There have been some chilling villains in the history of soaps but they may all have to bow to a new girl on the block.
Emmerdale’s Emma Barton has jumped to the top of the soap psycho list with a chilling performance that set in motion the biggest horror crash this side of Hollywood.
She has never come across as the most stable of characters, looking to do what she needs to do to ensure she gets her way.
But it stepped up a level when she argued with her life’s love, James Barton, and pushed him off a bridge in to oncoming traffic, starting a 12-car pile up.
That in itself is quite a shocking action to take but it is something that she said just before, that has hit home hard.
The push on James may have been spur of the moment but her bizarre reference to Holly Barton’s death could have shown that there is a cold-hearted killer inside.
When Holly died from an apparent heroin overdose, many fans speculated that there had been foul play and Emma may have hinted that she has had a hand in it.
Here’s why this could be the case…
Emma hates Moira
There has always been an uneasy relationship between Emma and Moira Dingle. For starters, it was Moira’s one-night stand with James, while he was married to Emma, that saw her conceive their son Adam.
On her return to Emmerdale, it seemed that Emma had finally won James back and that they would walk down the aisle together again.
That was until James fell for Moira all over again and Emma overheard him spilling the beans to Ross.
It would be enough to tip a level-headed character over the edge, let alone one that is already unhinged.
Revenge is always best served cold… or by topping your enemy’s daughter.
Jealousy can drive people to do the most callous actions.
Emma the carer
Despite being someone that seems to harbour murderous thoughts, Emma actually works in the nursing profession.
She may care for others but those closer to home are in danger of feeling her fatal touch.
Emma had access to drugs that were able to knock out James, before she tied him to a chair during the soap’s ‘Time Twist’ week.
Could it be that Emma used this opportunity to give Holly a lethal dose?
The usual suspects
Holly may have looked like she was trying to get clean of her drug addiction but there were still moments of weakness.
The fact that she had got in touch with a dealer and was flirting with the dark side again, gives Emma the perfect cover.
Who else is there to blame apart from the dealer and the user when it is an apparent overdose?
Emma could literally get away with murder.
Beyond reasonable doubt?
Of course, there are inconsistencies in these theories.
You could argue that Emma didn’t know about James’s love for Moira until after Holly had died. This doesn’t mean that her hatred of Moira wouldn’t have manifested if presented with a chance to bump off Holly.
Also, the shock of Holly’s death was the fact that it was an overdose. It seemed to be that Emmerdale was making a powerful point about the dangers of drugs.
If it was murder, would this whitewash the grandiose ideal of showing the effect of drugs on families and friends.
What do you think?