Happy Valley [BBC 1] [** Spoilers **]

Mantis Toboggan

When did this start back? Anyway to see episode 1?

The Black Oil

3.01 

As ever, we have Catherine's ability to command a scene and her observational skills coming to the fore here, plus a few idiots she has to deal with be it through ordinary crime or colleagues - as per her word - twats. Great to have it back. I suspect what happens will be a cascade of events, mixed with the previous histories of the characters, and you just know from the writing it'll not be easy on anyone. The humour will ease things a bit and the older Land Rover! With TLR back in the spotlight it's the contrast of worlds - him, Ryan and Catherine (is she in denial, btw?) where there'll be trouble too. The other storylines - some uncomfortable viewing here, certainly. The silence that follows abuse. Saddest moment was the little girl in her coat. Image of the pharmacist was behind bars, visually. Given the focus on packaging, will that be his undoing? 

JoeA3

As a car nerd, I couldn’t help but notice that the weird school teacher was driving a very flash car - an Audi RS4 (which is a €150k car, this side of the water!). I half expected it to be picked up on by Catherine - how does a PE teacher afford that? Bizarre behaviour by him, assaulting the wife, leaving her with visible bruises and clearly scared of him, yet he’s the one who invites the cops into the house…

Oh that teacher... 🤬

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120054723#Comment_120054723

New year's day was episode one. 9pm, Sundays, BBC1. BBC player if you can get it - or maybe it'll be repeated during the week.

Basq

Great to have this back although I forgot pretty much everything after all that time.

Didn't realise everyone was so close amongst families at Ryan's birthday tbh.

Very interesting 6 weeks ahead no doubt!

HeidiHeidi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056190#Comment_120056190

I can't see a repeat showing on the Sky app

Yeah BBC isn't generous on the repeats. It'll be on RTE/Netflix eventually.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120056409#Comment_120056409

Yeah Catherine's son is now with Nevison's daughter, and Nevison is widowed so I guess this is his new family now. And Claire is with Neil, and Catherine's ex husband is still good mates with her. So things seem really nice and pleasant - therefore something is bound to go very wrong. 😊

cml387

Did anyone get the impression, when they did a close up on Tommy Lee's face in prison, that there was a bit of a Christ-vibe, with the ragged stitching on his forehead a crown of thorns?

Deregos.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059081#Comment_120059081

Yep, I noticed that too, though thats where the comparison stops, he's more Antichrist.

gmisk

Very solid opening episode of season 3.

The opening section was terrific.

Sally Wainwright is a bit of a genius really let's be honest and Sarah Lancashire is absolutely brilliant as usual she can just convey so much with her face and without saying a word.

I am kind of dreading what might happen to some of the characters already!

Spoiler Warning

Who do we think is taking Ryan to see his dad?....I have a bad feeling it might be Siobhan Finneran and her other half (maybe a reason why she didn't confide in her about it).

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Caught up on the new episode tonight. Great to have it back. There's a lot of decent enough shows on TV these days, but within 5 minutes I was reminded of just how far above them all this one is.

Someone mentioned there's a lot going on, some of it kind of confusing, but I remember the previous seasons being like that two. Takes an episode or two for all the connections to be made.

The teacher is vile. I thought JP from Bad Sisters would be the most hated man on TV for a while, but this lad had my blood boiling.

As for who's taking Ryan..... it has to be the sister, right? He seems close to her and her boyfriend, he even told her what the teacher called him but didn't tell Catherine. That'll cause some row, I'm sure. Can't wait.

The Black Oil

BFI chat with some of the team.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tAAKuZnI64

FunLover18

Excellent opener, as mentioned, a lot of threads set up and I can't wait to see how they pan out. Sarah Lancashire is fantastic, the exchange with the other woman about being popular was brilliant. In regards to who is taking Ryan to see his dad, I watched this on the iplayer and the showed a previously of the last two series (which I was very glad of). I'll spoiler it in case people didn't see it or it wasn't shown before the live broadcast.

Spoiler Warning

The teacher played by Shirley Henderson, I can't remember what happened to her but it has to be her and some lad. No way is it the sister.

FunLover18

Genuinely shocked that it's Claire! Another great episode!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm surprised they managed to delay that confrontation for a whole episode. I was expecting Catherine to go ballistic imidiately. I never liked Claire's boyfriend, and him calling Ryan, "our Ryan" when he was on the phone to Claire didn't sit right with me this week either. I'm blaming him for everything!

