Happy Valley - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Catherine Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[Portia]

I love a good ass-kicking, law-enforcing cop lady! And I guess it could be argued that it's just following the formula to inject the tough female protagonist with the requisite dose of vulnerability. But man, the shit that HV's Catherine is dealing with is WAY beyond formula, and as the season progresses we see her being more and more, well, raw is the word that keeps coming to my mind. As good as Sarah Lancashire is when she's shown coming apart, I especially love the moments (as when

she arrived at the scene of Kirstin's murder

) where a shadow of emotion crosses her face but she quietly puts it away and does the work that has to be done. I always get the sense that she's on the edge, though. Love the actress, the character, and the show.

[Portia]

For a long time I've feared the dark sorcery that allows Netflix to know that I like, for instance, cerebral indie dramas or foreign comedies with gay and lesbian themes. But I never dreamed they'd engineer an original series to my exact specifications . . . until Happy Valley came along. I was 1000% on board with the first four episodes, and while for me it developed some cracks around the edges toward the end, I still really enjoyed the show and would love to discuss it in more depth if anyone else cares to.

[Portia]

Thanks for the response, @takeittotheBanks! I had been thrown off by the "Netflix Original" label and didn't realize the series had previously aired on BBC until after I had already posted here. I'm hoping the expose on Netflix might draw in some new viewers. And if I get my courage up, I may suggest to the PTV mods that someone from their staff watch the show and consider writing a "Get on Board" piece. 

[AlwaysWatching]

Another Catheriine Cawood fan here! I watched all six episodes the other night and was not bored for a second.  That's probably because SGT. Cawood is in almost every scene.  I agree that there were some slow periods in the last two episodes, but just watching Sarah Lancashire work her magic kept me up way past my bed time.

 

Guess what? She's coming back for Series 2!!

 

 

[Portia]

Guess what? She's coming back for Series 2!!

I am dying. I just died. 

[AlwaysWatching]

I'll admit to watching Happy Valley simply because Sarah Lancashire was not only it in, but also the lead character.  I started really getiing into it because of the story.  When that creepy little guy ( I do like that actor, though ) goes off the deep end and stupidly sets up the kidnapping,  I was thinking..eh standard stuff. THEN he comes into work the next day and his boss gives him everything he wanted and so much more.  I don't know how original that really was, but it was a real neat twist for me and from then on I was interested in both SGT. Cawood and the two storylines that ran so close together.  Sally Wainwright writes in a very steady, end to beginning style. 

 

In the first episode we see SGT. Cawood a certain way. By the end of the series, that is almost totally turned around.  And I sure felt sorry for that little boy.  I think we all loved to see flawed heroes, especially female.  We rarely get to see women in this position in TV or movies. They are always the wife, the girlfriend...the appendage.  This is why we desperately need more female writers. Having said that, I do think some tiny bit of progress is being made.  Also, like SGT. Cawood, older women appear to be getting some very good parts.  Let's hope it continues on both sides of the pond.

 

Happy Valley Series 2 on it's way!

[AlwaysWatching]

Portia, I'm giving you CPR!  You've got to undie to see Series 2. ;)

[Portia]

My people! 

 

Well said, @AlwaysWatching. 

 

The minor complaints that my husband and I shared were a couple of WTFs that arose in the last two episodes. One was 

how well the starved and brutalized Ann was able to get around after being freed. Not only did she rescue Catherine, but after a trip to the ER the hospital let her go home the same day!

 But the major WTF was 

that Catherine and Clare would suddenly allow little Ryan to start riding home from school without an adult while his psycho dad--who'd brazenly tried to speak to the kid in the past--was on the loose.

 My credulity was severely strained over those matters, but I still thought the first season wrapped up in a really satisfying way.  

 

Kevin (also known as "creepy little guy") was a really interesting character, and one that made me question how far a nice guy might go if he sincerely thinks he's been wronged by his employer. And I loved that his poor disabled wife ended up having a real Lady Macbeth vibe to her.

 

My favorite minor character was Ashley's perpetually pissed-off, salon-owning wife. In the final episode, she got a Crowning Moment of Awesome--expressing her disdain for some undercover officers--that made me laugh and cheer. You'll know it when you see it--er, them.  

[Primetimer]

The Wheel rolls to Yorkshire while Al Lowe puts the kettle on.

