises she can't hide what she knows anymore. She informs him that Chelsea has an ex-boyfriend named Caleb, and in fact he was the one who kidnapped her and hid her in a warehouse, it all makes perfect sense to Lucas that this Caleb was actually the one behind his attack, as a warning to his daughter, he did both of these things to her parents as a warning to her. They both come to realise that this Caleb is a very dangerous man and if Chelsea doesn't pay her debt, he will come after the whole family. Lucas steps into action, informing Denise that he's not going to stand for someone blackmailing his daughter, attempting to attack her family just to warn her. He informs Denise he's going to find Caleb and kill him!!

Monday 8th February 2021

Hello again folks! Hope you're having a good week so far. Once again, I have some very exciting news to share with you. EastEnders announced and confirmed that Maddy Hill will be reprising her role as Nancy Carter and will be returning to Walford later in the Spring! It's been 5 years since Nancy left the Square with boyfriend Tamwar Masood and ended getting married in New Zealand. However Nancy will be returning alone. What will bring her back to Walford?! After everything that's happened with the Carter family over the past few months, we've seen Lee appear briefly in regards to Mick's storyline, but as far as we are aware, Nancy hasn't been informed about recent events regarding her Dad. It's fair to say she will have huge questions to ask ... Oh my god, just think how amazing it's going to be to have scenes between Nancy and Frankie?! How is she going to react when she learns she has a half-sister?! THAT I am excited for!! Oooo I don't know about you guys, but I am really excited to see Nancy return to Albert Square!

Now following Monday's episode, I apologise this post is late, but there is quite a bit to follow up on let's focus firstly on Max. He appears to be struggling recently, coming to terms with the fact that Linda chose her husband Mick over him. Even people seem to be surprised over his outburst in the Vic, outing Sharon as Ian's attacker. We know Max is going to be leaving Walford soon, his exit is slowly creeping upon us, in this episode - I kind of feel sorry for him in a way. Truthfully, what is really keeping Max on the Square? The only thing I can think of, his Granddaughter Abi - who was such a little star in this episode! Max lashes out at his niece, Amy, when she scurries past him, causing him to drop his phone and have it smash on the concrete, he appears devastated as he acknowledges the amount of pictures and memories he had on his phone of his daughter Abi. Rainie informs him that people are gossiping about him behind his back, commenting on how he appears to be losing the plot. Honestly, I don't think he is - I think he's more lonely than anything. If you think about it, all of his children have either passed away or left the Square, he's had many failed relationships. The only things that are remaining on the Square for him are his brother and his granddaughter. After drawing with little Abi, he notices that the piece of paper he's drawn on is actually an advert for a psychic medium. Will he find comfort in perhaps hearing from his children from the spirit world? Who knows, maybe this will the beginning of Max's exit storyline? 

The second thing that I think I need to briefly mention is that Kush has accepted to take the room in Whitney and Dotty's apartment. Of course, Martin tries to stop his best mate from leaving as he's his "Gaming buddy!" - but I think deep down, everyone knows that it's not suitable. Having Martin and his pregnant wife and his best mate living all under the same roof. Even Kush can see the downside, but to be honest, after everything Ruby has put him through, I'm not surprised he's jumped at the chance to move out. But interestingly, did anyone appear to see the annoyance and jealousy on Gray's face as she laughs and jokes with Kush?! We also know that Kush is meant to be leaving the Square, please don't tell me that Kush is going to be his next victim, just because he likes Whitney?! What do you guys think?! 

Speaking of Gray, he is slowly losing control of his situation I think. Everyone around him is determined to find Tina and now it looks as if Shirley is going to be on his case. As Shirley returns home from doing a job for Phil, Mick drops the bombshell and informs her that it was actually Sharon and Phil who were behind Ian's attack. This news clearly devastates Shirley, as she storms over to see Phil, she acknowledges how loyal she has been to him over the years, and yet he stabs her in the back by letting her little sister take the rap for something she never did. It's clear she must be feeling huge betrayal from him, even though he assures her Gray is going to do everything he can to find her. But something really doesn't sit right with Shirley, eventually she catches up with Gray and confronts him also! At this moment, I did fear for Shirley. She has always been a woman who can fight for herself and stand up to people, of course she's going to act exactly the same way when it comes to Gray. As she's laying into him you can see the anger boiling inside of him, he is completely out of his depth and is angry at the fact she's insulted him, in his own house, "after everything he's done for her!". For a split moment, I did think he was going to attack Shirley, instead he storms out of the house in a rage of anger. BUT what happens next really confuses me and has left me asking so many questions! As he leaves the house and heads down the road in the darkness, a young homeless female asks politely whether he can spare any change, at first he's spats out "Get a job!" - but something suddenly clicks in his head ... what on Earth is he planning? He reaches out a handful of cash and informs the girl to follow him! - WAIT!!!!!!! Oh my goodness ... is he going to disguise the girl as Tina and instruct her to shoplift?! And that's what causes the police to think they've seen a sighting of her?! Oh my god, how low can you get???!!! It all makes perfect sense now!!! Holy moly!!! Maybe Tina is dead after all?! Oooo I so hope Gray gets sussed out and all his lies come to light eventually, how awful to be doing this to the Carter family! It's going to be so explosive when everything get's revealed, I really can't wait to see that happen! 

So the final thing I have to talk about is Denise and Chelsea. Clearly after Denise going missing, Jack is still frantic on trying to find her. Poor Denise has been captured be an unknown figure and left in a dark cold room, as she sits alone she is sobbing her poor heart out whilst her family worry about her whereabouts. Understandably, everyone is pointing the finger at Lucas, he did this before and it turns out he could've done it again. Regardless of them agreeing that Lucas is behind Denise's disappearance, Patrick and Chelsea are both feeling guilty, instructing her to let Lucas back into her life, knowing full well how dangerous he is. But in the midst of everyone's worrying and blaming, Chelsea gets a call from an unknown person, at first I have every reason to believe it's her Dad, she agrees to meet the unknown caller. Eventually we see her arrive at Ruby's club and honestly, I'm surprised by who is sat waiting for her ... it's not Lucas as suspected, but Caleb! Caleb has kidnapped Denise to get Chelsea's attention! Now everything regarding Chelsea is all making sense, the debt she owes him is to transfer drugs over to Ibiza, and because Chelsea failed to get Lucas involved in her plan, Caleb retaliated. She begs him not to harm her Mum, because plain and simply, she has no involvement in their situation and there's no reason for her to be going through this kind of trauma. Caleb states that the only way Chelsea can pay her debt is to make sure the drugs he gave her, go to their final destination in Ibiza. She promises to find a way. Thankfully, Caleb releases Denise, we know this as Denise is seen walking through the street, clearly visibly shaken by her ordeal. Chelsea hurries to her Mum, but Denise informs her that she is okay. Interestingly they go and have a little heart-to-heart, and it's here when Chelsea reveals everything to her Mum. Denise recalls how scared she was being in that horrible situation again, worrying about her family, but then she asks Chelsea a very interesting question - "Who is that man, Chelsea?" - she knew it wasn't Lucas who kidnapped her!! It's then that Chelsea reveals everything, who he is and why she's in debt to him. Honestly, it sounds like a devastating, worrying story, she simply found herself a guy who treated her well but yet had a dark side she never knew about and unfortunately, she ended up witnessing something she never should've done, which is now Caleb is holding her to her debt and once that debt is paid, she's free to go. As they both return home, Jack and Kim and visibly relieved to see Denise home and safe, but of course they begin to ask her very awkward questions which unfortunately Chelsea stops her from answering. They constantly ask where Lucas is and what happened - but before Denise can say anything, Chelsea states that her parents initially had an argument and Denise stayed away and slept a friend's for a few days. Obviously neither Jack or Kim are convinced with the story, poor Kim seems more angry with her sister than anything. In her opinion, if that was the case, how could she have put her family through so much worry, especially Patrick?! It's perfectly clear that Chelsea doesn't want the family knowing about her situation. The one thing that is crossing my mind now though is, obviously if Lucas wasn't behind Denise's capture, then - where is he now? Where has he disappeared to? Has he simply left the Square again after being confronted by Jack?! Later on the evening, Denise is sat alone, Chelsea slowly walks in, apologising for being the reason that her Mum suffered this horrific ordeal. she explains that the only way to get Caleb off their backs is if she does what she's been instructed to do. With Lucas gone and her plan falling through, there's no one else to send the drugs over to Ibiza other than Chelsea herself, but of course her Mum refuses to let her do it, she wouldn't want her daughter taking a huge risk and potentially end up in prison! This is where Denise comes up with an idea, if she can persuade Lucas to come back to the Square, they can set him up and make sure he gets on that plane with the drugs to Ibiza!

Monday 1st February 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope you've all had a brilliant weekend! Before we get into the subject of today's episode, I have some exciting news I have to share with you all. EastEnders announced over the weekend that there is to be a new character appearing on the Square! James Farrar has joined the cast of EastEnders to play the new role of Zack Hudson. What brings him to Walford remains to be seen, but the exciting news that EastEnders have shared is that there is going to be plenty of drama in store, but in typical soap style, there's always trouble waiting just round the corner. The character of Zack Hudson is to make his first appearance in March! Are you excited about the new addition to the cast/soap? I'm really excited to see what brings him to Albert Square and who of our loveable characters he'll come to be involved with! Exciting times for EastEnders that's for sure! Are you excited to see his arrival in Walford?!

