While the whole village was shaken by the Aaron case, the most brutal tragedy was taking place in the underground cellar where Mack Boyd was imprisoned.

After weeks of torture, Mack was now just a shadow of himself.

He was shot with arrows, beaten, and his ankle was crushed under a stone – a series of brutal tortures that made the audience both angry and heartbroken.

John Sugden showed his cruelty when he decided to “give Mack a peaceful death”.

He left behind a syringe containing poison, coldly saying: “When you can’t take it anymore, use it. It will be quick and painless.” Those chilling words were like the end for Mack, turning the cellar into a terrifying execution chamber.

In the haunting scene, Mack trembled as he held the needle, finally injecting himself. He falls into a delirious state, hallucinating that his wife – Charity Dingle – appears, comforting him with gentle whispers. The scene left millions of viewers choked up: was this the final farewell?

Meanwhile, outside, no one knows Mack is dying. John leaves him behind, believing that Mack’s death is only a matter of minutes. The suffocating darkness, Mack’s rapid breathing and desperate eyes have become one of the most haunting scenes of Emmerdale in recent years.

This episode puts the audience in a dilemma: they both hope for a miracle to happen, but are also afraid of witnessing a tragic ending. Mack Boyd is hanging between life and death, and only a fragile ray of hope can save him.