EastEnders spoilers follow for Tuesday’s episode (10 February), which is available to watch now on streaming service BBC iPlayer and hasn’t yet aired on TV.
EastEnders has brought back iconic character Jake Moon this week, as actor Joel Beckett reprises his role for a third stint on the show. He is back for a very important reason, as he wants answers about his estranged partner Chrissie Watts – and Zoe Slater wants him to help get her out of prison in return.
There are some very nostalgic scenes this week, as Jake reluctantly returns to Walford and reunites with his second cousin Alfie after over 20 years. In case you’re completely unfamiliar with this character or just need a reminder, we’ve got you covered with a handy recap – who is Jake Moon and what is his history in Albert Square?
Who is Jake Moon in EastEnders?
Jake Moon first arrived in Albert Square at the very end of 2004 with his brother Danny, as second cousins of Alfie and Spencer. It isn’t long before he witnessed his boss Andy Hunter get murdered by Johnny Allen – and he then spent several months working for Johnny in the aftermath.
He had a short-lived fling with Chrissie, but in July 2005 Jake planned to flee Walford after Danny set fire to Johnny’s house. But the brothers were caught by Johnny, who drove them into the woods to kill them. The fates of both Jake and Danny were left up in the air for several months, until Jake showed up and it was revealed that Johnny had let them go.
Jake and Chrissie later got back together, but Chrissie then confessed to him that she had killed Den – whose body had been found weeks earlier. The pair decide to run away together, but it was too late as Chrissie’s confession was caught on camera, and she was arrested at the airport.
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Though Chrissie was in prison, Jake refused to give up on their relationship and proposed to her. But Chrissie didn’t want him to put his life on hold, so she told Jake that she was going to plead guilty to murder and asked him never to visit her again.
After his relationship with Chrissie ended, Jake found out that his brother Danny was living in Johnny’s mansion. Danny was following Johnny’s orders, and Jake found out that he had killed Dennis Rickman – Sharon’s husband.
Danny was set to kill Grant Mitchell, as per Johnny’s orders, but before he could do so, Jake shot his brother, who died. Jake buried Danny in the woods, then took in Johnny’s daughter Ruby after Johnny was arrested for Dennis’ murder.
Why was Jake presumed dead?
Johnny continued to pay Jake to look after Ruby while he was in prison. But Jake made an enemy out of Ruby’s boyfriend Sean Slater, and Sean found out that Jake killed Danny. In October 2006, Jake told Johnny about Sean’s schemes, and Johnny then told Sean that he would kill him if he didn’t break up with Ruby.
Johnny then ordered Jake to kill Sean, but he had a heart attack while making the phone call from prison. He only uttered the words, "Jake, kill him for me", before he collapsed and later died in hospital. But Johnny’s cellmate misunderstood his words and believed he wanted him to kill Jake.
In Jake’s final scene, he decided to leave Walford, but before he escaped, a man approached him and asked if he was Jake Moon. This was the last anyone saw of Jake, so the viewers – as well as his loved ones – believed that he was killed in a tragic mistake. But this was far from the truth…
When did Jake return?
Flashforward to 2024, and Sharon found herself in prison with her former stepmother Chrissie – who admitted that she was carrying Jake’s baby when she first went to jail in 2005. Sadly, Chrissie explained that she suffered a miscarriage two weeks later, and Jake never knew that he was set to become a dad.
Later that week, Chrissie was released from prison after serving a 19-year sentence, and she made a mysterious phone call to an old face. Later, Chrissie made a very brief return to the Square, stepping out of a flashy sports car – and accompanied by none other than Jake, who was confirmed to be alive.
Jake remarked that he had waited 19 years to get Chrissie back, and the reunited pair headed off into the sunset together after stopping by The Vic one last time. Heartbreakingly, Jake missed seeing his cousin Alfie by mere seconds. But this time around, the Moons come face to face…
Why is Jake back in Walford again?
Jake and Chrissie’s rekindled relationship seemed to hit a stumbling block over Christmas. When it was revealed that it was Chrissie who was sending sinister threats to Zoe, and using Jasmine to do her dirty work, there was a series of unanswered texts from Jake on Chrissie’s phone, begging her to return his calls.
With Zoe currently behind bars for Anthony’s murder, this week Jake requested a prison visit to get answers about how he really died. He explained that he hasn’t seen Chrissie in months, and that they broke up over Christmas as he didn’t want to be part of her obsessive revenge plot.
Unaware that it was Jasmine who killed Anthony, Zoe made it clear to Jake that Chrissie killed him and framed her for murder. After hearing this, Jake vowed to wash his hands of Chrissie for good and explained that he had been offered a job in France that he could start next week.
Despite Zoe pleading with Jake to help her track down Chrissie, he refused. But after Zoe updated her mum, Kat and Vicki managed to find Jake’s canal boat in Camden. They told a lie about Alfie to lure Jake back to Walford, and he reunited with his cousin – who assumed that he was dead.
What's next for Jake?
Jake and Alfie’s first meeting was rather strained, but they eventually bonded over the memory of their beloved Nana Moon. As the week continues, Jake stays the night at The Vic and then gets a traumatic blast from the past when he bumps into Phil. Remember, Phil and Grant are the only people who know that Jake killed Danny all those years ago, so he uses this meeting to lay some ghosts of his past to rest.
Phil convinces Jake to do right by Kat and Alfie, so he agrees to send Chrissie a message to lure her back to Walford. As Jake and Kat wait for her to arrive, what happens next is being kept under wraps – but we know now that next week, Kat enters into an unlikely alliance with Chrissie and Jake and sets a trap to bring missing Jasmine to them.
Jake is only back in Walford for a short stint, but he could play a crucial role in this tense murder plot…
EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.
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