If you’ve been keeping half an eye on the soaps, you’ll know it’s kicking off left, right, and centre. Over in Walford, EastEnders fans are in for a proper treat with the epic return of Jake Moon. Frankly, it’s a comeback that’s bound to pave the way for even more familiar faces to rock up on the Square. But it’s not all happy reunions; there’s mounting concern for one of the local teens, whilst Ravi Gulati is about to be completely blindsided by a major discovery. Up North on the Coronation Street cobbles, things are taking a decidedly darker turn. Daniel Osbourne unearths something utterly chilling, and David Platt has finally clocked onto Jodie’s downright strange behaviour. More worryingly, young Sam Blakeman has found himself in the dangerous crosshairs of groomer Megan.
Meanwhile, Emmerdale is serving up its own unique brand of chaos. Aaron Dingle is getting seriously worked up over Robert Sugden, and a sudden revelation about Robert is set to leave someone absolutely gobsmacked. Toss a harsh ultimatum into the mix, alongside fresh news regarding the late villain John Sugden that sparks a massive bout of guilt, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
The trauma in the Dales certainly doesn’t stop there. The pressure finally gets to Dylan, who confesses to April that he was present when Ray was murdered – dropping the bombshell that Bear is the culprit. Paddy is, understandably, raging. As Bear goes into a rapid downward spiral, April manages to coax him into opening up, resulting in a tearful breakdown that pushes Paddy to insist on professional help from a counsellor. It’s painfully obvious that April, Dylan, and Bear are all buckling under the immense weight of Ray’s actions. Just round the corner, Victoria is left absolutely sickened when she realises exactly how far Robert has gone to keep her safe.
Rounding out the soap circuit, Hollyoaks sees Mercedes McQueen getting rather steamy with a fresh face in the village, whilst Dodger Savage stumbles upon a terrifying realisation. And down under in Home and Away, Leah’s erratic antics continue to ring alarm bells.
A Masterclass in Hidden Identities Across the Pond
The appetite for gut-wrenching drama and masked identities isn’t just confined to the UK’s domestic soaps, though. Taking a massive leap into the gritty underworld of US premium cable, the Power universe has just dropped a massive clanger of its own. Asjha Cooper, who recently joined the fifth and final season of Power Book III: Raising Kanan as Tiana – a call girl on Flossie Siegel’s (Leslie Grossman) payroll – has just officially secured her spot as a series regular in the upcoming spin-off, Power: Origins.
If you caught last night’s episode, you’ll know exactly why this casting news carries so much weight. In a blinding twist, Tiana revealed that her legal name is actually Jarita. For the die-hard fans who have been completely invested since day one, that name is a massive deal. Tasha Smith originally breathed life into the character during the second season of the mothership show, establishing Jarita as the mother of Kanan’s (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) only son, Shawn (Sinqua Walls). Smith’s stint was brief but unforgettable – a mere three episodes that ended with a harrowing phone call where Kanan confessed to murdering their boy, leaving Jarita to vanish into the ether without a trace.
Fascinatingly, Cooper went into the audition process completely blind to the gravity of the gig. It wasn’t until series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Sascha Penn rang her up post-casting that she grasped the sheer magnitude of playing Jarita within the wider Power lore. Having never actually watched the franchise, Cooper found herself staring down the barrel of a rather intimidating challenge: crafting the definitive origin story of a legacy character.
Rather than bingeing the old series to copy what came before, she opted for a much more bespoke approach. Producers fired over select clips of Smith’s performance so she could get a feel for Jarita’s cadence and physical movement, but she purposely kept her distance to maintain total creative freedom. She is, after all, playing a younger iteration of the character – someone who hasn’t yet endured the bruising life experiences that forge the hardened woman fans met years later. She’s a survivor; she’s smart, perceptive, observant, and, as Cooper herself aptly put it, “she’s a baddie.”
Puppy Love and Ruthless Underworlds
This current season is perfectly primed to unpack the messy, nascent stages of her romance with Kanan. We’re witnessing pure, unadulterated puppy love; she’s falling hard and feels entirely safe with him, completely oblivious to the ruthless kingpin he’s destined to become. The spark originally ignited when Kanan booked her for the night, well aware of her ties to his mother. The morning after, a bit of unguarded pillow talk led to her oversharing about her connection with Raq and dropping her real birth name. The die was cast.
Since arriving on set, Cooper has slotted right in and felt incredibly welcomed by the cast, reserving special praise for Curtis, with whom she shares the bulk of her scenes. She’s also been keeping a close eye on Patina Miller, deeply admiring her undeniable talent and work ethic. The Power franchise has always possessed a brilliant knack for spotlighting fierce, fearless women, boasting an impressive roster that includes Naturi Naughton, Lela Loren, Mary J. Blige, and Caroline Chikezie.