Dales villain Ray Walters has recently been targeting Marlon Dingle and Rhona Goskirk with blackmail
Emmerdale viewers believe they may have uncovered the fate of a much-loved character, with a dark Ray Walters twist finally confirming a death three years on.
ITV soap fans know that April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) has reluctantly been involved in dealing drugs for Ray (Joe Absolom) and his sinister mother Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths), desperate to clear the debt owed by her boyfriend Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle).
It later emerged that Ray and Celia were also holding Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) prisoner at their farm, along with several other captives. When Dylan threatened to report them to the police, Ray ran him down with his car, leaving the teenager in a coma. Dylan has only recently regained consciousness at Hotten General.
April has since confided in her parents, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) and Rhona Goskirk (Zoë Henry), revealing the frightening ordeal she endured while under Ray and Celia’s control.
Determined to protect their daughter, Marlon and Rhona attempted to buy Ray off in the hope he would leave April alone. However, the ruthless villain has continued to blackmail the distressed couple.
Rhona’s mother Mary (Louise Jameson) made her return to the village this week, with Rhona desperately trying to shield her from the truth about Ray’s role in their lives.
In Tuesday’s episode (December 16), now available to stream on ITVX, Rhona grew increasingly anxious about what might happen if Mary uncovered the reality of April’s ongoing nightmare.
Later, Ray attempted to charm Mary by offering to help her carry some heavy shopping. Pleased by his kindness, Mary later told Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) that she thought he would be an ideal match.
Rhona, however, strongly disagreed, which only heightened Mary’s suspicions that her daughter was hiding something. Back at Smithy Cottage, tensions came to a head when Rhona bluntly asked Mary to move out.
“Now that April’s back home, it finally feels like life is returning to some sort of normality. She’s happy again. But it’s also made us realise that she needs her own space — and so do we. I’m sorry, Mum, I really hate doing this. It’s just too crowded when you’re here, and it’s all becoming too much,” Rhona said, shortly before the situation escalated into an argument.
An upset Mary responded: “I’m not convinced. You can’t expect me to leave without explaining why. I don’t believe any of this.”
When Rhona suggested she return to Cornwall or stay with friends in Kent, Mary snapped: “Is that really far enough? Shall I call NASA and see if they need someone on the space station?”
She continued: “Don’t act like I’m being unreasonable. I’m the one being told to go for no reason at all. I’ll ask you again — what’s really going on, Rhona?”
Rather than being honest with her mother, Rhona ended up saying something that could permanently damage their relationship.
Following the episode, several Emmerdale viewers shared theories that Ray may end up killing Mary in future scenes as a way of keeping Rhona and Marlon under his control.
“I’m really worried about Mary. I honestly think she could get caught in the crossfire with Ray,” one fan wrote on a Facebook page. Another agreed, adding: “Yes, I think so too — she could be Ray’s next victim.”
A third viewer commented: “It feels like they’ve been hinting at Mary’s exit for a long time, and this could be how she leaves.” Another similarly said: “It would be heartbreaking if Ray kills Mary before she and Rhona have the chance to make things right.”
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