Why is Joe Tate making this whole kidney thing SO complicated? We’re frustrated!
Surely there’s an easier way than this?! Carla Connor in Corrie seems to manage!
Joe Tate in Emmerdale is becoming increasingly desperate to find a new kidney as his health deteriorates. And this week he’s got his sights set on getting hold of an organ from another family member. This time, it’s his uncle Caleb Miligan whose kidney he thinks will be the perfect match.
This whole thing is proving extremely complicated.
Joe’s desperation for a new kidney
First there was the drugging Noah bit, which went spectacularly wrong.
Then Joe decided his uncle Caleb is the one who could save his life with a kidney donation. Despite not knowing anything about Caleb’s medical history.
Which is why Joe has been the person blackmailing Manpreet – to get his hands on Caleb’s health information.
With the help of a hired thug Joe managed to become Manpreet’s newest confidante.
He spun Manpreet a line that Frank had AAT – which apparently causes lung and liver damage and heart issues. He told her he was worried Caleb had inherited it too. Though no one mentioned Noah, who is also Frank’s grandson.
So the plan is shaping up nicely.
But Joe is becoming more and more poorly, despite him having a briefcase with a handy dialysis machine inside, and a weird creepy doctor who comes whenever Joe calls.
Dr Crowley doesn’t think Joe’s plan is a goer (well, obviously). He keeps begging Joe to let him take him abroad where he could apparently find him a donor faster and more easily.
But Joe has been adamant that his donor needs to be family.
Why he’s so determined to nick an organ from a relative is a mystery.
Joe’s kidney mystery!
And now we’re thinking about it, there are a few other puzzles that this storyline has stirred up. The biggest one of which is why on earth Joe is jumping through all these hoops to get the healthcare he needs.
We know he’s lived abroad for a lot of his life, but surely Joe is aware of the existence of the NHS? Or, if that’s not good enough for Princess Tate, then fancy private healthcare is also an option. And we may not be kidney specialists, but we’re pretty sure that doctors in both those options perform hundreds of transplants every week.
In fact maybe if he’d asked Manpreet about it instead of wasting everyone’s time fake-blackmailing her, she’d have told him that!
So for the life of us, we can’t understand why Joe’s not just waiting for a transplant in the normal way. It doesn’t seem too hard to get put on that waiting list – Carla Connor in Corrie had no trouble whatsoever (twice!).
Could Joe just ask for a kidney?
We do understand (thanks to Carla’s extensive experiences!) that it’s often better to get a family member to donate rather than waiting for a stranger.
In which case, why on earth doesn’t Joe just ASK one of his relatives?
The Tates are admittedly a bit thin on the ground now, but he could have asked Noah when he first arrived back in the village. We have no doubt that Charity would have kicked off but she’s not a bad person – she’d have come round eventually. And even talking Charity into giving Noah her approval would be easier than doing all this sneaking around.
Plus, Joe could have asked his other half-brother Jamie. Or his cousin Jean who he grew up with in New Zealand.
But he didn’t do that.
Now Joe is desperate for Caleb’s kidney and once more we’re wondering why he doesn’t just ask for it? Yes there’s a chance he’ll say no, but then he can wait for a stranger’s donation instead. All this secrecy and drama may be brilliantly entertaining but it really makes absolutely no sense whatsoever!
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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