Hollyoaks confirms James Nightingale fate over Eric blackmail
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks confirmed the fate of James Nightingale as the saga of him being blackmailed by Eric Foster came to a climax this evening (May 8).
Eric has been in prison after his incel ideology landed him in trouble and he became a convicted extremist. However, Eric contacted lawyer James and asked him to reduce his 15-year sentence.
James promised Ste Hay he wouldn't help Eric but James later agreed to the dodgy deal as he wants to help his sister Juliet and raise money for her cancer treatment. James later resorted to petty crime by stealing a necklace from Eric's caravan.
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James tried to get out of the deal with Eric but Eric blackmailed and revealed he had evidence of James going to the pawnbroker with police evidence. On tonight's episode, the story reached its climax.
Early in the episode, Ste tried to reassure James about what he did — organising a meeting between Maxine and Eric. Maxine stumbled in upon their conversation. However, Maxine insisted that she wasn’t a victim in the scenario but James clearly felt guilty.
The police then arrived and told James they had received information that he stole an item of evidence from police custody. They asked to go down to the station with him.
In the police interview, Zoe asked James what he was doing "creeping around the caravan" and stealing evidence. James stood firm and said no comment, highlighting that Eric isn’t a reliable source of information. But Zoe told James they had requested CCTV footage from the pawnbroker.
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"Once we get this footage, you’re done," Zoe told James. "Get comfortable, you’re going to be in here for a while."
In a desperate move to save James, Maxine asked Zoe to hear her out. She told Zoe to keep the focus on Eric, not James.
"If you charge James, you’ll be giving Eric exactly what he wants. He’ll be in his cell telling everybody he’s a mastermind who got a lawyer banged up," Maxine said. "If you arrest James, it doesn’t help me, it doesn’t help Julia, and it certainly doesn’t help you."
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Maxine implored Zoe to use her power and position to stop the hate-filled misogynists in the world, like Eric. Zoe listened and told James that Maxine helped her get her "priorities in check" and that he was free to go after the pawnbrokers failed to provide clear enough footage.
Later, James fell to his knees in his thanks to Maxine. He said that both of them were finally free from Eric but Maxine told him that it wasn’t over for her — that the "scratch" on her face is actually a scar for life.
She ominously told James that she wasn’t going to let Eric win again. In the closing segment, Maxine stared at her bandaged face in the mirror, contemplating what happened — and what is to come.
Hollyoaks streams first online via Channel 4, with new episodes dropping each weekday morning. The show airs Mondays to Fridays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, and at 7pm on E4.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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