Emmerdale viewers were quick to slam Cain Dingle following Monday's episode.
Earlier this week, Cain (Jeff Hordley) was alarmed to hear that wife Moira Dingle (Natalie J Robb) had 'kissed' her stepson Nate Robinson (Jurell Carter). In scenes last week, Moira attempted to kiss Nate, who firmly rejected her advances and scolded her for her behaviour.
However, in true soap style, Caleb Milligan (Will Ash) witnessed the 'kiss' and told a furious Cain. Soap fans will recall that the duo previously had an affair years ago when Nate first moved to the village, which left Moira's marriage to Cain in jeopardy. The trio have since managed to put the events behind them but it was revisited this week.
Cain was left livid as he confronted Nate and attacked him in shocking scenes on Monday, where he disowned his son despite him emotionally denying anything happened. Meanwhile, later in the episode, things went from bad to worse when Ruby Fox-Milligan (Beth Cordingly) showed up to taunt Moira.
However, her attitude shifted when Moira didn't respond to her jibes. A stressed Moira then accidentally spilt tractor fuel in the barn, where Ruby's voice began to merge with that of Emma Barton, Moira's old nemesis who she killed back in 2017. A disoriented Moira then aimed her shotgun at a terrified Ruby, seeing Emma instead of her.
The situation got worse when Moira fired a warning shot into the air, causing Ruby to panic as the bullet hit a light bulb with sparks flying. A struggle for the shotgun resulted in Moira knocking Ruby unconscious with a blow to the head and when Moira finally came to, she was left bewildered by the events that had transpired.
In dramatic scenes, the spark ignited the spilled tractor fuel, quickly turning into a fire as Moira stood frozen next to Ruby's body. Moira's recent erratic behaviour, memory lapses and violent outbursts have been causing concern among viewers. In scenes last week prior to the fire, Moira attacked Ruby mistakenly believing she was having an affair with her husband Cain after an innocent conversation.
Despite agreeing to undergo blood tests to determine the cause of her behaviour, last week's episodes revealed that Moira had completely forgotten about her medical appointment, leading to a frustrated Cain storming off.
Taking to social media over recent scenes, viewers were quick to slam Cain for not realising that Moira is obviously acting out of character amid the 'kiss' with Nate. Fans also pointed out why he would take brother Caleb's side as he is known for scheming and even had an affair with Nate's estranged wife Tracy (Amy Walsh) earlier this year.
One person said: "Why would they believe Caleb about Nate. Tracy you are a stupid woman and Cain well I know he’s been having problems with Moria but to believe Caleb after she just head butted Ruby don’t you think that he and Ruby will try and get back at her. Cain has now lost a son and when he finds out that Moria is ill he will feel guilty and Tracy will of lost the one person who would of cared for her."
A different account put: "Exactly. It blows my mind how quickly characters believe the worst of their loved one. Especially, when the information comes from a known pot stirrer like Caleb", another soap watcher said: "I said the same the cheek of Caleb after what he did with Tracy!" while a different fan added: "But if Nate is killed in the fire, then they find out about Moria’s illness….none of them will ever forgive themselves…"
Emmerdale airs weeknights on ITV1 and ITVX at 7.30pm.