Cain Dingle in Emmerdale is a hard man to love. And yet, love him, I do. I’ve stuck with him through the bad times – his awful treatment of teenage Amy, seducing Ollie Reynolds, his tendency to punch first and think later… I could go on.
But after years of forgiving him for some pretty heinous behaviour, I think I’m finally done.
I can’t help thinking there’s no redeeming Cain Dingle after he slept with his brother Caleb’s wife, Ruby.
Cain Dingle – the bad boy of Emmerdale
Of course we know that Cain’s had his troubles. In the past he could be, let’s be honest, a nasty piece of work.
But we sort of understood it. He had a terrible childhood with an abusive father in Shadrach and an absent mother.
Then he came to Emmerdale and fell head over heels for Angie Reynolds. Not only was Angie married, but she was older than Cain, had two teenage kids AND she was a policewoman. We know.
Their affair was hot but Angie eventually went back to her husband and broke Cain’s heart.
He took revenge by seducing her teenage daughter Ollie, and pushing her elderly dad Len down the stairs. Yeah, that really wasn’t great and I have to admit, my love for Cain did falter a bit back then.
But the pair ended up in a feud which ended in tragedy when Angie died in a car wreck.
She passed away in Cain’s arms, having refused to tell him she loved him and instead telling him she loved her kids. Ouch. Suddenly we were Team Cain again!
Cain’s done some awful things
Cain Dingle went on to do some other awful things. He was (sort of) responsible for the King’s River show home explosion that killed Dawn Woods. He slept with teenager Amy Wyatt and tried to scare her into having an abortion. He’s been arrested many, many times. He was a troubled soul, there’s no doubt.
But when he met Moira, he changed. And much as we’d enjoyed him being a tortured bad boy (though we hated what he did back then) we suddenly enjoyed him being in love, too.
And, we know that as a couple, they’ve not had an easy time of it. What with Moira’s drinking, and her cheating with Nate, and Holly’s death. But since the pair reconciled last they’ve seemed rock solid.
We thought Cain was back to being the Cain we loved best – a bit of an edge, definitely, but ultimately a good man.
Not any more.
Breaking Moira’s heart
From the very start of Moira’s brain tumour journey, Cain let her down. Him immediately assuming she was drinking again and not seeing the changes in her personality wasn’t great.
We could have forgiven him for all that, though, if he hadn’t then slept with Ruby.
Ruby. His brother’s wife. And not only did he sleep with her, he did it while Moira was under the surgeon’s knife having her tumour removed.
Slow hand clap for that man.
We get that it was stressful for him. We understand that knowing your wife has a brain tumour isn’t easy. But you know what else isn’t easy? Actually having a brain tumour. Moira needed Cain by her side, and he let her down.
Taking advantage
AND at the time it was obvious to anyone (except, apparently, Ruby’s own husband Caleb) that she was really struggling with her dad being around.
She was acting very oddly. She was nervy and erratic. Absolutely the last thing Cain Dingle should have done, was to sleep with her.
“Cain should have looked after you,” Caleb told Ruby in tonight’s episode.
He’s totally right. Maybe Cain didn’t know the truth about Anthony at that point, but Ruby was so clearly vulnerable and Cain took advantage.
And he did it – let’s just say it again because it’s so horrific it needs repeating – he did it while Moira was having life-saving brain surgery.
Plus, as if all that wasn’t bad enough, he’s broken Caleb’s heart too. And of course Caleb won’t show it because he’s all Billy Big Boots and asserting himself as the alpha male of the village.
But he grew up without a family, and then he found Cain and Chas, and he was accepted into the Dingles even though he’s really a Tate.
And now the brother he always wanted to know has betrayed him.
No way back for Cain Dingle in Emmerdale
It’s all so awful that we honestly can’t see any way back for Cain and Moira now. Coira is no more – SOB. But much as we loved them together, that’s how it needs to be, because Moira can’t possibly get over this.
In fact, we’re finding it hard to see a way forward for Cain at all. When the occupants of the limo all stood and listened to his (lame!) excuses for sleeping with Ruby, they were simply showing us what the whole village would think.
There is nothing Cain can say that excuses this.
“You’re pathetic,” Mack told him in disgust. And he’s right. Cain is pathetic.
His bad boy ways have caught up with him at last and he needs to pay the ultimate price and leave the village. Maybe even for good. It’s just a shame so many other people have suffered along the way.
Emmerdale usually airs weeknights on ITV at 7.30pm, with an early release on ITVX at 7am.
Classic Emmerdale usually airs every weekday on ITV3 at 6am and 6.30am, plus 1.40pm and 2.10pm.
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