Max makes it official in EastEnders – but doom by Cindy is ‘sealed’
Forget the night that changed everything, every single hour, Max Branning (Jake Wood) seems to be turning his own existence upside down with a series of erratic mistakes and self-damaging acts.
Not too long after declaring his undying love for Linda Carter (Kellie Bright), Max is now properly into Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins).
There’s no denying that the mischevious pair have an electric energy, and that’s something Max wanted to seal in when he suddenly proposed to her, despite their on/off relationship having only been in existence for around two months.
He moves fast, that lad – but that’s totally in character, I guess!
Too fast though for Cindy, who, after a disastrous chain of marriages and affairs of her own, is not quite ready to commit to another disaster – and, let’s face it, that’s exactly what Max is destined to bring.
Max was put out by the rejection and, rather than licking his wounds calmly and re-assessing his approach, he took a strop and immediately made a move on the first woman he came face to face with.
Enter Priya Nandra-Hart (Sophie Khan Levy).
Accidentally being drawn into the irresistable radar of Walford’s premier love rat, Priya has not been shy of struggles recently, with the criminal antics of Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara) leading to a breakdown that has needed some major mental health intervention.
Not having felt loved for some time and under the burden of stress that took its toll, Priya was soon responding to Max and the pair made the mutual mistake of sleeping together.
If only Max had waited literally hours – having mulled things over, Cindy changed her mind and decided to marry him after all.
But now they are entering the road to matrimony with a whopper of a secret hanging over them.
And it’s only a matter of time before it will explode.
Next week, Max determines to make it official, and properly proposes down on one knee, earning a passionate kiss from a grinning Cindy.
But is Priya truly likely to forget what happened? Could it be used to her advantage at some stage? Or will she be just as eager to keep it under wraps?
Things never stay secret forever in EastEnders and, with things shifting dramatically once more for Max in the second half of the year, leading to a pregnancy, a wedding, a police chase and a hostage situation at the start of 2027, it’s evident there’s a lot of chaos to be unleashed before then.
But what part will Priya play in all of this?
And, if (when?) Cindy finds out, could Max regret it – her wrath against men has seen her hire assassins and shove people under cars, and that’s just Ian (Adam Woodyatt).
Cheating on Cindy might be the most dangerous thing he has done to date…
