Emmerdale spoilers follow.
It's official – Emmerdale's Robert Sugden is back to his old tricks.
Hot on the heels of stealing Lewis Barton's secret weed stash, Robert has now gone a step further by purchasing some land from Moira Dingle under false pretences.
Wednesday's episode (2 July) saw Robert inform Moira that he wanted to buy Annie's Field for sentimental reasons, as it was once Sugden land.
In a vulnerable financial position as she's facing a large fine due to the recent slurry leak at the farm, Moira accepted a low offer. She believed she was doing Robert a favour, but he was playing her like a fiddle.
In the closing moments of the episode, Robert secretly met up with Kim Tate and revealed his true intentions for the land – he'd be selling it onto her for a quick profit.
What to Read Next
Here's how Robert's new storyline will shake up the status quo in the Dales…
1. Robert's ruthless side is back
When Robert returned to the Dales a few weeks ago, it was easy to assume that we had his comeback storylines all figured out.
Most of the initial publicity focused on Robert working to bring down his sinister half-brother John, so it appeared that this feud – and an inevitable fight for Aaron Dingle's affections – would dominate most of his screen time.
Robert was always capable of his own sly acts, though, and his manipulation of Moira reminds us that he's a formidable force in his own right.
While Robert is sure to still have John's downfall on his to-do list, it seems that there's plenty more machinations to keep him occupied in the meantime.
2. Robert and Kim are now allies
In Wednesday's cliffhanger, Robert boasted to Kim over his sneaky tactics, revealing that he'd given Moira "all this rubbish about how I wanted to live up to the Sugden name, my dad's legacy, but I only had a tiny budget".
The pair toasted their deal over some champagne and Kim confirmed that she was impressed by how Robert had pulled off his sleight of hand. And we all know that Kim isn't easy to impress, so that's high praise.
Robert promised that he was "only just getting warmed up", so could he and Kim work together more regularly? They were previously in the show at the same time when Robert was a young child, and again more recently in 2018 and 2019, but have barely crossed paths apart from occasional scenes.
They're certainly a force to be reckoned with as individuals, never mind as a team, so this dynamic could be one to watch.
3. Robert and Ross's feud will be revisited
Robert's antics are sure to put him on a collision course with his long-time rival Ross, who's loyal to Moira.
Spoilers for next week's episodes have already revealed that Ross confronts Robert over his other recent sly act – the missing weed.
Wary of Ross asking too many questions, Robert threatens to pull out of the land deal with Moira if he doesn't back off.
Ross ultimately calls off hostilities to avoid causing problems for Moira, but is it only a matter of time before he finds out what's going on? And how will Moira react to Robert playing games, after she kindly gave him a job to get back on his feet?
4. Victoria could be in for a nasty shock
Robert tells Victoria next week that he's bought Annie's Field, and she's sure to be impressed over the family sentiment that he claims is behind the move.
He keeps quiet about his longer-term plans for the land, which seems to be a ticking timebomb that could ultimately cause trouble between the siblings. Victoria has stayed loyal to Robert since his comeback, much to the frustration of John, but is she about to be reminded of his darker side?
5. Kim is expanding her empire
Emmerdale fans who've been watching the show closely will have seen early signs that Kim and Caleb are preparing for another battle.
Both characters are building their respective empires, especially now that Caleb has his warehouse on the outskirts of the village.
Show insiders have been teasing this story as one to watch, as the Kim vs Caleb stories are far from over.
Kim scoring some more land can only be good news for her, even if it is only a small field in the grand scheme of things.
And with newcomer Celia also on the scene and being tipped as another rival, Kim may soon have other reasons for wanting to assert her authority in the local area!
Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.
Read more Emmerdale spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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