Happy Valley went out with a bang and a fireball on Sunday night. It was a richly satisfying resolution to writer Sally Wainwright’s nine-year West Yorkshire opus – and yet there are still a few loose ends niggling away at the back of our minds.
Here’s our rundown of the 10 burning questions that remain from the finale, and some possible answers. Valleycats and Royce-ster-doisterers, please let us know your own thoughts in the comments box below …
Who was Rob Hepworth grooming?
The abusive PE teacher was grooming male pupils and blackmailing them into sending him indecent images on their phones. As his late wife Joanna had told her lover-cum-Diazepam dealer Faisal earlier in the series, his manipulative pattern was to “pick a fight with a lad at school, usually one without proper parenting at home, knock their confidence, then be the person to pick them up and turn their life around”.
He was attempting this with Ryan, having bullied him initially, before pouncing when Ryan became “homeless” and offering a tracksuited shoulder to cry on. The finale’s flashback to horrible Hepworth’s lingering look at the departing Ryan in the school gymnasium hinted at his dark intentions.
What will become of the Knezevices?
The days of the local crime family being “Teflon” and “untouchable” are over. Older brother Zeljko was killed by Tommy Lee Royce in that field, alongside his two henchmen. Another heavy blow to the empire of kingpin Darius came when Royce reversed his testimony, confessing that he’d lied under oath, and that it was indeed the Knezevices who’d executed Gary Gogowski and dumped his body in the reservoir. They’d also used the same gun to assassinate Ashley Cowgill in the series one finale.
That’s surely enough to bring a case against Darius, causing sufficient scandal to tarnish his image as a “respectable businessman” and prospective council candidate. Whether it would end Darius’s reign entirely is debatable. Realistically, the chances are that a rival would spring up in his place, taking over his drug-dealing and people-trafficking operations. Sadly, the Calder Valley is unlikely to be cleaned up for long.
Will Catherine get to the Himalayas?
Of course she’ll reach the other “happy valley”, Mussoorie in India. When we last saw her, Catherine was embarking on her retirement road trip. We glimpsed a text on her phone telling Inspector Mike Taylor she was leaving on Saturday (and cheekily asking if the place had fallen apart without her). Her refurbished Land Rover, complete with its new alternator, was packed (note that loaded-up roof rack) and ready to go. She just stopped off to kiss daughter Becky’s headstone goodbye.
Many fans hoped for a glimpse of her friend Alison Garrs in the passenger seat, but since she’s only just out of prison for manslaughter, she wouldn’t be allowed to travel abroad. Now that Catherine is reconciled with Clare, she could potentially join her sister. But she’s more likely to stay home with “that Neil” and keep an eye on Ryan ahead of his GCSEs. More romantic viewers longed for a rekindling with ex-husband Richard, but that went nowhere. Besides, he’s got his hands full with his wife, Roz. No, we reckon Catherine will travel solo. She’s always been a lone wolf. Witness her swaggering around Hebden Bridge on her own in the climactic two episodes, even when her nemesis was on the loose.
Will Ryan become a policeman?
Actor Rhys Connah believes so. He responded to fan speculation about a possible spinoff series by saying in a post-finale interview: “If in seven years, Sally Wainwright came to me and said ‘Do you want to play Ryan seven years on, when he’s a police officer?’, him and [best mate] Chesko are inspectors or something, I’d do that in a heartbeat.”
Ryan’s got the height and demeanour of a copper, as noted by DSI Andy Shepherd when he mistook Catherine’s grandson for a new recruit. He also had a good head for key details – see him telling Shepherd what Hepworth said about his wife, and coming clean to the manhunt team about his contact with Tommy – and enough empathy to understand the criminal mindset. Having spent 16 years living with Catherine, he’s learned from the best. The idea of Ryan joining “the family firm” has a pleasing neatness. And nobody would mess with Catherine Cawood’s lad.
Why did Poppy never take her coat off?
