EastEnders’ Mick mystery ‘finally resolved’ in huge Linda and Janine showdown

Watch out Walford – the b**** is back!

It’s the moment EastEnders fans have been waiting for but the one Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) has been dreading, as Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks) makes a much-anticipated return to Albert Square.

Janine and Linda finally come face to face next week, nearly four years after their last showdown resulted in the disappearance of Mick Carter (Danny Dyer).

The former Queen Vic landlord has been presumed dead after trying to rescue his beloved Linda when the car she and Janine were travelling in went over a cliff and into the water on Christmas Day 2022.

Janine was later imprisoned for her involvement in the accident as well as for having also framed Linda for a drink-driving incident, as she desperately tried to drive a wedge between her and Mick.

Janine and Mick subsequently married, and while he and Linda reunited in the hours before his ‘death’ after Janine’s true colours were exposed, she was technically still Mrs Carter.

That residual tie that Janine has to Mick comes back to haunt Linda when the Walford superb**** makes a sudden and unexpected reappearance, armed with a bombshell to drop. 

Amid more trouble with her son Lee Carter (Danny Hatchard), next week sees Linda take a shock phone call and is stunned by what she hears. 

After some soul-searching from Elaine Peacock (Harriet Thorpe), Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) and Max Branning (Jake Wood), Linda realises she needs answers and heads off to seek the truth from Janine. 

But after the two women have a bitter reunion, Linda is ill-prepared for what she hears and refuses to believe her claims. 

Once again, Linda turns to her current love Max for support, and they prepare to face the situation together and get to the bottom of what Janine is saying. 

However, Max later makes a decision he may live to regret…

Is Janine’s new information about Mick’s whereabouts, or does it have something to do with the death certificate fans saw a glimpse of in the soap’s recent winter trailer?

We also got a preview of a showdown between Janine, Linda and Max as Charlie Brooks, Kellie Bright and Jake Wood filmed scenes together outside a church where an apparent funeral was taking place. 

Could Mick finally be laid to rest, or is there more to Janine’s return than first meets the eye? Given this is Janine we’re talking about, we’d put money on the latter…