Now following the episode, I'm going to start with focusing on Billy, Jay and Honey first. Billy is still struggling to come to terms with the fact that Jay and Honey are now involved romantically. I think it's fair to say that since Billy had a one night stand with Tina, it seems he has regretted it ever since. I think it's a bit like a Kat and Alfie situation, I do think Honey will always be Billy's true love. What do you guys think? He's bound to feel a little betrayed, but Jay more so than Honey I think as obviously he was the one who brought Jay up, to a certain extent, when his Dad passed away. But seeing him sulking, you just want to shake him and tell him to snap out of it! Poor Honey tries to keep the peace, explaining to him that she and Jay want to tell the children together when the time feels right. But when Billy states the fact that she is old enough to be Jay's Mum, Honey retaliates and delivers a brilliant comeback, also stating that she is in fact old enough to be Billy's daughter! Proving that simply age is just a number! Feeling a little sorry for himself, Billy eventually takes it upon himself to visit his cousin, Phil, to see if he can offer him a job. I sometimes feel that regardless of the predicament or situation Billy may be in, he always turns to his cousin for advice or for some help. In this case, it seems he no longer wants to work on his stall with Jay, so hopefully Phil can offer him a way out. But much to his disappointment, Phil reveals he has nothing for him, but doesn't hesitate to mention that he has nothing much going for him, after revealing to us that Billy is actually 60/61 years of age!! (I would never had guessed that! He looks nowhere near 60 in my opinion!) He also points out the very valid point that he and Honey haven't been married for a very long time, so why shouldn't she and Jay give it go? Jay deserves a bit of happiness just as much as Honey does! However, after his confrontation with Phil, Billy spends time with his children, Will and Janet in the Cafe. Only when they start mentioning that Jay was helping them with a game, Billy looks as if he can't hold it in any longer, and with no regard to Honey's wishes about informing the children when she's ready, out of spite, he informs the children himself. At first the children seem a little bit disheartened, as during their meal time Will lashes out at his Mother and Jay for keeping their relationship a secret, however I have to mention that I love how both Jay and Honey dealt with the children. Explaining it calmly that they shouldn't have kept it a secret and they shouldn't have found out the way they did, even Jay apologises to young Will and Janet. Honey is clearly deeply angered by Billy's actions, what is Honey going to do now?! Will she possibly stop him from seeing the kids, who knows? Could that be what leads Billy onto a downward spiral? 

The second thing I want to mention is Gray and Whitney. After receiving a message from Gray, informing her that she can take the afternoon off from looking after the kids, something tells me that Whitney isn't feeling all that good about having her afternoon off. It's blatantly obvious that it's Gray's retaliating after she denied his advances. Something doesn't sit right with Whitney. Anyway, later on in the episode, Karen makes a visit to the Minute Mart, and the first thing I have mention about that is new look and refurbishment that shop has had! Personally, I think it looks really pretty, really modern! Of course I can't stand Suki, but I love it when soaps revamp well known businesses and properties, I think it makes it more realistic, interesting and of course keeping with the times. I hate to say it but I always hated the sharp green colour of the Minute Mart, of course it had been iconic and that way for years and years, but I feel it was outdated. I love the look of the new Minute Mart, what do you think?! Apart from it's new look, I have to say the new prices are extortionate! As Karen enters the shop and acknowledges the new style of the shop, she's shocked at the prices of the new stock Suki has ordered in store, £4.20 for nuggets, well specifically "Southern Fried Chicken Bites" - I felt this scene was a really enjoyable scene, very relatable! However, when Whitney enters the shop and notices Karen buying "Posh Nuggets" shall we call them, Karen reveals to her that Gray has asked her to look after the kids, making Whitney think even more that Gray is doing it just spite her! She decides to confront her employer, and of course he acts all sweet and innocent, claiming that something came up and he didn't want to mess her around. I fully believe he was just doing it to get back at her for rejecting him the previous day. I believe there is going to be a rumour however that perhaps Whitney and Kush are going to start having feelings towards each other? I'm unsure whether that's true, but I'm sure it's something that will not make Gray happy! What do you guys think?! 

The third thing I'd like to mention is regarding Chelsea and Lucas. Over the past couple of episodes, we've been let to believe that Chelsea hasn't really forgiven her Father as we initially thought. Although her big secret hasn't been yet revealed, it's still clear to tell that she's up to something to get revenge on her Dad. From what I gather, it looks as if Chelsea is involved with some kind of group or gang who smuggle drugs, how she got involved with them remains unknown, however she has slowly been trying to worm her Father in on her dirty work. Lucas has been noticing his daughter's suspicious behaviour, but when she proposed the idea of going away to Ibiza for a while, just the two of them, Lucas knows that something isn't right. In this episode, Chelsea is voicing how excited she is to be going on holiday with her Dad after such a long a time, she mentions that he deserves it after everything he's been through. Interestingly, Lucas asks his daughter to accompany him to church before they make their departure, but he's make sure that his visit is strictly urgent and it simply cannot wait! Chelsea seems to reluctant to go, but eventually agree to keep her Father happy. Once they arrive, Lucas begins to pray, Chelsea on the other hand appears very bored, almost as if she doesn't want to be there. Suddenly, whilst her Father is mid-prayer, her mobile phone starts to ring aloud, even thought Chelsea is extremely apologetic, straight away you can see the annoyance on Lucas's face. It's clear he's feeling disappointed in his daughter for having mobile phone on and on loud whilst visiting the church. As Lucas continues to pray, Chelsea makes a comment for her Dad to pray for the exit row whilst their on the plane, but Lucas refuses to see the funny side of her comment. This is where the anger first appears in Lucas since his return, he turns to his daughter and questions whether she's trying to be funny. Then, without a warning, he grabs his daughter's arm with the firm grip and drags her towards the stand of the church, pretty much forcing her to pray alongside him. The look in Chelsea's eyes for a slight moment is fear, for a small moment, she feared her Father. Eventually after Lucas finishes his prayer, he apologises to his daughter for acting abruptly, but then he interestingly drops the bombshell that, regardless of his daughter buying flights to Ibiza, he's unable to go as the conditions to his license stops him from going abroad, plus he doesn't even have his passport as he had to hand it in to the police. This information appears to really crush Chelsea, but she eventually comes to understand and states that they don't need t go on a holiday, as long as their together, nothing else matters. Something tells me that Chelsea is more annoyed that her plan isn't going to work, maybe she's going to have to find another way to get revenge on her Dad? What do you guys think?!  

Finally, we have to focus on Max and Sharon don't we?! During Ian's illness and attack, Max has managed to build up his suspicion on who could be behind his attack and why he was feeling so ill afterwards. He notices that from across the Square, Bobby is talking to the police. As he confronts the teenager, Bobby informs him that there is still no sign of Ian. It's almost as if he's completely vanished as there appears to be no activity on his mobile phone or his bank card. This seems to make Max even more suspicious to Ian's disappearance. Meanwhile, he notices Mick and Linda enjoying time with Ollie as they wonder through the gardens, as he approaches Linda she questions him whether he's close to finding out who really attacked Ian so they can clear Tina's name, interestingly Max informs her that he is working on it. Later on in the episode, Linda takes a visit to Sharon, as they discuss Ian's disappearance, Sharon claims that just because she's his wife, people are quick to assume that she knows more than she's letting on, but she promises her friend that she doesn't know any more than anyone else. Of course, Linda believes her friend, I mean, why wouldn't she? But then she drops the bombshell to her that Max is close to finding out the truth in the hope to clear Tina's name. This seems to catch Sharon's ears loud and clear, and later on she takes it upon herself to give Max a visit as she grabs the opportunity to deliver his vegetables for the restaurant. It's then that Max informs her that Ian went to the doctors and the he went with him for some tests before he disappeared, this seems to really shock Sharon. I think for a split second she thought he knew it was her who was behind his attack, however when she asks what his results showed, he can't seem to answer the question. I'm guessing as he simply doesn't know! But this seems to relax Sharon that maybe he doesn't know for sure, but when she questions him why he's so desperate to clear Tina's name, it becomes clear to her that he's simply only doing it for Linda. She toys with him, informing that no matter what he does to win Linda back, her heart will always belong to Mick. Much later, as everyone gathers in the Vic - Mick, Linda, Dotty, Vinny, Max - Kathy rushes in with a handful of "Missing" posters of Ian, desperate to hang them up to gain public attention and knowledge of her son's whereabouts. As she does so, even though Sharon tries to keep things civil, informing her that they all want to find Ian, Kathy once again is cold with Sharon claiming that she's simply after his money and the pub and doesn't care in the slightest of him being found or not! Everyone in the pub watches and listens to Kathy's outburst, Linda tries to defend her best mate, but then surprisingly Max speaks up "She wants him back! -" ... almost looking as if he's actually sticking up for her, Sharon thanks him for his kind words, but then what happens next shocks everyone to the core as Max continues to speak ... "Just so she can finish him off!" ... Everyone's faces drop at this allegation!! In front of everyone in the Vic, with Sharon stood behind the bar with a face of pure fear, Max finally confronts her, "It wasn't Tina who attacked Ian ... It was you!" 

