Has she escaped?
The following article references coercive control.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow from Wednesday’s episode on Channel 4 streaming, which doesn’t air on E4 until tonight at 7pm.
Hollyoaks has aired a dramatic Cleo McQueen cliffhanger in its early streaming release.
The soap had previously revealed that Cleo had been held captive in a secret bunker by abusive boyfriend Abe Fielding for a year after he made her believe she’d killed his mother Marie — who is very much alive — in the motorbike crash.
Once Cleo learned that her relative Mercedes McQueen was battling bowel cancer, she stabbed Abe with a CD shard before trying to escape the bunker.
The latest streaming episode opened with Cleo locking a bleeding Abe in the bunker before she tried to make her escape.
However, faced with the outside world and Abe begging her not to leave, she turned back. Cleo returned to the bunker with a first-aid kit to treat Abe’s wound.
“I’ve tried to leave, and I can’t,” Cleo said. “Please will you help me? I’m sorry.”
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Meanwhile, Marie tried convincing Joel and Leela that they shouldn’t object to Abe dating Peri Lomax. Marie reminded Joel she’d supported him when he “fell back into heroin” years ago.
“Peri and Abe are perfect for each other,” Marie insisted.
Viewers later saw Peri visiting Abe at his flat, where she revealed she’d previously seen Cleo’s top hanging over one of his chairs.
“Listen, you are not a rebound,” Abe claimed. “You are not a fling. You are not a distraction. I really, really like you, Peri.”
However, Peri soon discovered the wound on Abe’s back and wanted answers. Abe made up a lie about injuring himself while on a run, as Cleo remained locked in the bunker all alone.
Abe angrily confronted Cleo later, accusing her of only coming back because she felt guilty. He then pushed Cleo, causing her to fall and hit her head on a nearby beam.
Elsewhere in the episode, there were updates on a few other characters. Fans may have noticed Lucas Hay has been missing since the time jump.
Misbah explained to Ste after he’d woken from his coma that Lucas had been sent to a youth offenders home for attacking JJ Osborne, after he’d found out JJ abused his sister Frankie.
Ste was determined to take revenge on Rex because of the role he played in planting car bombs in the village. While Rex had a change of heart and tried to warn the police, it was too late, as James started the ignition on the car and was killed in the explosion.
The soap also revealed another blockbuster revelation, as Rex and Grace learned that they are long-lost siblings. Rex’s father is indeed the infamous villain Fraser Black.
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
