Hollyoaks spoilers follow for Wednesday’s (February 28) episode that is now available to view on Channel 4 streaming. The episode in question will air on E4 on Thursday February 29 at 7pm.
Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) self-harmed in upsetting Hollyoaks scenes after newcomer Declan Hawthorne (Alan Turkington) upped the ante as part of his and Carter Shepherd’s (David Ames) twisted conversion therapy plot.
The teen, as viewers know, has been struggling with his sexuality, having developed feelings for best mate Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass), who has encouraged him to embrace who he truly is.
The two boys almost kissed last week but were interrupted by Scott Drinkwell (Ross Adams), who walked in on them at the Youth Club together.
Lucas, who has largely refrained from discussing his feelings, asked Scott for some advice but Carter soon manipulated the situation to his advantage, undermining Scott’s character in a bid to turn the teen against him.
The head teacher, who previously conducted conversion therapy sessions on men within the village, has turned his attention to Lucas in recent months, urging him to join his Student Behavioural Unit, which is simply a fancy name for conversion therapy.
Believing himself to be responsible for dad Ste’s (Kieron Richardson) recent relapse, Lucas agreed to take part in Carter’s programme, unaware that he was about to be gaslit and manipulated by the school headmaster, who is struggling with his own sexuality.
With Lucas still harbouring feelings for Dillon, Carter decided to take drastic action earlier this week, with the storyline reaching a dramatic peak on Wednesday (February 28) following Declan Hawthorne’s introduction.
Declan, with Carter in tow, took Lucas to a remote and not-at-all creepy location, where he proceeded to ask him all sorts of questions about his dad Ste.
Lucas was quick to defend Ste but Declan persisted with the cruel manipulation and intrusive line of questioning, claiming that all of the school boy’s issues stem from his father’s sexuality.
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What’s more, Declan urged Lucas to turn to God, instructing him to read the bible, claiming it will help him turn his life around. Lucas remained unsure but agreed to give it a go.
Dillon soon became the subject of discussion, with Lucas candidly and bravely describing his feelings for his friend, confirming that he loves everything about him and wants to kiss him.
Clearly head over heels for Dillon, Lucas struggled to hide his smile in what was undoubtedly his most honest and vulnerable moment to date.
Declan, however, used that vulnerability to his advantage, manhandling poor Lucas towards a mirror, ordering him to look at himself, claiming that God is ashamed of him for having such feelings about a boy.
Bone-chilling.
If that wasn’t cruel enough, Declan and Carter proceeded to claim that Lucas’ mum Amy, who was murdered by Ryan Knight back in 2017, is only dead because Ste failed to ‘control his sexual urges’.
The two schemers led Lucas to believe that the root of all of his problems is his dad’s sexuality, urged him to accept their ‘help’ in a bid to avoid ending up on the same path.
With emotions running high, Carter decided to call it a night and, upon walking Lucas back home to Weirside View, he told the teen that he was ‘proud’ of him.
Lucas then entered his home with the weight of the word on his shoulders, struggling to know what to do or how to process what he’d just been subjected to.
He stared at a note left for him by Ste, which informed him that Dillon had popped around with a gift.
It was Dillon’s very own watch, which Lucas had admired earlier in the week. A kind and touching gesture from someone who evidently cares a lot about Lucas.
Lucas smiled but, as he remembered Declan and Carter’s words, his smile turned to anger and thus he smashed the watch to pieces before breaking down in tears.
The school boy then grabbed a shard of glass from the broken watch and proceeded to self-harm.
A particularly harrowing instalment of the Channel 4 soap that was very difficult to watch, helmed by chillingly brilliant performances from Alan Turkington, David Ames and of course Oscar Curtis, who has proven himself to be a revelation and an absolute powerhouse of a performer since this storyline kicked off.
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Hollyoaks streams weeknights at 7:30pm on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
Need support?
For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
If you're a young person, or concerned about a young person, you can also contact PAPYRUS, the Prevention of Young Suicide UK.
Their HOPELINE247 is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. You can call 0800 068 4141, text 88247 or email: pat@papyrus-uk.org.
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