Happy Valley: The perfect ending to an utterly breathtaking drama
**WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Series 3, Episode 6**
Yorkshire valley reminiscent of the shows settings. Source: Unsplash
The TV programme that has captivated the whole nation came to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday evening with a nail-biting finale.
With Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) on the run, having made contact with his son Ryan (Rhys Connah) and seemingly hell-bent on seeking revenge on Catherine (Sarah Lancashire), there were numerous theories on how Sally Wainwright would end the final chapter of a series that has drawn in millions.
The episode opens with both Ivan (Oliver Huntingdon) and Matija (Jack Bandeira) being arrested for assisting Tommy in his escape and money laundering. It is only when Catherine takes Ryan to the police station for questioning on visiting Tommy in prison, that the final instalment starts to get in its groove. Ryan informs the authorities that the convict had been in contact through his games console, this scene marks a significant step in the young teenager’s character arc, as it is the first moment the audience sees him properly understand the full scale of how dangerous his father is.
Meanwhile, Tommy is being driven in a car by Darius’s brother Zeljko (Greg Kolpakchi) and is accompanied by two henchmen, Marko and Viktor. However, his anger increases when Zeljko refuses to tell him where they are taking him. This leads to Tommy killing Marko and Viktor, before a tense fight with Zeljko, who he also murders. A seriously injured Tommy then abandons the vehicle and his three victims.
Elsewhere, Catherine, after being led by a hallucination of Becky, returns home and is seen emotionally looking through photo albums of her dead daughter and grandson. In a scene, which had viewers clinging to the edge of their seats, Tommy eerily peers over a sleeping Catherine, before using a rock to force entry into the house by smashing the basement window.
The audience are petrified as we are left pleading for Catherine to awaken, while Tommy begins to climb up the basement stairs. However, the police sergeant is alerted to a phone call from Ryan and makes her departure in the split second that Tommy turns the door handle to the kitchen.
Ryan then has a heart-to-heart with his grandmother on her treatment of Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and begs her to make amends with her sister: “she’s always been there, as long as I can remember.” This scene enables Connah to shine and demonstrate his promising talent and potential as a young actor.
Ryan’s words strike a chord with Catherine and she goes to visit Clare. She confides and breaks down in front of her sister, admitting that: “maybe I should’ve had more faith in him not to be taken in by him. I suppose I was just frightened that he’d… turn out like him. But he’s not, is he? For all his faults, he’s just a happy, well-adjusted, pretty flippin’ normal kid.”
It is down to Lancashire’s acting skills that our heart breaks for Catherine during this sequence as she finally confronts her living nightmare and relief that it will never become true. Clare’s motionless silence as she just stands and takes in her sister’s deep-rooted anguish also highlights Finneran’s strong and subtle performance.
The episode then reaches the much-anticipated showdown between Tommy and Catherine and Wainwright’s brilliant writing, alongside sheer excellence from Norton and Lancashire ensures it does not disappoint.
We are completely drawn in by Lancashire, who is mesmerising as Catherine. She berates Tommy by emphasising her love for her grandson and how little he resembles him: “And what I’ve seen really clearly these last few days is… how much he is nothing like you. Oh, I’ve worried for long enough, but now… that boy is a prince. For all his ups and downs, he’s unlike you as it’s possible to be.”
Whereas, Norton brilliantly executes how grateful the deranged psychopath is to an unflinching Catherine: “I hated you. But last night, I had a glimpse of what a nice life he’s had. And I don’t hate you anymore. I forgive you. And I’m sorry I didn’t treat Becky any better.” It is in these moments that viewers almost feel sympathy for Tommy and it’s Norton who makes it believable.
However, Catherine is unnerved and her grief for her daughter boils to the surface: “You have no idea what you did to Becky. And you forgive me? You crippled her. You reduced her to nothing with your endless, endless abuse and your nasty little threats. This bright, beautiful kid reduced to nothing because of a nonentity like you.”
In a final act of rage, further highlighting how damaged he is, Tommy pours petrol over his clothes and burns himself alive.
The last scene sees Catherine visit Becky’s grave before she heads off to enjoy a much-deserved retirement with a trip to the Highlands, bringing a gut-wrenching and truly remarkable drama to a satisfying close.