The BBC One soap ended its event week titled ‘The Night That Changes Everything’ with some key events occurring for multiple major characters.
Yet, while this week marked big events for multiple families in Walford, it also posed a whole new set of questions - including how it connects to the events of the New Year’s Day flash forward episode…
1. Will Denise Fox survive blood cancer?
This week saw a pitch-perfect performance from Diane Parish - 20 years after her arrival as Denise in Walford - as we saw the Enders icon break down about her diagnosis.
The soap hasn’t shied away from the difficult road ahead for Denise and even shared some difficult mortality rates connected to the condition, particularly the barriers for Black women.
We also saw Denise receive emotional support from Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) after she told him what she’s been going through.
Now, we do know that Denise will survive until at least New Year’s Day 2027 and is well enough to be walking around, but does this mean she will defy the odds? It remains to be seen.
Read More: EastEnders finally confirms beloved character return 20 years after debut amid emotional Denise Fox story2. How does Ian Beale avoid jail time - or does he?
Considering how serious Jordan’s injuries are and the fury felt by the Fox-Trueman clan, it seems unlikely that Ian will escape this situation entirely unscathed, considering he was over the limit. At the very least, his political career looks set to be in tatters.
Or has Ian already served a short sentence?
We’ll have to wait and see what lies ahead for the Walford veteran.
3. What next for Chelsea Fox and son Jordan?
Jordan’s health is not out of the woods yet, and it seems there will be lasting consequences for mother and son.
We also know that Jordan’s serial killer father, Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith), is set to make a guest return to the soap.
Could Jordan’s health issues trigger Gray's return to Chelsea’s life?
4. Is Max Branning’s 2027 bride really Cindy Beale?
It now seems that the most obvious answer is his current partner and now fiancée, Cindy Beale (Michelle Collins). Despite Max’s cringe-worthy impromptu proposal and Cindy’s initial rejection, the pair ended the week engaged.
Does this mean that Cindy and Max will be over before 2027, or does Cindy learn what happened and stay engaged to Max but plotting revenge? Or does she reach January 2027 none the wiser?
Given all that Denise and Jack face in the months ahead, it feels we can still rule out Denise as Max’s future bride.
Finally, while Chelsea Fox was completely unconnected to Max’s story this week, some fans wondered if there were clues to her being the bride...
Chelsea’s off-white corset and trousers at the wedding could be a visual clue that she’s eventually the bride. Maybe we're clutching at straws, but if Max can propose at someone else’s wedding, Chelsea can show up the bride in near white….a match made in heaven?The shot above also features a clock reading '1' and '1' aka 01/01 aka 1 January! Yes, we have our tin foil hats on!Is the actual reason Oscar Branning (Pierre Counihan-Moullier) - who barely featured this week outside of the promo imagery - is called a “Trueman” by Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) in the flash forward episode because Chelsea - Patrick’s surrogate granddaughter - is set to become Oscar’s stepmother and not because of Oscar’s love triangle with Patrick’s biological grandchildren, Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) and Josh Goodwin (Joshua Vaughn)?On the 2027 wedding day, Kathy Beale (Gillian Taylforth) asks Ian if a woman has moved on from “everything” that went down with Ian and Max in 2026, which Ian claims to have done himself. This could be to do with Cindy, but could it be connected to Ian’s story with Chelsea and Jordan instead? Ian serving as best man at Max and Chelsea’s wedding after what happened this week would be surprising!5. Is Priya Nandra-Hart set to be the pregnant woman in Max Branning’s bed in 2027?
However, while this could indicate that Max will end up being the father of Priya’s unborn baby, Priya also had a sexual encounter with true love Ravi Gulati (Aaron Thiara), earlier that same day.
Is it the case that Max is platonically sharing a bed with Priya when 2027 arrives and she’s actually pregnant with a third child with Ravi? Or is this indeed a Branning love child? Or could Priya be letting Max think this is the case?
Of course, Priya could be a total red herring in this storyline.
We were told by executive producer Ben Wadey that this year would really be about questioning if Max Branning could change….
6. Do Max Branning’s actions this week point to the mystery gunman?
As mentioned, this could trigger a revenge plot from the often “irrational” Cindy Beale.
It feels very personal to want to put Max’s children in harm’s way to punish him, and given that Cindy previously blamed Max for losing her son Steven, is this her doing that they face being executed?
Additionally, Ravi is currently not on the Square, but could he return to take revenge on Max for either conceiving a pregnancy with Priya or because he believes Max is interfering in Priya’s pregnancy with Ravi’s child?
Finally, Max is still wary of Mark Fowler’s (Stephen Aaron-Sipple) presence in Lauren’s life, so it would appear we still can’t rule out organised crime playing a role here.
7. Is Lauren Beale going to give in to temptation with Mark Fowler?
If the pair really are heading for a highly signposted affair, the show is certainly taking its time with ‘Mauren’ as a true slow burn - something we could have done with in regards to a few other affairs!
We do know that Mark remains in Lauren’s orbit in 2027, but we don’t know the extent of this. We do know she’s currently keeping secrets from husband Peter Beale (Thomas Law) that Max doesn’t approve of.
Can Lauren really resist the Branning tendency for adultery?
8. What will be the consequences of how Eddie Knight died?
The racist murderer finally succumbed to his terminal lung cancer, but not before a showdown with his abused adopted son, George, who stood and watched as Eddie struggled for air and refused to aid him.
Next week, George will throw himself into boxing following Eddie’s death, but so much so that he places his own life in danger.
After an unwitting Mark accidentally hits George in the head next week, he’ll lose consciousness. Ultimately, George’s friend Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) will find George, but when he comes to, George refuses treatment. Will it be okay?
It seems history will still prove difficult for the Knight clan…
9. What next for the Knight-Mitchell clan after Nicola Mitchell’s actions?
Of course, Nicola was a new mother and was motivated by the desire to protect her and George’s new blended family, but this is quite the betrayal…
If that tension caused by Nicola wouldn’t be enough, Nicola has also hidden from Harry and Gina her previous suspicions that Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine) was carrying Harry’s child and not the offspring of Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota). Will Nicola’s secrets come back to ruin her family?
On New Year’s Day 2027, we do know that Nicola and George are sharing a drink in the pub, so at the very least they’re co-parenting on good terms…
10. Will Alfie Moon’s food poisoning antics threaten the Moons' being in the Queen Vic?
Or, could Alfie Moon’s prawns come back to haunt the Moons in another way entirely?
Could this be because Alfie’s reckless food preparation has added to his clan’s troubles, meaning that he and wife Kat Moon (Jessie Wallace) are no longer in the pub by next year?
Read more:
EastEnders legend teases "dangerous" dynamic between Max Branning and Cindy BealeEastEnders boss teases "emotional" Denise Fox scenes from blood cancer storyline after 20 years on the showEastEnders wins Soap award at BAFTA Television Awards 2026 as fan-favourite delivers speech amid anniversaryAdd EastEnders to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
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