Hollyoaks spoilers follow for Wednesday’s (August 21) episode that is now available to view on Channel 4 streaming. The episode in question will air on E4 on Thursday August 22 at 7pm.
Sienna Blake (Anna Passey) was left questioning her entire life after being notified that her newfound ‘uncle’ Jeremy (Jeremy Sheffield) is actually her biological father, not his twin brother Patrick, who had raised her.
Yes really.
The much-loved soap character – like the fans at home, no doubt – reeled as Martha (Sherrie Hewson) confirmed the news, revealing that she had DNA evidence to prove such a thing.
Fans had speculated that the serial drama would go down this route based on spoilers that were provided last week and it’s safe to say that the reaction was a negative one.
Sienna’s difficult relationship with Patrick was a key component in morphing her into the soap icon she is today, thus playing a vital role in cementing her as one of the greatest the TV genre has to offer.
This retcon, however, means that her entire characterisation and backstory is essentially built on a lie, which is what fans are taking issue with.
Altering such rich character history always comes with risk but this move in particular feels somewhat fruitless given that Jeremy, we’re told, is even more villainous than Patrick, meaning that it’s set to serve up more of the same trauma for Sienna.
Martha more or less confirmed such a thing when she confronted Jeremy afterwards, telling him that Sienna deserves to know what kind of a monster he truly is. Jez – who didn’t know that Sienna and her twin brother Dodger were his until today – responded by threatening to kill her.
This was just hours after he attempted to kill Sienna, Liberty and Dilly.
But while changing Sienna’s backstory is hard enough to get your head around, the biggest blow of this storyline change is that it means Dilly Harcourt (Emma Johnsey-Smith) isn’t actually Sienna’s sister.
No, you’re crying.
Dilly being unmasked as Sienna’s secret sister was a retcon in and of itself but it’s one that fans responded really well to, with stars Anna Passey and Emma Johnsey-Smith proving electric together.
Dilly will likely be devastated – she’s not the only one! – given that she finally felt like she’d found her place in the world when she was accepted by Sienna into the Blake clan.
Jez, meanwhile, revealed his desire to get to know Sienna properly in scenes helmed by wonderful performances from Anna and co-star Jeremy. Sienna was hopeful that, after a tough life, she’d have the chance to have a ‘normal’ father in Jeremy.
Oh Sienna, if only you knew what he was planning to do earlier in the day. Cue the inevitable heartbreak.
Hollyoaks streams weeknights at 7:30pm on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
