Joe Tate’s (Ned Porteous) return to Emmerdale has so far seen him bury the hatchet with Kim Tate (Claire King) – or so he’s making out.

We can’t say we’re entirely convinced by his act, especially after tonight’s episode.

Joe returned over Christmas and was quick to expose Will Taylor’s (Dean Andrews) plot to bring Kim down, the stress of which resulted in him dying from a heart attack.

In the aftermath of Will’s death, Kim has been devastated, and Joe has been at her side almost constantly, playing the caring step-grandson.

With Joe insisting that he has put his past feud with Kim behind them, she has been grateful of his support – but not everyone has been won over.

Dawn Fletcher (Olivia Bromley) has been growing more and more suspicious of the returnee since her father’s death, and even thinks he may be responsible.

However, when she went to Kim with her concerns, she brushed her off, leaving Dawn to consider her next move.

Meanwhile, tonight’s episode proved that perhaps Dawn was onto something.

When Kim complained of being unable to sleep without being plagued by visions of Will, Joe handed her some tablets, revealing that they were sleeping pills.

Though Kim was hesitant at first, she later decided to take one, promptly falling asleep on the couch.

When Dawn then returned home, she walked in on a shocking scene.

With Kim asleep on the sofa, Joe appeared to be approaching her with a cushion, as if planning to smother her…