John Sugden’s twisted saviour complex has been dominating the drama in Emmerdale, with the sinister medic’s crimes spanning murder, physical assault and poisoning.

Unfortunately, the narrative hasn’t always made a convincing watch – that is, until the triumphant return of John’s half-brother, Robert.

Naturally, we’ve been longing for John’s comeuppance sooner rather than later, which is the usual pitfall for any long-running soap villain.

But accidental killer John keeps making mistakes that should surely have rumbled him by now. Most recently, this included using victim Nate’s phone, causing it to be traced back to the village.

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Of course, John’s presence relies on those around him being clueless. Yet reactions from the fawning locals have been increasingly unrealistic, with those involved in the cover-up of Anthony’s murder bizarrely eager to accept John keeping the whereabouts of the body to himself.

As John became more reckless and erratic, going so far as to physically block Belle from investigating Nate’s disappearance, there was only so much naivety we could watch before the situation grew tiresome and outlandish.

Now, in an episode focusing purely on the Sugden dynasty for the first time in years, the storyline has been given a new lease of life.

Robert’s fresh perspective as an outsider to the John saga and his deep-rooted connection to the village mean we’re already seeing key changes in Robert’s most cherished loved ones.

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Even as Aaron Dingle insisted that he had chosen new husband John and asked Robert to leave him alone, the subtext told us that Aaron is in denial. This was made plain by his impulsive decision to get rid of temptation by reporting Robert to the police, and by that old photograph which lingered in his wallet.

The emotion was written all over his face, and within minutes, Aaron was no longer the oblivious, uncharacteristically docile background presence he had been relegated to.

Instead, he’s waking up to the shrewd, animated person he used to be, and whether they’re together or not, Robert made this happen over the course of one nostalgic conversation about their rich, shared history.

Victoria, too, had the chance to flourish. Instead of being a passive bystander or rolling her eyes at the mere presence of big brother Robert, she refused to abandon him, sharply calling out John’s hateful comments against their sibling before sharing a frank, sassy chat with Aaron that felt like old times between the pair.

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It’s a promising indication that Vic will play an instrumental role in the coming months. The reunited team of Ryan Hawley, Isabel Hodgins and Danny Miller shone in these game-changing scenes, while a compelling performance from John star Oliver Farnworth paved the way for some truly engaging aftermath.

It’s also particularly refreshing that Robert is around to ask the important questions: who is John, and how well does Victoria really know him? Apart from his army career and the all-too-vague tale of his ex-turned-victim Aidan Moore, we know nothing about John’s past.

Only now is anyone pointing out that he might not be a genuine relative, with star Ryan sharing in an interview that “I’m not even sure [Robert’s] 100% sure he’s his brother, is he?”

We can’t help noting Robert’s accusation that John likes to steal “other people’s lives.” While Robert was referring to John marrying his beloved Aaron, soaps have been known for foreshadowing and there’s still time for John to be revealed as an imposter.

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If this proves not to be the case, at least there’s some relevance at last to making John, who doesn’t seem to hold any pride in the surname, a Sugden in the first place. John initially wasn’t keen to play happy families and, even when he relented, there hasn’t been much time spent on his bond with Vic, which materialised out of nowhere.

With Robert taunting John about their late father Jack – whose retconned role here has been glossed over for months – perhaps we’re finally about to gain some insight into John’s thoughts on his heritage.

Through his tense showdown with Robert, John became a lot more interesting and a far cry from the lacklustre personality he’s been exhibiting in between deadly deeds.

Actor Oliver matched Ryan line for line during their alter egos’ war of words, and with dark threats dished out, we’re expecting the gloves to come off once suspicious Robert is back where he belongs.

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Through Robert and Andy, we have seen the classic brotherly feud before. But the beauty of Robert versus John is that the power dynamic can change in an instant, something that was demonstrated perfectly here.

Robert is unaware of John’s capacity for wielding a deadly syringe – although this looks set to change next week. But John doesn’t know the half of what super-schemer Robert is capable of, from gunpoint drama to kidnapping. Just like that, John has met his match and the stakes have never been higher.

Over the course of one enticing, single-strand instalment, Emmerdale has fixed what we’ve been missing from John’s reign of terror, turning the storyline entirely on its head.

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7.30pm on ITV1, and streams on ITVX.