Fair City stars Rebecca Grimes and Matthew O'Brien have told Carrigstown fans to buckle up as their characters Hayley and James fake the kidnapping of their toddler son.
It's "desperate measures in a desperate situation" for the couple as they stage Scout's abduction to get money to pay back Hayley's mother, Ger (Tina Kellegher) - and Ger knows exactly what they're doing.
The plan is to get James's father, Con Rafferty (Liam Carney), to pay the ransom.
Watch: The teaser for Friday's Fair City
"When I read it, I was like, 'Oh, my God, how are we going to do this?'" Grimes, who plays Hayley, told RTÉ Entertainment.
"Then I was reminded of the case in the UK where this happened. And once I had that kind of shred of reality to cling to, I was like, 'Ok, alright, this can be done'."
"I think it really is they've been driven to it," she continued.
"I don't think they're terrible parents. I think they're doing this because they want to be the right parents or the best parents they can be to Scout. I think they go about things the wrong way and they make poor decisions regularly. But no, I don't think they're bad parents."
"When they said first about Scout getting kidnapped, in my mind it was like, 'Oh, are they going to hire someone?'" said co-star O'Brien, who plays James.
"James's MO is to hire someone else to do the job for him. And I thought that they were going to launch Scout out to somebody else.
"I think he's justified it in his head that 'Scout's fine. We're in a hotel room. This will all blow over in a day, and we'll have loads of money'."
Explaining the backstory of just how the couple hit a new low, Grimes said: "The whole thing was to buy a house. They're trying their hardest to get a secure, stable future for their family. And then they have the antiques scam, and obviously that goes awry. And then they have the robbery, and that goes awry, and then it's just mounting, mounting, mounting.
"So, they have the kidnapping plot. It's to pay Ger back because she's putting the squeeze on us for massive amounts that we just can't make. And then, obviously, the next logical step is to kidnap your child and demand a ransom for him!"
"They're driven to this, and it's all within the family. [You're] going, 'It doesn't have to be this way!' They're all toxic because of each other!" laughed Grimes.
"They've convinced themselves that they're owed it. They've convinced themselves, 'Well, if it wasn't for Rafferty (James's father) selling that dodgy site, and if it wasn't for us being down all that money...' They definitely have a little air of entitlement that is misplaced, for sure, but I think they can rationalise it away."
"The fact that Ger knows about the kidnapping, I think that adds a great dynamic, and it adds an off-road for Hayley and James in so far as what we were kind of suggesting (the kidnapping), then she gets on board and is like, 'No, we're doing this!'" added co-star O'Brien.
As to what fans can expect from Hayley and James in the coming episodes, Grimes said: "I always feel that they have a crossroads.
"They have a choice where they can do the right thing or the wrong thing, and they just make the wrong decision each time!
"But I think that's what makes for fun drama and fun television. You're just watching these [episodes], screaming at the television, going, 'If you'd just do the right thing for once!'
"I think it's a really fun storyline. I know that sounds kind of contradictory, but I do think that the public will enjoy it.
"It is so out-there, I think they will enjoy shaking their heads and throwing their eyes up at it."
Fans can find out what happens next on Friday on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player at 7:30pm.
Fair City airs on RTÉ One and the RTÉ Player on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
