Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) is a slippery customer.
He returned to Emmerdale at Christmas apparently hell-bent on bringing about the downfall of Kim Tate (Claire King)’s empire, but it wasn’t long before he was firmly establishing himself with a room of his own at Home Farm, cheerfully taking on a portfolio of Kim’s business affairs.
That’s not the only type of affair he’s been interested in, as his manly charms have already captivated Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley), and the two have slept together.
In Monday (February 3)’s episode Kim spotted that there was a frisson between Dawn and Joe and she warned Joe off.
He protested his innocence and said that he’d relapsed in his addiction to painkillers and Dawn had very kindly offered to help him with it. He swore there was nothing more to his relationship with Dawn than that.
We know that there is more to his ‘addiction,’ though, as we’ve seen him apparently struggling with some other health issue.
As well as his charm offensive as far as Dawn is concerned, Joe continued in this episode to try to win over his half brother Noah Dingle (Jack Downham). He invited him to go and see Raging Bull at the Hotten Picturedrome, and who could resist such a tempting offer?
But should Noah really be trusting Joe? Charity (Emma Atkins) thinks not and has warned her son numerous times that Joe is a wrong ‘un who can’t be believed.
Charity is hardly ever wrong about people, with her instincts honed from years of hard experience, and Noah would be wise to listen to her warnings. Because while Joe is buying cinema tickets and popcorn with one hand, he’s trying to ruin Noah’s business with the other.
We saw him in this episode posting anonymous negative reviews to Noah’s business website, branding the electrician as a poor workman who’s rude to his clients. Noah showed him the reviews later and Joe brushed them off, saying that it wouldn’t really harm Noah’s business. Noah knew differently, though, and said it could destroy him.
This is all part of a plan that Joe is cooking up which will lead to him offering Noah a job in Dubai. And, with Noah’s professional reputation in the Dales all but ruined by Joe’s negative reviews, the young man might feel he has no option but to take the job.
What Joe’s long-term plan is remains to be seen – but Charity Dingle, when she learns of Noah’s job offer, is determined to find out exactly what Joe is up to.
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 or stream from 7am on ITVX.
