Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Note: This article contains discussion of topics including sexual assault.
Today (23 October) officially marks 30 years of Hollyoaks, and the soap really has celebrated in style – with three jam-packed episodes, (at least) three deaths, a nostalgic Brookside crossover and a game-changing Hollyoaks Later episode after dark.
With unexpected cliffhangers, lives still hanging in the balance and huge new storylines kicking off, to say there is a lot to unpack would be an understatement bigger than that deadly Love Boat explosion.
As we eagerly await the next post-anniversary week episodes, here are the important Hollyoaks questions that remain unanswered:
1. What does Peri's death mean for the village?
The first of the major deaths this week was poor Peri, who was crushed by the chimney of the Love Boat in a huge explosion. She shared some emotional final words with Leela and Tom, and the scenes in the aftermath proved that Peri meant a lot to almost every member of the community.
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With the village in complete shock about these tragic events next week, there are some emotional scenes in the mortuary – this could be for Peri or one of the other victims of the anniversary week. But the hospital is later on high alert when an intruder gets into the building…
2. What's next for the Blacks after Grace's demise?
Fans were completely floored by the death of show icon Grace, who was accidentally shot by her sister Clare after a messy scrap that also involved Froggy and Rex. Grace was rushed to hospital and her family were told that her condition was improving – but in a shock twist, she suddenly took a turn for the worse and died.
Her loved ones reeled, particularly Rex, who had only recently found out that Grace was his mum. Clare attempted to keep a low profile after the plane crash and narrowly escaped arrest by threatening to expose Donny’s secret identity.
Clare won’t yet know that her sister is dead because of her actions – how will she react, and what does this mean for her future in the village?
3. Is Nancy dead?
Nancy was injured in the plane crash, and while she thankfully escaped the wreckage unscathed, she was devastated when Darren officially ended their relationship – unable to get over her one-night stand with Tony and the bombshell that he’s not Morgan’s biological father.
When Nancy ran after Darren, she was caught up in the fiery Love Boat explosion and was thrown to the ground unconscious. Darren was devastated and changed his mind about wanting to split with Nancy, pleading with his wife to wake up.
Nancy was rushed to hospital, but in Wednesday’s episode she flatlined, with her fate left up in the air. Are the Osbornes going to be torn apart?
4. Who shot Tony?
In the aftermath of the village disaster, Tony wasn’t exactly short of enemies. Darren was furious about his friend’s deceit, Mercedes was devastated to have lost her baby, and Diane was devastated by her husband’s web of lies. Warren’s hit on Tony had been disturbed, but Darren took matters into his own hands – picking up Clare’s gun and aiming it at his best friend.
Tony later fell to the floor after being shot in the back, with his condition also remaining unknown. Next week, distressed Darren leaves the Osborne house with a bag of possessions. But did he fire the bullet at Tony or was someone else responsible?
5. Will Cleo's baby be delivered safely?
Serial killer Jez also met his maker this week, ultimately being pushed into the propellors of the plane he attempted to hijack. But there was also huge drama for his family, with Sienna finding out that Cleo and Dodger – her girlfriend and twin brother – have feelings for one another and kissed while she was presumed dead and trapped in the Love Boat.
All of this paled in comparison though, when Cleo realised she was going into labour unexpectedly early. With Sienna firmly by her side, will Cleo and her unborn baby be okay?
6. Will Dodger report his assault?
In the dark Hollyoaks Later episode, Dodger attempted to save Donny from the clutches of gang members Sully and Griff, but he was overpowered. On discovering that the pair were police officers, the criminals turned violent. In harrowing scenes, Donny was attacked by Sully before Dodger was raped by Griff.
Next week, Dodger makes a difficult decision that goes against his police instincts, before making a statement about the events of the previous evening. He is later thrown by a surprising turn of events, but how will Dodger respond to this life-changing assault?
7. Has Donny killed Griff?
Speaking of Donny, this week it was revealed that his true identity is Brookside legend Mick Johnson, and that he faked his death 20 years ago to escape being killed by Froggy. He was caught up in his daughter Gemma and Warren’s mess and was subjected to a horrific ordeal alongside Dodger.
