It’s crisis time for Callum and Johnny next week in EastEnders, and this one could seriously be make or break.
What starts as a messy bit of meddling quickly spirals into full-blown chaos, with Linda sticking her oar in, Tim refusing to back down, and Max taking matters into his own hands in typically dramatic fashion.
Linda is already uneasy afterTim’s so-called ‘test’ of Callum, and she can’t shake the feeling that she should have stopped it before it ever got this far. In an emotional moment, she admits to Elaine that she could have intervened. Elaine urges her to leave it alone, but when has Linda ever been good at that?
Ignoring the advice, she comes clean to Johnny about everything.
Safe to say, it does not go down well.
Johnny is furious that his mum has interfered yet again, especially when things are already fragile between him and Callum. Instead of fixing anything, Linda’s confession just pours petrol on the fire.
Things only get more awkward when Johnny has to meet Tim at the office to sign paperwork. It’s tense enough as it is, but then Linda turns up and lays into Tim, berating him and making a scene. Johnny is mortified. The last thing he needs is his mum fighting his battles in public.
He sends her packing, desperate to salvage some dignity.
He insists they go for a drink, and just when it seems like the situation couldn’t get more uncomfortable, Callum walks in.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
With emotions already running high, this love triangle-turned-power struggle explodes. Callum is left blindsided by what’s been happening behind his back, and Johnny is forced to face the fallout of decisions made in the name of ‘protection’.
Meanwhile, Linda is spiralling. Feeling guilty and panicked about the mess she’s helped create, she confides in Max. And as ever, Max doesn’t just listen, he acts.
In a move that’s pure Max Branning energy, he pretends to be Tim’s taxi driver and takes control of the situation himself.
It’s risky. It’s dramatic. And it’s guaranteed to cause even more chaos.
Back in the Square, Linda is frantic when she realises what Max has done. She rushes to Johnny, telling him that Max has taken Tim, but Johnny has bigger problems. He now has to tell Callum exactly what’s happened.
When the truth comes out, Callum is initially furious. From his perspective, secrets have been kept, decisions have been made without him, and lines have been crossed. It looks like betrayal.
But when Johnny explains that everything he did was to protect Callum and Lexi, the anger shifts.
Instead of rage, Callum is hit with guilt. Suddenly, the situation doesn’t feel so black and white. Johnny wasn’t trying to undermine him. He was trying to shield the people he loves.
Elsewhere, Max’s plan unfolds exactly as intended. He makes it crystal clear to Tim that he is not welcome in Walford, and that if he knows what’s good for him, he won’t be coming back.
It’s a bold warning, but whether Tim listens is another matter entirely.
With interference from Linda, vigilante tactics from Max, and trust hanging by a thread, Callum and Johnny are left at a crossroads. Can they move past the secrecy and outside meddling, or has too much damage been done?
