This week’s Emmerdale episode delivered a slap in the face to the Christmas spirit: the warmth suddenly turned chilling with a devastating betrayal.

Kim Tate, a man who rarely trusted anyone, never imagined being stabbed in the back by Lydia Dingle, once considered his emotional anchor and someone he favored more than usual.

But life is such that the closer the relationship, the easier it is to inflict harm.

Under financial pressure, due to Sam’s mistreatment at Home Farm, and feeling cornered, Lydia agreed to a wrong move: keeping Kim occupied at the fair so Sam could secretly plot revenge on Kim’s property.

In Lydia’s mind, it might have been just a way to help her husband regain some self-respect and gain a little advantage, a one-time gamble, but Emmerdale never lets anyone get away so easily. The climax comes just as Kim is about to make Lydia happy with a dream fan service gift, the village is buzzing with excitement, and Lydia almost forgets she’s hiding a bomb, when bad news arrives: signs of illegal hunting on Home Farm.

Kim hears this and throws everything aside, instantly switching to her queen mode, rushing to find the truth. From that moment, Lydia truly panics, as she loses control of everything, watching Kim charge straight into a storm she herself helped to stir up. And Kim, needless to say, isn’t the type to sit idly by and listen to explanations, nor is she the type to ignore someone turning her land into a playground for sneaky revenge. The brilliance of this storyline lies in its ability to evoke both anger and pity: Lydia isn’t a cold-blooded villain, but she chooses the right way to hurt Kim the most, because Lydia’s betrayal is a betrayal of trust, not just a typical sneaky act.