The day of Ethan Williams’ (Matthew James Bailey) wake arrives in Hollyoaks next week, and Sienna Blake’s (Anna Passey) unexpected return to the village raises eyebrows.
Ethan, as viewers know, tragically met his demise last month after he plummeted from the balcony of the bridal suite just hours after marrying Sienna on what should have been the happiest day of his life.
The village – and show fans – subsequently mourned the major loss.
Sienna, however, was left with little time to grieve as she was taken away in handcuffs, with the police suspecting that she was guilty of killing her one true love.
The former high school teacher professed her innocence, reiterating that she would never harm Ethan given just how much she loved him but Maxine Minniver (Nikki Sanderson) has refused to believe such a thing, pointing the finger at her former best friend.
Maxine’s fears about Sienna were corroborated when a photographer from the wedding gave a statement to the police, claiming to have seen Sienna push her soulmate to his death.
The person in question, however, was put up to such a thing by evil Robbie Roscoe (Charlie Wernham).
The storyline in question, which has been absent for a number of weeks, picks up again later this week as Maxine vents that poor Ethan has all but been forgotten about.
And next week, tissues should very much be at the ready as the day of Ethan’s wake arrives and everyone gathers to remember the beloved village favourite.
But Maxine’s attention is elsewhere, having been notified by Jez (Jeremy Sheffield) that the eyewitness has retracted his statement about seeing Sienna push Ethan.
As the wake gets underway, Maxine delivers an impassioned speech about her uncle but her efforts are interrupted when Sienna walks in, having been freed from captivity.
The immediate aftermath of the scenes in question remain shrouded in mystery but the following episode sees a Blake family dinner turn awkward, with a showdown leading Sienna to make a big decision.
And there’s another shock in store, with Martha (Sherrie Hewson) staging a comeback shortly afterwards.
Martha, as viewers will recall, was last seen in the show’s timeline over a year ago when it was left rather unclear as to whether she actually had dementia or whether sinister Jez was simply lying about such a thing.
Sienna is left confused about her grandmother’s return – and she receives yet another blow when Martha reveals that they’ve been kept apart.
Things are then complicated further when Martha gets confused, referring to Sophie and Sebastian for Patrick and Jeremy.
Taking action, Sienna asks Martha to move in so that she can care for her. But just how will hard-to-read Jez take the news?
And what’s more, will poor Ethan get justice?
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 7am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
