EastEnders fans point out huge 'plot hole' as Max and Cindy face off at Jimmy's christening
Cindy didn't see that one coming
Max Branning and Cindy Beale officially met in EastEnders tonight (Monday, December 29)… mere days after hooking up on Christmas night. The pair shared a steamy (or at least steamed) liaison at The Albert, both unaware of the other’s identity.
They shared a surprising reunion when Max decided to crash Jimmy’s christening tonight, which is when the truth finally came out. This will come as a big shock to Cindy – who realises that she’d been intimate with the man who she thinks killed her son.
But did it really make sense?
Max crashed the christening tonight
Following the events of Christmas, Lauren and Peter were keen to forge ahead with Jimmy’s christening. First order of business – telling Max that he’s not welcome, out of fear of what a Max and Cindy confrontation might look like.
However, after getting a really thoughtful gift from Max, Lauren had second thoughts, and re-invited him to the christening.
It wasn’t long before he was uninvited again, after another bombshell from Jack. It turns out Abi Jr. was now with Tanya after Max had lost her, while he was off sleeping with a neighbour.
After a word of advice from Linda (via his trying to hit on Marie), Max decided to attend the christening anyway. With the congregation gathered, Max sauntered in mid-ceremony, sidling up to Cindy in the pews.
Recognising each other from Christmas Night, the penny finally dropped. But what fireworks will fly?
EastEnders fans point out ‘plot hole’ in Max and Cindy hookup
Whatever the aftermath might be, some fans have expressed surprise that it ever managed to get this far. After all, shouldn’t Max and Cindy at least know what the other looks like, given how intertwined the two families are?
“It’s pathetic that Cindy supposedly doesn’t know what Max looks like,” wrote one fan on X.
“I still don’t understand how I’m supposed to believe that Cindy and Max don’t know what each other look like,” said another.
A third agreed: “And max has never seen a photo of Cindy or Cindy seen one of Max.”
Know thy enemy indeed.
Under Salt Marsh: More bombshells in episode 2 including real identity of Cefin's dad, and all the new suspects
For starters, we discovered why everyone in hates
Now, back in town looking into the death of Cefin Hill, it's looking more and more likely that the two crimes are connected.
In episode 2 of Under Salt Marsh, viewers discovered Cefin's dad wasn't who we thought he was. Meanwhile, Eric and Jackie reluctantly started investigating the murder together, and found the likely place where the young boy was killed... Here's the events unpacked.
***Warning: spoilers from Under Salt Marsh episode 2 ahead***
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Kieran Benbow became prime suspect in Under Salt Marsh episode 2 (Credit: Sky Atlantic)[/caption]
Who is The Bee Man?
Before he died, Cefin Hill had drawn a picture of a figure in a white protective hazmat suit. This spooked Jackie, as she'd seen almost exactly the same picture before... Her niece Nessa Taman had drawn a near identical picture just before she went missing three years before.
When questioned about the drawings, Cefin's best friend James told Jackie the pictures were of The Bee Man. The same man had given Cefin a present for his birthday. Jackie recognised the description of the man as beekeeper Kieran Benbow, who lives on the isolated Spider Island (which only has 16 residents).
Add that to the fact Cefin had a bee sting on his neck when he died, and Jackie had every reason to fear the worst. Not to mention, Kieran was also a suspect in Nessa's disappearance. Witnesses saw him un the woods on the morning Nessa went missing.
Who is Cefin Hill's real dad?
All became clear when Jackie travelled to Spider Island to snoop on Kieran. As she arrived, she saw Kieran and Cefin's mum Shell together.
We later learnt that Shell and Kieran had been seeing each other "around the time Cefin was born". So it didn't take a genius to work out Kieran was actually's Cefin's dad. Shell had had an affair with him nine year ago.
And that explained why Cefin visited Spider Island, and spent time with Kieran. Of course, when a devastated Danny Hill – already deep in grief – discovered he wasn't Cefin's dad, he became inconsolable. He travelled to Spider Island with a gun, but ended up turning it on himself.
Luckily, both Jackie and DI Eric Bull managed to save him from himself and stop him pulling the trigger.
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Eric Bull and Jackie Ellis working together to catch a killer (Credit: Sky Atlantic)[/caption]
Is the murder of Cefin Hill linked to Nessa Taman's disappearance?
Well, there are several connections, apart from the fact they both lived in the same town. Cefin and Nessa both drew the same picture three years apart. Whether The Bee Man – aka Kieran – was involved or not, this is more than a coincidence.
Both were nine-year-old children. However, Nessa's body was never recovered. It was also believed that Nessa had been in the woods the day she disappeared. But Jackie discovered this might not actually be true.
Kieran had been in the woods that day, with his son Cefin. He insisted that Nessa had NOT been there. This turned the whole investigation into Nessa's disappearance on its head. It also means that the Bevan cousins had lied about seeing Nessa there. But why would they lie?
All the suspects in Under Salt Marsh
In Under Salt Marsh episode 1, the pathologist told DI Eric Bull that the hair found on Cefin's dead body was NOT his own. Described as short, and brown, the hair didn't match any other on the police database. We also discovered that the killer wore protective gloves and a suit.
Tragically, the killer held Cefin under the water until he drowned. There was proof that he'd struggled, with bruising on the back of his neck, and finger marks from the pressure.
But crucially, we learnt that there'd been sodium hydroxide in the water in which he was drowned - most likely from a landfill or site of industrial waste. This also means that the killer could well have some burns on his skin from the sodium hydroxide.
Jackie and Eric, forced to work together, discovered that there was waste buried at the old quarry on Solomon Bevan's land. Viewers also knew that Cefin and his mate James would often go to Bevan's farm after school. So the Bevan family, killers or not, seem to be connected in some way...
Of course, Kieran 'The Bee Man' Benbow could well still be a suspect. Although it's less likely he'd kill his own son.
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Rafe Spall as DI Eric Bull in Under Salt Marsh (Credit: Sky Atlantic)[/caption]
What else did we learn in under Salt Marsh episode 2?
- We learnt that the police suspended Jackie Ellis for "gross misconduct". But why, we'll have to wait to find out.
- Cefin's best friend James was the last known person to see him alive. He seems scared and reluctant to help the police. Seems he's hiding something.
- Dylan, Jackie's lover, was working on the sea wall the night Cefin died. We also learnt that he has a police record for petty offences such as drug possession.
