Joe Tate (Ned Porteous) has become a changed man following Dawn Taylor's (Olivia Bromley) death in Emmerdale. Consumed by grief, he has reverted to his old ruthless self, shutting out loved ones and turning his back on Dawn's three children and their newborn son. In a fit of rage, he told Billy Fletcher (Jay Kontzle) that the children are his problem now, and he has now escalated his cruelty by banning them from attending their own mother's funeral.
Joe's grief spirals into control and revenge
Joe is in an absolute spin, having lost the one person who brought out the good in him. His grief is all-consuming, and he is blinkered to the loved ones around him. He seethed that he wanted nothing to do with the kids, and now he has told them they are not even allowed to attend Dawn's funeral. Everyone is banned; it will just be him and Dawn.
‘He's feeling like his way of controlling the situation is to remove the outsiders,’ reveals Ned of Joe's warped state of mind. He is not thinking straight yet is laser-focused on one thing and one thing only – revenge. ‘He probably blames anyone who came into contact with her over the last few weeks,’ says Ned. ‘All adding to this butterfly effect leading to the crash. He's not thinking rationally and is ready to dish out blame to anyone who won't join him in his rage.’
Ruby intervenes and faces Joe's wrath
All of Joe's loved ones try to convince him otherwise, but he is steadfast in his cruel decision to block out the children. Ruby Miligan (Beth Cordingly) steps up, deciding to take one for the team. This is a risky move that proves to be a self-sacrifice, as Ruby is already on Joe's hit list thanks to her involvement in Dawn's death. She and Caleb Miligan (William Ash) convinced Dawn she should leave Joe on their wedding day – and even provided fake passports.
Ruby heads to Home Farm to beg Joe to change his mind about the children attending the funeral. This is a red flag to a bull; Joe loses it. He threatens her, warning that he's unable to control his anger. ‘Ruby represents the enemy in his mind,’ Ned says, which is a very dangerous place to be. Her card is now marked.
A temporary softening and a vow of revenge
It is Clemmie who gets him to soften towards the three of them after a heart-to-heart chat, and he relents and agrees to let the kids attend. But he has not gone soft. He quietly tells Graham Foster (Andrew Scarborough) that he intends to exact revenge on those he perceives had a direct hand in his loss – including Ruby and Billy.
What will he get Graham to do? ‘There'll be bad blood for a while yet,’ Ned teased. ‘Joe's not one to drop a grudge. And currently his pain and petulance are overriding the voices of reason.’
