Trigger warning: This article contains discussion of child sexual abuse.
Hollyoaks spoilers follow for Tuesday’s (October 29) episode that is now available to view on Channel 4 streaming. The episode in question will air on E4 on at 7pm.
JJ Osborne’s (Ryan Mulvey) condition took a turn for the worse after a conversation with Frankie (Isabelle Smith), in which he finally admitted to what he did.
Frankie, as viewers know, was sexually abused by twin brother JJ, who gaslit and manipulated her into keeping quiet, claiming that no-one would believe her.
But after a particularly violent display from him, Frankie confided in Darren (Ashley Taylor Dawson), who never doubted her for a second as he set about helping her in getting justice.
JJ was subsequently arrested and, after the Channel 4 soap took a historic time jump into the future, he was set to face the music for what he did in court. That is, until he was rushed to hospital, where he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Darren, who had previously disowned JJ, struggled to turn his back on him and therefore offered to get tested for a bone marrow transplant, with scenes earlier this week revealing that he wasn’t a match.
Frankie, however, was told that there was a large possibility she would be, given that she’s JJ’s twin.
Being tasked with saving her abuser’s life put Frankie in an incredibly difficult position and, during Tuesday’s offering of the E4 soap, she paid JJ a visit at the hospital.
‘I struggle to believe that only now you’ve come to the realisation that what you were doing to me was wrong’, she said, before saying that, unlike him, she’s keen to do ‘what’s right’, agreeing to give him her bone marrow.
JJ was taken aback and the pair subsequently headed outside the hospital, where they had a chat at one of the picnic benches. In emotional scenes, Frankie asked him to reveal why he abused her.
JJ claimed that he did it because he was jealous of her popularity and success. Frankie had her doubts about such a thing, knowing there was more to it than that as she questioned him further, prompting JJ to admit that he did to control and hurt her. ‘It was a way to try and keep you with me’, he said.
‘By forcing yourself on me?’, responded Frankie. ‘By making me do things against my will? By raping me? That’s not comfort. That’s power and control. And that’s the very worst thing you can do to another human being.’
In powerful scenes, she told him that the appalling things he does can only exist in secret. ‘Behind closed doors,’ she said. ‘But I opened those doors. And I am finally showing the world who you really are.’
JJ admitted that he wished he got help and attempted to ask Frankie for forgiveness. Frankie told him that she hates him for what he did.
Darren subsequently arrived to find the two mid-conversation and, with JJ’s health taking a turn, he took him back inside. Afterwards, Frankie asked for a moment alone with her abuser, who told her that he did what he did because he’s a ‘bad person who’s done an evil thing’ stating that he really wants to change.
He told Frankie that he recorded his confession on a phone, admitting to what he did on tape. The radio nearby started playing Stand By Me, which JJ recalled that they used to sing it with their mother.
Frankie smiled, recalling the memory, as she placed her hand on JJ, who flatlined shortly afterwards.
The medics rushed to JJ’s bedside as Darren and Frankie burst into tears, fearing the worst, with the episode – which featured incredible performances from stars Isabelle Smith, Ryan Mulvey and Ashley Taylor Dawson – reaching an unexpected conclusion.
Fans were left reeling by the development, with many fearing that Frankie won’t get justice if JJ has died. ‘Did they literally just kill off JJ??,’ said one social media user. ‘Poor frankie didn’t even get justice! #Hollyoaks’
Will JJ die? Or will he pull through? Either way, will Frankie get justice? Or is there more ultimately more devastation on the cards?
Next week will see Darren vanish without trace, leaving Jack (Jimmy McKenna) devastated. The question is: just where is he?
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 7am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
