Emmerdale spoilers for the latest episode to air on ITV1 and ITVX.
Emmerdale has aired a concerning development in Bear Wolf’s storyline as he made an unexpected decision. Bear has been exploited working for Celia Daniels and Ray Walters, who are running a modern slavery ring alongside their other dodgy deals.
In tonight’s episode, Bear had planned to escape with Mick and Simo, but a twist revealed he changed his mind and unexpectedly sided with Ray.
Early on in the episode, Bear got wind of Ray playing boss on his own as Celia had been called away. Ray was meant to be meeting Laurel Thomas later that day and ordered the workers to hurry up and finish their tasks quickly.
Noticing Ray being fidgety, Bear let him know he was aware he had a date. A surprised Ray asked him to keep it a secret as Celia wouldn’t approve of Laurel, then adding that he trusted Bear.
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Speaking with Mick and Simo later on, Bear confirmed Ray wouldn’t be around for long. The trio had planned an escape as Simo reminded bear they “gotta stick together”.
“Right, we’re only gonna get one shot at this, and we can’t muck it up,” Simo said after Ray had left. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Bear asked. “We don’t have a clue where we are.”
“It’s got to be today,” Simo replied, saying they wouldn’t get another chance with both Celia and Ray gone.
When the time was right to attempt to escape, Bear tossed the keys to Simo, saying: “You do it.”
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As Simo and Mick opened the door, they were stunned to find a furious Ray on the other side. “I can’t believe you’d try and do this to us,” Ray told them. “After everything we have done for you.”
“You can’t keep us here. We don’t wanna stay anymore,” Simo hit back.
Ray later revealed it was Bear who had tipped him off about Simo and Mick wanting to flee.
“You told him?!” Mick said in disbelief.
“I didn’t think it was right, what you were doing,” Bear replied, proving he had been completely manipulated by Ray. “Ray and Celia, they look out for us,” he continued.
Ray ominously said he should have a talk with Mick and Simo. When Bear asked what happened to them, Ray deflected: “We will talk about those two idiots later. It’s not for now.”
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But before Ray could get to his date, he received a phone call from Dylan Penders, who informed him that the police were searching Caleb Miligan’s depot. Ray and Celia had been using the depot to move drugs with Dylan’s help, also being exploited by the mum and son duo.
Returning to the farm, Ray had a chat with Bear, insisting he appreciated the loyalty he had shown him earlier.
He then revealed the fate of Simo and Mick, explaining the former had gone to work on a farm closer to his family, while the latter was given a second chance to stay on.
“You don’t wanna go, do you?” Ray asked Bear, who replied hurriedly: “No, no, no. I’ve nowhere else to go.”
Bear shared he’d feared Ray might’ve been angry with Mick and Simo and “punished” them, as Ray’s sly demeanour suggested he might have lied.
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
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