Emmerdale spoilers follow from Thursday’s episode (18 December), which is available to watch now on ITVX and YouTube but hasn’t yet aired on ITV1.
Emmerdale fans can expect another nail in the coffin for Ray Walters and Celia Daniels’ strong bond tonight, as they find themselves at odds over Bear Wolf’s wellbeing. When Ray ignores the wishes of the woman he’s treated as his mum over the years, is it another sign that they’re drifting apart?
Thursday’s episode sees Ray become concerned over a hand injury that Bear has been struggling with over the past few days. Although Bear’s work on the farm is suffering, Celia shows no sympathy and harshly accuses him of milking it.
Ray thinks differently and decides that Bear needs to get checked out to reduce the risk of infection. With the forced workers due to be transported off for another tough day of hard labour, Ray spots the perfect opportunity to get Bear the help he needs without Celia knowing anything about it…
“Ted – when you get to the site, you’re gonna stay in the van,” Ray explains. “I’m gonna tell the others I need you on a different job, and we’re gonna get to hospital and get that hand stitched up. We cannot risk that getting infected.”
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Of course, the secret visit comes with some strict conditions. Ray warns Bear not to mention that he sustained his injury while working, as it could lead to awkward questions involving Celia’s illegal operation.
Instead, Ray comes up with a plan to pose as Bear’s son, which isn’t too much of a difficult task after the unlikely bond that they’ve struck up recently.
During some time alone at the hospital, Ray gets chatting to Bear about his ambitions in life. As Ray has been romancing Laurel Thomas recently, he’s started to see a different path for himself if he ever manages to escape from Celia’s influence.
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“What if my dream included… a lady?” Ray asks Bear. “She’s got kids, but their dad has passed away so I’m not treading on anyone’s toes.”
Referencing Dotty and Arthur, Ray adds: “We get on. I’m not gonna rush it, not gonna push it. If I’m to be their new stepdad, then that’s a lifetime’s commitment.”
Can Ray really turn his life around after committing so many horrible crimes at Celia’s behest? Or are his dreams of a happy ending with Laurel about to go up in smoke? If Celia has anything to do with it, we suspect the latter…
Emmerdale is working on Bear’s storyline alongside The Salvation Army and Unseen. Further help, support and resources relating to the issue of modern slavery are available on the charities’ websites.