Hollyoaks ultimately gave viewers the answers they’ve been craving in tonight’s episode (December 28) as the identity of the body bag victim was finally revealed.
Viewers of the Channel 4 soap have been racking their brains for 12 months in an effort to figure out which resident wouldn’t make it out of 2020 alive, after last year’s flash-forward episode confirmed the shock demise of one character.
Yes, one mainstay would ultimately meet a grisly fate and therefore end up in a body bag on New Year’s Eve, but the identity of said mainstay, however, remained a mystery.
Well, that mystery has finally been solved, as tonight’s edition of the soap revealed that Jordan Price (Connor Calland) lost his life during a showdown in The Hutch.
‘I didn’t know from the beginning!’ actor Connor Calland told Metro.co.uk, discussing how long he knew the big secret for.
‘It was nice to see the pieces of the puzzle slowly get put together [after I found out] because before that point, I don’t think anyone really knew who it was going to be except the producers and the writers.’
The mystery death was certainly a closely-guarded secret, that’s for sure, with Connor — as well as co-star Kirsty Leigh Porter — having previously told us that they didn’t have a clue who was going to die.
‘It was a funny feeling [when I found out],’ Connor said, ‘I remember speaking with [Executive Producer] Bryan Kirkwood about it, and obviously everyone wants to be working, and especially with Hollyoaks, I’ve had such a good time over the past year.
‘Obviously, I would’ve loved to have stayed there, but I think understanding where the story was going and what happens in the final episode, it was quite nice to be given this responsibility — this year-long responsibility.’
Jordan has been on quite a journey since his arrival in the eponymous village this time last year. At first, we thought him nothing more than an antagonist; a villainous drug-dealer who set out to recruit as many youths as possible.
However, the character developed quite dramatically, and it became apparent that he was so much more than that.
‘It was a conversation we had over the year,’ Connor told us. ‘We wanted Jordan to come in and stir up trouble in the village, and make his mark there.
‘But also at the same time, no-one’s ever evil. I feel people might have evil qualities, or they might make mistakes, and I think the writers have done a great job of showing that — of showing that he’s not the bad egg that he’s been branded with.
Jordan has been embroiled in a bit of a love triangle with Leela and Peri Lomax (Kirsty Leigh Porter and Ruby O’Donnell), and Connor reckons it was the character’s connection with the former that allowed viewers to see the real Jordan.
‘I feel throughout [Jordan and Leela] had a connection that went a lot further than a physical connection,’ he said. ‘The backstories of both those characters and their previous histories: they have a lot of similarities. The episodes post-car crash I think showed that side to them both.
‘I think it’s the first time Jordan had someone he could see as a partner — someone he could confide in. From that point onwards, you could see him trying to better himself.’
While Jordan did try to turn over a new leaf, he ultimately found himself under Victor Brothers’ (Benjamin O’Mahony) control once more.
Yes, in tonight’s episode, Victor threatened to kill one of Juliet Nightingale’s (Niamh Blackshaw) loved ones, and he ultimately settled on Sid Sumner (Billy Price) — Jordan’s own cousin.
Victor decided that in order to test his loyalty and prove his allegiance, Jordan should be the one to kill Sid and Juliet.
Jordan was evidently conflicted, but he ultimately chose to do the right thing, as he allowed both Sid and Juliet to walk free — begging them to get out of the drugs game and to make something of themselves.
‘He tries to speak his heart in the moment,’ said Connor, ‘This week for Jordan has been him trying to right his wrongs. He tries to do the right thing. I think it’s really cleared his conscience knowing that he’s attempted to do the right thing.’
‘Jordan’s trying his best, and he’s lost in these final moments. He’s trying to clear his conscience before the end, I think.’
‘Jordan’s redeeming moment was saving Sid and Juliet and that’s the moment when we know that he’s not like Victor.’
Following his self-sacrifice, Jordan discovered that Charlie Dean (Charlie Behan) and Ella Richardson (Erin Palmer) were hiding under the table, but as he tried to get a handle of the situation, tragedy ensued.
Yes, Jordan was killed.
It was a superb twist, and a thrilling conclusion to one of soap’s greatest ever mysteries — a conclusion that was absolutely worth waiting a whole year for.
However, like all good soap swan songs, Jordan’s demise brings with it plenty of sadness, and it means that we have to bid adieu to Connor, who’s proven himself to be a truly spectacular actor — something which was arguably never more apparent than it was tonight.
‘I’ve spent the past couple of weeks looking back on my time,’ Connor told us, as he reminisced about his time on the Channel 4 soap. ‘I’m just very proud to have been a part of this storyline. And I’m so lucky to have been working — especially in the year we faced with Covid.
‘For leaving the show, I think it was the best leaving I could’ve asked for, really.
‘It’s been a year-long storyline. A year of people asking: “Who is it? Who is it?”, so to be able to say at the end: “It was me!”
‘I’ll really look back on the memories of being on set. It’s been so good. It’s something that’s going to stay with me for a very long time.’
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