EastEnders spoilers follow from Monday's episode (15 September), which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer but hasn't yet aired on BBC One.
EastEnders revisits Max Branning's return plot tonight as Zoe Slater makes a desperate call for his help.
As Zoe fears that she's no longer safe on Albert Square, she reaches out to Max with an emotional phone message.
Monday's episode sees Zoe try to settle back into Walford after being discharged from hospital following the recent shooting.
The police have assured Zoe that she should be safe as the incident wasn't a targeted attack, although she's not entirely convinced of this. Either way, she knows that she needs to keep a low profile following the violent incident with evil Greg Dolan, which has made her a potential target for revenge attacks.
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Trouble erupts for Zoe when she learns that her outspoken family members Freddie Slater and Mo Harris have shared details of her shooting ordeal online.
This has inspired a local newspaper to openly name her as the victim of the recent shooting, revealing her location and potentially putting her at risk.
As Zoe wonders what to do next, she decides that Max is the only person she can truly rely on…
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Zoe calls Max but is frustrated when he doesn't pick up. Leaving him a message, she explains: "Look, this ain't the time for games, Max. You wanted to talk, let's talk.
"They know where I am. They're coming for me, and I am sat here like a sitting duck."
She adds: "You're the one who walked away. I needed you and you wanted out, but you ain't going to get to walk away this time. Like you always do, 'cause you're a coward.
"My boy is still out there and this can't have all been for nothing. Just come and get me."
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Earlier this month, special flashback scenes explored how Max helped Zoe when she wanted to track down her long-lost son.
Zoe ended up in a violent encounter with villainous Greg, who claimed to have important information to share with her. After fighting back against Greg and leaving him for dead, Zoe fled from the scene with Max.
Jake Wood, who plays Max, recently spoke to us about the longer-term plans for Max following his initial brief cameo in the storyline.
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"I am going to come back imminently, before my full time return later on this year," Jake exclusively told us.
He added: "I think the feelings between Max and Zoe are genuine, I think they had a genuine connection.
"Max was helping her to find the son that she’d given up for adoption, and obviously that subject is very pertinent to Max, in terms of losing touch with his kids, that’s very personal to him. So I think he felt close to her in that sense, to help her. But we’ll see where it goes."
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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