Thursday 17th December 2020

Hello everyone! Sorry for the late post, I've been away from my laptop and TV once again over the weekend and this has been the only time I've had to catch up on EastEnders! I apologise for this being late but I'm hoping I'll be able to squeeze in two posts tomorrow in an attempt to catch up! Firstly there is a little bit of news I need to mention, at the end of last week it was revealed that Jake Wood had filmed his final scenes as Max Branning! Even though I knew Max was leaving the soap, I feel a sadness that EastEnders has lost one of it's greats! I'm sure I heard that the door will be left open for Max to return one day in the future! Even though Jake has finished filming, Max's final scenes are due to be aired in February 2021!!

Wow! What another jam packed episode it was! A little bit comical as well as having so much drama! There are a few main things I'd like to talk about but they are kind of all linked together in some way, shape or form! Let's start with the comical moments surrounding Stuart and Rainie! After Stuart revealed to his wife that he potentially murdered Callum's boss, DI Thompson, we've been made to believe that Thompson is in fact dead, and all honestly, I was thrilled when I thought he was! It gave me hope that Callum would be able to forget everything that had happened and move on with his life. When we first see Rainie and Stuart, they are both sat in the hearse with the coffin behind them, both look tremendously nervous as it looks as if they're about to bury a dead body without any form of funeral. Only things are made a lot more tense when Stuart can't get the vehicle to start, he's trying his absolute best to get the vehicle going when suddenly Callum appears. Callum notices that they can't get their car to start and insists that Ben takes a look at it whilst they all go for a drink. Stuart and Rainie both decline his offer in unison, looking almost like a comedy double act! But Callum insists and even points out that the dead body they're carrying isn't going anywhere so what harm could it do? Later on in the Vic, they both look completely awkward as they try to smile their way through the drinks. To pass the time, Stuart questions his brother whether he's seen or spoken to DI Thompson recently, Callum at first confirms that he's not seen him the past couple of days - however - he drops the big bombshell that Thompson was in fact seen at his disciplinary hearing the day before! Both Stuart and Rainie look in absolute shock as they hear this news, what the heck is Callum talking about?! Later on they take it upon themselves to double check the coffin, Rainie is furious with her husband for not checking, as they should do, that DI Thompson was in fact deceased. They look inside the coffin together and we can very clearly see that the box is completely empty! What the hell does this mean for Callum and Stuart? Could they potentially be in more danger? Does this mean that Thompson won't be out for just Callum, but Stuart also? As much comical this section was, I do fear for the Halfway brothers now. I fear Thompson might be out for revenge, I hope he'll get his comeuppance eventually! 

The second thing I want to talk about is Ben, at the beginning of the episode we see him just about to enjoy his breakfast just as Suki walks in the door. Interesting that as soon as she enters the Cafe, he leaves and claims to have lost his appetite. As he leaves he pulls as face as if to say that he knows that he's up against a brick wall. He knows he needs to give Suki the money she's asking for in return for her silence about the CCTV. Later on, after calling Suki to meet her in the Aches, they meet up and Ben throws her a plastic bag containing the money she's seeking. However, when he asks her for the CCTV footage she has of him, we can see on her phone that she appears to have a made copy which looks much more clearer and sharper. He questions how he can trust her not to give up the original copy, but Suki is another one who's hard at playing games and states to him that he actually can't trust her. However when he states he wants the original copy of the footage, she plays just as dirty and informs him that she wants more money, only this time she's increasing it by another zero! Instead of £10,000, she wants £100,000 for her silence! Ben is completely and utterly stunned by how much she is asking for as later on in the episode he feels he has no choice but to seek help and advice from his Dad, he simply has no where else to turn, it's then he admits to his Dad that he's "Done something stupid!". It looks as if then Phil calls Kathy over to help come up with some kind of alibi for their son, however Kathy admits that she's not going to lie to the police, Ben swears on his daughter's life that he did not attack his brother. But then Kathy asks the very interesting question, if he didn't attack Phil - then what the hell was he actually doing? And why does the CCTV show him leaving the Queen Vic?! 

I'm going to return to Suki and the Mitchell's shortly but another section I want to focus on this episode is Mick and Katy. Katy seems to visit Mick at his house, at first their conversation is pleasant, she appears to be asking how he is and how he's coping. It's then that he reveals to her about the fall out he'd had with Tina the previous day and how low it has made him feel. It's then that Katy starts to twist things and starts to manipulate him just that little bit more, she's snooping through his house and belongings and notices a postcard from his daughter, Nancy, from New Zealand. She compliments how good it must've been for her to move away, Mick acknowledges his pride in his daughter and how he's proud of all of his children. He even voices that his children are simply his greatest achievement in life. Katy then seems to twist things and acknowledge that all his children are doing great now that they've moved away from Walford, and voices her opinion that maybe he should move away in an attempt to have a fresh start and it'll maybe help all the thoughts that swirling through his mind. She even has the audacity to mention Ollie and that maybe he not being around his son during this tough time he's experiencing isn't good for the little boy. But Mick sees red, he states that he could never be too far away from his little boy, so when she puts forward the suggestion of him moving away, for a moment I think that he think that she's overstepped the mark - as a viewer I am disgusted that she's even used Ollie to get to Mick, she's so twisted and manipulative! I am happy to hear when Mick tells her leave, only as she does - the look in his face is once again, fear, is he speculating that what's just said could be right?! We know Mick is not in the best place right now, mentally and emotionally, so I'm sure it'll be understandable for her words to play on his mind. Later on in the episode, Shirley goes to visit her son with an early Christmas present in attempt to make amends to her son. However Mick just isn't impressed and isn't even interested in the present she's bought for him. He tells her that whatever has happened, it's not going to take a Christmas present to make things right, he simply throws the gift to the floor and tells her to leave. Right now, does anyone else feel for Shirley? I feel she's trying her absolute best to make it up to her son, but just keeps getting things thrown back in her face. Obviously, no other members of the Carter family know what's going on with Mick right now, only that something is bothering him and no one knows what. One by one he has pushed them away and they are no closer to finding out what's wrong with him. Surely things have got to come to light soon, haven't they? We know that Mick contemplates taking his own life - could that be the moment that the Carter's rally around Mick once again and plead for him to tell them what on Earth is going on?! Will him attempting to take his own life be the only thing it'll take for them to realise things are more serious than they realised! 

Returning to Suki and the Mitchell's like I said I would, during the episode, Jack visits both Suki and Kheerat and informs them that the blood that was found on the van was actually Ian's blood. Now something tells me that the Panesar's are looking more and more guilty as time goes on. Interestingly, we have another flashback which shows Kheerat handling Ian and possibly throwing him against the van, however Ian is awake and sitting up at this point, although he looks dreary, he's awake and we see Kheerat standing over him. The interesting thing is though is that this is happening OUTSIDE of the Queen Vic, when Ian was actually found inside! Could this altercation cause Ian to have collapsed inside the pub? After hearing the news about the blood, Suki is furious with her son as she questions him on why he wasn't careful. Did Suki maybe put her son up to attacking Ian?! Could they both be to blame?! Meanwhile, after Ben has revealed everything to his Dad, Phil takes it upon himself to break into the Panesar's offices with a baseball bat, and smash everything in sight! In typical Phil style, he smashes everything from tables, chairs, computers, filing cabinets - everything, you name it, he smashes it! After being alerted of a break in, Suki goes to office to see what's happening and eventually comes face-to-face with an angry Phil. He knows exactly what she's got over his son, Ben, and demands for the CCTV footage, even stating that he won't just be hitting computer screens to get it. Now this is where things get really interesting, after mocking Ben, stating that he's not very clever, she goads Phil into hitting her with the baseball bat - "Go on then! Hit me!" - even though he raises the bat, he doesn't swing. - I don't think Phil has ever hit a woman, has he?! At this point, it seems worrying that Phil may have met his match in Suki, who knows?! What is going to happen now though? With Phil being a powerful individual, I'm sure he won't let Suki get away with threatening his son. 

The final thing I want to focus on is Gray and Tina. Before Shirley delivers the Christmas present to Mick, she's at the Atkins household, contemplating whether to deliver it or not. Tina is against the idea, considering she's still upset regarding the way Mick spoke to her the previous day. She points out that Mick hasn't been right for months and it doesn't seem like an early Christmas present is going to fix things, she tries to persuade her sister to leave it until Mick is feeling a bit more normal. However, regardless of her opinion, Gray decides to take it upon himself to try and convince Shirley to deliver it, he thinks that it'll show Mick that she's at least trying to make amends. We can see from Tina's look on her face that she's a little annoyed with Gray's opinion. It's clear that Tina is still worrying about her own alibi regarding Ian's attack, as she still hasn't managed to track down the pizza delivery boy, she voices her concerns to Gray, who tries his best to persuade her that everything will be okay (even though he seems to say with a sarcastic smile, I thought anyway). Later on in the episode, after Shirley has attempted to deliver her present to her son, she's sat in the Atkins household confiding in Gray about Mick rejecting the gift. It's then she begins to question what kind of Christmas it's going to be for them all if they can't be with the ones they love, Gray responds by saying that they'll be able to sort things out whilst living in at Atkins household together, however he then mentions that the one thing that could make it a better Christmas, would be for Tina to stop leaving things a mess and stop having her so-called "tantrums", only as he says these words, Tina is listening to their conversation and can hear everything they're saying whilst she's stood on the stairs in the hallway. Even though Shirley promises to have a word with Tina, it seems that these words play on Tina's mind. She goes to find Kheerat and asks what he actually meant when he warned her of Gray. Kheerat voices his concern about the grieving widower, he states that he has no proof over what happened in that household when Chantelle was living there, but he makes his opinion very clear that he's convinced that there's more to Gray than what people think! 

