‘Happy Valley’ Recap: ‘Season 3, Episode 4’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Episode 304 of ‘Happy Valley’. (Photo Courtesy of Acorn TV/AMC Networks.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘Happy Valley’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve talked at length about the third and final season of Happy Valley (on Acorn TV, AMC+, and BBC America), has been a vastly different type of farewell season. One that has been quite intimate in nature and building toward a vastly different type of finale. The kind that would likely be free from the usual bombastic finish that crime dramas tend to inject into their farewell season… and that was reinforced by the fact that everything that Catherine has been dealing with, has been quite intimate in nature. Since her journey has focused upon the past and the legacy of Tommy Lee Royce. But of course… to make it a true crime drama, there’s been some crime involving some bumbling fools, and a rookie drug trade and a trash husband thrown in for good measure. 

But as it turns out, this writer has been woefully incorrect regarding how this story might end. For it isn’t going to be as intimate and as low key as the show has advertised to date. In fact, it was using those elements, and that structure, to lull us into a slightly false sense of security, so that crimes in question and the whole mess with Tommy Lee Royce, could have higher stakes when all is said and done. Which should lead to a different kind of explosive ending, where the past is settled in a different manner. And the next episode of this story informed us of that… after taking the time to continue to fool us. Since the family was cracking down on Ryan’s desire to see his father… and since Catherine was further preparing for her exit from the police force, all of which was more of the same.

However, the whole mess with Joanna, managed to up the intensity of this story. Because obviously, Joanna had gone silent to the world, following Faisal’s decision to murder her on a whim and well… with no texts coming out of her phone and with Rob having to make arrangements to take care of the kids… it wasn’t long before the police got involved and that led to some real tension for Rob. Since it meant that the house had to be dug through, and secrets were neatly exposed since the investigating officer caught onto what kind living environment Joanna was dealing with before her disappearance and of course… this mess put Rob at quite the harrowing crossroads. Since eventually, he came to discover that Joanna’s body had been neatly packed into a suitcase. Forcing him to ponder upon whether or not to tell the police, since it could make him the prime suspect, a decision he didn’t make here. But any way you slice it, this really took the show in a darker and different direction and upped the ante from a tension standpoint, one that will end in a heavy manner.

But of course, that was overshadowed, by the moment that truly set the stage for an epic finale for Catherine’s family. Because the more she thought about Ryan’s visits and his conversations with his dad, the more she had concerns about this whole matter in general. Since Tommy was hinting at a future out of prison and asking for his son to be near him during that important court case in Leeds, and that led her to wonder… if by chance Tommy was going to try and break out of jail. A concern, that came to fruition. For those wannabe, bumbling criminals, that have been ‘terrorizing’ Catherine’s beat, created the perfect distraction. One that allowed for Tommy to scale his containment area and run out into the world… setting the stage for one hell of an epic and intimate showdown. 

For now, Ryan must reconcile the reality that his family was right about dear old dad, and of course… Catherine has to reconcile the reality… that the monster that took so much from her and has been such a huge part of her life… is back on the street and ready to cause more chaos. Which really is… a stunning twist to inject into this story. The kind that truly sets the stage for perfect closure, and a final showdown between Catherine and the man that impacted generations of her family, and well… this show deserves our awe in this moment. Simply because, it brought forth this twist in a genuinely shocking and stunning manner. One where we never saw it coming and are more vested than ever, because of it. Since we simply have to know… how this long and winding journey is going to end. Until next time.  

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