Emmerdale fans have expressed outrage after Doctor Caitlin Todd (Caroline Harker) was killed off in a flashforward at the end of yesterday's episode, instead of facing a trial for her crimes. The evil surgeon, who returned earlier this year, had been blackmailing Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and later raped her on Sarah's 21st birthday.
Storyline and Fan Backlash
Doctor Todd helped Charity give birth to baby Leyla, then discovered the child was not Jacob and Sarah Sugden's. She proceeded to blackmail Charity. After the rape, Charity reported the attack to DS Reid, but Todd claimed the sex was consensual, and due to lack of physical evidence, she was released. She now works in Sheffield. Mackenzie Boyd (Lawrence Robb) confronted Todd this week, vowing revenge, and told her he would 'bury her' if she approached Charity again. Moments later, Todd was seen lying in a pool of blood.
On Metro Soaps Facebook page, readers called the twist disappointing. Anne wrote: 'I know it’s a drama but just for once I’d like to see one of these abusers in the soaps actually get found guilty and go to prison, just to show real life victims that sometimes there is hope and to report crimes, killing them violently might be great tells but it’s not real life.'
Pattern of Killing Off Villains
Metro Soaps Reporter Calli Kitson noted a troubling pattern: Emmerdale has killed off villains who should face court trials, including Lydia Dingle’s rapist Craig, Anthony Fox, John Sugden, and Celia Daniels. 'I was disappointed to discover that Doctor Todd would be killed off,' Kitson said. 'Emmerdale took a risk by airing a storyline that saw a woman rape another woman, and even said they would shine a light on this because of the “little conversation surrounding female-on-female assault.”'
Kitson added: 'Getting the jury to believe that she was raped would’ve been very difficult for Charity. That being said, Emmerdale shouldn’t have robbed viewers – especially those in similar situations – of the chance to see the trial unfold. The end verdict wasn’t the point. The point was that Charity, like every survivor, deserved the chance to have her case heard.'
Suspects and Future Plot
With Doctor Todd dead, a list of suspects includes Mackenzie, Charity, Jacob, Sarah, Vanessa Woodfield, Cain Dingle, Chas Dingle, Ross Barton, Noah Dingle, Ryan Stocks, and Serena Sugden. Fans like Tasha commented: 'Be great if the Soaps started showing us what proper justice looked like- maybe to encourage real life victims to speak up.' Dave echoed: 'Great another villian killed off, rather than face justice. Writer’s seriously try a different conclusion for a change.'
