Please be aware: The following contains significant spoilers for the EastEnders episode that aired on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025. You can currently watch it on BBC iPlayer.
The latest episode of EastEnders featured several characters leaving, following the continuing fallout from Max Branning‘s (Jake Wood) comeback.
Max caused quite a stir when he arrived earlier this week, and quickly tried to get back in touch with his former partner, Stacey Slater (Lacey Turner).
At the same time, Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) tried everything she could to separate Stacey from Max. She convinced Stacey to go to Brazil, but Stacey unexpectedly returned and caught Zoe and Max kissing.
Stacey claimed Max quickly moved on to another woman, but Zoe strongly disagreed, explaining they’d actually met some time ago. She shared that he had even tried to assist her in finding her long-lost son. It was a surprising revelation.
Wow, talk about a dramatic entrance! I was glued to the screen as Stacey burst into The Queen Vic and dropped a bombshell on Kat Moon (played brilliantly by Jessie Wallace) and everyone else. Apparently, Zoe and Max already knew each other! But it didn’t stop there – Stacey immediately accused Zoe of being a manipulator, claiming she was trying to get her to leave. It was a really intense scene, and I’m definitely curious to see how Kat and the others will react to this revelation.
Okay, so things got *intense* on the show! Basically, Zoe was saying that Stacey definitely had some jealousy going on and that her feelings for the late Martin Fowler (James Bye) weren’t genuine. Well, Stacey did not take that well – she straight-up slapped Zoe and then just walked out. It was a crazy moment, honestly! You could see she was really hurt and angry, and that’s when I knew things were about to get even more dramatic.
Zoe confessed her strong feelings for Max to Kat, ignoring her mother’s warnings. Meanwhile, Max had to deal with the disapproval of his recently-married daughter, Lauren Beale (Jacqueline Jossa).
He went after Stacey, who insisted she didn’t want him back in her life or her bed.
Max told her that his past feelings for her had resurfaced, and since they were both currently single, he asked if he could have an opportunity to show her he’s changed. He wanted to prove himself to her. He relayed that he was hoping for a chance with her, now that they are both single.
But Stacey replied that she was moving away that very night, ordering Max away for good.
Encouraged by her daughter Lily (Lillia Turner) to begin a fresh start with younger children Arthur (Rocco Brenner) and Hope (Isabelle Smith), Stacey attempted to contact her mother, Jean (Gillian Wright).
After learning about a disagreement between Stacey and Zoe, Jean found herself on the tube with Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy). Priya helped Jean manage a panic attack as Jean remembered all the times Stacey had cared for her and shared her desire to offer her support for Stacey’s plans in Brazil.
Back at The Vic, Zoe asked Max to give their relationship a proper go, but he turned her down.
He followed up by implying Lauren shared more of his personality traits than she realized, pointing out her tendency to stir up drama on Christmas, and suggesting her relationship with Peter (Thomas Law) wouldn’t ultimately satisfy her.
Lauren, filled with anger, firmly declared that even if she resembled him, she would actively strive to be different. She then told her dad to leave her alone.
Max’s son, Oscar (Pierre Moullier), still hoped Max would stick around long enough for them to connect. However, Lauren revealed Max’s true character, and Oscar begged him not to go.
After Max told Oscar he couldn’t fix his issues and quickly left, Lauren stepped in to console the disappointed Oscar.
At The Albert, Jasmine (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) told Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins) that Max was back. Cindy immediately went to confront him, furious about him being responsible for the death of her son, Steven (Aaron Sidwell).
To prevent further conflict, Peter and Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) told everyone Max had departed several minutes before he actually did-although it’s strange Cindy and Max didn’t see each other as he left!
Standing outside the Slater home, Max tried to have a final conversation with Stacey. However, she just wished him farewell and left in a black cab.
Jean was upset she hadn’t seen Stacey, and when Lily explained that Zoe had caused her to leave so quickly, Jean immediately asked Zoe to leave.
Stacey listened to a voicemail message from Max. In it, he wished her well and expressed hope that they would meet again.
She erased the message and felt happy imagining a fresh start with her kids, as a gloomy Max also left Albert Square by himself.
Max is scheduled to return permanently later this year, but it remains to be seen if Stacey will return. We’ll have to wait and see about her situation.
The episode was classic EastEnders chaos, with Turner delivering a showstopping final performance.
She, and Stacey, will be missed!
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2025-10-02 09:05