EastEnders airs fresh Max Branning and Zoe Slater revelations in early BBC iPlayer release

EastEnders has revealed the true nature of how returnees Max Branning (Jake Wood) and Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) are now connected.

The BBC One soap has been airing the return of Zoe to Walford this week as she was reunited with estranged mother Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) before being accidentally shot by Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) and Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) as they struggled over a gun.

In Wednesday's much-anticipated instalment, fans saw Zoe taken to hospital as flashbacks to 2006 revealed she had given birth to twins by a mystery father, but a daughter died, while a son survived, but Zoe subsequently abandoned him.

In the cliffhanger to the episode, a mysterious caller to Zoe's phone was threatened by Kat, who believed it to be someone wanting to hurt Zoe.

The caller hung up, revealing a brooding Max.

In Thursday's episode, penned by veteran scribe Simon Ashdown, fresh revelations came to light via further flashbacks to earlier this year.

In the scenes at a bar, Max was shown to have met Zoe by chance, asking after her connection to Kat and Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner) when her card was declined. After this, Max paid for her drinks and the pair got talking about their histories, including time in Walford.

Max revealed that his ex-wife, Tanya Cross (Jo Joyner), had been trying to call him as she was looking after their granddaughter, Abi Branning Jr.

He then revealed that he prefers being a dad, but he’s not a very good one. Max mentioned his estranged son Oscar Branning (Pierre Moullier) and how he’s not seen him for three years, before referring to his eldest daughter Lauren Branning (Jacqueline Jossa), along with sad mentions of his late children Bradley Branning (Charlie Clements) and Abi Branning (Lorna Fitzgerald).

Following this, the pair were shown to have slept together, and while in bed, Zoe revealed what happened with her twins and how she is now trying to track down her son with a private investigator, but is struggling to find him without any money.

In the present day at the hospital, a worried Stacey was tempted to respond to the mystery texts - unknown to her to be from her former lover and father-in-law, Max - and noted to her mother Jean Slater (Gillian Wright) that they were not threatening, they were nice.

Stacey also revealed to Jean that she hadn't wanted to return to the Square before Zoe returned, and was keen to get away from Walford and escape the memories. Could this be paving the way for Stacey's upcoming exit from the soap?

Max then texted Zoe's phone again, offering to give her the necklace or money should she need it.

A further flashback then revealed that a necklace had been Max’s present to Zoe at a time she needed to pay a former neighbour of her son's foster parents, and Max suggested she pawn the necklace for the PI, but Zoe refused. Max then offered to pay for the information to help her; if he can’t get Bradley back, she could get her son back.

In the present day, Stacey then called the number, and Max answered, but the line was distorted, so Stacey couldn't recognise his voice, and he stayed silent before hanging up on her.

As the flashbacks continued, Zoe was driven by Max to the neighbour of her son’s foster parents in a rundown neighbourhood, but wanted to go in alone. Zoe entered the flat of the source, Greg Dolan (Dean Williamson), and handed over the money.

Greg then recalled the "sweet" but "sad" young boy who kicked his football over the fence to Greg's, with a "face of an angel" who used to call for his mum, but no one ever came. Greg then demanded more money for more information, but a desperate Zoe revealed she had none and just wanted to be reunited with her boy.

In the present day, Zoe was revealed to still be unconscious to an anxious Kat, but had stabilised, and it was unknown when she would wake up.

In further flashbacks, Zoe continued to beg for more information, but Greg was harsh on her for abandoning her son. Greg then offered to trade more information for sex, but when Zoe refused, he tried to rape her, prompting her to hit him with a nearby lamp and then strike him a second time so he wouldn't get up before fleeing.

Max refused to be Zoe's getaway driver and accomplice when she revealed what had happened, and so she abandoned him in his car and walked off, angrily calling him a "bunk-up" and a "blank cheque". Zoe was then shown calling Stacey for help, which is where we found her when she first made her comeback.

Back in the present day in the hospital, Zoe woke up in her hospital bed with Kat, Alfie and Stacey by her bedside as Kat tried to put her at ease.

Once left alone to recover more, Zoe then called Max herself, asking for the necklace as she now wants to pawn it. Max then asked Zoe if she was back in Walford, as he had heard Stacey on her phone earlier.

In response, Zoe warned Max to stay away, claiming that she didn’t need him and never had. Zoe threatened to "end" Max if he returned to Walford, and he responded: "That’s the thing about me, Zoe, I really hate being told what to do."

What will happen next? Questions still remain, including when we will see Max back in Walford and who the father of Zoe's son is, but one thing is for sure: drama awaits.

Read more:

• EastEnders teases feud for Max Branning return with another iconic character
• EastEnders' new boss teases dramatic reunion for old rivals Sharon Watts and Zoe Slater
• EastEnders star confirms filming break: “I won't be on it for a while”

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