Emmerdale viewers believe they’ve finally figured out who will bring down Celia Daniels and Ray Walters after the latest shocking twist. The soap’s audience has been glued to the chaos created by the sinister mother–son partnership, who have spent months quietly operating a drug-running and exploitation network across the village. The tension escalated even further when Marlon Dingle recently uncovered that his daughter April had become entangled in their criminal operation.

Not long ago, Celia forced Marlon to watch a horrifying livestream showing Dylan—another vulnerable teen they had pulled into the scheme—being deliberately targeted and run down. The boy ended up in hospital fighting for his life, proving just how ruthless Celia and Ray truly are.

In the most recent episode, Marlon—who had been seriously considering fleeing the village until Ray cornered him—convinced himself there was only one way to protect April: pay off the so-called “debt” she supposedly owed. Of course, longtime viewers know this debt is nothing more than another manipulation invented by Celia and Ray to keep their victims trapped.

Desperate for cash, Marlon attempted to sell his car to his cousin Cain Dingle. His urgency and insistence on being paid immediately raised Cain’s suspicions straight away. Later, things took a darker turn when Ray showed up at Marlon’s house, physically intimidating him and demanding £2,000. Ray sneered that until Marlon paid, April would be forced back into their operation, insisting she’d already had “too much time off.”

He made it chillingly clear: Marlon had no choice, and he didn’t care how the money was gathered—he wanted his payment.

Just as Ray continued his threats, Cain suddenly walked in on the confrontation. When Marlon scrambled to cover the truth by claiming he owed Ray money for backing into his car, Cain didn’t buy a word of it. Fixing Ray with a cold stare, Cain told him—in no uncertain terms—to get out. Ray slunk away, but Cain remained unconvinced. He pressed Marlon again, asking if that was truly the whole story, clearly sensing something much darker was happening.

Later that afternoon, Ray confronted Marlon outside and issued another chilling warning. He sneered insults about Marlon’s “inbred family,” then coldly told him that the price he demanded would only increase the longer Marlon delayed payment. Ray’s final words made his threat unmistakable: pay now, or things would get even worse.

By the end of the episode, it looked as though Marlon might actually go through with paying the fake debt, driven by fear and confusion. But as soon as the episode aired, fans flooded social media with their own theories—many convinced that Cain Dingle will be the one to take Ray and Celia down for good.

On X (formerly Twitter), one fan noted, “Ray is terrified of Cain.” Another viewer wrote, “So good to see Cain back tonight, and he clearly doesn’t believe Marlon’s excuses. Come on, Cain—bring Celia and Ray down!” A third suggested, “I’d respect Marlon so much more if he just told Cain everything. That would be the first real step forward.”

Speculation about Ray and Celia’s downfall has also intensified because Jay Griffiths, the actress who plays Celia, recently confirmed she will be exiting the soap after only a short time in the villainous role. Her departure strongly suggests the writers are building toward a dramatic comeuppance for both Celia and Ray.

Reflecting on her time on the show, Griffiths shared that while she knew her role had a set end point, she found it difficult to say goodbye. She admitted she would have loved to stay much longer but felt grateful to have been part of such a powerful storyline. She described Emmerdale as one of the most welcoming and supportive places she has ever worked—warm, professional, funny, and deeply committed to telling important stories with heart. “It’s a joy to come to work,” she said with a laugh, acknowledging she was “gushing” from how much she loved the experience.

As viewers increasingly place their bets on Cain as the one who will ultimately bring Celia and Ray’s empire crashing down, the suspense continues to build. With Ray growing more aggressive, Celia manipulating events from the shadows, and Marlon sinking further into fear, fans are waiting for the inevitable moment when Cain steps fully into action.

And when that moment arrives, the mother-and-son criminals may finally meet the reckoning they’ve been running from.