After he and Warren were involved in a major car crash, Donny approached the vehicle containing injured Sully and Griff and lost control, brutally beating Griff. Next week, Misbah finds out the truth about her fiancé, and Donny decides to leave the village. Has Donny killed someone, and will he face consequences?
8. Will Dillon and Ste survive?
Hollyoaks Later was a turning point for Dillon, who vowed to finally break up with Lucas. But soon after, he pledged to never leave him when Lucas almost fell to his death in the club. He made clear again his feelings for Lucas’ dad Ste, but this time Ste admitted that he also felt something for Dillon too.
Dillon and Ste kissed on the streets of Liverpool, but they were both then struck by Warren and Donny’s car and left unconscious. Frankie and Lucas were horrified to find them lying in the road, both in a serious condition.
We know that Ste will survive his injuries, with executive producer Hannah Cheers recently telling us that the child-to-parent abuse story involving him and Lucas will come to a climax this Christmas – but what about Dillon? And will Lucas discover his dad and boyfriend's shocking betrayal?
9. Will Warren get revenge?
Warren’s spectacular return this week saw him targeted by Sully and Griff, who were demanding a large sum of money and even shot his girlfriend Gemma as a threat. He promised to get them the money and collected some valuable diamonds from Theresa, who had illegally smuggled the jewels from abroad.
However, it turns out that Gemma had set up the whole robbery and was working with Sully and Griff the whole time. Warren later realised that he had been double crossed but didn’t know that she was responsible. But in a further twist, it was revealed that Theresa had handed over fake diamonds to Warren and had kept the real ones for herself!
Next week, Warren is forced into an unlikely alliance with the police, but will he rumble either Gemma or Theresa’s schemes?
10. Is Marie moving to Brookside?
Marie was only too happy to reveal that she was pregnant with Tony’s baby in front of all the wedding guests – but Tony and the viewers later discovered that she had been lying about her pregnancy and was wearing a fake baby bump.
We know that Marie has been looking at a house in Liverpool to make a fresh start away from the village. However, she was later seen in Brookside Close, sporting her fake bump again and calling herself Pauline. With Rita Simons’ exit approaching, is Marie moving to another iconic location?
11. Who is James' mystery caller?
One of the biggest twists came before the anniversary week itself: that James is alive and well and didn’t die in the car explosion before the time jump. He gave Darren the money he needed to put out the hit on Tony, then later reunited with surprised Peri. James agreed to wait for an hour on the back road while Peri told Ste he was back – but Peri tragically died before she could pass the message on.
James therefore assumed that Ste wasn’t interested and so made a mysterious phone call – telling the person on the other end that he loved them and would be home soon. It seems that this is the last we will see of James for now, but there are SO many questions remaining unanswered, including about how he survived that blast, that it’s surely only a matter of time before he pops up again… right?
12. Is Frankie in danger?
During Frankie’s time in Liverpool, she formed a surprise connection with Esme, the daughter of Brookside icon Jacqui Dixon, and they slept together. While Frankie was grateful to Esme for giving her a safe and healthy sexual experience, she realised that she wasn’t gay and the pair went their separate ways.
She was inspired by Esme to take more risks though, and Frankie later decided to try out a dating app. However, she matched with Sully – the man who brutally attacked Donny. Will Frankie connect with Sully, and could this spell danger?
13. Could Vicky and Charlie couple up?
Also on the teens’ Liverpool trip, it became clear that Vicky and Charlie were becoming closer. Frankie questioned her bestie about this in the club, and Vicky reasoned that her late boyfriend Robbie would want her to live her life to the fullest.
Vicky and Charlie kissed in the club, but were interrupted by dramatic events involving Dillon and Lucas. Back at the hotel, Charlie had an altercation with Dillon and Vicky was put off, saying she didn’t like him when he was on drugs. But could there be hope for Vicky and Charlie back in the village?
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
Hollyoaks are continuing to work closely with We Are Survivors to tell Dodger's story, an organisation that supports male survivors of sexual abuse, rape and sexual exploitation across Greater Manchester and throughout England and Wales.
For more information, visit wearesurvivors.co.uk, 0r contact the 24/7 support line at 0808 500 2222.