Read the story

[Chaos Theory]

@Portia i think my opinion was the opposit of yours. Oh i loved the show but the first couple episodes had me almost giving up and turning it off. It was only lack of anything else to do and binge format that kept me going. It wast the last bunch of episodes that i truly enjoyed. Then again i really love a good downward spiral and watching the main character spin was intense.

<~~~~edited for spelling

Edited August 29, 2014 by Chaos Theory

[Kat]

I came across this show a few nights ago when I was going through my Netflix queue. I ended up watching 4 episodes in a row and not going to bed until after 4AM. Holy crap, is it great!!

[Latverian Diplomat]

This really is an intense, great show. It really get the viewer's invested emotionally in the characters (to a hearbreaking degree). I also liked that though the lead is an admirable woman, she does things she regrets and wrestles with feelings of guilt that may or may be reasonable. Some very sophisticated treatment of very complex feelings.

 

One thing I thought was a little weird was how much of the drug-related stuff was focused just on pot. Maybe I'm bringing my politics in a little bit here, but it was reminiscent of "reefer madness" a couple of times. For example, there's one incident where a mentally ill man becomes violent while smoked up. Yes, mentally ill people should stay away from intoxicants, but it's hard to view that as a compelling argument for criminalization of weed. And of course, 

the leader of the kidnap gang seems to deal only in weed. He is a volume dealer, and yes, people at level can be ruthless, but he seemed very well connected to just be dealing pot.

 

That;s a relatively minor detail in a terrifically well done program however.

[ichbin]

I only found out about this show by accident....thankfully!  It only got better episode by episode.   So good despite the WTF moments Portia mentioned above.!   I forced myself drag this one out instead of binge watching it in a day or two.

 

So many English actors are really versatile.  Siobahn Finnernan and Steve Pemberton have both been on Benidorm for years playing husband and wife.  It's a UK comedy that can be found on youtube that is really funny.  I wonder if Siobahn's part in Happy Valley was the reason she wasn't on the last series of Downton Abbey. 

[Mercyseat]

This is great!! I generally like British police shows and mysteries and I liked this more than Broadchurch, which I also thought was pretty good until the last episode anyway. Sarah Lancashire is brilliant.

[Enigma X]

I just started watching this show, and I was hooked from the first episode. I am on episode 3, but I don't think I will be disappointed.

[Megan]

I have only seen the first episode, but poor little grandson Ryan. He totally reminds me of Teen Mom 2's Jace.

I am enjoying the show so far, love Catherine.

[pasdetrois]

I'm loving this series. I've watched 2 1/2 episodes and am hooked. Love the location, the Yorkshire dialogue (which I first discovered many years ago via All Creatures Great and Small), the humble small town feel, and the strong female lead. I've always wanted to go striding about the Yorkshire moors.

 

I'm having a bit of trouble watching the nervous, stammery Bad Accountant because his agitated fumbling personality is annoying to watch for too long. But what a nice creepy twist with the Lady Macbeth wife!

 

The role of the addict sister seems a bit throwaway. What does she do all day? Does she work or keep house for her sister and nephew? Perhaps she receives disability income?

 

And the feckless young officer sure ignored a lot of warning signs out in the middle of nowhere. Bit hard to believe, despite the script's explanation. (She was trying to step up to the plate after the talking-to from her sergeant.)

[Portia]

When I have grandchildren I'm going to have to insist that they call me "Gra-NEHHHH" in Ryan's cute little accent. 

[Portia]

The role of the addict sister seems a bit throwaway. What does she do all day? Does she work or keep house for her sister and nephew? Perhaps she receives disability income?

 

Early on I assumed she was on the dole, but then she was shown working at some sort of social service agency . . . though I never knew for sure whether she was a paid employee or a volunteer.

[Emily Jordhamo]

Luved it, yeah? Watched all 6 episodes in a row. Highly recommend it!

[tpplay]

I adored the entire six episodes, but I do agree with whoever above said no way the sisters would agree to little Ryan coming home by himself.  And what an incredible cast.  