Monday 30th November 2020

Hello again everyone! A brand new week starting on the Square, I'm this week is going to be a jam packed one, everything is going to be set in stone for the run up to Christmas now! I am officially back at my second job tomorrow after the lockdown, so I will be trying my absolute to write a blog as much as I can. With working two jobs as well as trying to seeing family, friends and my partner, it's going to be a hectic month that's for sure! I hope you're all feeling festive and are going to start enjoying the days leading up to Christmas, there is going to be so much drama over the next few weeks I can't wait to see what happens!

Anyway, let's jump right in with the episode, it begins with Linda outside her apartment, as Shirley watches from the other side of the Square, Mick darts out of the apartment in such a rush that he barely says a word to both Linda and Shirley. Linda tries to question where he's going and attempts to remind him that they had plans to take Ollie to school together, but Mick is so fixated on getting to where he needs to be, he doesn't bat an eyelid to his wife and simply says "Another time!". Even as his Mum tries approaching him as he walks past her, trying to inform him that she's ready for that talk he previously wanted, whenever he's wanting to talk - he simply ignores her and reaches for his phone. As he continues to storm off down the street, Linda and Shirley share a look of complete defeat as Mick calls Katy to inform her that he's on his way to meet her. I would absolutely love to know what Linda and Shirley are going to make of all of this once they find out!

Meanwhile, at the Branning household, as Max is eating his breakfast, he hears a lot of commotion happening upstairs, Jack and Amy are simply having a Father-Daughter argument. From what I can make out, Amy is arguing with her Dad about there not being enough food in the house for her to have, to which she storms out of the house leaving Jack in the house alone with Max. As Jack enters the room, Max questions Amy's behaviour, he points out to his brother that they wouldn't speak to their parents like the way Amy did to Jack. However, Jack is quick to defend his daughter, he explains that Amy is getting older, she doesn't have a mum to look out for her anymore, (R.I.P Roxy!) and Jack is now back at work, working all sorts of crazy hours they don't really get to spend time together anymore. He mentions that with his daughter growing up and slowly becoming a teenager, it doesn't seem right that she should have to share a bedroom with her brother, Ricky, it's about time she deserves her own bedroom, which basically means for Max is that he'll have to move out. Max is deeply frustrated by this news and storms out the room.

Meanwhile, Mick has caught up with Katy in the park, he seems to be ... Nervous? Agitated? I'm not too sure, he's informing Katy that he's been thinking of nothing else but going to visiting the building he spent his childhood in. Katy is sat as she watches him pace backwards and forwards, she suggests that maybe going to see this building might not be a good idea, as it could make things a hell of a lot worse for Mick and maybe bring back more memories that he'd much rather forget. You can really tell in Katy's eyes that she really doesn't want to go ahead with Mick's idea. Would it mean that her dark secret would come to light even more?! As Mick and Katy are having this conversation in the park, Shirley and Linda have met up in Gray's household, after seeing Mick outside on the Square. It looks as if Shirley has informed Linda about her husband approaching his Mum the other day when she was put in a very difficult spot, she was stuck in the middle of a crisis to be fair. They sit at the table together a begin to discuss Mick, they both know that something isn't right, something is going on inside his head and neither of them are able to reach out to him and help him to understand what's going on. Linda recalls how it's 31 years to the day that they were 12 years old and they faked their own wedding day, promising to be there for each other every day no matter what. Linda explains to her Mother-In-Law that he's not the same Mick anymore, something has changed inside him and he's pushing everyone he loves away.

Returning to Mick and Katy, they seem to be approaching a rundown building which is all boarded up and surrounded by fence. This scene I also felt was pretty important, Mick stares at the building as Katy suggests making a move, she uses the excuse it of being boarded up that his idea is pointless, although deep down, I am certain that she is quivery in her boots incase Mick remembers something she doesn't want him to. As Mick crouches the floor which almost looks like it's a rubble patch on the floor which was used for a bonfire, suddenly it looks as if Mick gets a flashback from his childhood of him and other kids using sparklers and giggling on what appears to be bonfire night. He informs Katy that she doesn't have to stay with him, but she takes no notice and insists on being there with him. As they walk around the building to another side, Mick approaches another door which has been completely boarded up, with his bare hands he attempts to rip the material away from the door, cutting himself in the process, as Katy offers him a hanky or a tissue to wipe his hand, he ignore her offer and continues to break the board away from the door.

Meanwhile, at the Vic, Stuart and Rainie are eating with Tiffany, little Abi is playing beside them on the floor. Out of nowhere, Rainie asks Tiffany a very personal question, when he last period was! Both Tiffany and Stuart share a look of amazement as Rainie continues to explain to Tiffany that she can keep track of her cycle on an app. After hearing enough information, Stuart speaks up to his wife and informs her that they don't really need to focus on things like that, to which Tiffany agrees. As Tiffany excuses herself to go the toilet, she sarcastically tells Rainie that she can go with her, although it looks as if Rainie almost takes her seriously as she begins to stand up. But as Tiffany walks away, Stuart tries to have a quiet word with his wife, he needs to remind her that they agreed they'd back off a little bit where Tiffany is concerned. He fears that if Rainie keeps carrying on the way she is, there may be a chance that there will not be a baby, considering there hasn't been any official paperwork that they've signed yet. However, as Stuart and Rainie are having this quiet conversation, Ian appears to be watching them as he clears glasses from the bar, seriously - why is he earwigging on such a private conversation?! It has nothing to do with him! As he continues to clear glasses, he takes one away from the table that the Panesar family are sitting at, Suki is quick to inform him that she's still drinking the glass he took away, sorry - but I thought Ian was looking so smug during this moment - he actually looks into the glass, claims it to be empty and says that the Landlord's word is final! - (Sorry but a pub would never be successful if the Landlord went round collecting drinks that were unfinished, especially if punters were still drinking from them - they'd be out of business instantly!! How can Ian even say those words?!) - Suki reminds Ian that they have some unfinished business to attend to, but Ian isn't interested in what she's got to say! She informs him that due to the story he leaked to the newspapers, he has lost her business, to which he feel no remorse, no sympathy, not even apologetic. As he walks away Kheerat whispers to his Mother that she's surprised she's let Ian get away with his actions, however Suki informs her son that she has a plan of getting payback on him. As Ian makes his way behind the bar, Max makes his way into the pub and confronts Ian, demanding that he wants his money back that he's owed and he wants no more of Ian's excuses. Ian attempts to explain that no matter how hard he's trying, he keeps getting pushed back - although we all know that Ian simply doesn't have the money - Max demands that the only way he can get his money back is to put The Queen Vic up for sale and he warns him that if he doesn't, he'll move into the Vic himself and throw Sharon and Albie out!!

Returning to Mick and Katy, the continue to wonder about the abandoned building, all sorts of different furniture left to rot. As Mick approaches a staircase, he recalls his bedroom being right at the very top. Katy continues to make excuses for leaving the building, but Mick ignores her concerns and continues to recall about his childhood memories, the fact that he when he first arrived there after his Mum disappeared, all the boys just stood and stared at him. He begins to explain that he went to visit Shirley the previous day to seek her help, but he shrugs and reveals that she was too busy doing other things - its then that Katy clings to that information about Shirley and begins to suggest that maybe his problem lies with his Mother, not the fact he spent his childhood in a home, but the reason why he came to be there in the first place. However, Mick is adamant that that has nothing to do with his thoughts that are flooding his head, he explains to Katy that there is something that he just can't seem to grasp. But from the look of Katy's face, she's looking as if she doesn't want Mick to figure out that one more thing that's missing.

Back on the Square, Linda has popped into the Minute Mart where Honey is informing her about Kat and Kush leaving the Square so suddenly. However Linda isn't the slight bit interested and asks Honey to serve her a bottle of white rum, only as she asks for the alcohol, Max makes his appearance and over hears Linda's request. Honey looks to Linda in concern and asks her whether it's a good idea to serve her the alcohol, but Linda reassures her that it's not for her, it's for Mick instead and they're actually celebrating! Honey happily passes over the bottle of rum to Linda, she and Max both share a slight look before she turns and walks out the shop.

