Emmerdale spoilers: Is Liam having an affair? What Chas gets wrong before the gun comes out
Liam is not cheating on Chas with Manpreet, but her hurt at being left out of a murder mystery night leads her to plan a game of her own, and Dave's arrival turns it into a hostage situation.
No, Liam Cavanagh is not having an affair with Manpreet Sharma.
Chas Dingle jumped to that conclusion recently in Emmerdale, and while the truth turned out to be far more innocent, the way she reacts to it is about to put her in genuine danger.
The misunderstanding began when Liam came back to the village after a night away and stepped out of Manpreet's car. Seeing the pair arrive together, Chas confronted them and accused them of seeing each other behind her back. It fell to Claudette to set the record straight: the three of them had simply been to a murder mystery night. Rather than easing Chas's mind, the explanation left her smarting, because nobody had thought to invite her along.
That sting is where Chas makes her real mistake. Determined not to be left out again, she sets about organising a murder mystery day of her own, built entirely around her partner.
It gets off to a theatrical start when Paddy finds Mary at the vets with a knife in her back, and it soon becomes clear the "body" is part of the game.
Liam is thrilled by the surprise and throws himself into hunting for clues, which is exactly the reaction Chas had been hoping for.
The trouble is that her carefully staged mystery leaves Liam expecting every new arrival to be part of the fun. When a man called Dave knocks at the door, Liam assumes he is one of the cast and even lets the stranger tie him up.
Dave, however, has not come to play a part. He is looking for Dylan, and when Dylan walks in and is plainly terrified to see him, Liam realises that this is no longer a game at all.
Things deteriorate quickly from there. Marlon and Chas arrive to find the situation spiralling, and Dave knocks Marlon out before producing a gun and leading Chas outside, leaving Liam powerless to help.
A day Chas planned as a treat for her partner has instead left her at the mercy of a man who is not playing games.
Viewers who want the full picture can catch up with our guide to Emmerdale from 25 to 30 October, which also covers the baby Tate story.
For Chas, Liam and Marlon, the coming episodes will reveal what Dave really wants from Dylan and whether anyone can talk him down before anybody gets hurt. Emmerdale continues on ITV1 and ITVX.
Images: ITV.
