Emmerdale’s latest episode revealed what really happened to Mackenzie Boyd, and soon he was plotting his escape from John Sugden’s clutches – but a sad fate could be sealed
The fallout to the big Emmerdale twist around Mack Boyd’s fate aired on Monday, as we finally got some answers.
Not only did fans find out what really happened to Mack, weeks on from John Sugden appearing to kill him, but we also learned where he was now. John even confessed all of his crimes, at least most of them, to Mack as the guilt became too much.
As Mack questioned his fate, it seemed as though John planned to keep him alive and he was even considering freeing him. That was until Mack made a bid for freedom and wound John up, with the latter hinting he no longer had a reason to keep him alive.
As the episode began, it was the first time seeing Mack after Friday’s shocking cliffhanger. The soap had led fans to believe that John had murdered Mack, just like he did Nate Robinson, when he shot him with an arrow and then attacked him with a rock around two weeks ago.
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As Mack regained consciousness, he found out he had been kept in an underground bunker, sedated, for over a week. Mack panicked and began asking about his loved ones, but John revealed no one was worried and no one was looking for him.
Asked why he didn’t kill him in the woods, John claimed he “wasn’t a monster” and didn’t kill people – leading to Mack pointing out Nate was dead because of him. We also learned that the giant rock wasn’t slammed over Mack’s head after all, and instead the villain used it to break Mack’s ankle to stop him from fleeing – as if the arrow to the chest wasn’t enough to do that.
As Mack fretted over his predicament and wondered how long he was going to be there for, John claimed they had some “difficult decisions” to make. He seemed to hint murder was not the plan though, as he was “a good man who did good things”.
He explained Nate’s death, confirming he suffered a reaction to the medication he was given and it killed him. He then proceeded to tell Mack everything, wanting to be free of his guilt.
From the incidents with Jacob Gallagher and Cain Dingle to framing Ella Forster, John literally told Mack all of the things he had done. That said it wasn’t clear if he’d mentioned the truth about Aidan Moore or the slurry leak on the farm, or Anthony Fox’s burial.
It was in this moment that Mack feigned being a friend to John, with his plan for the killer and his bid for freedom clear. He told him it must feel good to let it all out, before telling him he “wasn’t alone” anymore.
John was grateful, as Mack defended the crimes he’d just let slip about before smiling at him. He told him: “I was wrong about you John, Aaron is lucky to have someone that loves him as much as you do.”
He also claimed he was just jealous before when they’d clashed, before he added that he had no reason to go back to the village so it was safe for John to let him go. John actually looked as though he was considering this, especially later on after a comment by Aaron about him helping people.
But while John was gone, Mack, who had just promised his captor he wouldn’t spill the beans about anything, was shown trying to escape. As John returned, Mack tried to hit him over the head with a wooden post only for it not to reach, thanks to his chains.
John fumed at him, making it clear he’d made a big mistake and his word “meant nothing”. With that Mack’s sad fate appeared to be revealed as John chillingly told him his word “was the only thing keeping him alive”. Now that his word means nothing, does this mean John will kill him?
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .