Ethan Williams’ (Matthew James Bailey) plans for his wedding are upended in Hollyoaks next week courtesy of best mate Darren Osborne (Ashley Taylor Dawson).
The fan-favourite made it through the Channel 4 soap’s historic time-jump, much to the delight of die-hard fans, who believed that his upcoming exit would come prior to such changes.
To make this surprise even better, the character is now engaged to one true love Sienna Blake (Anna Passey), which sent viewers into meltdown. This is something fans have waited literal years for so the excitement is palpable.
But just when we thought the engagement story couldn’t get any better, Ethan asks Darren to be his best man for the big day.
Hearts just exploded with joy.
The pair’s friendship is easily one of the best dynamics in the show, with actors Matthew and Ashley working incredibly well on screen together and fans have made no secret of how much they love and Ethan and Darren scene.
Relatable.
The partnership extends all the way back to 2021. Ethan, as viewers will recall, kidnapped Darren upon his debut, doing so on behalf of devilish crime boss Maya Harkwell (Ky Discala), who he was seeing at the time.
But knowing right from wrong, Ethan bravely stood up to Maya, saving Darren’s life in the process, with the two village mainstays forging quite the friendship as a result.
Fans can’t get enough of the bromance and, next week, there’s an emotional scene on the cards for the two – though tissues might be a requirement as there’s some bad news on the cards.
Darren is forced to tell Ethan that he may not be able to be his best man after all. Ever the kind and caring soul, Ethan assures Darren – who is dealing with quite a lot at the time of the conversation – that he needn’t worry about it, asserting that he put his family first.
A true gent.
Ethan, who remains one of the most popular characters in Hollyoaks, hasn’t had an awful lot to do over the past year, much to the upset of fans.
With the exception of that Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence) story – and the less said about that the better – it’s been quite dry spell in terms of storylines.
Fingers crossed that the long-awaited Ethan and Sienna reunion is a sign that the show’s new era will ultimately give the fans what they actually want.
But even if all our Ethenna wishes come true, Ethan remains on borrowed time, with Metro having confirmed earlier this year that he is set to exit amid all the cast changes.
I’m still not over it.
Vicky, meanwhile, refuses to accept that Ethan has moved on as she makes it her mission to win his affection.
One to watch: Wednesday September 25 at 7pm on E4 or watch from 7am on Channel 4 streaming.