Meanwhile, Mick is continuing to reminisce about his time in the old foster home. He explains to Katy that the issue with his Mum isn't the thing that appears to be bugging him, he reveals that it has something to do with the place he spent his childhood. As Katy sits beside him, she begins to recall a time of when Mick was 12 years old and he got chased by a boy who was holding a lit sparkler and burnt a hole in one of his favourite shirts. However, interestingly, Mick recalls how that day ended - he vocally remembers going back to Katy's place and removing his shirt. This conversation seems to be heading in a really dark direction as Mick is staring at her with his dark eyes, Katy begins to get her version of the story, which involves Mick and another boy crushing crisps into her carpet that she had to clean up. It looks as if Mick knows she's lying, you think he's about to mention what really happened between them that night, but he simply agrees and suggests they leave the abandoned building. As he gets up to leave, the relief in Katy's face is absolute undeniable!! You can see that she's clearly relieved to get out of there before Mick can recall the truth of what really happened.

Back at the Vic, Ian is attempting to get in touch with someone who will offer him a loan, I'm guessing?! But it seems that he's having no luck! As Sharon tidies the bar, Rainie and Stuart are fussing over Albie, commenting on how gorgeous the little boy is, Sharon smiles with pride at how her young son can fall asleep in such a busy bar. Only Ian seem to interrupt their conversation quite abruptly, informing he needs to have a quick word with Sharon when she gets a free moment. As Sharon make her way behind the bar, Rainie comments how Ian's appearance - claiming he's looking a bit more sweatier than usual, obviously trying to make a harmless joke, but Ian isn't in the mood for jokes at this moment in time. He clocks Whitney coming in the pub and approaching the bar and - of course - he takes his opportunity to spoil things for Rainie and Stuart. He questions them, quite loudly, how they'd managed to convince Tiffany into their deal? And as Ian wanted, Whitney questions what he's talking about - much to Stuart and Rainie's shock and dismay - he informs Whitney (in not so many polite words) that Tiffany has agreed to be Rainie and Stuart's surrogate so they can have a baby. Whitney rushes her way out of the Vic, assuming to find Tiffany, leaving both Rainie and Stuart completely annoyed that Ian has announced their plans in such a smug and vile way.

Back at the Carter household, Linda looks as if she's changed to go out for a party, she looks completely and utterly fed up, like she's waiting for someone. Suddenly footsteps can be heard approaching and as she get up to greet her husband, we can see that she's decorated their apartment with 90s theme music and banners. It looks like that she's spent all afternoon creating something special for her husband, she appears so happy to see her husband enter the room, whereas Mick is looks in surprise at his wife decorations. She notices Mick's wound as he approaches the sink to wash it clean. She reminds Mick that it's their non-wedding anniversary, as she recalls them that 31 years to the day they had a pretend wedding, promising each other that they'll always be best friends and that they'll always be truthful to one another. I did find this scene a little sad, Linda is pleading for her husband to notice her, acknowledge the effort she has made for him, but he simply doesn't have anything to say. She pleads for him to say something, but as he remains silent she realises that her husband isn't going to respond, removing her fish-net gloves she sits on the sofa looking incredibly devastated. Its then that Mick turns around and says to her very softly that she has done something incredibly lovely for him, her head looks up in a sense of hope that this will make him happy, but once again he uses the excuse that he's exhausted and makes his way to the bedroom. Linda follows him in absolute dismay and disbelief that he really isn't interested in the effort she has made for him, she bellows and bangs on the bedroom door as he shuts himself away. Softly they both cry on opposite sides of the door, Mick crouching himself to the floor on one side and Linda bows her head on the other.

Returning to the Vic, Ian looks as if he's finally come to realise that he's struggling to cope with everyone demanding him to pay them back. As Sharon notices that Ian is sat in the kitchen alone, he reveals that he's slowly sinking, he explains that Suki is now on his case, plus he's having to pay his Mum back as well as owing Max his money, he's struggling to get the funds to pay everyone back. He announces to Sharon that he has no other choice but to put the Queen Vic up for sale. Sharon pleads to him not to it, but as much as he promises that both she and Albie will be looked after, he simply has no other choice. Sharon suggests he takes a loan out on the Chippy, but once again that will be more money to cough up - which he doesn't have - and even admits that he's tried but the bank don't want to touch it. Sharon tries her absolute best to console her friend, he reminds him that he's had money problems once before and he's managed to find a way to solve it, what's to stop him this time?! Ian informs Sharon that if he doesn't sell the Vic, Max has threatened to move in himself and throw both her and young Albie out - Sharon then informs Ian that Max can try all he likes, but she won't budge. She tries to reassure her friend and promises to be by his side, she instructs him to tell Max that he will get his money all in good time and that he won't be putting the Queen Vic on the market!

The final scene, we're in the park. Linda is sat alone on the swing, holding a bottle of alcohol in her hands, she's looking incredibly teary as she begins to remove the cap from the bottle. Suddenly Max approaches her from behind and informs her gently that whatever has made her upset, drinking a bottle isn't going to help the situation, poor Linda looks like a completely lost soul, she simply looks up at him and says "Then what will?" - he looks to one side and persuade her to follow him. Eventually they find themselves in the kitchen of the restaurant, Max pouring the alcohol down the sink as she's sat upon one of the counters. He questions what's made her upset as he comments that she looked as if she was about the down the whole bottle when he found her. Linda reveals to Max that she can't seem to understand how and why she has gotten to this point in her life, she always believed that her and Mick's marriage would be solid. Max tries to reassure her that Mick loves her, but from what I can make - she seems to believe that Mick's distance is down to what she's put him through over the past few months with her alcoholism. It looks as if she blames herself for Mick's behaviour and why he's being so distant with her. Suddenly Max tells her that if that is the case, then Mick doesn't see her how he sees her (this seems to grab Linda's attention instantly) - Max explains that he'll always be there for her to try and keep her sober, he promises her that she can go to him for anything, they're mates and she can talk to him about anything. Suddenly Linda plants her lips against Max's and they're in a passion embrace. Only unbeknown to them, Ian make his way into the restaurant, he appears to be looking for something but - of course - he happens to look straight ahead and sees Max and Linda in their passionate embrace. He's left with an absolute smug grin on his face!!!

Friday 20th November 2020

Hello again everyone! Hope you all are doing well, this current lockdown is nearly at an end! Hopefully things will start to look a bit better when Christmas comes around! I apologise for me being so behind on the episodes lately, unfortunately I am still working during this current lockdown and of course with things happening in my own personal life, there are times I miss out on watching an episode, let alone even getting the time to review one and type up a blog. I want to thank you all for your on-going support, there have been so many spoilers as to what may be happening over the Christmas period on Albert Square, I'm really looking to watching it all unfold!

Meanwhile, let's carry on from where I was last up to, Friday's episode. The episode begins with Kat, she's slumped on the kitchen table as Stacey makes her way in. Poor Kat looks as if she hasn't been able to have a wink of sleep all night. She reveals to Stacey that she's tried calling everyone she knows trying to find the whereabouts of Kush, she's still trying to call him but his phone remains off. Who knows where he must've gone to after the robbery?! He seems to have just done a disappearing act. But Kat isn't one to just hang around and do nothing, as she grabs her coat, she informs Stacey that she's going off to the police station to give her statement and then she's going to try and find Kush. If the police haven't got him then he must be somewhere?!

Meanwhile, Callum looks absolutely lost. He's seems to be in a world of his own as he tends to his busted lip. As Ben walks in, they begin to discuss how the whole situation has turned into such a mess. Callum informs his boyfriend that he really didn't have a choice but to let Kush go, considering he'd threatened to take down Ben with him if he got caught. Ben then speaks his opinion that Kush should remain missing, he seems to be believe that they would've gotten away with the robbery if Kush hadn't set off the silent alarm - however things seems to take an interesting turn here, Callum then reveals to his boyfriend that there actually wasn't a silent alarm, and the other reason the police turned up was because they received an anonymous 999 call. Ben seems to look deeply concerned, but does he have an idea as to who grassed them up?! Wait till he finds out that it was his brother!!

At the laundrette, Max walks in on Linda drawing up some new ideas for her business idea. She shows Max her rough copies of the new superhero's she's made, and of course - Max is really impressed and suggest that she should post them online. Once again I'm sensing more flirtation between the two, they suggest bringing their children together for a playdate and perhaps modelling some outfits that Linda has designed, but it's just so blatantly obvious that Linda is flirting when she suggests having an adult in on the modelling too to be pose with the children. They share a giggle as Sharon enters the building, oooh Sharon knows she has walked in on something! Both Linda and Max act very coy when she asks if she's interrupting something, Linda reveals to her friend that Max is helping with her business idea for the Lucy Beale Award. Sharon knows that Max is up to no good, the last thing she wants is for Max to break up another marriage! What do you think, are Linda and Max just good friends? Or do you fear that something is going to happen between the two and they'll cross the line?!

In the Cafe, Tiffany is informing her husband that both Rainie and Stuart haven't been in touch with her for a while since she agreed to be their surrogate, however once Keegan notices that she's had her phone on "Airplane Mode", loads of messages seem to come through once she's taken it off. I mean, of course Stuart and Rainie are going to be in touch with her as much as they can, it's the excitement of being one step closer to becoming parents. Suddenly they make their way into the Cafe and insist on buying Tiffany breakfast, however in stead of buying a lovely full English Breakfast, Rainie brings up a plate of salad to her - I mean, I get she wants her to be healthy so she'll be able to look after their baby okay, but something tells me it would start being a bit of an insult if she starts telling her what to eat and what not to eat. Tiffany and Keegan can both see this is going to be a really long journey for them.

