Dylan Penders’ (Fred Kettle) return to Emmerdale came as a very welcome surprise for April Windsor (Amelia Flanagan).
The young man who befriended her when she was living on the streets after running away from home had returned to the village after completing a stint in rehab.
He was clean of drugs, he told April, although it was clear that Dylan is still mixed up in some very dodgy stuff. For one thing, there was a nasty wound on his leg, which viewers know was caused by a pitchfork wielded by Kyle Winchester (Huey Quinn) after he caught Dylan and another person lurking in the barn at Butlers.
As the days have gone on, the wound has become infected. The fact that Dylan has been living in the cricket pavilion hasn’t helped, and he’s steadfastly refused to go to A&E because he knows that some serious questions would be asked about how he was injured.
So in Monday (August 4)’s episode, Dylan was in a bad way and starting to get feverish. April knew something had to be done, and as she has access to a fully functioning vet’s surgery she took him there.
As she rummaged through the medical supplies April said she planned to sterilise the wound. Somewhat less confidently she added that she might have a go at stitching it.
Luckily before we had to witness the carnage that might have ensued from that, an actual vet appeared in the form of Paddy (Dominic Brunt). He quickly assessed the situation, and realised that Dylan wouldn’t be persuaded to see a doctor and without treatment could mean he’d lose his leg. ‘He’ll look like a balloon animal in an hour,’ Paddy insisted. It’s an enduring image.
So at the risk of his career, Paddy stitched up the wound himself and gave Dylan the antibiotics left over from when he was bitten by a dog, and swore Dylan and April to secrecy about what he’d done.
Then he said Dylan could stay at his and Mandy (Lisa Riley)’s house, where Marlon (Mark Charnock) and Mandy were somewhat shocked to find him.
Later, on Paddy’s suggestion, Mandy took Dylan and April to the Hide for a pizza. While Dylan was outside alone, he was approached by drug dealer Ray (Joe Absolom) who gave him some cash and pretended to be concerned about Dylan’s injured leg – which of course had happened while Dylan was on a job for him. And Ray said he had a ‘tiny’ new job for him.
Back at Tenants, Paddy was cross that Dylan had stayed out when he was supposed to be resting his leg. And when Dylan returned and Mandy was out of the room we saw that Dylan’s rucksack was full of drugs.
It looks like Ray’s ‘tiny’ job wasn’t so tiny after all, and Dylan has been roped into Ray’s latest drug dealing scheme. In coming episodes Dylan will be torn between the genuine help and support offered by April, Paddy and others, and Ray’s manipulation which could threaten his entire future – and his life.
Fred Kettle told us: ‘Dylan knows he’s doing the wrong thing but it’s more morally correct than what he was doing when he was back on the streets. I feel like there’s a few different routes it could go down.’
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