Yahoo News Hollyoaks - 7 suspects ranked in Mercedes shooting mystery
Hollyoaks airs the soap whodunit of the year next month, as Mercedes McQueen is gunned down by one of her enemies in the village.
After a year of selfish and self-destructive behaviour, Mercedes (Jennifer Metcalfe) finally pushes someone too far, with terrible consequences as she's rushed to hospital with her life hanging in the balance.
Show bosses have already announced seven sinister suspects who'll be in the frame for the crime, but it's fair to say that some seem far more likely culprits than others.
Here's our early ranking of the sly seven, from least to most likely shooters.
7. Diane Hutchinson – the betrayed friend
The motive: Finds out that Mercedes let Harry get the blame for knocking over Grace in a hit and run.
The likelihood: Slim to none. Unless Hollyoaks bosses have a massive surprise up their sleeves, Diane seems like a suspect who has merely been added in to make up the numbers. Let's face it, she has faced worse betrayals in her time and has never shown any murderous tendencies so far.
As a key part of the Hutchinsons, one of the most important families in Hollyoaks, Diane shines in realistic and down-to-earth storylines, rather than shootings and vendettas.
6. Joel Dexter – the secret keeper
The motive: Knows that Mercedes let Harry get the blame for Grace's hit and run.
The likelihood: Low. Joel has been involved in dark stories in the past, such as the death of his stepfather Mick, accidentally killing his aunt Katy, and getting drawn into the cover-up of Bart's murder.
He's also the son of Hollyoaks' legendary bad boy Warren Fox. However, his association with sinister stories is usually accidental or as an unwilling bystander.
Since Rory Douglas-Speed took over the role of Joel in 2016, we've seen him as a kind-hearted and moral man, whose biggest flaw is forbidden attractions to the McQueen women. Would he randomly decide it's time to gun one of them down? We doubt it.
5. Breda McQueen – the serial killer mother-in-law
The motive: General insanity, plus revenge for Mercedes cheating on Sylver with Liam.
The likelihood: Medium to low. As Hollyoaks' resident serial killer, Breda is certainly capable of some dark deeds. However, we've seen that her modus operandi is to target bad dads and discreetly kill them with heavy objects, so it'd seem strange if she suddenly changed all of her tactics so late into her storyline.
We also know that Hollyoaks favours the shock factor when it comes its big whodunit revelations, so Breda as the culprit feels a little bit too easy for us.
4. James Nightingale – the vengeful lawyer
The motive: Wanting justice for his dead partner Harry.
The likelihood: Medium. When Hollyoaks bosses killed off Harry in the summer, they promised that it would set up some huge new plots for fan favourite James. Could this shock shooting be what the show had in mind for James all along?
The pressure is also high to keep giving James big storylines, after Gregory Finnegan's Best Actor win at the British Soap Awards. Having James take revenge against Mercedes – one of the show's biggest characters – would certainly create some more dramatic scenes for Greg to sink his teeth into.
It's no secret that James is capable of some dark deeds, especially after being pushed to the edge in recent months. Our only doubt is that James's revenge plots are usually more complex and subtle – is shooting someone really his style?
3. Liam Donovan – the lover
The motive: Jealousy and bitterness over Mercedes using him.
The likelihood: A strong possibility. As Hollyoaks' main alpha male villain at the moment, Liam is more than capable of crossing the line into dark and vengeful acts. Most of the villagers know that you don't mess with him, so perhaps it was only ever a matter of time before Mercedes faced his wrath.
Just this week, Mercedes sneakily used Liam's feelings for her to get herself off the hook for Grace's hit and run, before rejecting him again. We know Liam cares deeply for Mercedes, but her constant rejections may be enough to turn love into pure hatred.
2. Grace Black – the frenemy
The motive: Mercedes' guilt in the hit and run case.
The likelihood: High. The saga of Grace's hit and run has been running for a while now, so fans will be keen for a strong reaction from the Queen of Mean once she finds out that Mercedes was the guilty party.
We also know that Grace has no qualms about turning murderous when the mood suits her (remember Eva Falco?) and it hasn't affected her popularity with the viewers.
The only potential problem is that Mercedes and Grace's tensions have often been played for laughs over the years, in memorable scenes between Jennifer Metcalfe and Tamara Wall. Could such a serious turn undermine that fun dynamic?
1. Sylver McQueen – the husband
Motive: Finding out that Mercedes cheated on him and aborted a baby that could have been his.
The likelihood: High. Sylver is one of the nicest characters on our list and his storylines have repeatedly revolved around him trying to do the right thing. However, knowing how Hollyoaks loves the shock factor in a whodunit storyline, we can't help suspecting that he could turn out to be the culprit in a jaw-dropping twist.
Hollyoaks star David Tag recently confirmed to Digital Spy that Sylver will uncover Mercedes' affair with Liam before the shooting. This could be enough to change the gentle giant for good, after more than a year of trying to win over the villagers after his time in prison.
Sylver already has a temper, but could he take a leaf out of Breda's book by turning fully to the dark side?
Hollyoaks airs weeknights at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first look screenings at 7pm on E4.
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