The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale that hasn’t aired on ITV yet, but can be viewed on ITVX.
April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan) was devastated in tonight’s Emmerdale as Dylan (Fred Kettle) ended their friendship.
April met Dylan while she was living on the streets. They are a similar age, and supported each other throughout the ordeal. The young man re-entered April’s life a few weeks ago, when she visited the squat they stayed in.
April brought Dylan back to the village and eventually, Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) allowed him to stay the night. This quickly spiralled, as April’s dad then told Dylan that he could stay until he was clean from drugs.
This, unsurprisingly, was a bad idea. As Dylan experienced withdrawal symptoms, April tried to help him, but he reacted badly, making the home environment tense and uncomfortable.
Marlon then took a massive risk and planted drugs in Dylan’s coat pocket, knowing it would be the perfect way to get him out of the house, and possibly change April’s mindset.
What Marlon didn’t take into consideration was Dylan’s reaction to being framed. He ended up taking an overdose, and was then rushed into hospital.
There, once Marlon had confessed the truth, he had a really genuine, honest chat with Dylan. The two characters realised while they don’t connect over a lot, they both want the best for April.
With that, Dylan accepted Marlon’s offer to pay for private therapy, but told him that he shouldn’t tell April about planting the drugs. It was a touching moment, but it was one Marlon was questioning tonight as Dylan announced he wanted to see his pal again.
When Marlon arrived home with Dylan in tow, April was taken aback to see him. Dylan then admitted he was going to rehab, and that Marlon was paying for it.
The confession left Marlon, April and even Mary (Louise Jameson) surprised. Because Dylan didn’t tell April about her dad’s plan, it simply painted him in a positive light, and the homeless boy in a bad one. Quite a sacrifice.
Just before Dylan went, he told April that he wouldn’t be in contact anymore. He wanted to focus on getting better, but April couldn’t understand why that meant they couldn’t talk.
Later on, April sat on the sofa in tears. She was comforted by Marlon, who said that he’d be there to support her with whatever happens next.
Ever since April returned, Marlon has been desperate to reconnect with her. Removing Dylan from April’s life has given her the chance to lean on her dad again but ultimately, Marlon has lied to her.
Was this really the best approach?
