Thea Ramsden (Chelsea Edge) is carrying a huge secret in Emmerdale: she is Kim Tate's (Claire King) daughter, and she is seeking revenge for the life Kim thrust upon her by putting her up for adoption. A flashback revealed a hospital scene where a young Kim decided she would not raise baby Anthea. Thea has repeatedly blamed Kim for her difficult upbringing.
She has been searching for incriminating evidence against Kim, having snooped around Home Farm. Graham (Andrew Scarborough) caught her, and she was forced to lie her way out of it. She then attempted to blame Kim for Jimmy's (Nick Miles) death by faking evidence of erratic driving, but the accusation did not stick.
Thea softens at Will's graveside
There might be a thaw in Thea's resolve. She approaches Kim at Will's graveside, where Kim is reflecting on how she could not protect Dawn (Olivia Bromley). The two women share a moment that stirs feelings in Thea.
Claire King shared: 'Thea arrives and she's vocalising this to Thea, and Thea then thinks “Oh. She has actually got a soft side. Maybe she is not the monster I thought she was.” Because she has come back to get her believing that she has been this monster, this evil woman for twenty seven years. So she softens a bit.'
This interaction is enough for Thea to tell Serena (Casey Al-Shaqsy) she thinks she might have been wrong. Serena urges her to come clean with Kim about their connection, but it is not long before a softened Thea hardens again.
Revenge plot back on
In the pub, Thea overhears what she thinks is Kim's flippant attitude to Joe's baby. Claire explained: '[Kim] basically says “There's nothing I can do. The baby's gone. That's the end of the story”. And it makes her sound really harsh and uncaring, like she doesn't care about the baby at all when in fact it's the opposite.'
Speaking of the future for Kim and Thea, Claire shared insights that though there is a chance they could reconcile, there could also be 'danger' ahead for Kim. 'I believe they could be in danger,' she said. 'She's an officer of the law. Thea's out to get her. She does all sorts of things, gets her pulled over at the side of the road, using a copper, she's trying to find out and dig up any dirt she can on Kim.'
Thea's drive to see Kim taken down might be her own undoing. Unable to keep herself from plotting, Thea's consultation with Serena is spotted by Sarah (Katie Hill). Sarah is crumbling under the guilt of what she has done to Charity (Emma Atkins) as the murder trial looms, but spotting Serena in cahoots with Thea makes her question things. Sarah is the savviest of the Dingles, and what she will do with this information remains to be seen.
