UNEXPECTED RETURN 🔥 Jake Moon Comes Back to EastEnders — But His Real Motive Will Shock You
Jake Moon is back in Walford, more than a year after leaving with Chrissie Watts, and Zoe Slater was convinced he had come back for the same reasons her nemesis did
EastEnders sees Jake Moon back in Walford(Image: CREDIT LINE:BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
EastEnders has welcomed Jake Moon back to Walford. His return was teased last week, but he was seen for the first time in over a year on Monday’s episode (February 9).
When Zoe Slater (Michelle Ryan) called her mother, Kat (Jessie Wallace), to say that Jake (Joel Beckett) wanted to visit her in prison, she theorised that his obsession with Chrissie Watts (Tracy-Ann Oberman) meant he wanted to torment her, just like Chrissie had. But this wasn’t the case, nor had Jake really returned to be with Chrissie at all.
After meeting with Zoe in Monday’s episode, Jake asked why she k.i.l.l.e.d Anthony Trueman (Nicholas Bailey) and seemed intent on finding out if Chrissie really did it, as Zoe and Kat believe.
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Zoe thought Jake was back for Chrissie(Image: BBC)
When pushed, he revealed that he was tired of waiting for Chrissie, who had become obsessed with Zoe. As such, this was his last attempt to find a reason to stay before taking a job in France.
Failing to find that reason, Jake stormed out of the prison. Kat and Vicki Fowler (Alice Haig) went looking for him and found his houseboat, where his bags had been packed and were waiting to be picked up.
Joel Beckett has spoken about his return to EastEnders. The character was last on the Square briefly in 2024, when he and Chrissie said goodbye to Walford before fleeing together. Before that, he hadn’t been seen since 2026, and the majority of his family believed he was d.e.a.d.
Joel explained that it was “unfinished business” that brought Jake back. “He returns with unfinished business alongside unresolved emotions, and Albert Square brings it all straight to the surface. Coming back forces him to face the people he loved, the choices he made, and the parts of himself he has spent the last 20 years avoiding.”
Jake is back after years away(Image: BBC)
His family believe he is d.e.a.d(Image: BBC)
He added that the last 20 years on the run had both changed his character and kept him stuck emotionally. “Everyone thought he was d.e.a.d for the last 20 years, and he has had a life on the run. It has made him more cautious and controlled – he thinks before he acts now. Emotionally, he is still driven by loyalty and love, which has not softened with time.”
Fans have been excited to see how Jake’s reunion with his cousin Alfie (Shane Richie) will go. One wrote: “Just wait until Alfie finds out that person that is visiting Zoe is his cousin Jake Moon who he thought was d.e.a.d for years. The emotional Alfie & Jake Moon scenes tomorrow are going to be heartwarming to watch.”
Another added: “I’m so excited – I love that the Moon’s are being built up again and I hope this leads to a possible return for Alfie’s brother Spencer too.”
It is very emotional and comes as a great shock to Alfie,” Joel said of their reunion. “Even for Jake, seeing Alfie brings back a flood of memories. Being around family again is not something that he has had whilst he has been gone. It really hits him hard how much he’s missed family, and that life has moved on without him.”
