This week, Emmerdale returns to John Sugden’s (Oliver Farnworth) past by bringing up Aidan Moore once more.
As fans are aware, John is a complete mystery, and he has been since he appeared in the hamlet of the same name earlier this year.
Since he started dating Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), he has become more laid back and has developed a strong friendship with both him and his sister Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins).
Nevertheless, John is a somewhat tight book when it comes to disclosing details about his history, so we nevertheless know very little about him.
We do know that he was close to a man by the name of Aidan Moore.
Aidan had previously been brought up when Victoria saw a dog tag bearing the man’s name on her brother’s van, leading newcomer John to tell his sister about it.
We thought it only appropriate to review what we now know about Aidan in light of his recent mention.
John had been friends with Aidan throughout his army days. They served together in Afghanistan and were great friends.
However, the narrative ended tragically when Aidan was murdered in a kickabout with a new recruit when a bomb went off.
As he told Victoria the distressing tale, an anguished John remarked, “I did everything in my power to save him.”
I was lying when I told him that I could; I had to. His eyes were filled with terror, and I saw it. As he gently faded away, I grasped his hand.
“I let Aidan down when he thought I could save him.” I will always be unable to forgive myself for it.
When John and Aaron go camping this week, it becomes evident that John is still dealing with guilt about what happened with Aidan as they talk about the past.
Is Aaron able to assist him? The two lovers eventually declare their love for one another and look to the future, although that is still up in the air.
ITV1 broadcasts Emmerdale weeknights at 7:30 p.m., while ITVX streams it starting at 7 a.m.