Emmerdale's Rhona Goskirk finally escapes Pierce's grasps - and not a moment too soon

Tonight's episode (25th February) saw Rhona come face-to-face with her rapist for the first time, as she desperately made an attempt to save Vanessa and Johnny by going along with Pierce's plan.

It made for a tense and dark Emmerdale instalment as Rhona tried to trap Pierce, but thankfully he tripped himself up as he let Rhona have access to her phone where she could livestream to the Free Marlon Dingle page.

And at the end of it all, clever Rhona pulled an Arya Stark and double-crossed Pierce by pretending to have a butter knife up her sleeve, only to jab him with the tranquilliser in her other hand.

It was a big moment for Rhona who finally got the self control she needed over Pierce.

When it was revealed the rapist would be returning to Emmerdale, I had my doubts. It didn't feel right to bring this monster back to the village, robbing Rhona of the freedom she needed, but as Emmerdale's executive producer Jane Hudson, exclusively tells RadioTimes.com: "We always knew that the Graham murder story had to have a twist that no one saw coming, which made Pierce the perfect character to bring back."

As the storyline played out, poor Rhona was tormented more and more, finding herself once more at the centre of this stalking nightmare.

But it was crucial that we saw how much Rhona has developed as a character since her ordeal at the hands of Pierce. We saw her not only stick the bull tranquilliser in, but also finally tell him she had moved on.

Hudson added how seeing Rhona overcome Pierce was part of the plan from the beginning, explaining to us: "The viewers recently saw Rhona's reaction to hearing that Pierce was up for parole and the effect it had on her. Bringing Pierce back allowed Rhona to finally confront her past, take control and face her fears head on."

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Perhaps that was thanks to Graham, but the Rhona we've come to love over the past couple of years is one who knows her own strength and her own worth; she definitely wasn't afraid to tell anyone they were wrong and fought for the life she wanted, even if that did mean she would leave her friends heartbroken.

Here's hoping Rhona can finally put that evil man behind her and focus on a peaceful future without monstrous Pierce in her life.

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