[AlwaysWatching]

Latverian Diplomat, I really need to rewatch the show because I wanted to give an opinion on the other thread.  I haven't had a chance to as of yet, so I'm guessing here. I think the drug that is so destroying the youth is heroin.  Again, I will have to rewatch, but I thought those "brown brick" type things hidden in the bags of sand were pure heroin.  I think. Then, each person who buys it to sell it, cuts it down with all kinds of filler.  That way, when these people buy however much they buy, it is actually weaker and weaker and they need to buy more to get the same high.  Some herion is sent out too pure and that's where you start getting overdoses.  But, there are still a lot of people that think if someone smokes a joint that they will automatically go to herion or other truly hardcore drugs.  This show might have been pushing, no pun intended, this philosophy.  I need to watch it again and soon!  I was too busy watching the wonderful SGT. Cawood and also, the accent got the best of me a few times. I love it, but I've lost some hearing and have to wear earphones to catch conversation.

 

I'm pretty sure heroin has made a major comeback in the States. Probablly the same in Britain.  It's supposedly fairly cheap and is perfect for hooking a lot of young people.  I can see why SGT. Cawood is going crazy trying to figure out how all of this stuff is spreading so quickly and seemingly impossible to stop.

 

edited to try and find mistakes..heroin, not herion.

Edited September 4, 2014 by AlwaysWatching

[panthergirl13]

Loved this series. Kept me up WAY past my bedtime, even with some of the things that were stretches (as noted above under the spoiler tags). Not sure if we have to spoiler-tag stuff at this point? But two additional ones for me was how quickly 

Catherine recovered from what appeared to be a very severe beating. Even her facial wounds were all gone in 3 weeks.

and 

the relative ease with which TLR functioned with what seemed to be a serious stab to the gut. When he is first seen in disguise, I actually thought he had faked the stabbing altogether in order to catch the other friend off-guard.

 

Beautifully shot and wonderfully acted... a real find. 

[panthergirl13]

When I have grandchildren I'm going to have to insist that they call me "Gra-NEHHHH" in Ryan's cute little accent. 

Love that kid.

[charming]

I stumbled upon this on Netflix and was hooked from the first few minutes. It was totally enthralling and I watched every episode on a Saturday morning/afternoon. I felt like it fell apart a bit the last two episodes. I agree with every spoiled plot point above but it didn't stop my overall enjoyment.

 

I was very impressed with Sarah Lancashire as Catherine and George Costigan as Nevison Gallagher. The rich Dad could have easily been stereotypical and one dimensional but wasn't. When Catherine 

found the dead body of the young female police officer

I was gutted. That entire sequence was so well done and haunting. Also loved the direction of the

fumbling accountants wife. Wow, what a shrew schemer she turned out to be. It reminded me of Bridget Fonda's character in a great 90's movie called A Simple Plan.

 

One thing I was curious about was the revelation that her daughter had a

consensual relationship with Tommy? So she wasn't raped? Why did she commit suicide? The brother said she was out of control and liked him? I didn't really understand that because liking someone doesn't mean you want to have sex with them.

Edited September 13, 2014 by charming

[Cardie]

I just binge-watched this and thought it was worth it just for the fantastic performance of Sarah Lancashire. Characterization, dialogue and direction were also strong but the plotting relied far too much on coincidence and tell-not-show exposition. Of course Tommy had to be connected both to Becky's tragedy and the brutalization of two surrogate daughters for Catherine, Ann and Kirsten, for the show to work at all, even though the coincidences that bring that about can cause one's eyes to roll. But surely Sarah didn't have to have a familial connection to every single person involved in the kidnapping plot and its collateral damage: Kevin lives near her son, Helen is friends with her sister at the mission, she arrested Lewis when he was 15, she hassled Brett when he mouthed off during Khalid's capture, she went to school with the owner of the Chinese takeaway. I'm surprised she didn't get her hair cut at the salon of Ashley's wife. I know it's a small town, but really.

 

I was relieved

that neither Ann nor Ryan died. After poor Kirsten (and then Lewis) I feared that Tommy would leave a bigger trail of bodies. At least killing a police officer means he won't make any deals or get some relatively short prison sentence.

 

As for what Becky's real story was, that was still ambiguous.

I had the feeling it was a kind of date rape, that they had a mutual attraction but that he forced himself on her without her consent. It may have been more the feelings of betrayal, and then her left pregnant as he goes away for eight years, that made her kill herself, rather than the trauma of the rape itself. Or she might just have had post-partum depression, exacerbated by the circumstances of her pregnancy.

