It’s a grim time for Paddy Dingle and Bear Wolf in Emmerdale following Ray Walters’ death on Thursday (January 22).
In tonight’s episode (Friday January 23), Paddy was forced to make an impossible choice: go to the police and risk his dad spending the rest of his life in prison for murder – or cover everything up.
He chose the latter. But with Bear once again locked away, is there any hope left for either of them?
Bear killed Ray in Emmerdale
This week’s flashback episodes revealed Ray’s final hours. Last night confirmed that he was killed when Bear walked in on Ray attacking Paddy and Dylan.
Feared dead, Bear was in fact very much alive. Horrified by what he was witnessing, he tried to make Ray stop, locking him in a wrestling bear hug. Tragically, Bear had no idea what he was doing and ended up squeezing the life out of him.
Tonight, Bear remained deeply confused. He didn’t understand Ray was dead and repeatedly demanded Paddy wake him up. Paddy tried, even though he knew it was futile.
Eventually, he and Dylan were forced to tell Bear there was nothing more they could do. As Paddy reached for the phone to call the police, Dylan stopped him – warning that Bear would be sent to prison for murder.
Instead, Dylan insisted they had to protect Bear by getting rid of the body.
Paddy resisted at first, but with Bear wandering around in a trance, barely aware of reality, he finally accepted Dylan was right.
Paddy and Dylan cleaned up after Ray’s death
The pair managed to move Ray’s body into the back of Jai’s van, planning to bury him in the woods once darkness fell.
But they hadn’t counted on Jai driving the van away.
With the body now out of their control, Paddy and Dylan realised there was no turning back. A haunting montage showed how, over the past two weeks, they agreed to play dumb – pretending they knew nothing until others filled in the gaps.
That left one huge problem: Bear.
He couldn’t be allowed to wander the village, and he couldn’t be trusted not to reveal what he’d done. So they made a chilling decision – locking him in a room at Paddy’s house and telling everyone he was still missing.
They even staged daily searches to keep up appearances.
Is there any hope for Bear?
Next week, Bear remains locked up. As disturbing as it seems, the routine may offer him a twisted sense of safety – something familiar after weeks of mental deterioration.
That doesn’t make it any easier for Paddy. When DS Walsh wants to speak to him about Bear, panic sets in.
Unable to avoid the conversation, Paddy braces himself for the worst – only to be stunned when Walsh reveals police are now keen to question Celia about Ray’s murder.
With suspicion shifting elsewhere, Paddy dares to hope. He rushes home to tell Dylan, and for the first time, they allow themselves to believe the nightmare might be nearing its end.
But Bear is still locked away. He’s still desperately unwell. And until he gets the help he truly needs, this secret is only going to rot further – with consequences that may yet tear them all apart.
Read more: Emmerdale fans divided over ‘too dark’ storylines – but poll reveals surprise verdict
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 8pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
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