Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) broke down as she told her children Johnny (Charlie Suff), Lee (Danny Hatchard) and Nancy (Maddy Hill) that their father Mick (Danny Dyer) had died again, just two weeks after supposedly being alive. The news, delivered in Wednesday's episode, left the family shattered as they learned Mick had chosen to stay away for four years.
Mick's 'death' explained
Mick vanished at sea four years ago after Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) drove into the water with Linda in the passenger seat. He jumped in to save his loved ones but was never seen again and was believed to have drowned. Janine later claimed he had lived for another four years without contacting anyone, even holding a church service with a body in a coffin to back her story.
The whole scheme was designed by Janine to secure a payout, which she could only receive if a death certificate was issued. Linda, wanting proof and closure, resolved to identify Mick's body but was unable to proceed, so she asked Max Branning (Jake Wood) to do it instead. With Janine in his ear, jealous Max told Linda the body was Mick's, even though he knew it was not, hoping she would 'forget' Mick ever existed.
Lee hits the bottle as Linda nearly relapses
In tonight's episode, Lee, whose drinking has concerned Linda, hit the bottle while Nancy sobbed on the Queen Vic roof. Linda struggled to accept that Mick seemingly did not want her or the kids in his life and spoke to Max about it, unaware of his lie. With everything weighing on her, Linda almost took a drink, but a phone call from Nicola Mitchell (Laura Doddington) revealed Lee was drunk at the bar.
Linda arrived with Max and took Lee outside. Lee, devastated by Mick's absence, berated his dad and blamed Linda for driving him to Janine following her affair with Max in 2020. At rock bottom, Linda snatched the bottle from Lee's hand and said that if she can't beat them, she might as well 'self-destruct' with him, staring at the booze as Lee and Max watched on.
What's next for Linda?
Will Linda relapse, and will she uncover the truth about Max's lie? EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or streams from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