Out on the Square, Ian appears to be dressed in his finest as he gives an interview for the Walford Gazette newspaper. I'm unsure what that interview is for, possibly for his public image? Or wanting to get the word out that the Vic is now under new management. He's one again gloating to this news crew that if it wasn't for him, the Queen Vic would've hit rock bottom with sales, business, etc. However, unfortunate for Ian, Tina is stood behind him listening to every word he's saying. It's interesting how many people he's really beginning to annoy and how many people are/will have it in for him. As Tina walks away after hearing him insult her family, Suki approaches and acknowledges how happy she is that someone as up-standing as Ian is getting the recognition he deserves, of course she's only saying that because they've come to an agreement of some kind. I do have a feeling that things aren't going to continue going well for Mr. Beale.

Returning to the Mitchell household, Kat pays them a visit an informs Callum that she's been down the statement having to give a false statement. She informs the young police officer that he didn't drop him in it but she knows full well that he let Ben off, she demands to know where Kush is, if anyone would know, he would, right?! Callum informs Kat that he has no idea of the whereabouts of Kush, its then he also drops the bombshell that he did find Kush during the robbery, but Kush ended up punching him and fleeing the scene. Kat can't believe that Kush would punch Callum, but he informs her that it's probably best if Kush stays hidden for the time being, as he not also took part in a robbery, he also assaulted a police officer, so maybe he is just lying low.

At the Atkins household, Phil is questioning Gray whether they'll be any issues in changing the licence plates on the cars. But Shirley reassures her boss that the paper work needs to be absolutely spot on, which is why Gray is doing the paperwork and Phil isn't! Interesting, there seems to be a lot of people who are in-the-know about this robbery. It's amazing how none of them have grassed any of them up, well of course except for Ian. But there's Kat, Stacey, Phil, Shirley, Ben, Callum, Kush, Gray, Sharon ... (Well maybe she doesn't know about the burglary but she's felt comfortable about giving Phil a false alibi?!) As Phil leaves the property, Tina arrives back and it's clear to see that she is seething over Ian's insults to her family and his attitude towards them and the Vic. Tina pleads to her sister that they attempt to get the pub back in their name, but Shirley reminds Tina that Linda is still an alcoholic, that was the reason they sold up in the first place. But Tina seems to believe that Linda is doing a lot better recently, she explains that since they sold the pub, Mick hasn't been the same, he seems to be so unhappy and lost. Could there be a way for the Carter's to win back the pub?! Is the pub really in Ian's name or Sharon's name? As Ian has always said that he bought the pub for Sharon, but who's name is really on the lease of the building?!

Returning to the Vic, Linda is informing her best friend about application for the Lucy Beale Award. It's nice to see Linda looking more positive and happy about her future prospects, but it's clear to see that Sharon is worried for her friend about getting too close to Max. As Linda is glowing with the excitement of a whole new beginning, Sharon voices her concerns about Max, but in a loving, friendly way that everything seems okay now between them, but if things go on it won't be long before Max will have his tongue down her throat. (However little does she know that they have already shared a kiss!) Linda reassures her friend that she wouldn't cheat on Mick and that she literally just sees Max as a mate. But Sharon has a good point, whilst Mick is away staying with Lee, it's understandable she's enjoying the attention but I'd hate to think she'd cheat on her husband whilst he was away, especially considering what he's been dealing with in recent weeks.

Meanwhile at the restaurant, Iqra is sat doing paperwork. Ian is stood behind the bar as Suki walks in, subtly she hands him over an envelope with half of the amount she promised him inside. Ian doesn't seem impressed and pulls Suki into the back for a private word, leaving the money on the bar counter. As he pulls Suki to one side he asks Iqra to watch the bar whilst they're in the back. Iqra is quite reluctant but once both Ian and Suki are out the back, Iqra starts to clean behind the bar, until she eventually comes across the envelope with the money inside it - instantly she's looking a little confused as to where this money has come from, but suddenly she begins to hear voices. Ian and Suki are both discussing their plan, Suki tells Ian that he won't receive the other half of the money until he has held up his end of the bargain and put things into paperwork and he has signed some kind of formal documents she needs, planning approval etc. Iqra is really shocked to have heard what she has, but what will she do with this information? Will she tell Ash what her Mother is really up to?! Or maybe will she help Tina in getting the Vic back in the Carter's name, knowing full well that Ian is up to some dodgy deals with Suki! Who knows?!

Back out on the Square, Whitney is seen leaving the Minute Mart as car sirens can be heard, slowly Ruby approaches from behind and they both watch in amazement as from across the Square, the police pull up the Slater household and barge their way in as they look for Kush. Stacey's voice can be heard objecting to them entering the house. Ruby voices her opinion that it doesn't surprise her that the police have come knocking at their door, however Whitney's response is more sympathetic, she questions that maybe the police have got the wrong house? But Ruby just laughs at Whitney's response and says that it wouldn't surprise her if they found something at the Slater household. Hmm, does Whitney know more than she's letting on?! Why would she be so quick to defend the Slater's?!

At the Carter's household, Max once again is helping Linda with her costumes (Wow! Can I just say how big baby Abi has grown?! I know it sounds silly, but I still picture her as a little baby, not the toddler that she's become. Didn't realise it was that long ago that Abi Branning passed away! Only feels like a year or two ago - which may possibly be how old young Abi it?!) As Linda is eager to get the children in their superhero outfits, Max picks out one for Ollie to year, however Linda recalls that the one he picked was the one Mick made for him when Ollie was first diagnosed with Autism. You can see a slight look of sadness as she mentions how Mick didn't want their son to feel different from everyone, so instead of different they made him feel special. When Max puts the superhero outfit away, Linda admits to him that it was actually Mick's idea to make their son a Superhero outfit. Is there a sense of guilt between them now that Mick hasn't been brought into the idea of superhero clothes for children?! Or the fact that they're feeling guilty for spending a lot of time together and have quite visibly been flirting with one another? Who knows?!

Meanwhile, Iqra has found her way to the Prince Albert, unfortunately she doesn't seem to be listening fully to Tina as her head is replaying what she's overheard from Ian and Suki. Tina is voicing how much she's going to miss living with her and Ash, but she understands that her moving out would help Iqra and Ash spend some time together. However, Iqra feels trapped in a corner as she admits to Tina that she can't stand Ash's family. I have to say I really do like the friendship between Tina and Iqra, I did kind of wish that they were a couple instead of Iqra and Ash. Anyway Iqra finds it in herself to confide in Tina and reveals everything that she witnessed, Suki giving Ian some money in return for some approval on a planning application. Tina tells Iqra that she's got to tell someone, she knows full well how dodgy Ian is being at the moment. Iqra pleads to her not to tell anyone, especially considering the fact the Iqra can't tell her own girlfriend that her Mum is up to something. But what will Tina do with this information? Will she find a way of getting her own back on Ian herself?!

Back at the Carter household, Max and Linda are enjoying taking pictures of their children in Linda's new children's superhero outfits. Only things take a slight U-turn when Max comments that they both make a good team. I think Linda maybe feels a little uncomfortable with his comment, he thanks Max for all his help but expressions her opinion that once they're done he should leave. Only when Linda begins to take photo's of Ollie with the flash on her phone, it frightens the poor boy and he attempts to hide underneath the kitchen table with his hands over his eyes. Linda apologises to her son and tries to coax him out but to no avail, Max then decides to take it upon himself to try and gain the little boy's trust. He gets down to his level and squeezes underneath the table, softly he speaks to the little boy and after suggesting that they build a den after taking their photographs, the little boy removes his hands from his face, much to Linda's surprise. Eventually Max persuades little Ollie to get up and join in with taking photographs, to which Linda is incredibly thankful.

Back on the Square, Tiffany and Keegan are approaching the chippy (Yum! Everyone loves a chippy, right?!) As Keegan orders himself some food, Tiffany feels a bit gutted that she's having to stay healthy. As she's voicing her frustration, Stuart appears from behind and informs her that he's managed to go to the chemist and pick up some vitamins for her. He pulls out about 3 or 4 different tube bottles full of pills and Tiffany is looking pretty overwhelmed with this new information that she's having to take pills as well as eat healthily. However it looks as if enough is enough when Stuart asks her to start taking them that day, she understands that they want the baby to be healthy but she assures Stuart that she wouldn't let anything happen to their child once its in her womb. Stuart seems to understand, he apologises for coming on so heavy, its nice that they have come to acknowledge each other's understanding, Tiffany tells him politely that she's more than happy to carry their child for them, but it does not mean that they can start telling her what she can and can't do, and in all fairness - Stuart completely agrees and announces that they'll do it Tiffany's way, to which she then responds with happily ordering something from the chippy.