I've a feeling the PE teacher's going to end up dead and Ryan will get the blame?

cml387

Unbelievably tense last ten minutes.

Great to see Susan Lynch back.

I can't find the spoiler tag at the moment so I can't say much more.

The Black Oil

This show does several things very well. The anxiety is creates, body language of the characters (shock, horror, upset), e.g. in response to hidden lies and putting people into a bind and opening wounds. A lot of pain is still to come.

Was Ryan a little **** when he was a youngster? I can't recall. The teacher was different in work mode i.e. in front of adults. Line of the episode was from his little daughter, devastating. Followed by Catherine's quips about Ryan's cock and balls graffiti skills which was some welcome light relief and dickheads being a fact of life. 

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084485#Comment_120084485

The teacher wasn't that different at school, less aggressive maybe, but still a bully. Thought it was interesting what the wife said to Faisel about how the husband gets obsessed with a young lad and tries to break them down so he can build them back up like some kind of inspirational, life changing, mentor. You could hear him in the office saying about Ryan not having a dad. He was caught on the hop when Ryan's granny turned out to be Catherine.

I'm intrigued where that story is going. Is it going to tie in with the drugs/gang stuff. Or is it going to become about Ryan and Tommy?

The Black Oil

Lovely tribute.

https://twitter.com/BBCWomansHour/status/1608802078335410176?t=IxxujMF6-HCXSWxZ-aK2jQ&s=19

The episodes fly. I thought it was about 9.45 last night when it suddenly finished. It is absolutely riveting! Better than Line of Duty, easily.

It has never been implied that Catherine is perfect, but she can be very manipulative.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Wow, what an hour of television. What an opening 10 minutes! Need a cup of tea and a lie down after that.

siblers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113715#Comment_120113715

And final 10 minutes. My heart was going 90

horse7

God I wish they would stream it, riveting.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113842#Comment_120113842

Why? I love having the old fashioned weekly communal viewing experience.

Deregos.

Whats that teachers game, Is he in some way grooming Ryan for something?

Tommy definitely is.

Poor Joanna was having second thoughts before the pharmacist lost it.

What brilliant writing, directing and acting.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114000#Comment_120114000

Last week the teacher's wife said he has a habit of picking on a young lad, breaking him down, and then acting like a mentor to build him back up again. She said he gets especially angry at home while he's doing it.

So I was expecting him to start creeping round Ryan, but that scene in the PE hall felt like it had another layer of creepy to it. No idea if he's doing more with the boys or if the actor just played it weird.

ILikeBoats

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114060#Comment_120114060

Yeah the wife said that last week so this week's developments seem to follow her theory. I've a feeling he might want to get friendly with Ryan to get back at Catherine also

Radio5

You could see that the teacher was behaving as she had predicated, taking on Ryan as his 'problem' case.

The timing at the end, as far as I make out, would mean that the teacher was at school when the crime happened. You'd imagine he should be able to provide an alibi. So they may have to look towards the drugs issue sooner. Joanna did not report him for violence, even though Catherine and I'm sure others knew in their circle knew or suspected what was happening at home.

Strange how Catherine was the only one to notice the car driving around, not once but twice while they were waiting to search the house. Was it the same car that was on the CCTV? if so CID mustn't be all that sharp not to have connected it & the 2 men with what happened in the flat.

It's a tribute to James Norton's skill that I almost feel my flesh crawl when he's on screen.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114504#Comment_120114504

I guess it depends on how injecting air kills someone. Does it cause an aneurism or something? They might be able to make a case for him beating her up causing it, even if he wasn't there when she died?

I'd assume he'll be off school now anyway, so maybe the Ryan thing isn't going anywhere.

Not the same car as on the CCTV. That car belonged to the guy they were arresting. The two lads were on the CCTV though.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I was listening to the official BBC podcast for the show this morning and when they were discussing episode 1 they played the clip where Catherine is explaining the dead body to the detectives and they joke that it's probably just a sheep, or an alien lifeform. Catherine replies they get lots of reports sightings of them up this way.

Add that into the weird little joke side plot in episode 3 where the one constable maintained he'd seen lights in the sky or whatever, and I'm wondering if it's actually going to lead to something?

Has he seen the Kinesovic's drugs coming in, or people trafficking, or something dodgy anyway?

The Black Oil

I've no idea how actors have the emotional fuel to do this sort of thing, regularly. I did let out an 'oh Jesus' when Catherine insulted Claire's intelligence. Joanna doesn't deserve this at all. This show and putting ordinary people in crazy and horrible situations is just...

