Happy Valley

North Face - great idea to have Cathrine and Alison driving off together.
That also means Ryan gets to finish his gcse

Fanny I don’t like violence and while there is some on HV it is still some of the best tv I have seen since Line of Duty.
You can always turn it off but you will be missing some good tv.

I read today that five different endings have been filmed. Even some of the cast don’t know how it will end next week.

The violence in HV, whilst shocking, is not gratuitous. It is to make us realise just how horrible the villains are, and what are the consequences of their actions. In 'action films' (which I don't like) there are shoot-outs and chases, and people getting beaten up, who are running around in the next scene. The violence in those is just violence for its own sake, and I find that rather tedious. Knowing what Tommy is capable of doing, and what that means to the victims, gives HV another dimension, I think, and is one of the things that makes it good.

Thank you Silverlining and Doodledog
We will start on Series 1.

(Gratuitous mention: Brookside is being repeated from the very beginning this week!!! 🥳)

I started from series 1 too Fanny as I hadn’t watched first time around.

I have a feeling that Ryan will be the hero of this in the end - that Catherine's care and guidance against all odds will have been the making of him. I hope he gives up his father to the police.

When Wainwright first said she wasn’t going to write another series until Ryan had grown up, I wondered why she didn’t just recast with an older actor but I am glad she waited and kept Rhys Connah. He has been marvellous in this series. We can see him thinking things over!

Wainwright has a lot of loyalty to her actors. Some old faces from Scott & Bailey, in HV, George Costigan (Nevison Gallagher), Amelia Bullmore (Vicky Fleming in series 2), Kevin Doyle (John Wadsworth in series 2) and David Prosho (DI Gaskill).

Suranne Jones who played Rachel Bailey was Gentleman Jack, of course.

I agree, Doodledog. This is what people involved in organised crime do but Wainwright always has the parallel story of domestic situations where people commit acts of violence, spontaneouslessly and out of desperation: Alison Garrs' story in series 1, John Wadsworth's story in series 2 and Faisal Bhatti's story in series 3 which in many ways mirrors that of Kevin Weatherill in series 1 - a man under financial pressure gets in over his head.

Brilliant writing and acting.

I wonder if Catherine is going to crack, finally lose faith in the justice system and kill TLR? Maybe the money would help her defence. Here's a question if you were on a jury would you convict her of murder, or manslaughter? Not sure I would.

(Gratuitous mention: Brookside is being repeated from the very beginning this week!!! 🥳)

Ooh!!
Which channel and when? I need to set my series recorder for that

Oh, I've found it. It's on STV. Thanks for the heads up, Fanny.

FannyCornforth

Thank you Silverlining and Doodledog
We will start on Series 1.

(Gratuitous mention: Brookside is being repeated from the very beginning this week!!! 🥳)

Fanny I agree that this is a series worth watching and if you can't take the gore then look at the floor which is what I sometimes do. You can watch out of the corner of your eye and listen too. You are straight into the action in Episode 1 so be prepared and strap yourself into your chair!

I'm not sure you should be following this thread any more, especially after next Sunday as the outcome will be fully discussed and this will really spoil your enjoyment. Too much has been given away already for a new viewer.

Doodledog

Oh, I've found it. It's on STV. Thanks for the heads up, Fanny.

Yes! Can you get STV?
It’s free with Sky.
I started a thread about it.
There will be 10 episodes streaming this week, and then 5 per week after.
It’s my all time favourite TV program (along with GBH)

Thanks Chestnut, thank you. I’m not actually reading the thread - just looking out for replies.
Thanks all.
I’ll be off then now. Bye!

Thank you, NannaK and Chestnut.

I’m another who prefers to binge watch rather than wait a week between episodes.

I agree about the realism, Catherine is still showing the result of the battering she got when she brought the criminal down last week, in some drama I get irritated when someone gets a real beating and then gets up and just limps gently off when the reality is very different. I think Ryan is trying to lure his Dad into revealing where he is, he has finally realised, thanks to Ann, just what his gran has done for him and what she has sacrificed to keep him.

It's funny, but while I was watching this last night, glass of wine in hand, I felt the companionship of GN members doing the same, gasping at the same bits, laughing at some of Catherine's dead pan comments (although there weren't many of them last night).

HousePlantQueen, I was watching with gransnet and my two adult daughters, who were messaging on our WhatsApp group, it reminded me of watching with them when their dad was alive, they both messaged ‘dad would be shouting shut up’ 😀

It’s such good tv. I enjoyed your summary North Face. I believe Tommy wants to give Tommy up. His comments about wanting to reach his own conclusions about his birth dad made absolute sense from his 16 year old self. I love the way Sally Wainwright shows her characters development. The damage Tommy has caused is visible in Catherine, Claire, Annie, Daniel and Richard, plus their loved ones. Catherine seems to be back in that place of grief and trauma where she was after Becky’s death, lashing out at those she loves. The way her ptsd has been shown -
It’s just brilliant

Yes, Catherine has much to contend with at present - hence she was less jokey and a bit more mean girl. In her family she must think she’s the only one at present who gets what a nasty piece of shit Tommy Lee actually is.

I'm not sure Ryan is persuaded yet about Tommy.
I didn't read that into the scene where they talked. I felt there was resistance but still room for movement.

Ryan said he visited because he wants to reach his own conclusions about his dad. He added he feels sorry for him because he was born like that. Since that scene, he had the awful experience of Annie telling him Tommy raped and abused her, that Ryan’s conception followed Tommy raping and abusing Ryan’s mum who killed herself after he was born.
He didn’t have this information till now. Devastating for him. Will he believe it

I thought Tommy saying he loved Ryan was an important moment . If only Catherine had told him she loved him when Ryan said he loved her.The poor boy needs a hug. Will he believe Tommy because it is what he wants to hear?

If I was thirty years younger I would jump at the chance of going to Spain with Tommy!

Glorianny

I thought Tommy saying he loved Ryan was an important moment . If only Catherine had told him she loved him when Ryan said he loved her.The poor boy needs a hug. Will he believe Tommy because it is what he wants to hear?

Yes, that was a missed chance.

I should think saying ‘I love you’ to anyone would be difficult for Catherine.

She is such a no nonsense, pull yourself together type of person that saying those words would risk breaking down all her barriers of self control. Think she would hate to show any kind of vulnerability, all covered up with toughness.

Yes, it was a typical Catherine response.

Poor Ryan.