Once again, returning to the Carter household, Ollie and Abi are both playing happily together as they wind down after their photoshoot. Linda is sat with Max as they look over the photographs they've taken. This scene did get me a little worried as I sensed something, once again, was going to happen between the two. Max brings up the fact that he's trying to be supportive to Linda considering he was with her the last time she had a drink, he doesn't want her to feel that she's got no one to talk to, but regardless of them spending time together, he admits that he knows that she and Mick are solid. It's then Linda seems to look upset and reveals to Max that things haven't exactly been brilliant between them recently, she explains that each time she tries she feels she's just pushing him further and further away. Perhaps this is why she's been enjoying Max's company so much, it's made her feel something again - I mean when was the last time, Mick and Linda actually had a laugh with each other and showed each other some affection? It's been a long time, hasn't it?! Max seems to understand but he makes the big confession that the only reason he kissed her a while back is because he wanted to, and more interestingly, he stills wants to! Things are looking as if they are going to pounce on each other, however Ollie breaks the silence as he asks for his Mummy. As Linda goes to see her to son, Max suggests that they make another play date for their children, to which Linda coldly responds by saying she'll text him.

Back at the Slater household, Kat answers her mobile which is ringing on the kitchen table, it appears to be Stacey on the other end. She informs her cousin that she's been desperately trying to search for her boyfriend but can't find him anywhere. Suddenly, there's a knock on the backdoor and Kat is surprised to see Whitney stood there. It's then Whitney announces that there's something she needs to show her, pretty urgently and they both leave the house together. Meanwhile in the Vic, Ian is feeling positive about his interview with the newspaper, even though he is looking incredibly happy with himself, the fella from the newspaper seems less than impressed as he downs his bottle of beer. Across the bar, both Callum and Ben are trying to talk about something other than the robbery. Oh but just by coincidence, as soon as Ben questions whether Callum can trace who dialled the 999 call, Ian is stood behind the bar ear-wigging on their conversation. However Callum is unsure whether the call will be able to be traced, but then again the only thing they'll find out is that it was made from a telephone box. Maybe Ian did a clever thing for once and made sure he dialled from a phone box and not a mobile phone, that way it would be harder for them to trace?! Suddenly Tina enters the Vic and makes her way toward the bloke from the newspaper. Ooooh I'm liking the look of this!!! She questions whether he's writing an article  about Ian Beale, but the bloke doesn't seem interested if she's going to comment on how much of a aspect to the community he is, but then his attention in instantly grabbed as Tina admits that that is not what's doing, she mentions that if he really wants a story then she has one for him. Ooooh - I'm loving this! Yes! GO TINA!!! Is she going to spill what Iqra has informed her about and portray Ian in a terrible light?! In all seriousness, it's more than what he deserves! Only the downside is, will it fall back onto Iqra and will she get the blame?!

Eventually Kat makes it to what looks like Whitney's attic, she's questioning why Whitney has brought her up there, only as she turns around, Kush is seen sat in the very far corner, almost looking scared and very sheepish. Kat is absolutely elated to find her boyfriend is safe and sound, she announces how worried she's been about him, but Kush is nothing but deeply apologetic for making such a mess of things. He's tries to explain how he thought he would be able to start the car and how things just turned so messy. Kat is just happy to see that Kush is safe, she promises him that they will sort everything out together.

At Ruby's club, Linda is sat alone with a drink, Ruby enters the room carrying a huge box of wine. It looks as if Linda is feeling sorry for herself, she seems very agitated when Ruby politely asks if she's okay. Whether she's waiting for someone or something else. Linda then voices that everyone around her sees her not as Linda anymore, but Linda The Alcoholic! Ruby tries to persuade her that that isn't the case at all, she tries to explain that she has lots of friends and family around her who are just trying to look out for her. She questions whether she should all Mick, but Linda snaps back that he isn't her carer, he's her husband. She also makes sure to point out to Ruby that the drink she's got in her hand is only orange juice, nothing else! But Ruby is quick to throw in one last dig, she knows that she's drinking a soft drink, as she explains that all her staff have a list of who not to serve alcohol to, and it turns out that Linda's name is right at the very top of that list! Honestly, that's a bit of a big insult, I think that would hurt anyone really wouldn't it?! As Ruby leaves the room, Linda takes it upon herself to approach the box of wine which she's left at the bar and swipes a bottle before leaving. Once she's home, she's sat alone with the bottle and a glass already poured, to me it looks like that she really can't take Mick's behaviour anymore, she's feeling lonely, unwanted and maybe also missing her husband as well as missing their happiness and intimacy. She attempts to call him but to no avail as it the dial tone rings dead, I did fear at this point that she was going to take a big gulp of wine. She brings the glass up to her face and she gently smells the wine, she then plonks the glass back down and dials another number - Max! She agrees to go along with the playdate for the children for the following day, but something else is telling me, is she doing it for the company. If Mick isn't around then why not have Max's attention. I do thing as things go on, something will happen between the two, what do you think? Feeling a little more relieved she gets up and throws the glass of wine and the bottle down the sink!

Friday 2nd October 2020

Hello again everyone! I am back again with my second post of the day. This post will be covering Friday's episode of EastEnders. I'm just going to jump straight into it as I'm sure we have a shed load to get through.  So, the episode starts with Mick and Linda discussing the evening plans of going to the Drag Bingo! Linda is really looking forward to a night out with girls after being in lockdown for so long. Mick obviously has his concerns, as it's going to be the first time she's going to be surrounded by alcohol in a long time. Linda is instantly insulted by her husband, even though he states how proud he is of her for getting off the booze, he can't help but worry. She tells him that she hasn't had a drink in months and she knows what she is capable of, she knows she'll be able to handle it. Mick apologises to wife, insists that he was in the wrong and she should be able to enjoy a night out with her friends. Something does tell me though that something is going to happen? Whether Linda can't handle the pressure and takes a swig of alcohol and relapses? We shall have to wait and see?!

At the Mitchell household, Phil is sat with Ben and Callum, Phil is sat looking at news on his tablet about the car crash regarding Raymond. As he's doing this, Callum and Ben are having their own discussion about Callum's support worker and talking about how he's helping him to cope with what he's witnessed recently. Callum assures his boyfriend that his support worker is really helping him, just being able to talk things through about what he's thinking and feeling really helps. Ben is glad that Callum is seeking help with his recent traumatic experience - he turns to his Dad saying how much things have changed since his day, but Phil - obviously - hasn't been listening to the conversation. He turns the switch around and leaves the room. Ben and Callum are both a bit surprised as Phil makes his exit.

At the restaurant, Max is sat reading the newspaper as Linda brings in his dry cleaning. She's surprised to see him sat there while she's struggling with his clothes, she asks him whether or not he was planning on picking it up, he truthfully says "No", saying he'd gotten too used to the personal touch. She smiles, sarcastically as she goes to leave. As a friend, he asks her whether anything was wrong, she apologises to him for her rudeness and explains she'll be looking forward to a night out with her girls when work is over, she informs Max that it's Drag Bingo night at the Prince Albert, he Max insists that he joins them and he'll be happy to buy the first 2 rounds. Linda accepts his offer and invites him along! I have to be honest, I do like the little friendship they've got going on, I just hope it'll be nothing more than that!

Suddenly, we can see that Denise has answered her door to someone, that someone being Phil!!! Denise seems surprised to see him, do you think she's suspicious that he knows about Raymond? She begins to apologise for slagging him off the other day. At first, Phil seems sympathetic, he states to her that his visit has nothing to do with her slagging him off, he admits there's no easy way for him to say what he's come round for to say, so he tells her straight and informs her about Raymond. Firstly, Denise plays dumb, as Phil gives her all the information he knows, Phil soon realises that she already knew!

Meanwhile, at the Taylor household, Karen is acting coy with Mitch. The last time we saw them, they almost kissed before Gray walked in on them. Karen is still reeling from recent events, she tells Mitch to forget what happened, for as far as she is concerned its was nothing! But Mitch can't let it lie, he asks what would've happened if Gray hadn't have walked in. But Karen reminds him that their daughter has just died, her head is all over the place at this moment in time, she can barely lift her head off her pillow most days. As they are having this conversation, Billy walks in asking if they're both okay. He tells them that it's nice to see them talking again, as he leaves Karen reminds Mitch that she and Billy are happy. Mitch asks her though, whether that is true, is she really happy? Karen worries as she contemplates Gray telling the children about her and Mitch, but Mitch is unsure how to respond to her, what is he supposed to do about that? She looks at him in pure dismay!!

Back with Denise and Phil, he is furious that Denise already knew about Raymond and didn't even think about informing Phil. She tells him that there simply wouldn't have been any point as neither of them are allowed contact with him. She explains that she only went to the hospital to make sure he is okay, but then she lets slip that Ellie found out who she was - and instantly Phil is eager to know who this Ellie is - Denise explains to him that she's Raymond's Grandmother. Phil can't believe what he's hearing, he reminds Denise that it was actually her who wanted to give up Raymond, Phil wanted to keep the child. She argues that it was a mutual decision, she softly tells him it would be impossible for him to have contact with the boy now, but he is insistent as he marches out of the house.

Back at the Mitchell household, Ben is making dinner as Callum is discussing taking Lexi out for an ice-cream, he explains to his boyfriend that doing something with the family would help him, considering he still can't stop thinking about the orphaned little boy (Raymond). Ben sees that it would be a big support for Callum so he agrees, it's then Callum basically says that you've got to look after the people that you care about! Ben looks at him with loving eyes and he admits that that is one of the reason why he loves him, because he cares so much, plus it'll also be a reason why he'll make an amazing copper! Ben then goes on to say that also perhaps, working for his Dad may not be such a good idea, but Callum doesn't want to hear it and tells him to end the conversation there.

