Dave Williams (Dominic Power) has some explaining to do in Hollyoaks next week when Cindy Cunningham (Stephanie Waring) is tipped off that her husband isn’t who she thought he was.
The postman-turned-handyman, as fans know, moonlights as a hardened gangster by the name of Blue, who has been operating on and off for a number of decades.
The twist, which was one of two controversial retcons this month, certainly took fans by surprise, primarily because hapless Dave isn’t exactly known for his meticulous planning or his calculated and threatening nature.
But here we are, with Dave terrorising various residents of the eponymous village in a bid to destroy Warren Fox (Jamie Lomas).
Warren is currently behind bars for the murder of Norma Crow (Glynis Barber), having been framed by Blue and associate Rex Gallagher (Jonny Labey) for the crime.
But Blue’s not finished yet, with scenes later this week seeing the gangster orchestrate the kidnapping of the Marias. At the time of the vanishing, the twins are being looked after by Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence), who is distracted by Ethan Williams (Matthew James Bailey).
Vicky is on cloud nine, hopeful of a future with Ethan in what has proven to be another contentious storyline for the show, with fans far more keen on the idea of seeing Ethan reunite with former love interest and actual soulmate Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), who he’s still very much in love with.
When the babies vanish, Vicky is distraught and enlists help from dad Donny Clark (Louis Emerick), who wastes little time in trying to talk a panicked Mercedes McQueen (Jennifer Metcalfe) out of going to the police.
Donny assures Mercedes that he will do whatever it takes to get the twins back but first they must find out what it is that Blue wants in exchange.
Later that day, they’re notified that Blue wants Warren to confess to his mum’s murder in order to ensure that he spends the rest of his life in jail. Mercedes pleads with her beau to do just that.
Cindy, meanwhile, joins the search for missing Maria Gabriella and Maria Carmella, alongside Tom (Ellis Hollins) and Grace Black (Tamara Wall).
Dave, however, takes Cindy back home and away from the others. Donny, meanwhile, starts to suspect that Ethan was deliberately distracting Vicky at the time of the twins’ disappearance, believing The Loft owner to be Blue, despite the fact that he’s simply too young to be the revered gangster whose reputation dates back decades.
Donny mate, the math isn’t mathing.
Tom in comparison proves to be a much better super sleuth, telling Cindy that he knows who took Mercedes, twins, relaying his theory that Blue is, in fact, Dave.
Way to go Tom!
Cindy is sceptical as, much like the rest of the nation, she thinks that Dave is literally the last person that could be Blue because the evidence doesn’t add up.
Tom, however, has a plan to prove his suspicions, taking Cindy with him to snatch Mercedes’ phone.
Subsequent scenes see Cindy devastated as she confronts Dave, demanding to know the truth about his role in stealing Mercedes’ twins, begging him for the truth. Dave lies, claiming that he’s the man Cindy has always known.
The question is: will Cindy believe him? That remains to be seen but, with actress Stephanie Waring having confirmed that her iconic character is one of those axed by the show ahead of the episode reduction next month, Cindy is devastatingly on borrowed time.
Either way, it’s likely that the events of the week in question will play a role in her exit story.
I know, I’m not ready to say goodbye either.
One to watch: Tuesday September 3 from 7:30pm on Channel 4 streaming or Wednesday September 4 at 7pm on E4.
