EastEnders set up two major departures from the Square in Thursday's (February 14) as brothers Max and Jack Branning temporarily left Walford.
It was announced all the way back in September that Max Branning actor Jake Wood would be taking a break from the BBC One soap in early 2019. His exit played out as part of the Mel Owen murder cover-up plot.
The first half-hour of Thursday's double bill left Mel (Tamzin Outhwaite) with revenge on her mind after Jack Branning (Scott Maslen) misled her into thinking he was helping her and Hunter (Charlie Winter) flee Walford.
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In reality, he'd struck a deal with police by making them think Hunter was turning himself in for Ray's murder, and with no choice but to comply, the killer teen ended up in custody.
Jack tried to make Mel see he was doing the best thing for both her and Hunter — after all, he had personal experience losing a nephew when Bradley Branning died trying to flee police years ago.
Mel didn't see things that way, and was soon looking for her revenge on her ex-boyfriend. A panicked Max (Jake Wood) realised he needed to get Jack out of Walford quickly, ticking off his own partner Rainie Cross (Tanya Franks) in the process by planning to leave without her.
When Jack realised that Max was trying to take him away to France because Mel was plotting to kill him, he stormed out of the house to set things right once and for all.
Jack was next seen banging on Mel's door and begging to explain himself, assuring her from the doorway: "They would have caught up with him in the end. At least this way, he stands a chance!"
Mel wouldn't open the door to speak to Jack, but did surprisingly agree to talk face-to-face with Max when he turned up later. She made it clear she blamed Jack, Ray and herself for Hunter being charged with murder.
"I failed [Hunter]," Mel told Max. "You have no idea what that feels like!"
The irony of that statement wasn't lost on Max, who'd lost both son Bradley and daughter Abi due to his bad behaviour in the past, so when Mel vowed to turn herself in to save Hunter, he interjected.
"It ain't gonna make any difference," he sighed. "Jack's just told me they found Hunter's DNA. Whatever you do, he's going down."
Max tried giving Mel some words of wisdom rooted from his own tragic past: "You were prepared to kill for your boy. Hunter is lucky to have a mother like you.
"When you're inside, you need someone like that. But you need someone on the outside like that too… Stay strong for your boy."
With Max unsure of whether his brother was safe, Mel was left alone to make a final decision about what she'd do about Hunter. In the end, Mel made the choice to stay in Walford and destroyed all of Ray's belongings.
As Mel was disposing of Ray's belongings, Max approached and told her he'd be taking Jack away from the Square for a while to give her some space.
"I couldn't care less. Just keep him away from me," Mel warned.
The episode ended with Max telling Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) that he'd consider an offer to buy out his share in the cafe once he got to France — leaving Rainie gobsmacked that he left the Square without her.
Don't worry, Max won't be gone for long! Jake Wood told the ladies on Loose Women before Christmas that he was taking "a few months off EastEnders", but would be back on set in March.
"I’ve been there 12 years so my approach was always – two years ago I had a year off," Jake explained. "I love being there. I love the job, but it is very demanding.
"It’s long hours and I’ve got a family, two kids at home, and a beautiful wife I probably don’t see enough of."
Jake was initially due to go on tour with his boxing podcast Pound for Pound during his break, but the live shows were later cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".
EastEnders continues on Friday (February 15) at 8pm on BBC One.
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