Emmerdale: six questions we have after last night's dramatic stunt spectacular

Emmerdale
(Image credit: ITV)

There was carnage in The Dales after Thursday night's explosive double bill, but how will the dramatic events impact the residents of Emmerdale?

Emmerdale favourite Mandy Dingle didn't exactly have the wedding day of her dreams, did she? Even by Dingle standards blowing up the wedding venue and turning it into a smoking pile of debris, killing the groom and leaving the best man and two others fighting for their lives in hospital, is certainly not the happily ever after Mandy was hoping for.

But as the dust settles over the disastrous day, what does the future hold for the characters at the heart of Thursday night's action? Here we ask six all important questions about how and why life in the village will never be the same again…

1. When will Mandy find out about Paul's abuse of Vinny?

Just before Jimmy crashed into the wedding barn, Aaron was having a moving heart to heart with Vinny. As a survivor of abuse himself (Aaron was sexually abused by his father Gordon), Aaron was able to reach out to a scared and confused Vinny and tell him none of this was his fault and he wasn't alone.

But Vinny just couldn't bare the thought of ruining Mandy's wedding day and begged Aaron not to tell anyone. But Aaron knew the terrible truth about Paul couldn't stay a secret any longer and despite Vinny's tears he left saying he couldn't let Mandy go through with the wedding.

Aaron tries to get Vinny to open up in Emmerdale

Aaron and Vinny have a heart to heart about Paul's abuse (Picture ITV)

But we also know that he didn't get to Mandy before Paul died in the hospital. So when will Mandy find out and who will be the one to break the awful news that the man she loved was actually a violent and cruel monster?

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2. Will Liv and Jimmy survive?

Although the doctor told Aaron his half-sister Liv was lucky to be alive, the medic also revealed she wasn't out of the woods yet. Before being knocked over by a speeding van, buried under rubble and then being blown up (what a day Liv!), the poor girl was also giving a horrific kicking by Paul. Did the deceased leave her with serious internal injuries as one last parting gift?

Jimmy loses control in Emmerdale

Blinded by the sun, Jimmy crashed into the wedding barn in last night's Emmerdale (Picture ITV)

Jimmy was able to get out of the van and the barn, but then he collapsed and lay motionless on the floor. The doctors admitted to Aaron that Jimmy and Paul were in a worse condition than Liv, and we know Paul later died of his injuries, but will Jimmy pull through?

3. What happened to Vinny?

In the middle of all the confusion at the hospital, Sam Dingle suddenly rushed in with Vinny on a hospital bed! He told Mandy he'd found him unconscious at home but didn't know what had happened.

Did Paul dish out one too many beatings to his son? We saw Vinny take pain killers and hold his ribs during his chat with Aaron, but are his injuries worse than we first thought?

Vinny takes another brutal beating from his father in Emmerdale

Vinny takes another beating from his dad Paul in Emmerdale (picture ITV)

For Mandy's sake let's hope Vinny makes a quick and full recovery.

4. What will happen to Mack when his part in the disaster is discovered?

He thought he was pretty funny didn't he? Locking Nicola in the back of the refrigerated van and then calling Jimmy to tell him he saw Nicola go after the private investigator that's been following them. But that not-very-funny joke triggered the chain of events that led to the huge explosion and Jimmy now fighting for his life in hospital.

Desperate Nicola takes matters into her own hands in Emmerdale

Nicola agrees to help Mack with one of his dodgy deals (Picture ITV)

We can't imagine Nicola is going to be very pleased when she discovers Mack's involvement in Jimmy's accident and if Jimmy doesn't make it, we certainly wouldn't want to be in Mack's shoes.

5. Will Vinny and Liv get back together?

Well, first they both have to survive their injuries. But if they do and now Paul is out of the picture, will the young couple rekindle their romance?

Liv never gave up on her former boyfriend and even when he ended things, she knew there was something more sinister going on.

Her courage in confronting Paul was amazing, but maybe poor Vinny has a lot of healing to do before he can think about patching things up with Liv?

Liv figures out the truth in Emmerdale

Liv never gave up on Vinny and was convinced Paul was lying (Picture ITV)

6. Has there ever been a wedding dress as brilliant as Mandy's?

We know these are serious times in The Dales, but can we just take a moment to enjoy Mandy's leopard-print little number with bright pink veil and the accessory every bride needs – her mobile phone tucked in her chest!

Mandy in her wedding dress in Emmerdale

Mandy in her bright, bold and brilliant wedding dress (Picture ITV)

Fans certainly enjoyed the choice of outfit, with many saying they loved Mandy's style and the dress perfected suited the gregarious Dingle dame.

Tune in to Emmerdale at 7pm tonight as the village starts to piece together the terrible events of the wedding day disaster.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7pm on ITV, with an extra episode at 8pm on Thursdays – see our TV Guide for full listings.

Joanne Lowles
Freelance writer and editor

Joanne Lowles has been writing about TV since 2002. After graduating from Cardiff University with a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, she worked for All About Soap magazine covering the ups and downs of life on the cobbles, the square and the Dales. 

Next came nearly 10 years at TV Times magazine as a writer and then deputy features editor. Here she spent many happy days interviewing the biggest names in entertainment and visiting the sets of some of our most popular shows including Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Strictly Come Dancing

With a love of nature and wildlife she’s also interviewed the leading experts in this area including David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Steve Backshall. She’s also travelled the world visiting Mongolia, Canada and South Africa to see how the best in the business make the most brilliant natural history documentaries. 

Freelance since 2013, she is now is a digital writer and editor for What to Watch, previews the best on the box for TV Times mag each week and loves being constantly surprised, entertained and informed by the amazing TV that she is lucky enough to watch.