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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Katie Fitzpatrick

BBC Happy Valley delivers breath-taking genius in penultimate episode

The last time we saw Tommy Lee Royce, he was pedalling through the streets of Leeds after leaping from the dock in court. Sergeant Catherine Cawoods journalist ex Richard, who witnessed Tommy's dramatic Spiderman-like escape, filled Catherine in on the events over the phone, launching a breathless race to protect her family.

Meanwhile, a murder investigation began following the discovery of Joanna Hepworth in a suitcase. It was almost too much excitement and terror to bear.

Happy Valley's penultimate episode, as we prepare for the curtain to fall after three series, was one of polar opposites. From escaped psychopath Tommy breathing clean fresh air into his lungs after pedalling over the moors above Bradford, to claustrophobic scenes of Tommy confined again to the back of a van driven by gang boss Darius. Then we held our breath as he was holed-up in a terraced house with a curmudgeonly beetroot-chopping elderly man, fearing he might seize the opportunity and dice him with it.

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In this latest helping of genius writing by Sally Wainwright, everyone seemed to be hiding from Tommy (apart from ‘Robocop’ Catherine). They were armed with either knives or wine, or both.

From the action-packed thrills of episode four, this week we got scenes of searingly honest and brutal confrontations while Daniel, Ann, Clare, Neil, Nevison, Richard and Ros were all hiding, and waiting, in an intense backdrop of darkness and relentless pelting rain, unaware that Tommy was making direct contact with Ryan via their games consoles.

Ryan and his granny Catherine (BBC)

The unspeakable truth that Ann unflinchingly spat out to Ryan earlier, about her and his mum’s suffering at the hands of vile Tommy and his granny being the only person who had wanted him, is the truth that’s bound to set him free. But in which direction will it send him?

Will it be into the loving arms of the devoted granny who raised him? Or will he run to a new life abroad with his criminal father?

Surely we can't only have one more episode to find out. It might be the final ever episode of Happy Valley next Sunday night. But one thing's for sure it could never be enough.

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