Emmerdale viewers were left in turmoil on Thursday night as John Sugden appeared to bludgeon Mackenzie Boyd to death
Having accepted a ride to the railway station from the murderer, Mack came across a scrapbook containing a photograph of John alongside Ben, the individual who took Nate Robinson’s (Jurell Carter) possessions to Shetland.
Mack swiftly connected the dots, understanding that John was Nate’s actual murderer. However, it was already too late as they embarked on their trip.
Mackenzie Boyd was seemingly killed off in Thursday night’s episode(Image: ITV)
Shortly afterwards, John stopped at the roadside of a rural lane, saying his van had developed mechanical problems. Mack tried to text Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) to confirm his hunches about John were indeed correct.
Yet he was promptly cut short by John, who insisted the vehicle trouble required both their efforts, reports the Express.
When John detected shifts in his demeanour, Mack pretended ignorance by saying he was suffering from a headache. However, matters became menacing when John disclosed he knew Mack had examined his scrapbook and they now faced a predicament.
“It really would have been better for everyone if you had not seen that photo, mate. Better for you,” he said.
Mack insisted he wasn’t frightened of John, prompting his reply: “Well that’s your second mistake, isn’t it?” Desperate to gain some breathing space, Mack shoved John against his vehicle before bolting towards the woodland. This sparked an intense pursuit, with John hot on his heels armed with a bow and arrow.
John appeared to bludgeon Mack to death(Image: ITV)
Eventually, Mack found refuge and attempted to ring his wife Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins). The phone slipped from his grasp as John emerged, whilst Charity left a message expressing hope for their marriage and pleading with him to return home.
John’s persistence ended in Mack being struck by an arrow to the chest. John found Mack in a critical state, unable to flee.
He insisted he hadn’t intended for events to escalate so dramatically, but felt compelled to finish Mack off as there was no possibility he wouldn’t inform Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) if he survived.
As Mack pleaded for mercy, John seized a massive rock and seemingly crushed it down on his skull, apparently ending his life. Meanwhile in the village, John made it back for his farewell gathering as Aaron bid Robert a final farewell.
Outside, John cleaned the bloodstains from his vehicle before climbing into the driver’s seat. Peering back at what looked like a blanket concealing Mack’s corpse, John finally acknowledged his true nature.
After a flashback to the brutal killing, John proclaimed: “Guess I really am the bad guy.”
The shocking sequences triggered outrage among audiences, with some vowing to stop watching the programme altogether. One disgruntled viewer vented on social media: “I’m done!!! Never watching anymore after watching it all my life with my parents.”
“OMG. If Mack’s dead that’s me done. No more Emmerdale,” chimed in another, while a third echoed the sentiment: “Boring. Will lose a lot of viewers from this, me included. I used to love Emmerdale but take it or leave it now, shame.”
A fourth lamented: “So sad. Don’t know if I can watch anymore.”
However, some fans are holding out hope that Mack isn’t truly gone and is instead being held captive by John. “There has to be an extended hostage type situation in the cottage with an injured Mack and a captive Aaron. Kind of like – an injured Paddy and Aaron tied up to the radiator,” one speculated.
