Originally Posted by
Dazzle
I feel very strongly that Ian and Jane need to stay just on the right side of sympathetic for this story to work. They have so far in my opinion, because their cover-up has been a desperate attempt to keep their beloved Bobby innocent (from their perspective anyway), which is why I understand their actions even while vehemently disagreeing with them. However, that'll quickly change if they allow someone innocent to go down for Lucy's murder. There'll be no way back from that for Ian and Jane.
Dean would work as a scapegoat, and I'd be more than happy to see him off the streets (and off my screen) and posing no danger to the women of Walford (although the truth about the rape still needs to come out for Linda's sake). Otherwise, Max needs to be released quickly or Jane confess to the murder (although I don't want her to leave). Leaving Max to rot in jail for a year (even if Ian and Jane are hoping he'll be found innocent at trial) will be going too far in my opinion.
That might be the point of course, as Storyseeker1 says above, but I won't enjoy the story as much if I can no longer sympathise with Jane and Ian's unenviable predicament.