The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale dated Wednesday, January 14. It hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.
Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) has been left horrified at the lengths Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) is prepared to go to in order to get what he wants in Emmerdale.
Last week, during Corriedale, Joe witnessed Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) covering up John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) murder. He recorded it on his phone, and then used it to blackmail her and Robert.
Joe told the Sugden siblings that if they didn’t give him their farmland for free, he’d show the police proof that Vic killed her brother. To Vic and Robert, it felt as though they had no choice but to give Joe what he wanted.
A while later, Joe headed to see Celia Daniels (Jaye Griffiths) for some rent money. Joe failed to find Celia, but did find an envelope full of ID cards belonging to the slaves on her farm.
A new idea forming, Joe told Robert to plant the passports in Butler’s. His intention was to have Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) arrested, and then swoop in and get Butler’s from her.
Robert refused to plant the items, but Joe reminded him that he wasn’t in a position to decide what he did next.
Robert hid the ID cards, but did it completely unaware of the true extent of Celia’s crimes, and what Moira would subsequently get framed for.
It was Kim Tate (Claire King) who told Robert and Joe that Celia had been forcing vulnerable adults to work as slaves on her farm. As reality hit Robert that Moira was close to having her whole life completely destroyed, he tried to find Joe’s moral compass to get him to stop the plan – but of course he failed.
DS Walsh rocked up to Butler’s Farm as today’s instalment began and told Moira that she had a warrant to search her home. Moira remained adamant that she wouldn’t find anything, but Walsh discovered the envelope full of IDs and arrested her afterwards.
As Walsh began her interview with Moira, Vic had informed Robert about her arrest.
He marched over to Home Farm to confront Joe, but he still didn’t care about Moira’s future being in jeopardy. In Joe’s eyes, once Moira’s life falls apart, he can get the farm, and Robert can work as her replacement. To him, it seemed like a brilliant plan.
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Robert told Joe that if Moira goes down for Celia’s crimes, he will ‘blow his world apart’. Having the police discover Robert and Vic are covering up John’s murder didn’t seem to bother Robert as much as the thought of a woman going to prison for something she didn’t do.
But is there really any hope for Moira?
DS Walsh told her today that she currently looks incredibly guilty. A mountain of evidence is stacking up against her, and when the police inevitably find Anya’s body on her land, will this be the final straw?
Is it more or less set in stone that Moira will go to prison?
