EastEnders spoilers follow for Monday’s (February 9) episode which is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

No sooner has Jake Moon (Joel Beckett) returned to our screens is the flighty, lovesick, ducker-and-diver planning to disappear all over again, as his desperate search for answers regarding his long-time love, Chrissie Watts’ (Tracy-Ann Oberman), and what really happened to Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) on Christmas Day lead to further heartbreak.

After Chrissie was finally released from prison after serving a 19 year stretch for the murder of her philandering husband, Den Watts (Leslie Grantham), she reunited with a presumed-dead Jake, with the ready to finally start a life together.

Which, apparently, didn’t last very long.

Chrissie’s thirst for vengeance cost her relationship with Jake

Appearing in the prison visiting room to press Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) on what exactly happened to Anthony on that fateful, festive night, she presumed that Jake’s visit was just another of Chrissie’s games, designed to torment her further, but he corrected her. He hadn’t had any contact with Chrissie for months. While he knew of Chrissie’s scheme against Zoe, he had no intention of playing a role in it.

Jake explained that Chrissie’s dark side re-emerged upon seeing an article about Zoe’s shooting and forging an unholy union with her presumed-dead daughter, Jasmine Fisher (Indeyarna Donaldson-Holness) to terrorise her, Joel presented her with an ultimatum: him and, by extension, their relationship and the new life they’d built, or vengeance.

Naturally for the wicked witch of Walford, she chose vengeance.

While Zoe didn’t believe that Jake had no idea where Chrissie is, he admitted to still loving her. With unwavering conviction, he said to Zoe that Den had driven her to kill him, dripping with the implication that he believes, deep down, that Chrissie is not a stone cold murderer and pleaded to know what happened at Christmas so he could finally decide whether or not to move on with his life.

Zoe scoffed and told him, in no uncertain terms, that Chrissie both killed Anthony and framed her.

Jake’s unwilling to believe her, despite Zoe’s protestations that Chrissie all but admitted to the crime.

At the end of his tether, Jake announces that he’s done. He’s been offered a job in France and could be munching on croissants as soon as next week. Zoe’s panic rises as she sees her last hope of finding Chrissie and bringing her to justice slipping away and pleads with him to help her.

Jake lamented his recent existence, sitting on a canal boat while contemplating what a life away from Chrissie and the ever-present trouble she brings would be like. Still unconvinced that his love killed Anthony, Jake has reached a conclusion after all: he can never trust Chrissie and he won’t waste another moment on her.

As Zoe plays her remaining card, that they’re family via Kat and Alfie Moon (Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie), Jake isn’t for turning, makes his apologies and leaves.

Kat is determined to help Zoe

Straight on the phone to Kat, Zoe implores her to track Jake down and convince him to help her. With Alfie out and phone-less, Kat ropes in Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) to help her, and the two search the local quay for any sign of Jake.

As the girls locate his boat with the help of a friendly passer-by, they get to talking about their individual situations, with both Kat’s daughter and Vicki’s demon step son Joel Marshall (Max Murray) in prison, and despite a few missteps, the duo find resolution in their relationship.

With time running out, Kat peers through the window, the presence of suitcases indicating that Jake has yet to leave. She decides to break in before Vicki finds a second key hidden in a plant pot, and the two gain access to the boat.

Can Kat and Vicki convince Jake to help secure Zoe’s freedom? Or is Zoe looking at one hell of a lot of porridge?