It’s been six years since we last saw Sally Wainwright’s genre-defining crime drama Happy Valley, and things are looking a little different this time around. Rhys Connah’s Ryan is looking – and acting – a lot more grown up, and Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is just a stone’s throw away from retirement.
Things seem to be on the straight and narrow. Ryan has matured a lot in the last few years and has stopped bringing up his father at home. While still quick to jump down anyone’s throat over the slightest misstep, Catherine also seems to have mellowed and is ready to start the next phase of her life. She even tells her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) just how easy things have become for them all. But if I know Happy Valley like I think I do, it definitely won’t be staying that way.
Episode one opens with Catherine discovering human remains in a drained reservoir, and schooling some arrogant forensic investigators in the process. Little does she know that this discovery will ultimately lead her right back to her nemesis, Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) – still locked up and sporting an outrageous new hairdo – who is to be questioned in relation to the remains.
We get a brief glimpse into Tommy’s prison life, and while the man-bun may be new, his aggressively boyish attitude feels all too familiar. This time around he definitely feels less agitated and restless: instead, he appears much more accepting of his surroundings, which won’t put you at ease in the slightest; knowing Tommy, there’s always plotting to be done.
Tension also seems to be building at school between Ryan and his quick-to-anger football coach, Rob (Mark Stanley). As we follow Rob home we see that rage is just as present in his home life, where he lashes out at his wife Joanna (Mollie Winnard), who is struggling with an addiction to antidepressants. After an altercation with her, he eventually calls the police and (of course) Catherine is the one to show up.
Just down the road is Faisal (Amit Shah), at home with his wife and two girls. While life appears to be on the straight and narrow at first for the unassuming local pharmacist, things are not at all as simple as they seem and he eventually finds himself having to accomodate some unexpected visistors at his work.
Wainwright manages to hit all the right notes that make Happy Valley so gripping. The brutal reality of drug dealing and abuse for towns like Halifax are once again brought to the forefront, while the area’s beauty is still given its due. Within the first ten minutes of being back in Catherine Cawood’s company, it’s very clear you’re back in safe hands; in fact, it’s like we’ve never been away.
Lancashire and Norton retain the same vitality they started with in 2014, each performance making you all the more excited to see what’s to come for the two characters. Lee Royce’s sinister but childlike demeanour is as chilling as ever, and Cawood’s unapologetic tenacity is enough to ignite any scene she’s in – and though they haven’t appeared on screen together yet, sparks are sure to fly when they do.
New additions Stanley, Winnard and Shah also make a strong mark in this opening episode, immediately claiming their place, nailing the scumbag husband, the prescription drug addict, and the family man in over his head, respectively.
Happy Valley’s third and final season has started with a bang. It brings with it all the wit and drama we expect, as well as a nail-biting cliff-hanger that will have you audibly gasping alone in your living room. What more could you ask for?
