Happy Valley

Glorianny

The Knezevics were people traffickers and involved in prostitution, not just drug dealing. I don't think Darius would be charged with anything. Tommy's statement to Catherine wouldn't count as evidence.

I was hoping Catherine had switched her 'voice record' on before entering the room, then everything he said would have been recorded as a dying confession.

Chestnut - our Catherine would have switched voice record.

I thought she had switched it on.
So the thug never made his wedding.

Was there a mention of his confession being recorded? I must have missed that.

Chestnut

Glorianny

The Knezevics were people traffickers and involved in prostitution, not just drug dealing. I don't think Darius would be charged with anything. Tommy's statement to Catherine wouldn't count as evidence.

I was hoping Catherine had switched her 'voice record' on before entering the room, then everything he said would have been recorded as a dying confession.

Don't think even that would count, remember Tommy had confessed to the killing and was in court for sentencing when he escaped.
So I think technically the case would be closed.
One of the reasons I dislike the ending so much.
Everything dependant on Catherine.

I did think the forensic team at the teacher's house would have uncovered evidence of someone accessing the garden from the rear lane that the pharmacist used.

Get on with you Glorianny - it were bluddy grand

Iam64

Get on with you Glorianny - it were bluddy grand

👏👏👏

My licence fee well spent. Writing and acting of the highest calibre.

Glorianny I think we are in a distinct minority.
I too found the ending poor. It was really disappointing. I thought the sudden "conversion" of Tommy was such a mistake and the far too long discussion between him and Catherine was beyond ridiculous.

I know I'm in a minority but it was ridiculous to try to do all that was required in 70 mins. My husband wondered if that's why they recorded lots of endings - because they had no idea what to do with it.

Given that, there were still some good moments and as others have said, the actor playing Clare did some great work on that episode.

I thought there were some good moments. But the whole concept was so flawed. I thought the actors did particularly well given the absolutely ridiculous story line.
Perhaps those who require all the ends tied up were satisfied, but I do like a little reality with my drama. A pity really that an excellent series had to end with such a lot of hogwash. I also think that it portrayed the rest of the police as incompetent. They apparently didn't think it was worth watching Catherine's house, didn't spot Tommy driving from the crash site and were all just hanging around the station until Catherine called.
Tommy's ability to survive a bleeding wound, down quantities of pills and alcohol and still be steady enough to strike a match was impressive I suppose.
It obviously appealed to a lot of people but I wouldn't call it good writing. Unless you regard good writing as the ability to make the virtually impossible seem likely.

but I do like a little reality with my drama

What is reality?

What goes on with OCG? Most people have no real clue. Do you know how the mind of someone like Tommy Lee Royce works - eg is he a psychopath or a very damaged individual with psychopathic tendencies?

Tommy's ability to survive a bleeding wound, down quantities of pills and alcohol and still be steady enough to strike a match was impressive I suppose.

That scene was needed and this gives a good summing up of why. Would you rather have just had a violent shoot-out? That would have been far too simple and corny.

This was far more clever.

inews.co.uk/culture/television/dont-feel-sorry-for-happy-valleys-tommy-lee-royce-2130477

My husband wondered if that's why they recorded lots of endings - because they had no idea what to do with it

They do that with a lot of suspenseful series endings - in case it gets leaked.

Not Spaghetti I too found the ending poor. It was really disappointing. I thought the sudden "conversion" of Tommy was such a mistake

This was not a sudden conversion because Tommy's vulnerable side has been hinted at before.

(James Norton from article)
James also spoke about the 'constant question' of whether Tommy is a 'psychopath', saying he's done evil things but that there is 'humanity' in the character.

He said: have talked about this with people in the production and Sally and Sarah. The hints were almost laid in the very first series, in episode five, when he’s just been stabbed and he’s facing his own mortality, his own death.

'And he’s sitting in that high rise and he bursts into tears. He thinks, "s***, I’ve wasted my life and if I had a different childhood maybe I could have been something in me."

'And if you think back to there, that was where Sally was already planning and carving out this ending I think, because there is humanity there.'

Here is the full article:
James Norton on the ending

I'm not interested in trying to prove my point.
I thought the ending was rushed. I thought it was on the ridiculous side and the comment from my husband was not because we don't know they don't want leaking but because we both thought it was badly written.

This is what I felt.

It's an opinion.
It felt like a cop-out (no pun intended).
That's all.

Realistically, Catherine should never have entered her house when she saw the broken window etc. Should have called for back up.

If it hadn’t been her last day, she would have been up for disciplinary action, for ignoring orders.

Just saying.

I must have watched a different show.
Fantastic acting but a ridiculously unbelievable storyline in so many places.

Tommy dressing up like superman and escaping on a bike.
Knife block in a house like that and by the door?
Tommy killing 3 men, one with a rock that just happened to be in the middle of a field.
Catherine and her property would have had protection.
No effect of half a bottle of booze and a handful of pills on Tommy …

Not a patch on the first 2 series in my opinion and very disappointing.

NotaGran - the knife block was believable - the householder had been chopping large quantities of beets, no doubt about to cook some Eastern European dish 😂

Iam64

NotaGran - the knife block was believable - the householder had been chopping large quantities of beets, no doubt about to cook some Eastern European dish 😂

Yes, that did give a hint, didn't it. No doubt was making delicious borscht for him and Tommy.
Tommy missed a treat there.

Tommy dressing up like superman and escaping on a bike
Well, that was obviously all pre-arranged by the OCG, he knew exactly where to go and the bike and lycra cycling outfit were there ready waiting for him.
The newsagent would have been under the "protection" of the OCG.
Tommy had been using the prison gym for some time in preparation.

It was fine, in my opinion to hint at Tommy's vulnerable side. But not to have him suddenly recover from a seriously bleeding wound.
As for an ending, well Catherine could have entered the house and found him barely alive clutching the photo albums. No final scene between them of course, but no need for a shoot out either. Both scenarios are in my opinion highly unlikely. She shouldn't have gone in, the police should have been watching the house, he made a miraculous recovery. Honestly it has more holes than a sieve.

Iam64 As my DS told me when I bought some, most of the knives in cheap knife blocks are b** useless. They won't cut anything. He might have one sharp knife.

I'm looking forward to the TV series of Very Unhappy Valley written by Glorianny.


Iam64 As my DS told me when I bought some, most of the knives in cheap knife blocks are b** useless. They won't cut anything. He might have one sharp knife.

It sounds as if your version might be a comedy: hapless psychopath escapes from prison, trips over old person's shopping trolley in the street, she helps him up (poor love, are you ok?), he carries on running, bleeding profusely from a graze on his knee, pinches a Vespa and rides off.

Grabs a useless kitchen knife from the safe house but it won't even cut up the beetroot for his dinner.

Breaks into policewoman's home while she's investigating the theft of some garden gnomes, picks up a bottle of wine and glugs down some tablets. He doesn't realise the wine is Zero 0% alcohol and the tablets are Parma violets.

To be continued.

Sorry, I'm getting carried away, I'll go and do something useful.

I think we are all aware that TV and movie drama is never going to be 100% realistic. And how boring if it was! You always have to suspend belief to a degree, and this is acceptable if the drama is compelling, with great characters, great plot, also in some cases beautiful costumes, sets and scenery. If the plot and acting is poor then the holes become more obvious and annoying. I think in this case any holes in the plot are more than made up for by the quality of acting and depth of characters.

Callistemon21

I'm looking forward to the TV series of Very Unhappy Valley written by Glorianny.


Iam64 As my DS told me when I bought some, most of the knives in cheap knife blocks are b** useless. They won't cut anything. He might have one sharp knife.

It sounds as if your version might be a comedy: hapless psychopath escapes from prison, trips over old person's shopping trolley in the street, she helps him up (poor love, are you ok?), he carries on running, bleeding profusely from a graze on his knee, pinches a Vespa and rides off.

Grabs a useless kitchen knife from the safe house but it won't even cut up the beetroot for his dinner.

Breaks into policewoman's home while she's investigating the theft of some garden gnomes, picks up a bottle of wine and glugs down some tablets. He doesn't realise the wine is Zero 0% alcohol and the tablets are Parma violets.

To be continued.

Sorry, I'm getting carried away, I'll go and do something useful.

Oh dear if that's the best you can do to criticise my views By presenting what is as ridiculous a plot as the one you swallowed on Sunday night. I think my point is proved.
Here's what you swallowed.
Police sergeant on last day of duty skives off the morning briefing and drives to get cake, into an area she has been told to stay away from.
Old woman who lives behind her house spots a break in at the front and calls her.
Police who know the escapee is liable to try and contact her and his son don't watch her house cos they are all incompetent.
She detours to house and enters.
Wounded escapee recovers from blood loss and wanders around the house. Finds photo albums she has conveniently left out for him. Also whisky and pain killers.
Sits comfortably at kitchen table consuming these. apparently none the worse for his injuries
She enters holding taser
They have a lovely chat and he tells her who really did a murder. All the time consuming whisky.
He pours over himself the petrol he has carried around the house with the photo albums, the pills and the whisky plus a convenient small box of matches, which he strikes easily holds steadily and sets fire to himself.
She wraps him him a crotchet blanket.
Police arrive. She leaves the scene with the photo albums.
And I almost forgot
Then she solves murder for the rest of the idiot police.

As for those saying it was a better ending than a violent shoot out. Someone setting fire to themselves is a pretty violent ending as far as I'm concerned.

You always have to suspend belief to a degree of course Chestnut you're right. The clue is that this is a drama not real life.

Had it been a stage-play, where lots of suspension of disbelief is woven into the experience, fair enough. The problem a couple of us are having is that the naturalistic nature of the series means that the plot needed more work if it wasn't going to push some of us "beyond belief".

I think most, if not all of us felt the acting was definitely of a high standard.

The problems for me were in this series. It feels to me that the plotting wasn't great - so the ending was the worst episode.