At The Prince Albert, Linda is finally joining the Drag Bingo party. She finds Sharon and Max waiting for her, she goes up to the bar to buy them both a drink. As she does so, Mick informs her that out of the goodness of his heart, he's made her a drink with no alcohol in it! He even puts a little umbrella in her glass just so she knows it's hers. Mick is of course just doing the decent thing trying to look out for his wife, but it's clear that Linda isn't happy about it. Is she feeling like he doesn't trust her? She sadly takes the drink Mick has made her and walks away. Can I just also point out that I LOVE the fact that they've got the same Drag Queen for this Drag Bingo, who also performed "Proud" on their special Walford Pride episode! I LOVE IT! And also such a beautiful Drag Queen! Amazing! Tina notices that Mick is looking upset, she approaches him and tells him to forget the whole situation with Frankie, she can see that it's Linda who's on his mind, she promises him that as long they are both at the club, Linda will be okay! Back at her table, Max compliments Linda's glass saying that the umbrella looks cute, Linda is sarcastic as she responds with "Thank You" - Max can see something is wrong, he asks if she's okay, she simply shrugs it off, but I think we can all see what's about to happen, right?!

Meanwhile, Mitch decides to pay Gray a visit, as he enters he asks whether the children are home, Gray isn't really very welcome to his Father-In-Law. He asks him instantly what he wants, Mitch decides to go for the gentle approach and basically explains to him that Karen is worrying about what he saw the other day and whether or not he'll tell the children. He explains with everything that's going on right now, it may be for the best if the kids don't know. Gray seems to be insulted that that is all he's come round for, he's annoyed to the core that that appears to be all he cares about. He reminds Mitch that his wife has passed away and that he is hallowed under! That is how things are for him right now! It's then that Gray starts to say some nasty things towards Mitch, saying how lucky Chantelle was to never have him in her life, Mitch can't bare to hear the things he has to say but deep down, he knows he's right. He agrees and he says he's sorry. He can't begin to explain why he wasn't there for her as he can't even remember. Even when Chantelle met Gray, he wasn't in her life. As Mitch apologies, Gray is surprised by Mitch's reaction as he slowly begins to cry.

Back at the Drag Bingo event, Max appears to be enjoying his bingo experience, that is until someone beats him in getting all the numbers. Linda approaches the bar where Mick has made two new drinks, one for Max and one for Linda, Mick just so happens to mention that there's vodka in Max's drink. He also instructs her again that glass with the umbrella in is hers. We all know he's doing this out of love because he cares for his wife and wants her to be safe and not wanting her to fall off the band wagon. He politely asks his wife to look after the bar whilst he fills up another pitcher. As he disappears, it's then the sound goes fuzzy, the music drowns out the noise of the club and the Drag act hosting the Bingo. Linda is looking down at the glasses, they look exactly the same, only hers with a umbrella in it. At this moment in time I am shouting at the TV screen - "No! Don't do it Linda!" - but it's too late, she switches the umbrella into the other glass and takes a swig of Max's alcoholic drink, not just one but two big gulps! She takes a huge sigh of relief, as if she's been wanting a drink for so long. She turns around to walk back to the table, but we can see Max is staring at her, has he just witnessed everything? Has he just seen her down some alcohol? What is he going to do?!

Back at home, Jack returns to find Denise in a state. Denise reveals to him that Phil knows about Raymond. She's in despair of what Phil is going to do, she speculates to Jack of what plan Phil is going to do. She's worried he'll find a way to get contact to Raymond, she frets that Phil is going to make Raymond a part of his family, just like he did with Dennis. However that is of course just Denise's opinion, I simply just want to say that Phil doted on Dennis. He loved that boy like he was his own, he even ended up adopting him. Phil has always been big on family, regardless whether they've been caught up in trouble, family always comes first for the Mitchells. Jack promises Denise he won't let Phil get to Raymond, but Denise informs him that it's already happening. I am hoping here, that Denise and Phil will put their differences to one side and perhaps fight for shared custody of Raymond. I'm really intrigued as to where this story is going to go!

Back at the gay-bar, Tina is looking pretty pleased with Frankie. She informs her that she's got the job after such a successful event. Frankie tells Tina how much she loves working at the Prince Albert, as they begin to grow on their friendship, Sharon approaches the bar, she's won a round of Bingo and won an inflatable guitar! She tells Tina to make her way over the Vic so they can borrow some whiskey, she gives her the keys and tell her not to worry as Ian can pay for it, they laugh as both Tina and Frankie leave to get the alcohol. Outside the bar, Linda is confiding in Max. She can't even understand why she had a gulp of his drink, she's opening up to him, asking whether is this what it's going to be like from now on? Her being the alcoholic of the Carter of the family? Will Ollie end up growing up not being able to trust his mother? She explains to Max that she looks into the future and sees Ollie coming over to find his Mum in a mess. Max tries to reassure her, she's not an awful person, he understands what she's feeling, its then he decides to open up about his demons. He reveals to her that when he came out of prison, he used to hurt himself deliberately with cigarettes, burn himself on his arms so he could hide it from his family. He admits it did hurt but it was worth it because it was his way of dealing with it, his situation, his emotions, his feelings, his thoughts, everything. He tells her not to be ashamed of having a slip up, everyone makes mistakes and it doesn't make her a bad person. As Max is saying all this to Linda, it looks as if they have come to fully understand one another and they've somehow connected more in recent weeks, as they share a look between them, Sharon emerges from the bar all giggly and giddy from having a good time. She's waving her inflatable guitar around claiming that she's a winner! Max and Linda giggle at their friend, she's clearly enjoyed herself. Linda tells Max to put on his knight in shining armour act and take Sharon home.

At the Mitchell's, Jack is paying Phil a visit. He comes peacefully and tries to explain that Denise is worried about Raymond, more worried about the fact that Phil will try and get involved in his life. Phil informs him that Raymond is his son and he has rights, but unfortunately Jack responds with the fact that because he gave him up, he lost those rights 3 years ago. He warns him to stay away, to make sure that Phil gets the message he blackmails him, he warns him that if he doesn't keep his distance, he'll tell the police about the assault he did on him before Christmas, covered him with petrol and held a gun to his head because he believed he was having an affair with Sharon. Phil scoffs, he tells him that it was months ago and the police are hardly going to care for something that happened almost a year ago! It's then that Jack informs him that he is a sworn police officer, if he comes across any crime he has to report anything his is witness too, and if he does decide to talk, it may cause the police to start looking more closely at Phil.

Meanwhile, at the Vic, Tina and Frankie are making their way in through the back door to grab some alcohol, as they search the shelves Tina is complaining on what a mess Ian has left the room in. She states that Mick would never have left the room in that state. Frankie suddenly reveals she's found what they're looking for. Tina praises her and tells her to grab a few bottles so they can make their way back. As Frankie and Tina smile at each other, Tina takes her opportunity and leans in to kiss Frankie - but she backs away and apologises. Tina is obviously left feeling humiliated, is Frankie not gay then? But then also, I suppose Frankie can't get involved with Tina in that way if there's a chance she could be family? I do feel sorry for Tina as it looked as if they were both getting close, it's a shame as it would be nice for Tina to find love again.

Back at home, Denise is waiting for Jack to return, she doesn't know he's paid Phil a visit, she's sat waiting anxiously on the stairs, we hear the door latch and the door opens, she looks up longingly and Jack reassures her that everything is going to be okay. Denise is left is absolute relief! As this is happening, Phil is left reeling with his thoughts as Ben enters the room. Quick question - does Ben even know about Raymond? Is he aware he has a half-brother?! Something tells me I'm about to get my answer any moment now - As Ben comes in asking whether his Dad is okay, Phil tells him to take a seat, he obviously has some news he needs to tell his son. (Oh yes, he clearly knows!) Phil informs Ben that he's found out news about his brother, Raymond and that it just so happens that the accident Callum witnessed, was the one Raymond was involved in. Ben is clearly shook by this news, he asks whether he's been to seen him. Phil admits that he has and he states that no matter what anyone says, nothing is going to stop him from seeing his son!

The final scene of the episode, Linda is overlooking the barrier of the Prince Albert. Max finds her and joins her on the balcony. He informs her that he's managed to get Sharon safely home and he left her sound asleep on the sofa with a bucket next to her, just in case. As they share a little laugh, Max asks if he can tell her something, but it strictly has to stay between them. Linda promises not to say anything to anyone ... there is such a long pause, I'm beginning to think he's going to say he's fallen in love with someone he can't have (ie: Linda) ... or whether he was going to reveal some big secret that was going to kick off another big storyline, however he suddenly says "I hate Bingo!" ... and honestly, I'm left feeling disappointed, I was hoping for something big then but it turned out to be nothing. Anyway, Linda laughs and Max asks he whether she's okay, she says she is and they slowly turn to face one another, Max shuffles to be close to her, they lean in and they both share a very quick kiss. Linda pulls away very suddenly, but then - something brings her back and they kiss, for a much longer period. Linda pulls away for a second time as she realises she's made a huge mistake. She quickly makes her get away, insisting that she has to go, Max calls out after her, but she runs down the stairs and rushes back to the Vic as she weeps.