‘Emmerdale’: Meena has final showdown after guilty verdict

After a long, turbulent week in court, murderous Meena Jutla (Paige Sandhu) was finally found guilty of her evil crimes in Thursday's Emmerdale.

But if viewers thought that would be the end of the matter, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

Let’s face it, Meena was never going to go down quietly. Yet we could never have predicted exactly what her next move would be. Think of every renowned soap villain, and you’ll recall that they earned their place in history with a jaw-dropping last hurrah — and Meena’s big finale certainly fits the bill.

Read more: Next week on Emmerdale

Of course, as the latest instalment began, the focus initially remained on the verdict. Liam Cavanagh (Jonny McPherson) was determined that one way or another, Meena would pay.

Given that Liam previously pushed her off a bridge, we knew he wouldn’t hesitate to attack Meena a second time. But thankfully, she was declared guilty of all charges, and Liam’s relief was clear.

He didn’t have time to reflect on it further, however, as Meena’s incredulous reaction to the news caused all hell to break loose.

As Meena branded the jury an “absolute bunch of morons”, an enraged Carol Butler (Laura Pitt-Pulford) stepped forward to confront her over the one murder she wasn’t being convicted for: that of Carol’s sister, Nadine.

Carol was holding a shard of glass from a mirror, and she launched herself at Meena, cutting her head. Was Meena going to die? Absolutely not, for this turn of events played right into her hands as she took the weapon and held it at sister Manpreet Sharma’s (Rebecca Sarker) throat.

Read more: Emmerdale's Liam attacks Meena - is she dead?

Everyone from the judge to the spectators were now at Meena’s mercy, as she announced that this was now her court and if anyone didn’t comply with her orders, she would kill Manpreet.

This set the scene for another gloriously camp performance from Meena, expertly played by star Sandhu. Meena revelled in the attention as she grilled Liam on the stand, before giving a chilling account of the day she murdered his teenage daughter Leanna (Mimi Slinger).

Even as her sickening actions contradicted her, Meena insisted that she was a vigilante for women. She forced Charles Anderson (Kevin Mathurin) to film her antics, intent on earning her status as an infamous star.

Read more: Emmerdale's Rebecca Sarker: 'Manpreet is at breaking point'

A hostage negotiator eventually arrived; but naturally, Meena shut him down, daring his team to shoot her before dragging Manpreet down the steps in a bid to abscond.

From that moment on, it was showdown time for Meena and Manpreet. The killer soon realised she had no chance of escaping, as her seemingly naive prison officer Ian Beeker (Dean Smith) hadn’t unlocked the exit doors after all.

But just as Manpreet thought it was all over, she was floored by a final bombshell from her twisted sibling. Meena gloated in her face, revealing that she had taken their father’s life while he was on his deathbed, all out of spite for his preference of Manpreet.

There was a moment where Manpreet had an opportunity to put an end to everything once and for all, as she took hold of the weapon. But ultimately, that was never on the cards. Actor Sarker put in a strong performance as her alter ego told Meena she wasn't like her - she could never go down that road.

As a screaming Meena was finally recaptured and dragged away, there was a sense of poetic justice at the loss of the control she always craved.

Murderous Meena’s reign of terror may be over, but it will never be forgotten; for the iconic character bows out with a reputation as Emmerdale’s greatest supervillain.

Watch the latest Emmerdale spoilers