In EastEnders last night (Wednesday, September 3), the soap revealed a surprising connection between Max Branning and Zoe Slater. This came as Zoe lay dying from a gunshot wound, after being shot by Jack and Ravi in a violent showdown.
As Zoe fought for her life, a series of flashbacks revealed what had become of Zoe since her exit from Walford. She’d given birth to twins months after leaving, although one had died, and she had abandoned the other at the hospital soon afterwards.
The soap had one more surprise up its sleeve – the return of Max Branning. But what do we know about Zoe and Max’s relationship? And have they ever shared a scene prior to last night’s episode?
When Zoe (didn’t) meet Max – time on EastEnders explained
They’re both iconic residents of EastEnders in the early 00s, but Max and Zoe have never actually shared a scene on the soap so far. Zoe’s final episode on June 24, 2005, while Max didn’t join the soap until a year later, with his first episode airing on June 26, 2006.
This means that the pair missed each other by almost exactly one year.
What does Zoe know about Max, given her estrangement from the rest of the Slater family?
Does Zoe know about the affair between Max and Stacey?
It’s unclear what exactly Zoe knows about her family. According to Kat, her daughter slowly ‘drifted away’ after leaving Walford, becoming estranged from her mum and the rest of her family. Zoe moved to Ibiza soon after leaving her family… and immediately after giving birth, if last night’s flashbacks are anything to go by.
By 2015, she had a new job and boyfriend in Spain, and wanted nothing to do with her mum. However, she was still in contact with Mo and Stacey at this point, and even reached out to her mum telling her not to bother visiting.
This suggests that she shared some form of communication with her relatives back home, so presumably knew about Stacey’s marriage to Bradley Branning and his death in 2010, at the very least.
She was also aware of Kat’s marriage to Phil, having turned down Lily’s invite to the ceremony. How much more than that she knows about her family – and Max Branning – remains to be seen.
