Linda Carter simply cannot be Max Branning’s new bride (Picture: BBC)
It’s been well over a month since EastEnders fans witnessed Max Branning (Jake Wood) preparing to wed a mystery bride in a special flashforward episode of the BBC One soap.
The events of the unique offering took place on New Year’s Day 2027 and posed questions aplenty, with various mysteries and twists that will keep viewers guessing for the rest of the year.
A shock hostage situation, a newborn (whose parentage is to be determined) and another baby on the way were among the conundrums posed and it’s safe to say that speculation is already rife.
But the biggest – and perhaps the most intriguing – question of all: Who is Max’s new bride-to-be?
There are several possibilities. Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins), Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams) and Denise Fox (Diane Parish) were all seen getting ready for some big event on January 1 next year.
Linda somewhat feels like the obvious choice, given that she has been catching feelings for Max ever since his return to Walford, with the former flames even sharing a kiss in the past week.
Max, however, proved once again that a leopard can’t change its spots as, when presented with the opportunity to do the right thing, he chose the wrong option, withholding vital information from Linda when he uncovered that Ollie’s (Harry Farr) bully was none other than his own grandson Louis.
His reason for keeping shtum? Because he feared it would sabotage his chances of worming his way back into Linda’s arms.
Max and Linda recently shared a kiss (Picture: BBC)
Upon learning of his betrayal, Linda was horrified that she’d allowed herself to believe Max was a changed man and, in heated scenes, she told him that he made her sick.
The fact Max gambled with her son’s safety in order to get what he wants should surely rule her out of the running for his future bride. If he hasn’t changed in the five years since their last romantic entanglement, he’s hardly likely to do so in a matter of months, is he?
Of course, this is Walford we’re talking about so there is always a possibility that Max will manage to win her affection once again, especially since they will be spending time together co-parenting Annie.
But even if you think Linda could give him another shot, there is still one reason why the New Year bride-to-be cannot be her.
Linda wasn’t pleased with Max’s betrayal (Picture: BBC)
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The wedding in question is set to take place on January 1, which was the very day she married Mick (Danny Dyer) all the way back in 2016.
As anyone who watched EastEnders over the past decade will know, there are few soap couples who had what Mick and Linda had. They were childhood sweethearts and spent the majority of their lives together and are firmly considered one another’s soulmates.
Their wedding was a very special one for Linda as she got to say ‘I do’ to Mick, who was dressed in her signature pink dressing gown at the time, before embarking on a new chapter of their lives together.
Mick, who tragically vanished at sea four years ago and is presumed dead, was Linda’s absolute everything so it’s highly unlikely that she would even contemplate tying the knot with someone else on the anniversary of their big day – let alone doing so with Max.
Linda previously married one true love Mick on New Year’s Day (Picture: BBC / Kieron McCarron)
As fans will recall, Linda controversially cheated on Mick with Max back in 2020. The former Queen Vic landlady had come to believe that Mick was pulling away from her at the time, completely unaware that he had just discovered he’d been abused when he was 12 years old.
Fearing that her marriage was over, Linda reluctantly resolved to leave Mick and embark on a new life with Max, with the plan set in motion for New Year’s Day 2021.
When Mick opened up about what he’d been through, L was devastated to discover that she’d cheated on her beloved husband when he needed her the most but, realising there was a possibility of a future for them, she reunited with him and swiftly put an end to her affair.
Linda previously cheated on Mick with Max – would she really marry him on her and Mick’s wedding anniversary? (Picture: BBC)
Jilted Max showed his true colours once more, making a number of plays to win Linda’s affection, belittling her life-long relationship with Mick, claiming what they had was stronger. He even claimed to be in love with her, much to Linda’s shock, but the pub landlady was adamant that Mick was the man she wanted, which prompted Max to leave the Square for four years.
Even if we were to believe that Linda could forgive Max – in just a matter of months – for hiding the truth about Ollie’s ordeal from her after she gave him the benefit of the doubt to prove himself, would she really walk down the aisle with him on a day so special to her and Mick’s legacy?
If not Linda, who is Max set to marry? (Picture: BBC/Jack Barns/Kieron McCarron)
The day they originally tied the knot and the day they reunited after her affair with Max almost tore them apart?
That would feel oddly uncharacteristic for Linda, especially since she has gone out of her way to keep the memory of the man she deemed her one true love alive since he was tragically taken away from her.
But then again who knows what could unfold between now and January 2027!
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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