Emmerdale is in a tough spot at the moment with the vacuum left by Meena Jutla’s departure.
The ITV soap hasn’t got many options at keeping its success – but one surprising thing has saved it.
Sudden friends Kim Tate and Mary Goskirk have have hit it off – and it might be enough to save the soap. Here’s why…
Read more: Complete Emmerdale cast list 2022 – meet them all here!
Opposites attract
One thing that Emmerdale gets right is unlikely friendships.
Just like Liam Cavanagh’s touching friendship with Cain Dingle, Kim and Mary look to be worlds apart – but they are more alike than they realise.
Plus opposites attract – and in this case, they definitely have.
Big thing in common
What seems to make this friendship pairing work is that neither of them are shrinking violets.
While Kim may deal with her problems using a little black book and no morality, at the heart of it, she’s just unafraid to speak her mind.
And that’s exactly who Mary is – especially now she’s been able to speak her truth.
Kim and Rhona’s history
Most people wouldn’t be friends with their dead son-in-law’s ex-wife, but then Mary doesn’t seem to be a woman who lives for the rules.
She was intrigued by Kim – and went to find out about her from the horse’s mouth – no matter what her daughter said.
It’s worth remembering that before Kim and Rhona were enemies, they were friends.
Everything that happened with Graham affected them both – and they both survived Pierce.
But when Rhona is less distracted with her busy life and Marlon’s recovery – will she have a problem with her mum and enemy growing so close?
True to life
Soaps are meant to represent real life – but let’s face it, it’s rare they actually do.
Characters are thrown together by circumstance rather than anything approaching what happens in the real world.
But Mary and Kim’s Emmerdale friendship is what would happen in the real world – and viewers can see that.
It’s why it’s so popular.
Read more: Is Faith leaving Emmerdale?
Mary coming out to Kim
And Kim’s joy at Mary being open about who she really is was touching.
Emmerdale bosses have done an incredible thing of humanising the great villain Kim Tate in recent years.
But one thing they’ve not been able to do is give her an equal for a friend.
Everyone else is either on her payroll – or just can’t withstand her sheer force of will – until now.
Mary coming out to Kim showed a human side to Kim that Emmerdale viewers don’t always see.
And Mary inviting herself in and making herself at home shows that she’s not cowed by Kim.
It is one of those rare storylines that has just worked from the get go – and long may it continue.
Want more spoilers from Emmerdale? Entertainment Daily has a dedicated Emmerdale spoilers section for you to get your fix before the latest episodes air.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays.
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