When John Paul left Hollyoaks for good, we bemoaned the fact that there was no longer a regularly occurring gay character on the show. But did we speak too soon?

Find out more after the break with a very special Hollyoaks Semi-Mega Post!

The McQueen family is trying to pick up the pieces after losing one of their own. Will this persuade John Paul to reconsider and move back home? Um ... no. But you can find out why after the break (and learn about a gay fan favorite returning to the show) with another Hollyoaks Mega Post!

It's the aftermath of the explosion, and when it's all over, one McQueen child will not survive. Join us after the break for another Hollyoaks Megapost!

This is it, Hollyoaks fans! After months of murder, evil glances, and distracting hotness, the Mcqueen family black sheep has set his final plan in motion. Grab some popcorn and join us after the break for part one of Niall's Revenge!

Oh, for the love of Kieron!

The spoilers are out for John Paul's big return on Hollyoaks, and it looks just as wonderfully over-the-top as all of us were hoping.

I'd put it right up there with Dynasty's "Moldavian Massacre" and Marcia Cross blowing up Melrose Place. (Although it doesn't come close to Fallon's alien abduction on The Colbys or Marlena's satanic possession on Days of our Lives. But it does top Delia's kidnapping by a horny gorilla on Ryan's Hope and the unearthing of the ancient magical city Eterna on One Life To Live.)

On the other hand, it's not as memorable as the Casadines and their evil weather machine on General Hospital, or Bobby in the shower on Dallas, but it's certainly not as far-fetched as the current As The World Turns story about two gay guys who aren't allowed to have sex. That one's just nutty.

But I digress ... the Hollyoaks story involves the unraveling of Niall, and if you want to see how awesome TPTB have made this, then join me after the break for the spoilers and a ton of pics. Special thanks to dkellergrl2001 for the info!

*Btw, if you comment, PLEASE don't include spoilers in your comment header!

Well, this is it. It's the final episode of Hollyoaks for John Paul McQueen, but will he survive after the evil Niall poisons his beer?

Um ...... yes.

In the first of today's two clips, Niall is looking self satisified as J.P. looks sickly, but manages to drink gingerly from the beer can. He runs his fingers through his hair and looks rather woozy, as Niall tears into him about thinking of going off to Dublin without a job or any money.

But when they stand up, it's Niall who almost collapses. J.P. then confesses that when Niall was in the bathroom, he accidentally knocked over the beer that Niall was drinking, so replaced it with his own. Which means Niall was the one drinking the poisoned beer.

Okay, I have to give this show big props for even attempting a hoary old chestnut like this (switched drinks!), but they manage to pull it off, and as J.P. leaves and Niall falls to the floor, I felt like Nelson Muntz, pointing and yelling "Ha-Ha!" (But I have to admit, as much as I love him, I think James Sutton might have gone a bit over the top with the whole "Viewers, watch my hands tremble while I drink this can sideways ... HA! you thought I was POISONED!" thing.)

Meanwhile, Craig is still getting the bum's rush from his family (even little Pete Wentz Jr.), but little does he know he's in the middle of a production of "Oh Dad, poor Dad, Mama's hiding you in the attic and I'm feeling so sad".

At the end of the clip, Niall is having a difficult time holding on to his cookies, and this has to be the hottest, sexiest cramping scene ever filmed.

The second clip has Steph finding Niall crumpled on the floor, and manages to save him by ... giving him tea? I'm not sure how Niall manages to survive while Kieron kicked the bucket, but he does manage a pang of guilt about Kieron dying alone, until Steph embraces him, and he puts the mask back on.

J.P. and Myra have a mother-son chat in his bedroom about what Kieron would have wanted, and if J.P. should go with Craig, and when Myra comes back into his room with some tea ... J.P. is gone.

Will J.P. go away with Craig? Find out after the break, where you can see the second clip and take our Hollyoaks poll!

The first of today's two Hollyoaks clips opens with Niall finding a letter that Kieron had written to Myra before his death. Reading it, it appears that Niall actually might feel a pang of guilt (but don't worry, it'll be gone by the end of the second clip).

John Paul has brought some of Kieron's things over to Myra's, and when she sees the plane ticket that Craig gave J.P., says "that boy!..it's like Kieron never even existed!". Strangely, though, in the very same scene she seems to be giving her blessing for Craul, when she and J.P. have this conversation:

Myra: "I know you loved Craig, and maybe you still do, but that don't mean you never loved Kieron. Something something* happiness, whether it lasted minutes or months...who I am to deny you a chance at that?"

J.P.: "Turn my back on Kieron, mum? It's too soon!"

Myra: "Baby, Kieron's gone. Don't let guilt ruin your life."

J.P.: "He deserved better, mum"

* I couldn't understand the first part.

So, is it just me, or did Myra just do a huge about face in the span of a minute?

The rest of the first clip involves Craig making final preparations for leaving, as he sends J.P. a last ditch voice mail, and says hasty goodbyes to his family (who are desperate to keep him from discovering "the secret of the living corpse").

Niall has a hilarious mini-mad scene (twirling..TWIRLING..TWIRLING!), and when J.P. gets the message on his phone from Craig, Niall deletes it before he can hear it.

The second clip involves more goodbyes for Craig, but most of it is about J.P. and Niall, who is realizing that his control over the lad is unraveling, and he...must..do..something. The rest we'll leave to you, but suffice it to say that it involves a certain beverage, and a definite sense of deja-vu.

