*THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS FULL SPOILERS FOR THE HAPPY VALLEY FINALE ON BBC*
Happy Valley viewers have been divided by the show's final episode, with some declaring that it should win 'all the BAFTAs,' while others said they were left wanting more, even after a death twist in the closing moments.
Fans of the smash hit BBC drama were a mix of emotions on Sunday, full of anticipation for how the finale would pan out, while also gutted it was coming to an end, after three action packed series.
The whole of series three had been building towards an inevitable showdown between Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce, which was put even more on the cards thanks to him breaking free from court and going on the run.
After violent scenes which saw him viciously attack people who were presumed allies for his freedom, Tommy broke into Catherine's house but, in a turn of events that no-one saw coming, rather than torching the place, he sat down and looked at his arch nemesis' old family photo albums, crying when he saw pictures of Becky, Catherine's daughter who he raped and got pregnant with son Ryan.
Returning home from work, Catherine saw that a downstairs window had been broken and walked into her kitchen, armed with a tazer, to see Tommy sitting at the table with tablets and bottles of vodka and whisky in front of him.
Surprisingly, the tone of their conversation started off quite calm, before Catherine was triggered by Tommy saying he 'forgave her,' with her responding by reading him the riot act over his treatment of Becky and Ann Gallagher, the now police officer who he kidnapped and raped in series one.
And, on the subject of Tommy getting close to her grandson Ryan, Catherine told Tommy he was: "a f**ked up, frightened, damaged, deluded nasty little toddler brain in a big man's body," adding: "You're not a dad. You don't know how to be a dad."
Their final showdown was brought to an abrupt end when Tommy poured petrol over himself and set himself on fire, with his life left hanging in the balance. Tommy's death was then revealed in a text message sent to Catherine in the dying seconds, which 'TLR dead. Hospital just rang.'
Aside from the face-off between Catherine and Tommy, the 70 minute long Happy Valley finale also saw Sgt Cawood correctly identify corrupt Faisal Bhatti as the prime suspect for Joanna Hepworth's murder.
But, given that a lot had been made about different ends being filmed for the finale, some Happy Valley viewers were left a bit disappointed by the conclusion. Unimpressed, one viewer tweeted: "Anyone else think happy valley was a bit s**t for an ending?" with another, echoing those sentiments, adding: "Worse ending to a series ever, absolutely whack"
Amongst the criticism, there was also plenty of praise, with TV critic Scott Bryan writing: "That was one of the greatest television finales of all. #HappyValley was also one of the greatest television series ever made. Faultless" and Heat magazine's Boyd Hilton reacting: "So… #HappyValley. Talk about sticking the landing. When a TV drama masterpiece like this gets the ending it deserves, there’s nothing better."
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