Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) recently got a new lease of life on Emmerdale when he was given a kidney transplant – after basically stealing Caleb Miligan (William Ash)’s kidney.
He didn’t have long to celebrate his new-found better health, however, because it wasn’t long before Caleb started being suspicious about Joe and very quickly realised that his own kidney hadn’t been damaged in a knife attack at all. The knife attack had simply been a ruse to get Caleb on to an operating table so Joe’s corrupt surgeon could get Joe the kidney transplant he’d been so desperate for.
Targeting Caleb’s internal organs was obviously a huge mistake for Joe, but so was developing a romantic interest in Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
As soon as the two started having covert ‘moments’ in Joe’s room at Home Farm it was obvious it couldn’t end well. With Dawn having recently dumped Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle), it’s only a matter of time before Billy finds out exactly who destroyed his marriage and his family.
We also have to remember that Caleb’s kidney wasn’t Joe’s first choice of kidney. He’d previously set his sights on getting a kidney from his brother Noah Dingle (Jack Downham), first trying to lure him to Dubai where presumably the op would have taken place without anyone knowing. When that failed he spiked Noah and secretly had him tested.
When he was found out not to be a match he was released into the wild, where he staggered in front of the limo his mum Charity (Emma Atkins) was driving.
This caused Charity to swerve and the car ended up on the ice on a frozen lake. This directly led to the deaths of Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough), Leyla Harding (Roxy Shahidi) and Amy Barton (Natalie Ann Jamieson) – a triple tragedy that has had repercussions for so many people in the village.
So when Charity discovers what Joe did to Noah he is basically a marked man on several fronts, and in upcoming episodes Lydia Dingle (Karen Blick)’s birthday party at Home Farm is the backdrop for all kinds of plotting and dark deeds, as Joe Tate’s luck appears to be running out.
As well as the main players mentioned above, there are other people who’d be quite happy to see the back of Joe Tate. As the knives are sharpened against him, here are all the people who could bring him down.
Caleb Miligan
Caleb has already proved how ruthless he can be in his anger, when he confronted Joe after deducing that Joe had stolen his kidney. He went straight for the wound on Joe’s side, inflicting huge pain on him and leaving him bleeding.
In the wake of that confrontation, Caleb vowed his total hatred for Joe and insisted he would make him pay.
Cain Dingle
Caleb has tried to bring his brother into a pact to destroy Joe. Cain (Jeff Hordley) has so far tried to keep Caleb calm, but could he be drawn into a revenge plot with Caleb? Or might Cain be tempted to take some action of his own?
Billy Fletcher
Joe Tate would have no chance against fitness expert and former illegal boxer Billy if it came to a fight, so starting an affair with Billy’s beloved wife Dawn was perhaps not his smartest idea. In the run-up to Lydia’s party Clemmie (Mabel Addison) sees Joe and Dawn kissing. Joe tries to buy her silence with gifts and then threats, but when Billy finds her upset it’s not long before Clemmie tells him what she saw.
A furious Billy confides in Caleb – who, of course, is happy to use Billy as his tool for revenge and goads him into taking violent action against Joe.
Clemmie Fletcher
Clemmie could certainly have the motive to do something to harm Joe. She came from a difficult background and was an insecure and troubled child when Dawn and Billy adopted her. Being part of the Fletcher family has been the first security she’s known and to have that destroyed by Joe could have her looking for ways to put things right by getting Joe off the scene. Is Clemmie capable of murder?
Charity Dingle
Hell hath no fury like Charity Dingle when someone she loves has been hurt. She’s been suspicious of Joe ever since he returned, especially his apparent enthusiasm for having a close relationship with his brother Noah. When Charity discovered that it was Joe who was behind Noah’s spiking – and that he was planning to steal her son’s kidney – Charity is going to be incandescent.
Charity has also struggled with the knowledge that she and Noah were indirectly the cause of so many deaths in the limo crash. Finding out that it was Joe who caused the crash by drugging Noah will only add fuel to the fire.
Dawn Fletcher
Currently Dawn thinks that she and Joe are in love and it’s a relationship worth destroying her family life to pursue. When she finds out what Joe’s true colours really are, it’s going to be devastating for her. Will she turn all her anger against Joe?
Noah Dingle
Noah doesn’t give off the same homicidal vibes as his mum and other members of the family, but he’s been badly affected by the idea that he caused the limo crash. He also trusted Joe when he said he wanted to get to know him better and genuinely thought Joe had his best interests at heart, so finding out he’s been cynically used as a potential organ donor is a huge betrayal.
Ruby Miligan
There’s no doubt that Ruby (Beth Cordingly) is capable of anything if someone hurts a member of her family. When Ethan Anderson (Emile John) left her son Nicky (Lewis Cope) in a remote location seriously wounded after their car crashed she went after Ethan, deliberately running him over.
The fact that Caleb almost died on the operating table after being deliberately stabbed so his kidney could be taken is not something Ruby could ever forgive. Joe is certainly a marked man as far as Ruby is concerned.
Kerry Wyatt
One of the people who died in the limo crash was Kerry Wyatt (Laura Norton)’s daughter, Amy. It’s hard enough for her to accept that her daughter died in a tragic accident, but when she discovers that it was the result of Joe’s deliberate actions against Noah, she will be set on revenge at any cost.
So many suspects – but who strikes first and what happens to Joe remains to be seen.
