Emmerdale flashback week kicks off as Laurel issues chilling threat to Ray before his d3ath in ITVX early release

Laurel and Ray had a long conversation

*Caution, this article contains spoilers relating to Ray and Laurel in tonight’s episode of Emmerdale. The episode has not yet aired on TV but is available to stream on ITVX and YouTube.

Emmerdale’s flashback week got off to a chilling start as Laurel Thomas came face-to-face with Ray Walters once more.

Ray is dead. Someone killed him. The big mystery has been how it all happened – and who was responsible. With the truth set to be revealed by the end of the week, tonight’s episode put Laurel firmly under the spotlight.

Laurel is suspicious (Credit: ITV)

Laurel issued a dark threat to Ray in Emmerdale early release

The episode picked up immediately after Ray killed Celia, with him heading to the village, unaware that Laurel knew exactly what he’d done to Dylan and April.

Still clinging to the hope that he could win her back, Ray let himself into Laurel’s house through the back door, catching her mid-call to Nicola. He took her phone and insisted they talk. And things spiralled from there.

Laurel was visibly shaken as Ray opened up about his past, revealing he began dealing drugs at the age of 10 and had been drawn into that world even earlier. But she didn’t shy away from the truth either, making it clear she saw him for what he was – and issuing a chilling warning.

She told him: “You don’t deserve love and you don’t deserve forgiveness. You deserve what is coming to you. It’s going to be brutal and it’s going to hurt. Just like you have hurt so many yourself.”

As the conversation continued, Ray remained convinced they could somehow make things work. We won’t spoil what happens next, but the final moments of the episode only deepen the mystery – and add fuel to the growing number of theories about who ultimately killed Ray.

Things got heated between Laurel and Ray (Credit: ITV)

Emmerdale airs a special flashback week

All this week, Emmerdale is rewinding the clock to the day Ray died. With no shortage of enemies, he left behind a long list of people who might have wanted him dead – and each episode is focusing on a different suspect.

Over the past fortnight, the key players have been harbouring secrets, and viewers are now finding out exactly what they’ve been hiding – and why. As the police attempt to piece together the bigger picture, every new revelation brings the truth a little closer.

Plenty of characters are in the frame, but the biggest question remains: who delivered the final blow? The answer is coming, and flashback week is only just getting started.