by EastEnders spoilers follow.
EastEnders have given Stacey Slater and Jack Branning a heartwarming kiss.
The romantic clinch could have huge implications given that Stacey and Jack have more than a decade of history, on top of their current relationship as grandparents to Ricky and Lily’s daughter, Charli.
EastEnders cast member Scott Maslen has confirmed that Jack and Stacey’s awkward kiss won’t be a one-off.
“It’s true that there are some emotions because you don’t do things like that without them being emotions,” he said. “All roads lead to this too, so there’s a lot of tension, a lot of stress, a lot of factors that have led to this point and miscommunication.
“It’s reading between the lines and thinking something when it’s not, and it gets to the point where you know what hits the fans. [Laughs] Is it expected? Is it something that was going to happen in John’s eyes? Absolutely not, but that’s EastEnders.”
The actor denied the kiss was “retaliation” for Jack’s wife, Denise, almost cheating on him with Ravi earlier this year.
“There is no retaliation with Jack,” he said. “I think he’s wound up. Denise didn’t sleep with him, but Jack’s the kind of person where a kiss is as bad, maybe worse.
“So I think that’s always been in his mind, and he hasn’t dealt with the Ravi thing properly yet, and that’s just one of the elements that goes into why he sleeps with Stacey. It’s a big one, but as people will find out, it becomes complicated and uneasy. I don’t think he has forgiven Denise.”
Addressing the state of Jack’s marriage, Scott said: “I think he’s in a desperate place. I don’t think you’re thinking about saving a marriage when it’s falling apart. You realize it’s falling apart each other and so you are more focused on that. , and it seems to be the dominant factor.
“If Denise was showing signs that she wanted it to work, he might see those signs and act on it but he’s seeing it getting worse and worse, so he’s not only so much he can do. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink so I think he thinks that’s what’s happening in his relationship, and it’s literally at the end.”
“But he’s holding on, because he loves the family, he loves the kids, and it’s a structure that’s safe, and it’s all about that because his life has been all over the place before. He is in a very unstable position now,” he said/
Viewers already know that Stacey is one of six women who will find a body in the Vic on Christmas Day – and Jack is one of the confirmed men who could die.
“Every journey of everyone involved in this story goes in different ways,” Scott said. “That’s what’s exciting. What you expect characters to be, they break their character traits. There are things going on where you go, ‘Hang on a minute what’s going on here?’ and ‘Why are they behaving like that?’ You’ll see a lot of characters you think you know and recognize, doing things you don’t.
“The complexities of the storyline bring out characteristics in the characters that are not common to the audience. They will see people going to new places.”
The actor added: “It’s epic. I’m 16 years old here, and I don’t remember being so busy, because it’s a really busy story. Christmas is the perfect time for big stories. , are great to do and this definitely is. It goes all over the place and people can’t work it out. Most actors can’t work it out. It’s very exciting times.”
Jack and Stacey recently grew closer when Jack was under pressure in his marriage to Denise Fox, prompting Stacey to enlist the help of Walford PD detectives to find her missing friend Eve Unwin.
In Thursday’s episode (December 14), Stacey worried that her stalker Theo might be involved in Eve’s disappearance after he sent her a Christmas card.
Stacey tried to speak to the police about her concerns, although she later informed Suki Kaur Panesar that the Walford PD said there was nothing they could do to help.
A furious Stacey left a threatening voicemail message for Theo, warning that she wouldn’t hesitate to go back if he was the one behind Eve’s death.
In fact, Theo has nothing to do with Eve’s sudden departure – she had to go on the run to avoid her father Nish Panesar’s order to kill her.
Stacey turned to Jack for help again when she discovered the door was unlit, although the copper insisted Theo was in Scotland at the time.
After a row over her threatening voicemail, Stacey went to the Vic for a drink with Kat. Although she tried to take her mind off her troubles, Stacey soon went out to apologize to Jack.
Jack invited Stacey in and they were soon commiserating about his long history of romantic troubles with other partners.
“Neither of us can keep a relationship down. That’s why we’re here drinking cheap wine and eating pizza while our kids are out living,” she admitted eagerly.
While Denise was drinking alone at the Vic, Stacey and Jack were getting close – and as Stacey went to leave, the two shared a passionate kiss.
This kiss could have huge ramifications for both of them due to Stacey’s past love affairs with Jack’s nephew Bradley Branning and his brother Max Branning.
Jack’s niece, Lauren Branning, will return to Albert Square in the near future, along with the copper’s long-lost daughter Penny.
EastEnders broadcast Monday – Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show is also broadcast on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am before their TV broadcast.
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