Emmerdale aired it’s most shocking scenes ever last night as Pierce Harris brutally raped wife Rhona Goskirk just hours after their wedding.
It started off all smiles as Rhona prepared to marry Pierce, but when Paddy caught her outside the church and gave her a necklace that used to be his mum’s claiming it was from Leo, we knew it was going to end badly for Rhona.
She changed out of the necklace Pierce had given her and into the one from Paddy – it was obvious Pierce wasn’t going to like that.
After exchanging vows and heading to the Woolpack for a toast, Pierce made an awkward speech and then whisked Rhona back to their place to give her her wedding present.
It turned out the present was the house and vet surgery in the Lake District that Rhona hadn’t agreed to.
She told him he couldn’t make decisions like that without talking to her first and he got angry. Very, very angry.
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As he told her he knew about her kiss with Paddy, he totally lost it and she finally, finally said:
“That’s it, I’m out of here.”
But he chased after her and shouted: “You’re going nowhere, you’re my wife now,” as he dragged her back inside.
He called her all sorts of names including a slut, and then he ripped the necklace she was wearing off her.
That was the final straw and she insisted she was leaving him. But he wasn’t going to let that happen. He threw her to the floor and as she tried to compose herself, he came down on her and pinned her to the ground.
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The camera cut away as we saw him holding her by the wrists and her screaming:
“I don’t want this, please stop.”
It was clear he was never going to stop.
Fans were horrified at the way things had gone and expressed their shock, as well as their admiration for Zoe Henry and Jonathan Wrather, who play Rhona and Pierce.
Emmerdale. How awful, how horrible. Completely brilliant acting from @jpwrather & @ZoeHenry03 ..excuse me whilst I cry. #Rhona #Pierce
— Becca (@IrishLum) April 25, 2017
I'm not going to lie I honestly found tonight's episode of @emmerdale distressing and upsetting to watch #Rhona Raped By #Pierce
— Rhys McDonald (@RhysJMcDonald17) April 24, 2017
@emmerdale Very horrific episode on Emmerdale tonight. Pierce even used bad language before the watershed!
— Robert Stein (@Robert199126) April 24, 2017
#emmerdale made my blood boil tonight. They better not drag this Pierce storyline out. He needs to go and quick.
— Martin (@TheLegendOfMart) April 24, 2017
@emmerdale omg , what a scene .You just want to go an punch Pierce and save Rhona @ZoeHenry03 @jpwrather what a performances on the edge
— bernie russell (@bernierussell8) April 24, 2017
But some people were not happy with the content of the episode airing before the 9pm watershed.
Using Twitter to say how they felt about it, they insisted it wasn’t “appropriate”.
#Emmerdale that's way too much for it only being half 7 absolutely awful
— ☼ (@_Flower_Moon) April 24, 2017
that rape scene was not appropriate for this time of night it was clear what was happening a not done tastefully #Emmerdale
— Courtney (@courte20s) April 24, 2017
It might be excused as a social issue that should be raised but there is no way there should be rape in a soap opera at 19:00 #Emmerdale
— Mark Doig (@MarkDoigFC) April 24, 2017
Another user chimed in to defend the show, stating there’s “no time restrictions on domestic abuse and rape”.
https://twitter.com/nicciped/status/856576235077603328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Fsoaps%2Femmerdale%2Fnews%2Fa826710%2Femmerdale-pierce-rape-reactions%2F
Emmerdale continues tonight at 7pm where we’ll see the aftermath of the attack.
Pierce is set to tell Rhona she was asking for it and then insist they go back to their waiting guests.
Will Rhona go with him and pretend nothing’s happened? Or will she finally find the strength to leave him before this – or worse – happens again?