You can see the second clip after the break, and let us know what you think? I have to admit to being a bit startled by the seemingly abrupt change of heart from Myra. With the "sunset ending" coming next, do you think the show has set it up well? Let us know in the comments, and come back tomorrow...but make sure you have plenty of tissues handy.

Well, I wasn't expecting this. After a few clips that have been, frankly, underwhelming, I wasn't prepared to be gutpunched.

The first of today's two Hollyoaks clips starts with John Paul receiving a message from Craig reminding him that they're supposed to meet for drinks. Back at McQueen manor, Myra tells Michaela that she promised J.P. they would all do something to pay tribute to Kieron. When Myra mentions something about holding their own service, her daughter's eyes widen, and she goes Full Michaela™.

As expected, their idea of a service is, let's just say..inevitable. J.P. is upset by the tackiness, and reminds them that it's the same service they gave for Bobby...who was the family dog.

Jacqui offers to take J.P. to the cemetery to pay his respects the proper way (I guess she's trying to make up for the slap heard round the blogosphere), while Myra and Michaela manage to be quite affecting in saying their own goodbyes.

What happens at the cemetery is a testament to the stellar acting of James Sutton, who turns what could have been a maudlin moment into an emotional knock-out. And I never thought the pushing of a "delete" button could pack such a whallop.

In the second clip, it's all J.P. and Craig, but the talk is all about Kieron. J.P. tells Craig that things have changed since Kieron died, and there's no way they can be together now. Craig tries to convince J.P. that he's ready to be with him now, but J.P. tells him to "find your own Kieron". They hug and say goodbye, but there's a surprise in store for J.P. at the very end of the clip.

It's going to be very interesting to see how TPTB make the "sunset ending" happen. Right now, J.P. and Craig seem as far away from that as can be, so it's gonna take a lot of heavy lifting from the actors and writers to get some people to buy it.

You can see the second clip after the break, and what did you think of Kieron's final farewell, and how they're setting up the SE? Let us know in the comments!

Today's Hollyoaks clip picks up with John Paul rolling his sister Carmel down the aisle (as you recall, Carmel's dress was too tight, and she couldn't walk, so they put her on roller skates).

As Carmel's wedding march fills the chapel (would it surprise you to learn that it's a Spice Girls song?), she tells J.P. that she's glad that he came, and he says "me too".

Later, they're arriving at the reception when J.P. sees Craig, and Myra has to remind him that it's Carmel's day. She tells him that he can't keep blaming himself for Kieron's death, and when he says he should have been at the funeral, says he has to respect Kieron's family's wishes, too. She promises J.P. that they'll pay their own respects to Kieron later in the week.

After Myra leaves, Craig shows up, and he and J.P. make plans to go for a drink before Craig goes back to Dublin.

Sensing that J.P. might actually be on the road to recovery, Niall swoops in to put a stop to it, and tells him about Kieron's service, and how heartbroken his mom and dad were. After all, "losing your son is something you never get over, is it?"

Well, I like this episode more than yesterday's headscratcher. We learn that it was probably Kieron's family who kept the details of the funeral from J.P., and it was very sweet of Myra to suggest that they pay their respects their own way.

And once again, Niall is so wonderfully, hilariously, insidiously evil. I wish he could stick around just to be that guy who says the most horribly inappropriate things to people ... maybe they could put him in a hot li'l devil costume and play people's consciences. He could appear in a *POOF*, say something outrageous, then *POOF* out again.

You can see the clip after the break, and check back for more updates!

This Hollyoaks clip is short, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in lingering questions.

It's Carmel's wedding day, and John Paul isn't exactly eager about getting ready. He's giving her away, but his mind is far away from his family, and he'd rather just sleep in.

When Niall tells him he better get dressed and get going, J.P. says it would be worth it to show up in his skivvies just to see the look on Carmel's face. Niall looks stunned, and says "Carmel? ...It's Kieron's funeral today." Now it's J.P.'s turn to look stunned, as he didn't know Kieron's service was the same time as his sister's wedding, and he rushes off to talk to Carmel.

Back at the McQueen compound, J.P. tells Carmel that he can't give her away, which seems understandable considering he's burying the man he loved, but his sister Jacqui is unmoved, saying "grieve Kieron on your own time", and slaps him in the face.

Later, a radiant Carmel walks down the steps to the "oohs" and "aahs" of her family. Wait a minute, did i say "radiant"? Sorry, I meant Radioactive! Seriously, did she wash her face with an Orange Julius?

Unfortunately, when J.P. (who seems perfectly fine now) zips up her dress, it's impossible for her to walk. Luckily, Michaela has the perfect solution: roller skates. With one crisis averted, it's time for another, as Carmel finds out that her intended, Calvin, has not shown up for the wedding.

Okay, where to begin with this clip. First, why wouldn't J.P. know when Kieron's funeral is? If he didn't have a hand in the arrangements, at least he'd have know the date and time! Also, when they found out that the dates conflicted, why couldn't the time be pushed back a couple of hours? They could have rescheduled the funeral an hour or two. And why can't Myra give her daughter away? You'd think his family would understand.

And finally, WTF is wrong with Jacqui? Your brother's fiance dies in his arms and you think it's selfish for him to want to go to the funeral over his sister's wedding? I got news for you, Jacqui. Kieron is only going to be buried once ... Carmel will have many, many weddings in her future!

You can see the clip after the break, and let us know what you think of today's clip, and the antics of the McQueen family. Outraged, perplexed, or do you think it's just par for the course for this dysfunctional family?