 

I did not understand the either/or choice of Ryan staying with his grandparents or being given into "care." Aren't there ways in the UK for a young woman to give up a child for adoption? Even with his parentage, a healthy infant like Ryan would be snapped up by hundreds of infertile couples.

Edited September 16, 2014 by Cardie

[Dissy]

 

I'd like to know where that location was so I can wander around on Google.   There seems to be one big church, and one tall smokestack probably from an old factory.

The exterior shots for the show are filmed in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It looks familiar google walking the streets there after watching the series.

I just found this show last week and I absolutely love it. It is very intense but exciting to watch.

Sarah Lancashire has a new fan!

[Morbs]

Yeah, the riding his bike alone part was ridiculous, they could have come up with something better.  And I assumed that the young cop was prone to make mistakes, so not only did she not tell dispatch the car's license plate she was pulling over, but then she wasn't properly alarmed when a random car stopped, so she wasn't just acting tough because of what Catherine said but was inexperienced all around.

 

I really liked how all the criminals rationalized their crimes, because I think that's true to life.  They don't see themselves as the "bad guys" in all cases, but are righting a wrong that was done to them or just a victim of the world (and Tommy probably was in some ways considering that mother).

 

I didn't need the scene of Catherine making up with her son though.  Even though what she said to him was awful, the way the son and father treated the little boy just because he was the result of rape was pretty reprehensible.   

 

Between this and The Fall, I now think all British serial killers are so good looking!

Edited September 21, 2014 by Morbs

[Morbs]

I also loved his, "I 'ate you!"

[Duke2801]

I had never even heard of this show, but I think Netflix "recommended" it to me because I liked The Fall.  Holy shit, I'm so glad it did.  I was riveted by the show and have watched all 6 episodes in 2 days.  I FLOVED Catherine. Loved.  Flaws (and there are some big ones, especially in the later episodes) and all.  And it so great (but SO weird at first) to see "O' Brien" from DT in a normal, likeable role!

 

I had a bit of a hard time following all the storylines at first.  Maybe it's the accents?  Sometimes I felt like I was missing every 7th word that was being said.  Like, I had no idea that the guy she was sleeping with in the first couple episodes was her ex-husband until the "family dinner" episode.  Then I was like ooooohhhhh. Ok. Whoa!  She (Catherine) had great chemistry with that guy.

 

(um may be something considered spoiler-ish below)

 

 

 

But YES somebody upthread (Portia?) mentioned 2 W.T.F. moments and I had the same reaction---especially the 2nd one. Like, HUH?  Even if some crazed homicidal rapist *isn't* on the loose, I would think that as a police officer, she would never have agreed to let him do that.  Oh well, I guess maybe they had to "go there" to get us to the final scene.  Which was extremely, extremely satisfying.

 

Very excited that a 2nd series has been commissioned.  Although I wonder if it will be like True Detective and have a completely different cast?

[Dust Bunny]

I just finished it yesterday. Normally, I can binge-watch no problem, but I had to take a break after each episode - super suspenseful and intense. Happy Valley made Fargo/Bemidji look like Pleasantville.

 

Kevin's last line absolutely disgusted me. I almost hated him more than Tommy. Tommy was out-right evil. Kevin was a regular person who could justify his actions in his head. There was something horrible about that. It's scary what people can talk themselves into and then emotionally distance themselves.

 

I was glad when the show ended. It was a relief; I couldn't take anymore. Don't get me wrong - it's a fabulous series. Yet, I was so exhausted at the end; I'm glad it was only 6 episodes.

[MyLisa]

Loved it--watched in one sitting, with subtitles (highly recommended).  Agree with all the above in re a few WTF plot points (the biking home, Kirsten taking no notice of the mini pulling over, Tommy's magical wound that festered for what... 3 weeks?).  One more--I found it completely out of character for the sister to tell the son about the ex-sex going on.  It seems to me that that bit of information, if truly necessary to set up the drunken scene later, could have been relayed in an other, more plausible fashion.  I also loved how a fire extinguisher came back in the end.  

[albaniantv]

Loved it too, but it was so intense I could only watch 1 and 1/2 or 2 at at a clip. 

 

Loved that the sister was O'Hara the rogue on Downtown Abbey. At first I didn't think it was plausible either that she would report to her sister's son that her sister was now sleeping with his dad, her newly-remarried ex.

