Ever since he got back from Australia there has been a change in Arthur Thomas in Emmerdale. He’s mean, moody and miserable.
So, is this just a typical teenage rebellion or are their signs this is about to turn into something much, much darker?
We have a sinking feeling it’s the latter and as he causes chaos with his lies about John on Friday October 4, his relationship with mum Laurel is going to hit breaking point. But just how far will things go? It looks like Arthur is about to go off the rails – here’s all the evidence.
1. Arthur’s grown up a lot
It’s fair to say young Arthur has dealt with a lot in his life. Although he wouldn’t have known about it, he was swapped at birth, then given back to his rightful parents Laurel and Ashley after the other baby died. Laurel then struggled to bond with him.
He then lost his dad in heartbreaking circumstances when Ashley was diagnosed with early onset dementia. On top of that loss, he was manipulated by evil Emma Barton not long after his father’s death.
Arthur realised he was gay last year and after coming out to his family, tried to help his friend Marshall deal with his own sexuality. Marshall’s father was very religious and Marshall came to live with Laurel and co. It was a case of too much too soon for Arthur and Marshall and they called time on their relationship.
Arthur then went to Australia to see his grandad over the summer and has come back a completely different person. He’s trying to step up and be the man of the house following Jai and Laurel’s split and his mum’s heart attack, and he’s drinking, dating and boosting about his love life.
All typical teenage behaviour one might argue. But is it really? Or has everything Arthur’s been through forced him to grow up too quickly and now it’s going to come tumbling out in a bad way?
2. Arthur is telling lies in Emmerdale
After setting his sights on John Sugden Arthur has been flirting and making everyone cringe with his attempts to seduce the grumpy paramedic. He has made out to April he left a string of broken hearts in Australia and is far more experienced than he clearly is.
And then he lies that he and John have slept together like it’s no big deal. Except that would be a really big deal. If it were true.
Laurel overhears the lies and all hell breaks loose when she believes them and confronts John. But will Arthur’s humiliation at his mum treating him like a kid spill over into something more?
3. Emmerdale: Arthur has a temper
Spoiler pictures for next week show Arthur laying into mum Laurel screaming and shouting at her. And it’s not the first time we’ve seen a glimpse of his temper.
He has been giving Jai a very hard time over the divorce from Laurel – rightly so, perhaps, but being rude to him in the street and shutting down any attempts at a reconciliation seem very unlike Arthur to us. And all this pent up rage has to come out at some point…
4. He’s got form
Let’s not forget that Arthur wasn’t always the sweet, studious boy we now know. When Archie first came to live with dad Jai and Laurel in 2019, Arthur didn’t take it well.
He felt pushed out and jealous of the attention Archie got, so started to viciously bully him. Things soon turned violent and he left bruises on Archie – but blamed Jimmy King!
When his grandad Sandy died, Arthur believed it was his fault and he was being punished for what he’d done to Archie. He confessed to his mum, who was furious, but kept it secret from Jai. However the truth came out when Archie was hurt and Arthur was blamed – although this time, he hadn’t actually done anything.
The bad behaviour culminated in a fire that almost killed his sister Dotty. Could history be about to repeat itself?
5. It runs in the family
Arthur isn’t the only one with a history of violence in his family. In fact, his dad, Ashley used to abuse his elderly father Sandy. The revelation of the abuse was so bad it ended his first marriage to Laurel.
Is it a case of like father like son? In times of stress, will Arthur start to lash out like his dad did?
So where is the Arthur storyline going in Emmerdale?
Next week, things are so bad between Laurel and Arthur Nicola has to step in. They are arguing constantly and the tension is palpable. Nicola manages to get Arthur to confess to his lies, and offers him comfort and advice.
But Laurel is hurt and furious that he has confided in Nicola and not her. She lets rip once again and things are right back to square one.
With tension at an all-time high and Arthur clearly on a destructive path, just how far could this go? Is this really a teenage rebellion? Or is Arthur going down the Tommy Moon route in EastEnders?
All the evidence suggests Arthur’s heading for something big as his behaviour worsens. Does Laurel just need to loosen the leash? Or is there more to this?
It’s just a hunch on our part for now and we really, really hope we’re wrong. Come on kind Arthur, come back to us!
Read more: Laurel’s many, many mistakes with men in Emmerdale
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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