The soaps seem full of bad, immoral men at the moment. Bullying Pierce in "Emmerdale" and evil Nathan in "Corrie" as they both put big plans into action. what a scheming bunch! In "EastEnders," Lauren's family hopes some tough talking might make Lauren see sense as she makes a big decision. Elsewhere, in "Hollyoaks," it's trial time for Ste as his fate is revealed in the courtroom.
'EastEnders'
Ambitious Lauren is busy mapping out her future in business this week - as everyone she's close to attempts to stand in her way. The fed-up-mum-of-one wants to broaden her horizons after tiring of her mundane life in Walford.
Having been inspired by seeing where dad Max is working - and getting close to his young colleague Josh - Lauren has recently had a potentially life-changing interview at the company. But as she hopes she wowed them, the lass has no idea that her loved ones want to sabotage her.
The last thing Max wants or needs is his daughter working with him while he's busy plotting all sorts of ways to destroy the Walford community - it looks like his scheme involves buying up as much property as possible and pricing the residents out of the Square. Meanwhile, Steven is struggling with his girlfriend's new lease of life. He's already finding it tough to cope with her internship, so when Lauren tells him she's quitting it, he's overjoyed.
However, it doesn't look as it seems when Lauren explain that she's done messing about and has had an interview to get a full-time job that will make use of her talents.
By the end of the conversation, Steven realises that Lauren is starting to outgrow him. Even sister Abi doesn't appear to be on Lauren's side as she advises her to stay put with the internship and invest in more time with her boyfriend and baby.
Lauren won't listen when Abi tries to convince her to stay happy with her lot - though it looks as if Lauren could come unstuck after Max meddles in the decision-making of the job that his daughter wants. That night, when Steven tries to woo Lauren with a romantic dinner and as things get steamy, there's a knock at the door.
Who's interrupting them? And what news do they have for Lauren?
'Emmerdale'
All hell breaks loose on Pierce and Rhona's wedding day this week, as the groom turns violent on his bride in terrifying fashion. Pierce's obsessive behaviour has grown ever more disturbing in recent weeks, and in spite of Vanessa's warnings that he can't be trusted, Rhona ignores her best mate's pleas. But it's a decision she's set to seriously regret when her new husband attacks her just hours after saying "I do."
Pierce wants to get Rhona back home after the ceremony to give her a wedding present when things then take a dark turn. It seems that Pierce has bought them a house together miles away from the village. They have an almighty row which is when Pierce turns violent.
Earlier that day, even Pierce seems anxious, after taking another secretive call shortly before the ceremony. As he's still very angry about Vanessa bringing his mother to the village, because they have a difficult relationship, he just doesn't want to see her
Rhona writes it all off as wedding jitters. There's then a moment when it appears Pierce might be about to back out of getting married after all and a shadow looms over what should be a romantic occasion. After Rhona and Pierce are declared husband and wife, the smile is wiped off her face as Pierce announces that they are moving away from the Village. Tempers start to flare as furious Pierce pushes Rhona to the floor, what happens next will certainly put an end to their hope of a happy ever after.
'Coronation Street'
There are hard-hitting scenes this week, as Nathan puts his vile plans into action - and tries to pimp out Bethany to his mates. Viewers have known for months that creepy Nathan is grooming his teenage girlfriend so that he and his pals can exploit her - but naive Bethany has been oblivious to his sick motives. So, she's in for a rude awakening when he introduces her to his friend Neil and then urges her to sleep with him.
There's no doubt these scenes will be as hard to watch as they were for actress Lucy Fallon to film, who plays Bethany. As the week kicks off, Bethany is tantalisingly close to escaping Nathan's clutches altogether. Sarah and Gary have already clocked that all is not what it seems with Nathan, so they call at his place in a bid to talk Bethany into coming back home.
At the point they arrive, one of Nathan's parties is in full swing, and Bethany is already feeling a bit awkward at the fact that she and Mel are the only girls there. But as Sarah and Gary tell Bethany that they want her to leave, the confrontation gets heated.
Nathan uses the situation to his advantage and persuades Bethany that she's better off with him than at home. And with the teen drawn in again, it's time to put the next phase of his plan into action. After faking a call to his bank, Nathan confides in Bethany that he's having financial woes, and gets Mel to lie that he's in danger of losing the salon. So when someone turns up later to collect Nathan's camera equipment, Bethany lets him in - having no idea that it's the start of Nathan's most sinister plot.
'Hollyoaks'
Ste's loved ones wait with bated breath as he prepares to deliver his plea this week- but his fiance Harry takes action in court that he hopes will free his hubby-to-be. The prime suspect isn't the most reliable of witnesses and has only been able to offer a very hazy account of the night of Amy's murder due to his blackouts. Eventually, he confesses to killing the mother of his children, and although the rest of the village have accepted his claim at face value, Harry is certain that Ste is mistaken. So as his partner stands up in court to be sentenced, the teen follows his instincts and tries to hinder proceedings. Harry has discovered something but it means that he needs to delay Ste's plea to prove Ste's possible innocence.
