We are only 60 minutes away from the ending of the final ever episode of Happy Valley, and all the hints from episode five are that it is going to be explosive. Murderer and rapist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) has been aided in his escape from prison by Darius Knezevic, and Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) has gone out looking for him after insisting she is not going to "sit around on my arse watching f***king" telly.
Meanwhile, the evil killer has made contact with son Ryan through their games consoles and he is trying to persuade the teenager to run away to Spain with him.
All the signs are that it is building up to a final showdown between Tommy Lee and Catherine, and with it being the final series some viewers are beginning to worry that Sarah Lancashire's lead won't make it to the retirement she has been counting down to.
Read more: BBC Happy Valley's James Norton shares cute throwback with on screen son Ryan
Here are the questions we need answered in next week's finale:
1. Will Ryan betray his father?
Episode five ended with Ryan's on-the-run father making contact with him through their games consoles. Royce said he had memorised his son's gamer tag when he told him during one for their meetings in prison.
Ryan has heard on the news that his dad is "armed and dangerous". He asked him several times if he was actually armed and dangerous, and didn't get a straight answer. When Royce talks about poetry and how it felt to be free "out on the tops" above Bradford, Ryan simply asked, "What are we going to do?"
Tommy explains that the plan is "to be together" and says that there is a chance they could go abroad, but Ryan is concerned about his GCSEs because he needs to pass his English and Maths to get an apprenticeship.
When Tommy asks: "Do you want to come with me?" Ryan would only say, "I will think about it".
The complex side of Tommy comes out and he tells him: "I do love you, you know. You are all I have got. All I ever had, and I didn't know you for long enough."
It is difficult to gauge what the teen will do. He is torn between the love he has for his father, despite all the bad things he has done, and the love for his grandmother who stood by him when he as born, took him in and lovingly (most of the time) brought him up.
Ryan is obviously every conflicted, he told Ann: "I get it is complicated, but he is my dad", then moment later told his grandmother he loved her.
2. Will Ryan betray his grandmother?
That moment of realisation of everything his grandmother has done for him, when he stopped her and simply said, "Granny, I love you" makes you hope he will ultimately choose her love over his father.
Hearing from an upset Ann Gallagher that his grandmother was the one who insisted on taking him when everyone else was telling her to "put it up for adoption", and learning that Catherine had said it had never been his fault helped him reach that understanding.
How could he betray her now? He explained that he had gone behind their backs to visit his dad because he wanted to "make his own mind up", telling his Uncle Daniel: "I went to see him, because I wanted to make up my own mind about him. I didn't tell anyone because I knew it would all kick off. I wanted to work out what I thought about him, without other people's opinions."
When Daniel asked what his conclusion was, the schoolboy replied: "I feel sad for him. He was born like that, needing to be so nasty to people."
Ryan is bound to get caught up in the feud between his father and grandmother somehow, viewers will just be hoping to he picks Catherine's side, the side of good, and he gets to do those GCSEs he wants to pass in the summer.
3. Will Tommy shoot Catherine?
Tommy is out and hellbent on getting revenge on his arch-nemesis. The conversation with Darius in the van about getting a gun makes you ask if that is more important to him that getting away with his son.
In fact, the crooked businessman asks him that very question. With a steely glare, the killer tells him: "Getting even with that b**** is as important as getting to Marbella."
Tommy is determined to exact revenge on Catherine, but he doesn't sound like he has much of a plan. He told Darius: "I'm going to find her, follow her and then I am going to bide my time and look for an opportunity".
Darius has refused to organise a gun, but that won't stop Tommy trying to find a way.
The last two times the pair confronted each other, Catherine ended up in hospital after being attacked in the street outside his mother's house.
Next time it was Tommy who ended up in a stretcher being taken off to hospital after the police officer attacked him on the canal boat. Who will come out alive of their third and final confrontation?
4. Will Catherine and Clare ever repair their relationship?
One of the scenes of the series still has to be when Catherine confronted Clare in the cafe. The policewoman had followed her sister there after discovering she was driving Ryan to the prison to meet his dad. Read about it here.
