The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale that hasn’t aired on ITV yet, but is available to view on ITVX.
This was the episode where Emmerdale favourite Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) faced surgery to remove her brain tumour. She was petrified at the prospect, knowing there was a chance that she could die during the surgery or be permanently changed.
Cain (Jeff Hordley) was also terrified and it was making him angry and tense with the nursing staff. Moira sent him home.
As she was given the anaesthetic and slipped into unconsciousness, we then saw what was happening in Moira’s mind as she slept. The first thing she saw were Isaac (Bobby Dunsmuir) and Kyle (Huey Quinn) playing at brain surgery at home, their game interspersed with real sounds of the operation that was taking place. They told Moira she’d fallen asleep in her wellies.
Moira walked outside in the sunshine and sat down to watch the boys play. It was an idyllic scene, and became even more magical when she realised she wasn’t alone.
Turning to the side, she realised her daughter Holly was sitting next to her.
Holly Barton (Sophie Powles) died of a drugs overdose in 2016, in an episode that gained huge amounts of praise for the way it sensitively handled Moira’s discovery of her daughter’s death.
Natalie J Robb was stunning in that episode and she was stunning again here, as Moira marvelled over seeing her beloved daughter again. She could hardly believe it and questioned, ‘Are you here?’ before hugging her daughter tightly.
The writing was beautiful as Moira cried tears of joy and told Holly, ‘You smell so lovely, like flowers.’ Holly looked happy and healthy, and told her mum, ‘I’m better now.’
Moira told Holly that she misses her every day, and showed her the tree that was planted in her memory. Holly said she never meant to leave the family and ‘messed up.’
While this loving reunion was taking place we were also reminded of the ongoing surgery as we could hear the voices of the medical staff. They were saying that the tumour might be a higher grade than they were expecting, and Moira started to lose a lot of blood. Then she had a seizure.
Moira had taken her daughter’s hand. Was Holly leading her gently and lovingly towards her death? As the medical emergency continued it did seem that way.
As Moira’s attention had turned back to the real world and the children who still depended on her, Holly vanished. And Moira woke up in the hospital, the surgery now over.
When Cain arrived the first thing she told him was about Holly: ‘She felt warm in my arms. She was here.’
Of course Cain thought it was a dream, and it was, but it was a beautiful moment of comfort for Moira during her frightening ordeal.
