Have you watched Happy Valley yet? If not, you need to ask yourself why.
The British police drama has two seasons running on Netflix, and since it first aired on TV in 2014, it has been receiving rave reviews all over the shop. The show follows Sgt. Catherine Cawood as she seeks to avenge the death of her daughter Becky, who was driven to suicide by a maniac rapist after giving birth to his baby, who Catherine is now raising.
It's gripping, brutal, hilarious and emotional and you need to watch it, like right now. The main reasons being:
1. Sarah Lancashire is all kinds of amazing
Give this woman a BAFTA already. Oh wait, she already has two - one which she took home in 2017 for playing the badass police constable Catherine Cawood.
Lancashire shines in her role as the tortured cop who has an axe to grind against a serial killer. She's vulnerable, erratic, gritty and displays a deliciously dark humour, even in the face of the most tragic circumstances. One word - hero.
Sergeant Catherine Cawood means business. You play with matches, you get burned. #HappyValley pic.twitter.com/77hO8qx8NL
— BBC One (@BBCOne) April 29, 2014
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2. It's gritty
It might be named Happy Valley but it's anything but. The community is riddled with drugs, characters constantly battle demons (inner and outer), and there's a psychotic killer in the area who is savage in his brutality. One particular act of violence committed against a female character on a lonely country road will turn your stomach .
Given it's a British police drama, there's no guns. This doesn't diminish the violence that's played out in particularly brutal scenes (as referenced above), and the show has been criticised for depicting extreme levels of violence against its female characters.
Commenting on the violence scenes, writer Sally Wainwright said: "Drama is about the dark side. How bad things happen to good people."
Binge watched the whole first series of #HappyValley today. Never seen it before. 10/10.
— Ian (@planemadone) December 30, 2017
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3. It has the scariest villain on telly
James Norton's turn as Cawood's nemesis, Tommy Lee Royce is nothing short of exceptional.
Completely void of a moral compass, the character has no redeeming qualities and as the episodes play out, we see the full extent of what he's capable of.
Whatever I watch with @jginorton in, I always prefer him as Tommy Lee Royce in #HappyValley even though he was so evil! Think it's because he was scruffy and rugged ??? Loving the suit and tie in #McMafia though ?
— Cassie (@CassieMUFC) January 1, 2018
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4. Realism
Far from ripping off the usual American cop shows, Happy Valley is deliciously authentic. You get a sense that the policing procedures play out exactly how they would in real-life (FYI: a retired police friend of Wainright is an advisor on the show).
It addresses social issues, the dialogue is natural and the characters are brilliantly complex. Not to mention the emotional and physical punches it packs in each episode. It unreservedly rings true.
#HappyValley - I don't know if a TV show title has ever been so misleading.
— Shell (@shell568) January 1, 2018
5. The writing
Complex characters, interwoven plot-lines, humour that's blacker then black - this drama delivers it all in buckets and builds up just the right amount of suspense in each episode. You'll have your nails chewed off at the end of the some of the cliff hangers.
I know I’m about 3 years late to the party, but just started watching Happy Valley and I’m hooked! (Don’t judge me) #wherehaveibeen @BBCOne #HappyValley
— Lisa Minichiello (@LMMinichiello) January 2, 2018
