EastEnders paid tribute to Mick Carter (Danny Dyer) following word of his supposed death, with son Lee (Danny Hatchard) naming his newborn son Michael in his dad's honour. The emotional scenes aired in Thursday's episode, which can now be streamed on BBC iPlayer and will air at 7:30pm.
Mick's disappearance and Janine's scam
Mick, a staple of the Square between 2013 and 2022, vanished at sea four years ago while trying to rescue his wife Linda (Kellie Bright). Linda was in the car with Mick's new wife Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks), whose crimes had been exposed, when the vehicle plummeted into the sea. Mick jumped in to retrieve Linda but was instructed by her to prioritise pregnant Janine. He did so and returned to rescue Linda, unaware that she had made it safely ashore. The Queen Vic landlord was never seen again, and no body was found.
Linda's world collapsed this past week when Janine claimed that Mick had survived the drowning and lived another four years before dying of a heart attack just two weeks ago. Max Branning (Jake Wood) discovered that the whole thing was part of a scam carried out by Janine, who wanted to get her hands on a payout – and for that to happen, Mick needed to be declared dead legally.
Linda's struggle and Lee's revelation
Max, riddled with jealousy of Linda's love for Mick, recently claimed he would do whatever it takes to make her forget her soulmate ever existed. With these words swirling around his head, the twisted car salesman let Linda believe the worst, telling her the body was definitely that of her ex. Linda was then forced to break her kids' hearts by telling them Mick had lived another four years and chosen to stay away from his family.
The news proved difficult for Lee, who is struggling with his reliance on alcohol, and he wasted little time in getting drunk at the bar. Riddled with grief, recovering alcoholic Linda struggled and almost relapsed until she heard Lee was in need of his mum. She headed to Harry's Barn, where drunk Lee blamed her for everything, including Mick's death. To save her son from his addiction, Linda snatched the bottle of alcohol out of his hand and held it to her lips, telling him she will 'self-destruct' with him. Lee swiftly grabbed the bottle and allowed it to shatter on the floor, refusing to let his mum relapse.
A new life and a looming truth
Lee berated Linda, who argued that her seeking solace in the booze is no different to him, which led Lee to acknowledge both that he needs his mum and that he has a problem. The mother and son duo reflected on Mick being a great dad while Lee shared his worries about not being able to live up to him. Little did they know that Nancy (Maddy Hill), who is a surrogate for brother Lee, had gone into labour and was having the baby at that very minute.
When notified, Linda and Lee rushed to hospital, where they found Nancy cradling a little newborn boy. Proud dad Lee asked to hold the baby and revealed he had named the little one Michael in honour of Mick. Linda sobbed while Lee took a moment outside the room where, in emotional scenes, he admitted that he's an alcoholic and asked for help.
Max, meanwhile, sought solace in the booze in the Vic, realising the gravity of his cruel lie about Mick and how it almost led to Linda relapsing. He contemplated telling the truth but, in typical Max fashion, he bottled it. With this being EastEnders, it's only a matter of time before the truth explodes and carnage ensues.