Catherine's devastation at the betrayal was all apparent, and it seems she cannot find a way to forgive her, but she still made sure she was safe after Tommy's escape.
But when Clare suggested they go away to hide out at Nevison's house in Marjorca, Catherine can't hold in her anger any longer.
She cruelly tells her sister: "You are the last person I would go on holiday with, you and that moron you spend your days with. You and me have got nothing in common, your bore me. You have this idiotic, dependent personality. You let yourself be talked into doing something so repugnant and so offensive to me by him. He is nothing. He is an empty vessel, so are you. I guess that is why it works.
"I am going back to work, I don't want to be here. That b***** is still out there and I am not going to be just sitting here on my arse watching telly."
Will their relationship ever be able to come back from this? Clare didn't say a word, but she has always been there to look after Ryan so maybe they will be able to find a way forward.
Why did Neil take Ryan to the prison? He has never fully explained his reasons why. Some fans have a theory that Neil is Tommy's real dad.
5. Will pharmacist Faisal get caught for murder?
Do we care? There is so much drama going on with the Cawood family, you would be forgiven for forgetting about the subplot. But yes, after tonight episode escalated this storyline, we do absolutely want to know which rubbish bloke is going to cop for Joanna's murder.
Joanna's body has been discovered in the suitcase in the garage of her home, and husband Rob is very much suspect number one. But Detective Superintendent Andy Shepherd is not 100% convinced and he wants to find out who had been supplying the downtrodden housewife with anti-depressants.
If the first two series are anything to go by, justice will catch up with Faisal. It did with accountant Kevin Weatherill in series one when he instigated a plot to kidnap his boss' daughter Ann Gallagher, and it happened again in series two when police detective John Wadsworth was discovered to have killed his secret lover Victoria. Maybe Faisal will be the one who gets away? Nahhh.
6. Will Ivan get married?
It was Tuesday in episode five, which means that Ivan is getting married the next day, but the mobster and his sidekick Matija Jankovic have gone off on another money-making plan.
Matija doesn't think it is a good idea, but Ivan won't listen and they were last seen driving off in search of money.
We are yet to meet Ivan's fiance. Will we get a shock to find out who it is, or will all the series-ending drama unfold at the ceremony. It is likely to form quite a big part in the final episode. We will have to wait and see.
7. Will Catherine's dream retirement come true and will Ryan get to pass his GCSE English and Maths?
It is it Tuesday, and the wedding is on Wednesday, Catherine is due to retire on Thursday, and Tommy is planning to leave the country on Monday.
Viewers will be hoping that she gets to hang up her handcuffs in peace, has a party with the £2,000 retirement collection (they do like her after all), and Alison has her Land Rover ready for her overland retirement trip. Talking of Alison, does she have more of a part to play in the finale? A pretty big character from series two just to perform some amateur mechanics.
Author JoJo Moyes tweeted: "If bad things happen to Catherine at the end of this series I'm not sure I will be able to forgive Sally Wainwright and co.."
Another viewer predicted a 'Thelma and Louise' style ending for the enemies, tweeting: "Catherine will take Tommy out, with the perfect Thelma and Louise ending."
Another fan had a great suggestion:
Fingers crossed Catherine makes her trip, she forgives her sister and Ryan gets to go back to school to pass his England and Maths GCSEs. That really would put the happy in Happy Valley.
We will have to wait until next week to see if Ryan chooses between his father or grandmother. Happy Valley now has one episode left, airing on Sunday, February 5. Fans already have their predictions how the series will end, while we've made the (extremely strong) case why the Sally Wainwright show is the best UK drama, ever - read that here. For the latest news on the series and from the world of TV and Showbiz, then sign up to WalesOnline's newest newsletter here.
-
Read next:
- I'm a Happy Valley super fan and this is how I think the series is going to end
Happy Valley James Norton reveals family were extras in final series as he discusses ending
BBC Happy Valley's James Norton shares cute throwback with on screen son Ryan
The Happy Valley quiz that will see if you're as sharp as Catherine Cawood
Happy Valley fan spots detail in Sarah Lancashire picture that proves how brilliant an actor she is
