EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders has confirmed a surprising change to Max Branning and Linda Carter’s romance plot next week, which could take the storyline in a very different direction. Max and Linda have been growing closer since Max returned to Walford, and he discovered that he is Annie’s biological dad.
This week, the former lovers had dinner together and shared a kiss – but Max was hiding a big secret. He previously found out that that his grandson Louie is the boy who was bullying Linda’s son Ollie at school.
When Max realised the truth, he confronted Lauren about Louie’s behaviour but wanted to keep Linda in the dark. However, the mischievous Bea overheard this conversation and soon passed on this gossip to Elaine.
Linda and Max were giddy the morning after their kiss, but when Elaine told her daughter about the situation regarding Louie, Linda was furious that Max knew and had deliberately kept this bombshell from her.
As the situation exploded between the two families, Elaine and Ian’s feud kicked off again, and Ian called the police on Elaine for confronting Louie about his bullying of Ollie.

BBC
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In next week’s episodes, things are rather tense at Peacock Palace, and Max is keen to make amends by promising to end Ian’s vendetta against Elaine for good.
But it’s soon explained why Max wants to make peace, as in a conversation with Lauren, Max later reveals that he has real feelings for Linda and wants a serious relationship with her.
Max indeed manages to sort out the situation by bringing Louie round to apologise properly to Ollie for his actions. Linda is touched by Max’s efforts to play peacemaker, so invites him for a drink to get their co-parenting relationship back on track.
The arrangement of this date is music to Max’s ears, and he uses the opportunity to move forward with their relationship. He goes all out to romance Linda during their drink – but there’s a heartbreaking twist.

BBC
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New spoilers have revealed that Max is unaware that Linda just wants to set a platonic tone between them so they can co-parent Annie as friends.
It seems that Max and Linda are in fact on very different pages when it comes to their relationship, but will Max make a move and how will Linda respond to his advances?
EastEnders airs on Mondays – Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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