But then I recalled there was some reference to druggie talk being how people figured out the ex-con was the missing dad. So I think just like everyone else had their Achilles' heel, that was the sister's --she could not resist gossiping, even if it was about the people who were protecting and helping her.

Wainright seems careful to make sure each character has some serious flaw--or is that one of the differences between British and U.S. tv writing?

[Meander]

I think Sarah Lancashire is perfect for the role.  I'm going to have to look her up on old Coronation Street episodes to see what she was like there.  

 

oh my god, it's Raquel.  I knew I was familiar with the actress, but never realising it was Raquel.... 

Edited November 8, 2014 by Meander

[pointybird]

I think Sarah Lancashire is perfect for the role.  I'm going to have to look her up on old Coronation Street episodes to see what she was like there.   I've watched all of last Tango in Halifax, and enjoyed her there as well.

 

Thanks for the reminder, I used to love Raquel from Coronation Street!  Sarah Lancashire was brilliant, combining comedy with vulnerability and pathos.  Here she is... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TM1lJR0Kg8

Edited November 19, 2014 by pointybird

[laramie66]

I could only watch 1 and 1/2 or 2 at at a clip.

 

Couldn't agree more, albaniantv. I am at Episode 4, and I am watching in 10 minute intervals, if that.

Can someone explain the following to me?

 

• Why UK cops still don't carry guns?
• Why cops travel alone, instead of in pairs?
• Why Catherine would go down into a cellar, alone, with no backup, no call in for backup, no gun, and THEN, when she finds the kidnapped girl, NOT get her out of there immediately, rather than stopping to take off the tape IN ......... THE  ............ CELLAR?

 

This episode reminds me of the finale of True Detective, which was astonishingly incredulous.

 

I am finding the end of Episode 4 as badly written - should I be suspending my disbelief to accept that cops are dumb? I didn't get the impression thus-far that Catherine was dumb, just emotionally overwrought.

 

Oh, and I read ahead to the finale, and I'm not happy with the outcome. I wanted Royce dead.

 

Thanks.

[kieyra]

Netflix rec'd it to me, and at first I thought it was going to be tailor made-for me, starting off as what I took to be dark edgy comedy in a small town. It went much darker than I was prepared for. Even at the beginning of the kidnapping I was expecting a Big Lebowski style caper, but then it went to rape and murder very quickly. It's possible I'm just burned out on dark--like many of you, Netflix probably rec'd it to me because of The Fall.

I guess I'm in a shallow mode right now, but I would have liked to just watch her having everyday TV-style police capers (in the tone of the series's opening scene, which I hearted) with occasional dark themes.

[LakeGal]

I am enjoying this series.  I have watched the first 4 episodes.  Will probably watch the final 2 today.  Glad Netflix suggested it.

[Slovenly Muse]

Just discovered this series. Holy cow! The first episode was incredible: every moment was a building block in constructing the perfect storm of a volatile situation! I binged the rest as soon as I had time the next day.

 

In regards to Becky's suicide, I do believe she was raped, if not because that's what she told her mother, then because we know TLR is an unrepentant rapist, murderer and all-around monster. What motivated her to kill herself... I think it was suggested back in episode one that Becky didn't want her father to know about the rape, but he found out anyway, and she killed herself shortly after. It could be that he didn't react well, or that she couldn't live with the (perceived and undeserved) shame of her parents knowing what had happened to her. This was the parallel to Catherine having to tell Ann's father what had happened to her. As the event that may have caused her to lose her own daughter, having her do that was brutal.

 

 

the plotting relied far too much on coincidence and tell-not-show exposition. Of course Tommy had to be connected both to Becky's tragedy and the brutalization of two surrogate daughters for Catherine, Ann and Kirsten, for the show to work at all, even though the coincidences that bring that about can cause one's eyes to roll.

 

I don't think it was too much of a stretch. For one, the reason Catherine found Ann was because she was already keeping an eye on TLR. And the reason TLR had Ann was because he was the sort of monster who needed tracking by the police. We already knew he was a rapist. It makes perfect sense for him to continue harming others once being released from prison, and Catherine knew that, which is why she knew it was a good idea to watch him. Kirsten was a bit of a coincidence, but it looked like a small police force, so I can buy it. Ann was not her surrogate daughter until AFTER Catherine rescued her. So, this wasn't some crazy coincidence where the same terrible thing happened to two people who happened to know each other. Rather it was a case of one man committing several similar crimes (not unexpected), and his victims banding together afterward and seeing each other go through the same pain they felt themselves. The fact that they had a loose connection beforehand is not unusual in a small town. 

