Lee Carter's (Danny Hatchard) out-of-control drinking led him to expose the truth of Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) and Max Branning's (Jake Wood) relationship to the entire Square in EastEnders.
Max's Difficult Day
Max's day was difficult from the start as he crossed paths with his brother, Jack Branning (Scott Maslen), who remained furious with him for taking money from his now-missing daughter, Amy Mitchell (Ellie Dadd), who remains in the clutches of groomer Craig Ingram (Matthew James Bailey).
Heading to the café to meet Linda, they discussed Jack keeping Denise Fox (Diane Parish) in the dark over the situation, as Linda echoed the horrors of what Craig has done to Amy, before making him promise that should anything similar ever happen to her kids, no matter what's happening in her life, he tell her everything.
Lee's Exposure
As Lee entered and ordered a coffee, Linda told Max that she couldn't attend Zoe Slater's (Michelle Ryan) wake with her son in his current state, leading Max to offer to keep Lee occupied. When Linda questioned him over missing the wake given his previous relationship with Zoe, he blew her off and quickly escaped as Linda expressed her sympathy for Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) and told Lee to come with him to help out with work.
After washing a few cars, Lee told Max that he was struggling with the funeral procession surrounding his dad's former pub, though Max managed to talk him out of hitting the bottle, and instead offered to take him out for lunch, facing down the Slater family with a face smeared with guilt as they prepared to get into the funeral car.
Max tried to talk to Lee over lunch, and displayed real vulnerability, talking about his approach to relationships and the chaos he's encountered, before heading off to get a coke, after which Lee bolted, and we later caught up with him plastered at Harry's Barn.
Wake Confrontation
Later at the wake, Max arrived searching for Lee, but instead found the absolute vitriol of his ex, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), who laid into him over his secret involvement in Zoe's death. Lee staggered in and came to Max's defence in the face of Cindy, just as Linda arrived too, and in his poor attempt to act as Max's knight in shining armour, exposed their relationship to the entire pub.
Elsewhere on the Square, Kat and Cindy woke up in a cell after yesterday's antics, and the two bonded over losing children. Cindy tried to tease out of Kat what she'd do when she discovered the identity of the person who'd left Zoe alone in her hour of need, though as Kat smelt a rat and asked Cindy outright if she knew, a police officer broke things up, giving Cindy chance to compose herself and lie that she knew nothing.
Kat got home in time for the funeral, and after Zoe's twins Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughan) and Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) delivered a moving eulogy, she took to the altar and made her own emotional tribute to her baby girl, before heading back to the Vic to share happy memories and celebrate Zoe's life.
Jack and Denise's Struggle
Jack and Denise struggled with a funeral on their doorstep, both reminded of what could be the result of Denise's ongoing cancer battle. He was later forced to tell Denise the truth about Amy's whereabouts after Darnell Larson Jr (Christopher Colquhoun) admitted what had happened, though the stress caused a nose bleed, causing them to miss Amy's call when being on the run with Craig becomes too much for her.
Over at Harry's Barn, the ice between Kojo Asare (Dayo Koleosho) and Jodie Hawkins (Anna Constable) melted, and in its place seemingly flickered a spark.
What Happens Next in EastEnders?
New spoilers for Thursday, October 29 reveal that with Denise suffering physically as the stress of the situation continues to take its toll, Ash Panesar (Sakira Vel) steps in to check on her, but can she help Denise manage all that she's currently facing?
If the Fox-Branning union isn't quite facing enough, Jack is rocked by a completely unexpected arrival on the Square, but who is it? Across the Square, the Hawkins' clan aren't prepared to let the spark between Kojo and Jodie go, and shift into matchmaker mode to ensure a happy ending, but will their interference help or hinder the new bond?
And finally, the revelation of Max and Linda's relationship in the Vic continues to cause shockwaves, not least of all for Cindy, but what will the wider reaction be?
