While everyone is still talking about the return of Andy Sugden, another nightmare is quietly spreading throughout the village: Ray Walters – Emmerdale’s latest villain – is turning this place into his “underground playground”.

Ray is a man with a polite appearance and a soft voice, but inside is a sophisticated manipulator.

He starts by recruiting Dylan Penders – a young man with no direction – into a “small delivery job”.

Gradually, Dylan is pushed deeper into a shady network of transactions without even understanding what he is participating in.

A haunting scene is when Ray hands Dylan a “special” bag of goods and tells him: “Don’t ask, just deliver.” Dylan’s hands tremble, but for fear of losing his job, he grits his teeth and does it. From there, he falls into a spiral of lies, sinking deeper with each episode.

Worse still, Dylan’s best friend April Windsor is also unwittingly dragged in. Ray asks her to “meet a VIP client” in the hotel to discuss a deal. But when the door closes, April realizes this isn’t a business meeting, but a trap. The sound of the door locking turns, and she turns to see the client approaching – and only her phone is confiscated by Ray.

Emmerdale fans are on social media: “Get April out of this hell!” – and Dylan, torn between reporting Ray or remaining silent to stay safe, is slowly becoming a puppet.

This drama not only shows Ray’s ruthlessness but also reflects the dark side of society that Emmerdale is daring to exploit. Crime is no longer confined to the big city – it has crept into the heart of the Dales.