One of the most poignant details of Wainwright’s painstakingly assembled story was how the Hepworths’ younger daughter Poppy always kept her coat on indoors. Why? It’s likely it was a comfort blanket. Seemingly far more than her sister Florence (sweetly, the pair were played by real-life sisters Bonnie and Bethany Stott), Poppy was heartbreakingly aware of her father’s physical abuse and coercive control. Mollie Winnard, who played Joanna, confirmed this: “It’s actually a trauma thing, a protective layer because of the environment that she’s living in. She doesn’t want to take it off.”
Some viewers wondered if Poppy might be hiding bruises on her arms caused by Rob, but that feels unlikely. Joanna would surely have noticed, making her more likely to leave or tell the authorities if her children were being abused, too. Instead, it’s just that Poppy saw the home as a cold, harsh place. Her mother might even have hinted that they should be ready to flee at a moment’s notice and little Poppy took her words literally. At least now she’ll be safe with her grandparents.
Will Ann Gallagher be the new Catherine?
Series one’s kidnap and rape victim joined the police force in series two and was mentored by Catherine, suggesting that PC Ann Gallagher might follow in her footsteps. She’s been less impressive this series, failing to follow up that Honda licence plate and drunkenly ranting at Ryan. However, this wobble can be attributed to her trauma resurfacing – first when Ann found out Ryan had been visiting her tormentor Tommy Lee Royce in prison, then even more so when he escaped from custody. No wonder Ann was hitting the wine so hard.
Now Royce is out of the picture, Ann can still make a success of her six-month secondment to CID. As a millionaire’s daughter, she probably lacks the common touch to become Catherine Mk II, but there’s no reason why she can’t become an excellent detective. Another potential spinoff, perhaps?
What will Ivan’s jilted bride do?
Puffa-coated plonker Ivan was arrested two hours before his much-mentioned nuptials, on suspicion of false imprisonment, money laundering and assisting Royce’s escape from court. There’s all manner of incriminating CCTV footage, not to mention £30,000 of dirty cash in his flat. He’ll likely go down – or at least be persuaded to testify against Darius.
Frankly, his jilted bride had a narrow escape. Hopefully she’ll be able to get her deposit back on some of the wedding expenditure. Perhaps she’ll take a friend on the honeymoon instead and send him a postcard to the local nick.
What will happen to Faisal the pharmacist?
He’ll get busted for illegal sale of controlled substances – or possibly murder. Police now have two packets of dodgy diazepam that can be traced back to Faisal Bhatti: those handed in by Rob Hepworth, which wife Joanna claimed she’d found behind a pub toilet, and those belonging to Alison’s corrupt parole officer. Will they nail him for killing Jo as well?
This was left ambiguous. Police know he sold her drugs and lived just 100 yards away. His chemist’s shop was right at the heart of the illegal action, a stone’s throw from the cuckooing flat in Elland. It’s likely they’ll launch a wide-ranging investigation into Faisal’s activities, and who knows what they’ll find? Incriminating DNA traces in Jo’s house? A footprint in her back garden? We don’t imagine he’d last long under questioning. His family might need to wait for driving lessons and garden decking.
Will we ever see Catherine again?
Sadly, we doubt it. Both writer Sally Wainwright and star Sarah Lancashire have always been clear that Happy Valley was conceived as a trilogy – with the seven-year wait for series three allowing Catherine to reach retirement, while Ryan became a teenager able to make his own decisions about his father.
None of the stars have indicated they would return, while Wainwright has reiterated: “We always said this would be the final season and it very definitely is.” All good things must come to an end, but Catherine will live long in the memory as one of 21st-century TV’s most indelible characters.
Are there really UFOs in Todmorden?
Despite multiple sightings over the years – which may or may not be related to the area’s drug problems, ahem – this was never conclusively confirmed. Best leave it to the local Alien Life Form Liaison Officer, PC Gorkem Tekeli, to investigate. The truth is out there …
• This article was amended on 7 February 2023. An earlier version said Mussoorie was in Tibet. It is home to many Tibetan refugees, and is known as mini-Tibet, but it is in India. This has been corrected.
