This week’s Emmerdale is no longer the peaceful countryside that viewers know.

A sudden death – which happened earlier than expected in the previous ITVX release – has left viewers bewildered, and the residents in the show completely devastated.

This death is not only a tragedy in life but also becomes the trigger for a series of conflicts, secrets and doubts behind.

The episode opens with people gathering outside the hospital.

A gloomy atmosphere covers every face. An important character – a long-time member of Emmerdale – is announced to have died. The scene slows down at the moment when relatives receive the bad news: hands shaking, eyes red, mouths unable to make a sound. The truth was so fast, so cruel that it felt like everyone had been doused with cold water.

But what was even more shocking was the detail: the character had met someone before he died. A witness said they saw the character leave The Woolpack in a state of anxiety, then receive a strange call. In the leaked image from ITVX, the deceased looked down at the phone screen, his face pale. Just a few hours later, they collapsed. The episode did not confirm whether this was an accident or someone else’s hand behind it, but the fact that the death was shown early on ITVX suggests that the scriptwriters wanted to use this twist as the center of the whole big arc.

When the news spread, each character reacted in a different way. Some burst into tears in the middle of the street, others ran away from the crowd as if afraid to face the pain. A character close to the deceased was filmed close up: their eyes were not only sad but also full of doubt. The audience immediately asked: did they know something but did not dare to say?

The memorial took place on the same day. Here, an unexpected detail appears: a letter is found in the deceased’s belongings. The content of the letter has not been released, but the first line makes everyone freeze: “If this happens to me, know that I did not do it by accident.” The letter is folded immediately after, as if someone wants to hide it. The atmosphere in the room immediately turns tense as several people look at each other meaningfully.

The ending scene of the episode makes the audience even more breathless. The camera pans to the deserted road behind the victim’s house. A shadow stands there, looking towards the morgue light. Standing still, the face is covered by a hoodie. What does this person have to do with the death? The film does not say, but it is enough to give the audience goosebumps.