In an upcoming special episode of Emmerdale, Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) and Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) will face a crisis as their marriage collapses and the pair go head-to-head during an intense dinner party.
The couple are still struggling after Rhona’s outburst on the stand which landed Gus Malcolms (Alan McKenna) behind bars - for eight years. Marlon was in disbelief by Rhona’s actions and that she had made such a huge decision without consulting him. Marlon confronted Rhona and said she’s “not the woman he fell in love with”.
When talking about the special episode, Zoe said: “It is essentially an episode of two halves. The first one is the surface stuff, what you can plainly see going on, particularly dominated by Marlon and Rhona’s now dysfunctional relationship and how real and ugly that currently is.”
In the episode set to air on Monday 6 May, the couple are still at odds but meet for lunch to talk and spend time together. But their feud is ignited again when Rhona reveals she's accepted Tom King’s (James Chase) invitation to dinner. In the following episode, Rhona and Marlon attend Tom and Belle Dingle’s (Eden Taylor-Draper) dinner party along with Mandy Dingle (Lisa Riley), Paddy Kirk (Dominic Brunt), Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) and Suzy Merton (Martelle Edinborough).
Seeing the other couples so loved-up only makes Rhona and Marlon feel worse about their situation. Zoe said: “That’s tough, it’s a stark reminder of how good they used to be together. And it’s sickening to watch, isn’t it? People in love and smooching near you when things are dire in your own relationship. In a way, how bad your marriage is feels magnified by everyone else’s intimacy.”
Rhona and Marlon attempt to be civil with one another, but when Tom raises a toast to marriage, they reach breaking point. The couple air their dirty laundry and Rhona tries to get them to leave, but Marlon refuses. As a result, Rhona declares their marriage is over. But after everything they’ve been through, and two years of being husband and wife is this it?
The dinner party episode will also expose the terrifying reality of life for Belle living with her abusive husband, Tom.
Mark said: “Nobody has the slightest clue what Belle’s going through,” says Mark. “There’s this tension there all of the time and the audience will be wanting one of the couples to see it. It’s right in front of them but they just don’t. What you see public-facing doesn’t always reflect what’s going on behind closed doors.”
