Danny Moon
 | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (July 2013) |
| Danny Moon | |||||||||||
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| EastEnders character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Jake Maskall | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2004–06 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | Episode 2862 30 December 2004 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | Episode 3126 31 March 2006 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Kathleen Hutchison (2004) Kate Harwood (2006) | ||||||||||
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Daniel "Danny" Moon is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jake Maskall. He made his first appearance on 30 December 2004. The character was axed in July 2005[1] but returned briefly in March 2006 for the special week of episodes as part of the storyline Get Johnny Week.
Storylines
Backstory
Both Jake and Danny imply that their childhood was miserable and full of abuse, and that their father used to beat them with a belt. Danny also suffered from bedwetting. In later years he becomes dependent on his older brother Jake (Joel Beckett).
2004–06
Danny arrives in the series with his older brother Jake as the second cousins of Alfie Moon (Shane Ritchie) and Spencer Moon (Christopher Parker). Alfie in particular is not happy to see them since they are always in trouble, and it turns out that Alfie took the blame for their crime and went to prison for three years for credit card fraud. Danny works for his much-hated enemy Andy Hunter (Michael Higgs) until the gangster's death. He has a brief relationship with Andy's estranged wife, Sam (Kim Medcalf), just to spite his boss. He and Jake then start working as doormen for another gangster, Johnny Allen (Billy Murray). Danny and Jake plan to leave Walford after Danny sets fire to Johnny's house because Johnny will not take him seriously and steals his business ideas. However, before they leave Johnny finds Danny and forces him into his car. Jake then gets into the car to stay with his brother. Johnny drives them to a forest and locks Jake in the car as he prepares to shoot Danny, however Jake kicks the car window out and escapes into the woods to find them. He tries to persuade Johnny not to kill Danny. The episode ends with Johnny raising the gun at both of them, however, their fate is not revealed until a few months later when Jake turns up, where it turns out that Johnny let them go: under the agreement that they were not seen again. Johnny allows Jake to stay in Walford, but refuses for Danny to ever return. Jake reveals that Danny has gone abroad.
Off-screen, Danny begins working for Johnny to make amends for his actions. Danny is contacted by a wounded Johnny who had been beaten severely by Dennis Rickman (Nigel Harman), and orders Danny to murder Dennis. Returning to the Square that same night, Danny stabs Dennis in the chest and slips away unseen. He later reveals this to Jake, by showing him a video of the murder, on his mobile phone.[2] Jake is later summoned to Johnny's club, Scarlet, only to be greeted by Danny who is there to look after things for Johnny, who is now living in Essex. Danny reveals his working relationship with Johnny. After hearing that his grandmother Nana Moon (Hilda Braid) has died, he leaves again.
Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) and Grant Mitchell (Ross Kemp) go to Essex to confront Johnny about Dennis' murder. It emerges that Danny has been staying with Johnny in Essex. Danny is asked by Johnny to look after his daughter Ruby (Louisa Lytton) while he tries to evade the Mitchells. Danny's behaviour then shows signs of mental illness when he refers to Johnny as "dad" when asks Ruby if he ever talks about him. He told also tells Ruby to get undressed but he promises he will not look. He then drugs Ruby with sleeping pills and lays on her bed watching her sleep. Jake tracks Danny down and tries to persuade him to return to Walford. Danny doesn't want to go because he thinks Johnny needs him and Johnny's home is his home as well. Jake is aware that Danny is being used by Johnny and Johnny doesn't care at all for him and that Danny has become mentally unstable.
Johnny returns and is intent on killing the Mitchells with Danny's help. Danny is again confronted by his brother. During the conversation, Danny produces a mobile phone with video evidence that it was he who had killed Dennis on New Year's Eve. After a short struggle, Danny knocks Jake unconscious with a baseball bat and, under Johnny's orders, marches the Mitchells into the nearby woods armed with the shotgun and a spade with the intent to kill and bury them. Just as he was about to kill Grant, Jake appears with a pistol that Danny had dropped during the earlier struggle and, only meaning to shoot his brother in the arm or leg to save the Mitchells, accidentally fires a fatal shot.[3] Danny is killed instantly, and Jake then tells the Mitchells that it was Danny who had murdered Dennis. Jake secretly buries Danny in the woods where he died, with only the spade to mark his grave. Only the Mitchells, Sean Slater (Robert Kazinsky) and the Allens are aware that he killed Danny. Jake insistes that he never intended to kill his brother.[4]