Cleo McQueen (Nadine Mulkerrin) receives word that ex Joel Dexter (Rory Douglas-Speed) is set to be released in Hollyoaks next week, raising questions about a potential return for her former flame.
Joel's Prison Sentence
Joel first went to prison after confessing to the murder of Tommy Odenkirk (Brandon Fellows). Tommy, a local therapist seeing various villagers including Leela Dexter (Kirsty-Leigh Porter) and Jez Blake (Jeremy Sheffield), was not actually a practising therapist and secretly worked in a chicken shop. He harboured an obsession with Joel and used sessions with Leela to get close to him.
The situation escalated after Tommy leaked footage of Leela's rape ordeal online, prompting Joel to lose control one night. Upon waking, he believed he had murdered Tommy. However, Tommy was killed by serial killer Jez, who framed Joel for the crime. Joel was later cleared of murder charges but remained in prison due to GBH charges, leading him to move to Scotland to serve the rest of his sentence. Rory's final scenes aired in October last year.
Cleo's Dilemma
Next week, Cleo receives word that Joel is due to be released soon, and he gets in touch, wanting to see baby Joseph. Dodger Savage (Danny Mac), with whom Cleo has been having an affair, overhears the conversation and questions whether it is the right thing to do. Cleo heads to the Lomaxes to speak to Leela, hoping they are on the same page about Joel.
Leela's Ambush
Leela later finds a letter signed 'J' and believes it is from Joel, hoping he wants to meet up. She heads to the meeting spot but is instead targeted by masked strangers aiming paintball guns at her. The incident raises further intrigue about whether Joel will return.
