WARNING: The article below is packed full of spoilers for EastEnders today, which is already available to stream on BBC iPlayer, but has yet to air on terrestrial television, as Max joins forces with an unexpected ally.
Max Branning’s entire future on Albert Square is at risk when Jasmine Fisher accused him of making a move last night. As the story continues toinight (Wednesday, January 21), a desperate Max risks everything to keep Oscar around.
The alarm bells started ringing the moment Max realised Jasmine wanted to leave the Square – and take his son with her.
How far will Max go to keep Jasmine around?
Jasmine’s shock accusations
Any attempt Max has made to intervene has backfired spectacularly. Oscar has only grown closer to Jasmine, and Max has ended up more isolated than ever. Then, in yesterday’s episode (Tuesday, January 20), Jasmine dropped the ultimate bombshell, claiming Max tried to kiss her in The Vic.
Given Max’s history, it is easy to see why people might believe her. Events leave Oscar reeling and unsure who to trust. But Kat is not convinced, and she struggles to accept her granddaughter’s story at face value.
As Kat turns to Jean to explore her suspicions that Jasmine may have killed Anthony, Max desperately tries to convince his family that he is telling the truth.
EastEnders: Max asks Cindy for help
Fed up with constantly cleaning up after him, Lauren orders Max to leave while she talks to Oscar alone. She urges her brother not to listen to Jasmine and to make his own decision for once.
While Lauren focuses on Oscar, Max is quietly working on his own plan to clear his name. A conversation with Linda gives him a glimmer of hope when she admits she believes he is innocent.
That hope grows after a tense exchange with Cindy, who also says she does not think he tried to kiss Jasmine. She cannot resist reminding him that she warned him that Jasmine was trouble, and when Max asks for her help, Cindy initially dismisses him, calling it karma for what happened with Steven.
EastEnders: Max makes a shocking alliance
Cindy’s attitude changes dramatically after she has a confrontation with Jasmine herself.
During a chilling exchange, Jasmine shows her true colours. She boasts that she will never forget the thrill she felt from pushing Cindy down the stairs.
She then issues a terrifying threat, suggesting that next time she would not even need to get her hands dirty, hinting she could track down the Ford family to do the job for her.
For Cindy, the mention of the Fords, who forced her into witness protection for more than two decades, is enough to strike real fear. Realising Jasmine has to be stopped, she contacts Max, and the former enemies agree to work together.
Putting their feud to one side, Max and Cindy hatch a plan to finally bring Jasmine down.
But as they move forward, the question remains: will they expose her lies? Or are they about to make a dangerous situation even worse?
Read more: All the biggest flaws as Jasmine reveals she killed Anthony