 

I do agree that it was a bit crazy of Catherine and Clare to let Ryan bike home by himself. Then again, they knew TLR was badly hurt and in hiding, possibly dead. And even if he was mobile, Catherine seemed certain that SHE was the one he wanted, she was the one hunting him with the most ferocity, so it would be crazy for him to go near her or her family when he should be trying to get as far away from her as he could. But it was still a stretch for them to let Ryan ride around out there alone.

 

Despite the few problem areas, I thought this series was fantastic. I spent the whole run biting my nails and whimpering obscenities at my TV. One reviewer on tv.com said that what they loved about it was that they genuinely never knew what was going to happen next, and I totally agree. It was such a wild ride, and even though it was based in familiar territory, there was so much poised to go wrong, and to go right, at any given moment that it was a thrill finding out how it was going to turn!

[stillshimpy]

I found this series, which I'm four episodes into and scared the freaking liver out of me last night before bed, to be harrowing so far, but wanted to pause to agree here:

 

 

 

One thing I thought was a little weird was how much of the drug-related stuff was focused just on pot. Maybe I'm bringing my politics in a little bit here, but it was reminiscent of "reefer madness" a couple of times.

 

Yeah, the show went way the hell out of its way to demonize pot for no earthly reason.   It must be because I was so used to my grandparents heavy-duty (no seriously, I had to translate what they were saying to Americans, that kind of thick) Scottish accents , but I don't actually have any problems understanding what is being said usually.  It's like having a very specific form of brain damage, I guess.  

 

However, I was truly confused about what Catherine was talking to her ex-husband about when she talked very specifically about cannabis and referred to it as such.  What it sounded like she said was that he had smoked "skunk" weed and it caused him to hallucinate his ass off and threaten everyone and "Tell [them] about that, the next time someone tells you cannabis is harmless" .  It was confusing as hell.  

 

I did spend most of my adult life in Colorado, skunk weed isn't laced weed here, but I think that's what she was referring to and even then, that ought to be an argument for legalization because it's not the pot, it's whatever it was laced with that causes the problem.  That moment really didn't sit well with me because I agree, it was very reminiscent of pamphlets depicting pot deranged lunatics, wreaking havoc.  

 

It's strange because the main drug they are talking about is heroin.  Catherine has to tell a junkie to take a needle out from between his toes at one point and whatever was in those sand bags, it wasn't pot -- although it seemed like the accountant seemed to think it might be (I suppose it might have been hash) -- her sister is a recovering addict, the ice-cream vendors definitely weren't dealing weed.  

 

 

 

Marijuana is also much more potent than it used to be,

 

It is a lot more potent and can be the one-hit-wonder, but that guy raving his head off and threatening to kill everyone being put down to weed was just a strange choice on the part of the show.  People who get too stoned generally curl up into a ball of nearly inert matter.  Everyone now and then someone will be convinced that they are dying because they can't feel themselves breathing and time is going so slowly, but what this show depicted was just....some Nancy Reagan era version of what happens when people smoke pot.  

 

Anyway, good show, although oddly enough Al Lowe's piece kept me from watching it initially.  Not her fault, I only read the first few sentences about cardigans and cheese plates as well as NCIS marathons, and thought, "Oh, that's too bad.  Father Dowling Mysteries type stuff? Okay. Bye."  

 

For the record, I really don't think that the cardigan wearers of the world would do all that well with this series.  It scared the living hell out of me.  Particularly when Catherine's hallucinating the memory of finding her daughter while under stress.  That was like something out of  Ringu and is scared the stuffing out of me.  "Holy shit, what the hell was that???"  I didn't figure it out until the second time.  

 

That alone would cause a cardigan to unravel ;-) 

Edited January 20, 2015 by stillshimpy

[stillshimpy]

I finished this series and just absolutely loved it altogether.  

 

I read through the other posts on a couple of the WTF's, including that Ann was able to physically haul Catherine out of that basement and towards the car.  I LOVED THAT.  First of all, there's no motivator like absolute terror for an adrenaline rush, so I bought that it was possible.  As for being released from the hospital, that one was a little bit more "make allowances for fiction" , but one of my favorite things about the series was how entirely ass-kicking amazing Ann turned out to be.  