The alien liaison thing was good fun. Kept expecting Catherine to say "Hey, Fox Mulder. Shut up!" 

extra gravy

Sarah Lancashire is bloody incredible. Riveting episode yet again.

cml387

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120117581#Comment_120117581

She is superb. And a long way from Raquel Wolstenhulme (although it was obvious the talent was there even then.)

alan1963

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120115719#Comment_120115719

I live in Calderdale where Happy valley is filmed,When Catherine said "they get lots of reported sightings of them up this way" I think she is refering to a wellknown ( locally) UFO incident that happened in the 70s involving a PC Godfrey if you google something like "UFO todmorden" it will tell you the full story.

cml387

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120120271#Comment_120120271

I heard a podcast about it recently (cannot remember where, possibly on BBC sounds). Certainly a very odd case.

gmisk

Spoiler Warning

I don't for a second believe that Ryan hasn't googled his dad....he would know why he was in prison....he would know he ran over a police officer multiple times killing them....Ann....who he knows (she was at the dinner etc) was beaten close to death and raped for a week...

The accent on the new big bad...is absolutely bloody awful... distractingly so...hope he isn't in it much more...it's a shame.

The dodgy pharmacist storyline is probably the weakest part at the minute..but at least it has kicked up a notch!

The alien task force joke thing..weak as well.

I do think the colleague saw something on Catherine's screen she didn't like...

The main cast are in terrific form especially Lancashire and Finneran.

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120115719#Comment_120115719

That is actually a good idea...would make sense putting in the alien thing was for a reason.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120120271#Comment_120120271

Yes! I had heard about that on an unsolved podcast already - mostly concerned with missing persons or unsolved murders, but one week they featured Zigmund Adamski, the Polish coalman in Yorkshire who disappeared for days and was found dead in weird circumstances. Then the policeman Godfrey had a strange encounter so he tied the two together. That definitely is what she was referring to - Todmorden.

I don't believe in UFOs but the policeman's and the dead coalminer's stories are bloody bizarre.

The new crime boss guy Viktor does have a cringey accent as mentioned - found him familiar: he was the policeman in Shameless.

Wonder why they're making all the villains Serbo-Croat/Polish.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084485#Comment_120084485

Ryan was a bit of a cheeky little smartarse all right, but not massively so - nothing more than expected for a lad who's lost his mother (and father) and his uncle and grandfather avoided him for a good while (which was horrible). I think it was implied that Catherine worried how he'd turn out in the future, given his bloodline (it was particularly driven home to her in light of Susan Lynch's character's son, if you remember that storyline).

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120122464#Comment_120122464

I was just thinking about the uncle and grandad ignoring him. I know they came round eventually, but he basically grew up without a strong male presence in his life. And given how close Claire and Catherine are, it makes sense that Neil is kind of the most constant presence for Ryan over the last few years. Makes you wonder, if the Grandad and uncle had been as much a part of Ryan's life as Catherine was, would he even be that bothered about his dad now?

Yeah the way his uncle and grandad blamed him in relation to his mother until he was eight or nine was one of the things I found most brutal in a very brutal show.

Actually my friend's oldest boy's father is a complete p.o.s. Has never ever wanted anything to do with him, but the young lad's stepdad (absolute gem of a man) has been in his life since he was very small, and he's not bothered about his biological father - maybe he will be eventually but he's 20 now, so he's doing well. Very well adjusted, level-headed young man.

HeidiHeidi

James Norton was on The One Show on BBC this evening. I've never seen him in anything but Happy Valley (never even heard of him before I saw it), and the difference between him and the character Tommy is absolutely head-wrecking!! I still can't quite wrap my head around it!!

Yes he's a most pleasant chap. And a wee bit posh. 😊

JP Liz V1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120126718#Comment_120126718

Yes posh totty James has even been linked to James Bond

ejmaztec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120127447#Comment_120127447

Anything's possible. I remember seeing Daniel Craig in Our Friends in The North back in 96. It was about a group of friends, and how their lives panned out over thirty years. Daniel Craig's character ended up looking like a 50 odd year old long haired rough looking junky. I never imagined that he would ever be James Bond.😁

gmisk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120127447#Comment_120127447

I think McMafia felt like an audition for it tbh...and he was really good.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I put a tiny bet on James Norton being the next James Bond years ago, and Paddy Power actually paid out on it for some reason. I think it was around the time Craig was supposed to be finished, but then he ended up doing another one.