Everyone hates Robert – except us! And we’ve got a few ideas about who’s messing with Joe, in this week’s Emmerdale review

What's the beef with Robert?
Kerry Barrett

Our Emmerdale review this week is a mixture of every emotion!

Because there’s no doubt that Emmerdale has been a bit confusing this week. It’s also been frustrating, annoying, amusing and mostly entertaining!

Here’s our take on the action in this week’s Emmerdale review.

Robert Sugden returns (Credit: ITV/Comp Emmerdale Insider)

We don’t hate Robert but everyone else does (Credit: ITV/Comp Emmerdale Insider)

Everyone hates Robert

We have been Emmerdale fans for a long time. We have been committed to Robron since that kiss in that layby. We remember the first Robert Sugden. And the second. And the third. You get what we’re saying?

We have been there alongside Robert since his earliest days in the village. We are THRILLED he’s returned.

But we’re a bit bamboozled about why everyone hates him so much.

We know Robert is no angel. He may have slightly killed Katie Sugden. And yes, he sort of tried to murder Paddy. There was, indeed, that whole thing with the helicopter crash that finished off poor Val Pollard (sob!).

But come on!

Everyone makes mistakes. And what we’re really not getting is why everyone’s got it in for him now. This week, Matty told Robert that his mum wouldn’t have been happy about him working at Butler’s. Erm, why? Has Moira ever even spoken to Robert?

Weirdly, the people who should have legit beef with Robert – Eric, perhaps. Maybe Kerry. Paddy. Perhaps Ross Barton at a push – don’t seem to mind him being back in the village.

And as far as we remember, when Robert left, no one had a problem with him. In fact, he and Aaron were just getting on with their lives in Emmerdale.

It’s all a bit odd, even by Emmerdale standards!

John looks angry on Emmerdale (Credit: ITV/Composite: EI)
John could have killed Robert this week, but he didn’t (Credit: ITV/Composite: EI)

Sugden family values

It’s also quite strange that John’s stomping round warning everyone not to give Robert the benefit of the doubt when he only met him for the first time about 10 minutes ago.

He even told Caleb that he didn’t know what Robert was like. Dude, nor do you!

John’s making it so obvious he’s a wrong’un we reckon it won’t be long before Robert’s on to him. Especially now he’s been quizzing Mack about it all too…

Anyway, you know who else didn’t know each other? Victoria and her Uncle Joe Sugden.

Despite Vic reminiscing fondly about how Joe and her dad Jack resolved arguments, she barely even met him. Joe  left Emmerdale shortly after the plane crash – when Victoria was just a couple of months old – and he died off-screen a year later.

Charity looks shocked

Charity’s face said exactly what we were all thinking (Credit: ITV)

Baby blues in our Emmerdale review

Meanwhile Sarah and Jacob were making plans for parenthood, having talked about the pros and cons for at least a day. Perhaps two. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, poor Sarah ended up with an emergency hysterectomy so that wasn’t great. But that aside, we were very pleased with the expression on Charity’s face when she found out Jacob was going to be Sarah’s baby daddy.

In fact, the only thing that would be better than Charity’s face, would be the way Jacob’s much-missed mum, Leyla, would react if she was here.

Jacob claimed she’d be proud of him. We are absolutely certain that is not true. Leyla would be fuming, and we’re just sorry we didn’t get to see it!

Emmerdale review: Jai serious

We;d forgotten Jai existed! (Credit: ITV/ Composite EI!)

Emmerdale review: Missing persons!

Jai showed up this week. We’d actually forgotten that he existed, so that was a nice reminder. Meanwhile, Gabby – sassy businesswoman Gabby  – appears to now be waitressing at the Hide. Leaving us wondering what’s happened to Laurel. Where is she?!

Plus there’s been no sign of Lydia for weeks and weeks now. Loads of the youngsters have vanished – Angelica, Moses, Carl, Johnny – too, and poor Rodney’s only allowed out on special occasions.

Where have they all got to?

EI pic: Joe Tate angry in Emmerdale
Who is messing with Joe Tate? Please make it be Debbie Dingle (Credit: ITV / EI)

Who’s messing with Joe?

Here are the people we hope might be messing with Joe:

His cousin Jean Tate over from New Zealand to play silly games

His uncle Jamie out for revenge

His step-grandma Kim, who surely – SURELY – has realised by now that he’s not as nice as he’s pretending to be

His ex-fiancee Debbie Dingle who lied about going to Australia

His one-time right-hand-man Graham who faked his own death (yes, we know we saw the corpse, go with us here) and has returned for revenge

Another long-lost Tate sibling

Here’s who is probably messing with Joe:

Clemmie.

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns