HAPPY VALLEY S3 - thread 7 to chat and muse about the last ever episode

[Blondeshavemorefun]

Several people have messaged me to ask if I will do another thread as still all chatting about it

6 is almost full so here you can linked to this one the previous 6

1
www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4710280-happy-valley-series-3-bbc1-9pm-starts-1-january-2023-no-spoilers-tv-pace?reply=123037566

2 www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4718852-happy-valley-series-3-bbc1-9pm-started-1-january-2023-no-spoilers-tv-pace-thread-2?reply=123279174

3
www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4724933-happy-valley-series-3-bbc1-sundays-9pm-no-spoilerstv-pace-thread-3?reply=123400097

4 www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4728813-happy-valley-s3-sundays-9pm-bbc-1-tv-pace-no-spoilers-thread-4?reply=123407648

5
www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4731641-happy-valley-s3-tv-pace-no-spoilers-thread-5

6
www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts/4736071-happy-valley-s3-tv-pace-no-spoilers-thread-6-and-episode-6-and-the-last-ever-episode-forever?reply=123662539

@Hels20 Thanks. Well remembered. I did recall that Daniel felt Becky was the golden child and CC said it should have been him that died ( or soemthing along those lines).

Yea Daniel felt that Becky was the golden child

But any mum
Torn with fried saying to other child I wish it was you who died Is horrible

And yes real life Tommy wouid have been handcuffed and maybe feet as well so couldn't run /escape

Mike Taylor fans should keep their eyes peeled while watching A Spy Among Friends on ITV

In a former life, I knew a lot of 'nice' girls who hung around with 'bad' boys because of access to drugs. No-one as bad as TLR! In some cases, it was reverse-sad, a lovely guy I knew, not a looker, not a confident guy at all, he was with a very posh, rich and beautiful girl who was two-timing him up and down the road with those in her social strata, just flinging him the odd bone to get access to dope.

I can totally see why Becky would fall for TLR, also knowing he's the kind of guy that would drive her mother mad would be a strong pull.

I kept expecting someone to insist on Poppy taking her coat off and something shocking found out as a result.

Poor Joyce putting a party on that C didn’t attend.

I wish C could show more affection to Ryan.

I wish they had shown Ann in a better place. I liked the fact she and Daniel were together after the spark between them towards the end of season two.

Tommy was a product of his upbringing yes, but he was also evil. He didn’t love Ryan. Not really. He saw him as someone to possess. I’m glad though that he realised that Ryan has a good life.

You could see why Becky would be drawn in. She was a teenager so didn't have the life experience to see red flags.
He hadn't been done for rape and murder, she wouldn't have realised how dangerous he could be.
He can be cunning and manipulative, in series 2 he was using this to get all if his fiancées to do his bidding. I think there were about 4 or five of them total.
She was involved with a "bad crowd", I imagine that means drink and drugs.
You could see how she would get herself in too deep before realising the danger and not knowing how to extricate herself.
She either didn't realise or didn't want to believe she was pregnant until after the cut off point to get a termination.

Started again from series 1 tonight. I did believe Tommy when he said he loved Becky but he was very comfortable with violence when they abducted Ann and he asked her 'are you a virgin' before he raped her...no doubt he raped Becky and why would he do that if he thought he loved her even in his own twisted way.

Funny moment in episode 2 after Catherine tackled the ice cream van drivers and got kicked in the face.
Ryan: Granny got in a fight!
Clare: oh why what were they doing?
Ryan: selling ice creams!
Clare: oh
Made me

The clues were there from the start about Clare's deceit - she didn't tell Catherine when Tommy got out of prison because she didn't want to upset her.

@StClare101 she did go to the party, you saw a few seconds of it with mist of the cake gone. It just wasn't that important to the plot. There were enough other loose ends hanging we didn't need to see the party.

The clues were there from the start about Clare's deceit - she didn't tell Catherine when Tommy got out of prison because she didn't want to upset her.

That's another layer of interest, Clare and Catherine's relationship. Clare is often nervous around Catherine. When Daniel moved back in after splitting with his wife, Clare felt she should give up her room as "Daniel has more right to be here than I do" or similar words. Clare also voices how Neil is frightened of Catherine, which Catherine irritatedly dismisses. I think Clare was speaking for both of them!

Catherine could not have continued in her career in the way that she had, working shifts as well as being a single grandma, if Clare had not been the stay-at-home parent in effect. At the end when Catherine says to TLR that Ryan is a prince, that will be in no small part to the gentle, stable and loving care that Clare has provided him with. Hopefully Catherine had time to reflect on that. Even at the end (when still cross with Clare) and Ryan said Clare had always been there, she rather spitefully said Clare had nowhere else to go. Still, that's why I loved HV - it wasn't saccharine. Catherine would never have suddenly done a sugary speech about how Clare meant the world to her, best sister ever blah blah.

Tommy doesn't think twice about violence, partly because of his upbringing, partly because he doesn't feel empathy. He beats his mother up, rapes, kills... without a second thought or any remorse. He would have raped Becky and not seen it as a big deal.

I've just this minute finished series 3 so am going to read your chat now!

All 6500 + of our ramblings 😂

Do you have the whole day free then? 😅😉

Ha, let us know your verdict on the ending and our chat 😂

🤣
I keep muttering to myself (in Siobhan Finneran's accent, which I seem to have absorbed "but, what...what about...and why...." Then I go "but I do love that kitchen of hers and that fabulous cluttered yet gorgeous conservatory" then I realise how ultimately shallow I am 🤣 wondering when she gets time to dust it. Or does Clare do it all when she's not down the mission...)

Re Becky, anyone else thinks there was more going on? She was infatuated with him, he claims he loved her (I know, I know...) And at the end the story doesn't quite add up when CC tells him he was abusive and his reply is that it was because she cut him off abruptly and he didn't know what to do. Was it the rape? The pregnancy? Or something else... 👀

Every word is gold!

Make sure you don'r miss a single one. 😂😂😂

Something that I didn’t see get tied up was what happened to Daniel’s child? His wife had a baby and then it was just never mentioned again.

That’s so true.. also another grandchild for Catherine but never seen or heard of. He referred to it once when he said to Ryan you can be older and still not be ready for a baby when talking about Becky’s age

Haven’t read the whole thread but things I expected to happen…
some sort of conclusion where we saw Ryan again at the end but it was just Catherine
I so thought Claire’s boyfriend was in on TLR’s escape and I was so sure that was going to come out in the wash but he was very quiet in the last few episodes

Neil definitely wasn't in on the escape. In an interview the actor laughed at suggestions he had any connection to TLR.

@LosingMyPancakes. I get the impression that Becky and Tommy were really in love/infatuated with each other at the beginning of the relationship and that it was all consenting. Her brother said as much in series 1. Becky made Tommy feel normal. And then one day he says Becky didn't want to know him because of Catherine and that's when he changed towards Becky. Did Catherine tell her that he was involved with very dangerous people? Shortly after Ryan was born he went to prison for 8 years, so one can assume he was already firmly entrenched in the Croatian OCG when he and Becky were together. Her mum would have had that Intel and then maybe Becky saw for herself that her mum was right and tried to end things with him, unsuccessfully.

Just binge watched all three series having never seen any of it before. Brilliant!

I can't believe I only watched the last episode last night. I'm not sure why I kept putting it off.

Daniel didn't seem to have a photo album.

I know he's obviously made up but I wondered whether TLR had ADHD. Very impulsive and doesn't actually think about what he's done in the past, just moves on. My husband is like that.

I wish they had a different actor to play him as I felt really sorry for him probably because of his looks.

If for example he was played by Asa Butterfield or Freddie Highmore I'm not sure I would. Other rougher looking characters such as Nicky Evans or Ciaran Griffiths might be a better fit. I'm not saying they are ugly just James is another league.

I agree with feeling sorry for him because of his looks. But that's a theme of the show itself - remember when he was in prison and had all these women running around doing his bidding? He can use his looks and charm to manipulate everyone, even us, the viewer.

Now I've rewatched series 1 I remember what a bastard he is. He was so callous towards Anne and Kirsten McAskill. He's huge too, really physically intimidating. The writing and acting of the third series is really a masterpiece, those odd little phrases and looks that lay bare all of Tommy's vulnerabilities, you can practically see him at the little boy he was in that very end scene in the kitchen, and Catherine can see it too. Even in the first series, the way he jumped up on the wall and walked across into his mums house like a little boy. It all ties into the main theme of inter generational trauma.