Someone needs to have a word with Emmerdale’s Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) because this new bad boy era is getting out of hand.
Like yes, Joe, we get it. You want to knock Kim Tate (Claire King) off her perch and declare yourself the new ruler of the Dales, but seriously, reign it in.
Now that he’s overthrown Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) in his bid to take over as much farmland as he can lay his hands on, Joe is now targeting the new tenants of Butlers, Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller).
Cain was distraught when wife Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) decided to give up her fight and sell to Kim, knowing that smug Joe would laud it over him. But having learned of Cain’s cancer diagnosis, Moira knew it was the only option to save her husband from a full breakdown.
Without Butlers to steady his mind, Cain is now ploughing his attention into working the Dingle land into a farm, while Robert and Aaron now navigate working for Joe, along with Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb) and Matty (Ash Palmisciano).
Joe has what he wants and plans to keep on pushing for more, but it’s also about control. As Robert and Aaron have a herd of cows that weren’t part of their lease – Moira’s old cows – he blackmails them into selling them.
Cain’s attention is firmly on the Dingle farm to distract himself from the realities of the cancer, but it comes to his attention that Mack and Matty are having to help Sam Dingle (James Hooton) more than they should, and then he learns the full truth – Joe is selling the cows.
It’s a bit of a gut punch and Cain is hit by further setbacks – Mackenzie reveals to him that they cannot afford a new herd, and Sam reveals he forgot a meeting about farm machinery which would have helped move the Dingle Farm forwards.
This hits Cain’s trigger and he explodes, going from 0-60 and dramatically declaring the farm dream over. Or is it? A mysterious hooded figure might have the answer – the Dales’ dairy equivalent to a Robin Hood.
Robert and Aaron are alarmed to discover that the entire herd has somehow disappeared. Joe learns of the bovine burglary and blames Robert, but Robert’s conscience is clear.
Joe is livid and joins forces with Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) to find their thief, and they start with the most likely culprits – the Dingles. But they too have clean consciences and Cain and co are smug as Joe is stumped.
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But what they don’t realise is that they are harbouring the culprit without realising – out on a country road the rustler is revealed to be Belle (Eden Taylor Draper).
Belle is new to this way of Dingle life and Cain calls to let her know she’s made a rookie mistake – the bull has a tracker.
Joe is en route and Belle now has a whole load of cows to hide. How far will the Dingles go to save her?