Emmerdale fans have already fallen for newcomer Serena Sugden (Casey Al-Shaqsy) after her debut, but they are pleading with bosses to keep her as a good character rather than turning her into another villain.
Serena's emotional debut
Serena first appeared in Tuesday's episode (June 23), where her comedic entrance led to a poignant encounter with Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins). Charity has been struggling after being sexually assaulted by Dr. Todd (Caroline Harker). With the police investigation at a dead end and the secret of baby Leyla's true parentage weighing heavily, Charity fled the village and stood by a lake in distress.
Serena emerged from the trees, admitting she had been 'caught short'. It turned out she had previously worked as a Samaritan, so she quickly sensed something was wrong. Through gentle encouragement, she got Charity to open up. Serena pointed out that Caitlin Todd's blackmail proved the encounter was not consensual. When Charity argued that going to the police would expose her baby secret, Serena countered that she had already admitted she could not go back to the village living a lie, so getting everything off her chest might be the best option. This resonated with Charity, who returned home and asked to speak to Mack Boyd (Lawrence Robb) alone.
Fans' plea for a good character
Meanwhile, Serena made her way to the village, and fans have one hope for her: that she will not be another unhinged killer like John Sugden, the previous new Sugden addition who had a saviour complex. 'Last night's episode was great, Emma Atkins as per usual played a blinder, she's such a good actress, hoping this new Sugden girl is going to be a nice person unlike John,' Metro reader T'pol wrote on Facebook.
'The new woman was nice hope she is going to be a part in Emmerdale and a good person for a change,' Val agreed, while Maureen added: 'I hope she's not more trouble for charity, hopefully she's there to help her.' Fans on Twitter echoed the same sentiments, with Logan Smith tweeting: 'She's a breath of fresh air so please don't make her a villain @emmerdale because we don't need two evil Sugden family members back to back.'
Mixed suspicions
Some fans are not holding their breath, already suspicious that Serena might not be all she seems. 'I think this new Sugden will shake things up a bit... I have to say I really liked her in tonight's episode but will spell trouble going forward,' Metro reader Kirsty commented. Claire tweeted: 'Love Serena already yet still suspicious of her! Charity unwittingly told a Sugden about everything including the baby secret!!'
Actress Casey Al-Shaqsy has teased that viewers might end up hating Serena 'in the best way'. She explained: 'So Serena as a person, I'd say she puts her foot in her mouth quite a lot. She's quite loud and a little bit outspoken. I do think there's elements of both good and bad in her. She's come into a lovely family situation. Or is it lovely? You'll see.' She added: 'Let's just say she's going to be an incredible person to play, and hopefully you all love her or hate her in the [best] ways.'
