Happy Valley fans have taken to social media to guess why character Poppy Hepworth keeps her coat on indoors.
Fans were delighted to see the drama return to screens, after last airing back in 2016. The popular show stars Sarah Lancashire as West Yorkshire's community police officer Catherine Cawood, as she deals with the local crime within the community.
This series has seen the sublot of abusive PE teacher Rob Hepworth, played by, Mark Stanley, living with his family, including daughter Poppy, played by Bonnie Scott. Through the show, the young girl never seems to take off her large overcoat.
Many viewers have taken to social media to speculate why the youngster seems so attached to the jacket, reports the Mirror. Taking to Reddit, one fan wrote: “I reckon it’s like a comfort blanket to her,”
Another echoed: “It's just trauma and her way of coping. A safety blanket. She's terrified. A psychologist on the police force will hopefully spot it put it together and they get a picture of what's been happening in that household.”
Rob first appeared on screens as Ryan's rude PE teacher, but the series has gradually peeled back more about his personal life, revealing his frightening treatment of his family.
The live-wire dad keeps locks all over the place, even on the fridge, and was not remotely concerned when his wife vanished at one point in recent episodes, instead lashing out about her to the police.
The devastating storyline then revealed Joanna had been murdered, and in a nail-biting scene in the latest episode, he discovered her body in a suitcase in his locked garage.
The couple's schoolgirl daughters have made brief appearances, with Poppy concerned about her mother and the way Rob treats her. In the latest episode, Poppy’s dad could be seen ordering her to "take off the coat" as she once again kept it on while walking around the house.
Other viewers were in agreement over the theory, with a third penning: “Presumably something to do with her living in a traumatising household, like looking emaciated without it, possible bruises (albeit the Dad hasn't been shown being aggressive towards his children so far).
“But I agree there's got to be a bit of a twist coming on that one. They haven't referenced it this many times for it to not have a bigger part to play later on.”
A fellow Happy Valley user wrote: “I’m sure I’ve heard/read about people from abusive households keeping shoes/coats on as a trauma response so they’re always ready to leave if they need to, it’s probably some sort of comfort to her, I do hope they explain it by the end of the series though!”
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