Opinion: Soap doesn’t know what to do with Laurel – change needs to happen

Laurel is not having the best of times recently on Emmerdale as she’s been worrying that she killed Anthony following her attack on him.

She hit him over the head with a candlestick and has been struggling with what she did ever since (she’s literally forgetting that Anthony was attacking Nicola… but okay!)

Now, she’s considering handing herself into the police and has been tempted to turn to the bottle. And, it just seems like the same storyline again and again…

Laurel Thomas’ predicament in Emmerdale

Laurel was an unlikely hero a couple of weeks ago as she rushed in to help a friend in need by whacking Anthony on the head with a candlestick after witnessing him attacking Nicola.

Anthony stumbled off with a head wound, with Laurel and Nicola teaming up to clean up the crime scene. But, Laurel was unable to clear thoughts of Anthony out of her mind though.

Even though it was basically self-defence and she has no idea whether she actually killed Anthony (which we know she didn’t), Laurel has been debating whether to go to the police and hand herself in.

She’s been struggling with the idea so much that she’s thought about turning to drink again. We think we’ve seen this one before…

But, is this all that’s left for Laurel now? Have storylines run out for her?

Opinion: Is there anything else left for Laurel?

Recently, Laurel turned to Marlon in her hour of need. She looked for his support as she considered turning to the bottle.

This week, she’s come very close to letting the alcohol touch her lips again. And, it’s all a bit repetitive if we’re honest.

Not only is Laurel’s current predicament doing our head in (seriously, why is she soooo stressed about something that was very clearly self-defence?), but she’s just been a tad annoying for quite some time.

Her storylines seem to consist of her either cheating or drinking and it almost seems as though the direction of the character has been lost.

Of course, Laurel’s been around in the village for many years and can’t always be at the centre of every storyline. But, when Laurel has a storyline, it’s usually the same one she’s had for years just recycled.

Surely, there must be something, anything else to give to Laurel. She’s a great classic character who has just become predictable as time has gone on. We’d love to see her with something a bit more exciting this year!

Read more: Who’s leaving Emmerdale? All the cast exits, arrivals and returns

Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.

Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.

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