Emmerdale’s Laurel Thomas (Charlotte Bellamy) thinks she’s found her Mister Right in the charming Ray Walters (Joe Absolom).
The only drawback? He’s a bit too attached to his mother, Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths). But that shouldn’t be a problem… not since he stabbed her in the chest. It’s certainly one way to cut that umbilical cord.
It seemed an unlikely match for the biggest sweetheart in the village, whose romantic history includes big softies like the Reverend Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) and the delightfully nerdy Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock), but she’s fallen for the smooth-talking charms of Ray without having any idea who he truly is.
Viewers were horrified to see an oblivious Laurel embark on romance with a ruthless drug-dealer and people trafficker who runs a modern slavery operation, previously under Celia’s watchful eye.
Together, mother and son exploited hundreds of vulnerable teenagers like April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) into drug dealing and sex work, as well as grooming and coercing Bear Wolf (Joshua Richards) into forced labour in dangerous conditions.
While Ray was a willing participant, he was constantly directed and bullied by Celia, who had adopted him and saved him from a broken home. In many ways, he’s just another one of her victims.
Hence why Ray fell for Laurel. She offered him a warmth and closeness that he’d never had before, as well as the chance for a normal life. Laurel fell hard for him, sharing their first Christmas together… all the while Ray was extorting two thousand pounds a week out of Marlon and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) to stay away from April.
Laurel’s only issue with Ray was his weird relationship with his mum, how intrusive she was and how nervous he was around her. Celia certainly didn’t hide her disapproval of her son’s new girlfriend.
Recent problems in the village meant that it was time for the dastardly duo to flee Emmerdale and build their operation from scratch in pastures new. Celia feared that forming this emotional attachment would make Ray weak and get them both caught.
To be fair, she had a point. Due to Laurel’s influence, he finally found the strength to defy his mother and refused to kill April on her orders. Livid, Celia raked up Ray’s traumatic childhood and lambasted her adoptive son as a failure who nobody but her could ever love… which ended in him stabbing her to death.
When Laurel wanted Ray to stand up to his mum, somehow I doubt that’s what she had in mind.
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With Celia gone for good, Ray is finally free to pursue a happy future with Laurel. Or at least, in his head. But that bubble gets popped pretty quickly in today’s episode when Laurel crosses with April’s boyfriend Dylan Penders (Fred Kettle), who’s also been coerced into drug dealing. And when Laurel enthusiastically reveals that Ray is staying in the village, Dylan can’t help but wonder how much she truly knows about her boyfriend.
And later, when Ray calls round to tell Laurel how he stood up to Celia, we’re thrilled to realise Dylan’s spilled the beans when a terrified, sickened Laurel tells Ray that he’s a monster and she never wants to see him again. She slams the door, leaving Ray screaming her name as his dreams of a happily ever after up in smoke in front of his very eyes.
Nothing’s left for Ray in the village now – except revenge. He’s already set to appear in Corriedale, and we know that the soap-spinoff will end with a tragic death. If Ray finds out that Dylan is the reason he’s lost Laurel, Celia might not be the only one to die…
