Well, Albert Square, brace yourself: the Brannings have officially reclaimed their rightful place as EastEnders’ messiest dynasty—and this time, they’ve brought a bisexual firecracker with them. Yes, the rumours are true. Oscar Branning is back, he’s chaotic, and he is camp with a capital C.
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Tuesday night’s (15 July) episode confirmed what many gay viewers had already suspected: the 18-year-old tearaway swings both ways. That’s right—Oscar Branning, newly released from a stint in a young offenders institute, has declared himself bisexual. And he did it with the kind of flair that makes you sit upright, clutch your pearls, and whisper “iconic.”
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In case you missed Monday night’s (14 July) episode, allow us to catch you up. Oscar, last seen on the Square as a child in 2017, came barrelling back into Walford with a new face (courtesy of theatre darling Pierre Moullier), a prison record, and the kind of chaotic energy that gay Twitter lives for.
Right out the gate, Oscar had the girls—and gays—gasping. Upon meeting his sister Lauren’s (Jacqueline Jossa) boyfriend Peter (Thomas Law), he didn’t hesitate: “Smash,” he declared, eyeing him like a meal. Later, he dubbed him “Hot Pete,” and assured his sister he wouldn’t sleep with her man… even if “Hot Pete” came onto him.
We’ve all got our boundaries. Oscar just negotiates his in front of family.
It didn’t stop there. When describing his former criminal cohort, he dropped a particularly telling line: “Frank was the worst one… but also the fit one.” Frankly, it’s a line worthy of stitching onto a tea towel.
But the moment queer fans had been waiting for came in Tuesday’s episode. After waking up stark naked on the sofa—a bold move, even by Walford standards—Oscar cheekily asked Peter, “Do you like what you see?”
Reader, we did. We liked it very much.
Later, during a scene with his uncle Jack (Scott Maslen), the chaos prince of East London made it official. When Jack questioned why he was flirting with Avani (Aaliyah James)—and rather uncomfortably suggested “she’s a girl”—Oscar responded, cool as anything: “I swing both ways.” Then he added a detail that belongs in the Bisexual Hall of Fame: he had a girlfriend while inside, but “fancied her dad more.”
Gay panic? Try bisexual bedlam. The man’s out here living his truth and causing a moral dilemma before the second ad break.
Naturally, queer fans have already crowned Oscar the show’s newest icon. And they’re not wrong. He’s got the attitude, the one-liners, the complicated family history, and now, a sexuality arc that’s delivered more in two episodes than some characters manage in ten years.
It helps, of course, that Pierre Moullier brings a thespian’s flair to every single line. The 25-year-old actor has worked at London’s Young Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe, and previously starred in Cast Offs and Fate: The Winx Saga. Of his new role, Moullier said it was “pretty surreal.”
“When I found out I was joining the Brannings, it was so exciting as they are such an iconic family, and I love that there are so many skeletons in the closet,” he said. “The character is so much fun to play, and the audience should be prepared for the unexpected as he’s a complex guy.”
While Oscar’s bisexuality is front and centre, Moullier hasn’t publicly commented on his own sexuality—keeping the focus on the role, not his personal life.
A complex guy? You could say that. In just two days, Oscar’s flirted with his sister’s boyfriend, flashed half of Walford, and casually come out as bisexual over tea. Somewhere, Danny Dyer is shaking.
It’s too early to say exactly where Oscar’s storyline is headed, but one thing’s for sure: the gays are watching. Not just because he’s hot (he is), or because he’s funny (he’s hilarious), but because he’s the kind of queer character we’ve longed for—messy, magnetic, and completely unapologetic.
EastEnders, don’t you dare let this chaotic legend fade into the background. We’ve claimed him now.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm BST on BBC One, and is available to stream daily from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
Source: BBC