Emmerdale viewers are convinced that a legendary villain could be making a comeback to the village to confront Joe Tate in forthcoming episodes. The ITV soap fan speculation comes as Joe, portrayed by Ned Porteous, continues to grieve following the tragic death of his fiancée Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley).
Joe's grief and actions
Dawn died from severe blood loss after delivering Joe's son, with the premature labour triggered by a car accident that also took Jimmy King's (Nick Miles) life. Joe has directed his anguish towards those closest to him, expelling Dawn's three children from Home Farm and issuing his step-grandmother, Kim Tate (Claire King), an ultimatum over Gabby Thomas' (Rosie Bentham) position at the estate.
Joe has also decided to place his newborn son up for adoption, as the infant serves as a painful reminder of his loss.
Kim's hospital confrontation
During Monday's episode, now available on ITVX, Kim arrived at the hospital only to learn Joe had prohibited anyone from visiting the baby before the adoption. Kim attempted to reason with Joe, saying: "What on earth's going on? I've just been to the hospital, and I wasn't allowed to see the baby. Apparently, you've withdrawn all visiting rights."
Joe curtly responded: "Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on things." He justified his actions as being in Kim's best interests, stating: "You are getting too close. You're getting too attached," before disclosing his intentions to arrange a private adoption.
Kim and Graham's efforts
Later, Kim and Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) tried to reason with Joe at the Woolpack, but Joe confirmed his position remained unchanged. A dejected Kim returned to Home Farm to weigh up her options, saying: "For all we know, he could have gone straight from the pub to the hospital, pretended to take his son home and handed him over to God knows who in the car park." Graham responded: "Well, we have to keep trying."
While Kim and Graham persist in their efforts to keep the baby within the Tate family, some Emmerdale viewers are adamant that a legendary antagonist might resurface to take Joe down for good. Many fans speculate that serial murderer Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) could break out of prison and make an unexpected return to the village.
Fan speculation
One viewer posted on a Facebook fan page: "I wonder if Meena Jutla is gonna comeback to Emmerdale and she's gonna go after Joe Tate." Another commented: "Ooh I hope so. Who knows in the crazy world of soapland."
A third remarked: "She'd certainly be a match for him! They'd make a lovely couple!" Someone else contributed: "This would be epic!" Whether Meena could make a comeback that leads to Joe's exit remains to be seen. Emmerdale airs weekday nights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
