‘Happy Valley’ Recap: ‘Season 3, Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Siobhan Finneran and Sara Lancashire as Clare Cartwright and Sergeant Catherine Cawood in Episode 305 of ‘Happy Valley’. (Photo Courtesy of Acorn TV/AMC Networks.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘Happy Valley’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular lesson that we are unfortunately forced to learn in this life, sometimes several times over… is that our worlds can come crashing down… in an instant. Because sometimes… where we are at is precarious to say the least. It could be related to financial issues, or it could be because we haven’t dealt with something that needs to be dealt with, but one way or another, one bad day can bring us to our knees and open all kinds of negative floodgates and there is little we can do in that moment… but ride the wave. Ride it and wait for the waves to subside so we can pick up the pieces, learn our lessons and start over and well… this particularly unpleasant lesson is top of mind today, because Sergeant Catherine Cawood and her family were forced to learn it in the next episode of Happy Valley.
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For this episode picked up a few hours after Tommy escaped from his court case and well… that plunged the family into chaos. To the point where Catherine was barely able to handle her job duties. Since she struggled to do something as simple as cordon off Rob’s home when she and others came to investigate Joanna’s murder, since everyone wanted to know if she was okay and mentally prepared to handle this… and that chaos only continued as she tried to juggle getting her family to safe location while filling in the detectives on the Rob and Joanna situation. Which irritated her to no end since she just wanted to work, but her life had transformed before her eyes and she was now a victim, something she didn’t care for and that was a fine way to hammer home how a single moment can change our lives for the worse and she wasn’t the only one suffering from this new normal.

Because Ryan was of course… forced into hiding with his grandad for a bit, and he wasn’t welcome there because Richard’s wife… didn’t want him or the drama around. Which prompted him to leave and stay with his uncle for a minute, wherein he truly bore the brunt of how fast the world comes crashing down. Since Lucy unloaded on his actions and her feelings about everything really, which gave Ryan pause and put him in a somber place until he was reunited with Clare and his grandma. And even then… that collapse of diplomacy that most people keep up period when there are skeletons in the family closet, continued along. Since Catherine tore into Clare and also offered up her two cents on everything, allowing for this family to finally collapse from a peace and structure standpoint and if left them facing an uncertain future. All because the man responsible for their biggest heartache was out there, and a threat and well… everyone at the station was right to be worried about Catherine’s safety.

For we did spend time with Tommy in this story, and while he was over the moon over his freedom and ready to move into a new phase of his life away from England and away from accountability, he had plans to execute before he boarded a plane to soar into his new life. In that, he wanted to settle the score with Catherine, and he was ready to risk it all to make that happen. Making her a target for certain and putting her health in jeopardy since we know what Tommy is capable of. And to make matters worse, he’s hellbent on bringing Ryan with him to his promised land. To the point where he sneakily contacted his son while he was gaming to have a chat and offer an exit, one that Ryan was clearly conflicted over. Since he felt unwanted in this moment, but also… understood the danger now that everyone had truth bombed him about the past. 

All of which puts Ryan at a crossroads and sets the stage for an incredible finale. One where Catherine will collide with her painful past one last time and that… is a pretty damn epic set up for the finale, one that also… did a fine job of reminding us of what one bad day can do. Especially when we are emotionally compromised or haven’t dealt with deep pain since that brought forth scorched earth in this story, the kind that will change relationships forever, and who knows if the upcoming events of the finale will make it so mending cannot be done. For Tommy is clearly ready to go out with a bang and leave as much damage behind as possible in the process, and that is going to make the wait for next week’s series finale as difficult as can be. Since we are all now eager to know… how this decades long battle between Catherine and Tommy is going to end. Until next time.

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