 

I also thought that Tommy might have stabbed himself at first, simply because he had overheard Lewis and Lewis had his throat cut and appeared to be sleeping to the other guy.  There's a Civil War hero named Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Union) who was horribly injured in a battle.  His pelvis was shattered and he still managed to direct his troops , propping himself up with his sword.  He actually lived a very, very long life afterward, dying in 1914 of the stomach wound he also received that day.  The wound never fully healed, but it took until he was in his 90s to kill him, it also wasn't treated promptly and that was in the days before antibiotics, so Tommy Lee Royce being able to move around didn't really surprise me.  

 

But what did amaze me was that he didn't smell so much that his stench alone wouldn't have made him standout in that store he went to buy his disguise.  

 

Oddly enough, it didn't actually ring false to me that Catherine and her sister let Ryan ride his bike home at that point.  Catherine was completely off her game, deeply resenting Ryan's existence due to her clinical depression and her judgement was terribly impaired simply by mental illness. Her sister barely had any good judgment to start (she was a recovering addict, but that's not why I say that, witness what she told Catherine's son).  

 

Also I loved that the first scenes of the series were key to so very much of the plot resolution.  That was fantastic.  The guy about to light himself on fire and hearing later that Catherine doused him with the extinguisher.  That rather fun method of Exposition Fairy duty as Catherine told him about herself.  Then there is this: 

 

I didn't need the scene of Catherine making up with her son though.  Even though what she said to him was awful, the way the son and father treated the little boy just because he was the result of rape was pretty reprehensible.

 

I did need it and felt it was incredibly well earned.  Her son was actually not normally directly unkind to Ryan, but he got drunker than hell and was "off his head" when he said terrible, horrible, unforgivable things directly to that little boy...and thereby met empathy head-on...explaining how his mother had ever said that he should have died to him and making him accept the apology sincerely.  He got to understand exactly how you could say something truly terrible to a child when you have that much pain in you (and in his case, a ridiculous amount of booze).  He also said fully terrible things about his sister.  

 

Neither Richard or the son were terrible to Ryan to his face accept for the son getting drunk and saying those terrible things.  

 

It wasn't that Ryan was simply a product of rape, it was that his being born was part of what Richard and the son blamed Becky's suicide on.  They both already knew Becky had like Tommy (although I don't believe the sex they had was consensual, as he was so incredibly twisted, he wouldn't necessarily really make the distinction).  

 

Anyway, I thought that one of the better moments of the series, because it combined telling and showing.  We heard what Catherine had done to alienate her son so...and we saw her being incredibly heartless to her daft sister....and we saw Catherine's son lose it fully and say terrible, horrible things.  

 

It's not that I approve of the cold distance that Richard and the son kept from Ryan, I just think that it's a little closer to understandable when they both viewed Ryan as the reason Becky killed herself...and Catherine blamed the rape.  

 

As for Catherine's face not being scarred, I did notice that also, but applying realistic facial scars is time consuming and I figured they just couldn't fit in that much makeup time for the actress.  

[jeansheridan]

Finally!  I can rave to people who "get it".  Katherine is the best.  A middle aged grandma warrior with a billy club and mace!  I love her.  I love her flaws and her frustration at being a mom again when she's too damn tired to deal and how she is with her sister.  And how her sister helps her.  And I love how the sister still has a total air of an addict, but damn she's trying hard. I love that Katherine doesn't hate her ex's younger wife and that the younger wife isn't a total idiot. 

 

And I love that Annie helped with her own rescue.  Yes it was dramatic and maybe slightly unrealistic, but the character earned that moment.  She stayed alive and kept her head together and fought when she needed to. 

 

This series was a bit like Fargo and The Fall, but so very tidy at only 6 episodes.  And unlike damn Stella on The Fall, Katherine is scrappy and MOVES when she needs too. Sorry, I had major issues with the 2nd season of The Fall.  I can't wait for Happy Valley Season 2. 

[EarlGreyTea]

Thank you Netflix for recommending this to me because of my love of Broadchurch, Luther, and Whitechapel. I love me some gritty dramas.

