Casualty spoilers follow.

Casualty’s latest series ‘Storm Damage’ has now ended, and concluded with a dramatic double episode (September 7) that included births, deaths, an ambulance crash and a hospital lockdown.

As some of the show’s biggest stories came to a head, the relationships between the female characters on the show have been at the centre during this run of episodes – particularly during a compelling series finale.

One of the most gripping plotlines has been Stevie’s affair with Rich, who was revealed to be married to clinical lead Siobhan in a huge twist.

Stevie cut Rich off as soon as she discovered his connection to Siobhan, but Rich didn’t give up so easily and he ended his 25-year marriage.

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This hugely dramatic tension has run through the series and Stevie has started struggling with her guilt, especially as Siobhan has confided in her about the breakdown of her marriage.

When Siobhan got a text from Rich that was clearly meant for another woman, she told Stevie about it. Then, things got more tense when Rich arrived at the hospital with injured work colleague Brooke, and Siobhan suspected that she was the person he’d been seeing.

Stevie also wondered about the nature of their relationship – but it turned out that Brooke sees Rich as a father figure, and he’s been a mentor to her throughout her career.

But Siobhan was still convinced otherwise, and as she prepared to confront innocent Brooke, Stevie decided to finally come clean and reveal that Rich had been seeing her.

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Melanie Hill has previously described Stevie and Rich’s affair as a “double betrayal” for her character Siobhan. Considering she already suspected her husband had been unfaithful, it is likely that the Stevie reveal will have cut deeper – especially as the two women have formed a close bond as colleagues.

As she took in this news, a distraught Siobhan looked at Rich with fury but then looked at Stevie with absolute devastation. When Siobhan later told Faith about the situation, she quickly realised that Faith already knew, and was just as gutted to find out that another of her friends had kept this huge secret from her.

These scenes were difficult to watch, as all three of these women are good people who ended up in an impossible situation that has damaged these deep connections, perhaps irreparably.

Stevie tried to explain that she ended things with Rich as soon as she found out who he really was, but Siobhan wasn’t prepared to hear her out. She agreed to remain professional at work but made it clear to Stevie that they were no longer friends.

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Meanwhile, Nicole has had a difficult time during her pregnancy – acting as a surrogate for her friend Rosie. When they discovered that her baby would have Down’s syndrome, Rosie demanded that Nicole have an abortion. However, she decided to carry the baby to full term while wracked with indecision.

Over the past two series, Nicole and Ngozi’s friendship has blossomed, and Ngozi has given Nicole unwavering support during the rollercoaster of her surrogacy. But the situation became a lot more complicated in recent weeks when the pair unexpectedly kissed.

Since then, the atmosphere has been awkward between them – and in the first episode of tonight’s double bill, Nicole decided that she didn’t want Ngozi to be her birthing partner, opting for her mum instead and leaving Ngozi disappointed.

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But soon Nicole was left without a choice when her waters broke early while she was in the skills lab, with only Tariq on hand to help her give birth. While there were some complications after the baby was delivered, both Nicole and child were healthy, with Ngozi on hand to provide support.

The pair spent some precious time with the newborn, but soon Rosie arrived with the bombshell that she was now ready to be the baby’s mum. Nicole was horrified and explained to Rosie all she had put her through during the pregnancy, but accepted her friend’s decision.

Nicole updated Ngozi about the situation and put on a brave face in front of Rosie. But as soon as they were alone Nicole broke down in tears, completely heartbroken at what was being taken away from her. Once again, Ngozi was there to comfort her.

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It’s still unclear whether Nicole and Ngozi’s relationship will ever turn into something more than platonic. But their dynamic has been beautiful to watch over the series, and it will be fascinating to see where their connection goes next.

Of course, these aren’t the only stories that have been explored during this series of Casualty. Most notably, Cam’s sexual abuse story has been told carefully and sensitively, with an unbelievable performance from Barney Walsh at the helm.

There’s also Jacob’s relationship with his son Blake, Tariq and Rash’s rift, Iain and Faith’s struggle with Luca, and of course, Dylan and Sophia’s budding romance.

Perhaps Casualty has tried to do too much this series – some of these engaging stories weren’t given enough time to be explored fully and, on reflection, feel unfinished. But it also means that there’s more scope to pick these stories back up when the show returns this winter.

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As the series came to an end, Siobhan gave a stirring speech of encouragement for the staff, with Stevie unable to look her colleague in the eye. Meanwhile, from her hospital bed, Ngozi wiped away Nicole’s tears as she came to terms with her sudden loss.

These were the last Casualty episodes for a while, as the show takes its regular autumn break before returning for a Christmas special this December. But there’s already excitement for what’s to come.

Will Siobhan and Stevie be able to repair their relationship? Will Nicole and Ngozi become more than friends? The only hope is that these powerhouse women continue to take centre stage.

Casualty airs on BBC One and now streams first on BBC iPlayer, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of transmission. It will return in December for a new series, opening with a Christmas special.