Agree with what's been said above about the big ball of stupid in the last episode, letting Ryan go by himself. For a smart show that was a rare misstep. The other stupid moment was Claire spilling the beans about Richard and Catherine's affair to their son. WTF? It was all clunky.

I was thinking the son was going to reveal he was the Ryan's father or something as a twist so I'm kind of glad that wasn't it.

Poor, stupid Lewis. The actor did a tremendous job of playing the character's conflicted nuances. Also, he Tommy, and Ashley are all disturbingly attractive. And because I cannot figure out the spoiler function, I'll warn that here is a large SPOILER: Was Lewis's death a suicide or did Tommy kill him? I wasn't clear on that. 

 

Finally, Julia Ford as Jenny, Kevin's wife, had a really underrated but great performance. I've seen her before in an episode of Misfits and she just has this realistic quality to her, and I thought she did a great job as a wife who's been let in on a huge secret and is trying to make the best of it.

Edited May 16, 2015 by EarlGreyTea

[Tiggertoo]

Tommy killed Lewis.

I loved this series! I had watched the main actress in Last Tango in Halifax, also very good and much lighter, similar setting.

I loved that they showed some of the aftermath of what they'd been through, Catherine and Ann. And Ann wasn't just miraculously happy with her family after her ordeal. She still had issues. I loved her bond with Catherine.

It took me awhile to figure out that that was O'Brien from DT. Wow, she looks so different.

[mansonlamps]

Tommy killed Lewis.

I loved this series! I had watched the main actress in Last Tango in Halifax, also very good and much lighter, similar setting.

I loved that they showed some of the aftermath of what they'd been through, Catherine and Ann. And Ann wasn't just miraculously happy with her family after her ordeal. She still had issues. I loved her bond with Catherine.

It took me awhile to figure out that that was O'Brien from DT. Wow, she looks so different.

 

I never figured out that it was O'Brien from Downton Abbey, thank you!  I kept thinking she looked soooo familiar, but the best I could come up with is that she looked like an older version of Faith from Third Watch.

 

I'm not sure how I ran across this, I'm sure Netflix recommended it, but I really enjoyed it, even more than The Fall.  How is it that some of these Netflix originals are virtually unknown when they are so much better than some of the stuff that everyone talks about?  And why is no one talking about it here :)

[iggysaurus]

Just finally watched this and loved it. I didn't realize how dark it would be, but I love dark gritty shows so I was fine with that! Wonder when the 2nd series will appear on Netflix ... 

 

I'm confused about how they can call this (and other British shows) a "Netflix Original."  To me that suggests Netflix is the first and only place it's been aired, like House of Cards or Orange is the New Black.  I assume that they're using "original" to mean Netflix is the only place in the US that has aired these British shows, but it's misleading. Anything that's previously aired in the UK should maybe be called a Netflix "exclusive" or something besides "original" to differentiate it from shows actually created by Netflix.   Hulu does this too. 

 

And besides it being confusing, it's also irritating/arrogant on Netflix/Hulu's part to assume that US viewers will never know these shows have previously aired elsewhere. They think US viewers are completely ignorant of the world outside the US and that we will only care about it if they decide to rebrand it as their "original" programming. News flash, some of us actually seek out programming from outside the US because we know it's better! 

Edited January 4, 2016 by iggysaurus

[iggysaurus]

Agreed with the above posts about the strange demonization of marijuana in this otherwise-excellent show. Not that pot doesn't sometimes have adverse effects, and I don't smoke it myself, but the way they were going on about cannabis in this show was just odd.  They definitely went out of their way to say it was cannabis, not heroin, in some scenes (like the one where the guy was hanging from the swing set near the end).  That just isn't really what marijuana makes people do.  

[Bcharmer]

News flash, some of us actually seek out programming from outside the US because we know it's better! 

 

 

I just finished it last night. Finally got around to watching it, after it's been in the queue for a year, or so. Really liked it.  I also try to seek out shows from outside the US, when I can. Top of the Lake, and Les Revenants (both on Sundance) are two examples.  I think there was a US remake of Les Revenants, but I didn't even bother. The French version was so good. Watched the second season of Broadchurch, which I also liked. Gracepoint, on the other hand... meh.  I think, more often than not, it's better to leave well enough alone. US remakes are rarely, if ever, better. Don't even get me started on The Killing. 

Edited January 9, 2016 by Bcharmer