The final season of the hit BBC crime series 'Happy Valley' has come to the U.S.
It wasn't so long ago that a handful of shows were commonly offered as examples of how good television can be. In America, these touchstones tended to skew extremely male — The Sopranos, The Wire, Mad Men, Breaking Bad. The exact opposite was true in Britain, where the defining titles of the 21st century — Fleabag, Killing Eve, I May Destroy You — are by and about women.
The most popular of this bunch is Happy Valley, the BBC crime series that became an instant sensation when it premiered in 2014. Created by Sally Wainwright, and centering on a woman police sergeant in the Calder Valley of West Yorkshire, it set the gold standard for crime series anchored by complicated women. You find its DNA all over a show like Mare of Easttown.
When Happy Valley's third and final season aired in Britain earlier this year, it was a smash with both critics and viewers. It's now come to our screens on BBC America, Acorn TV and AMC+. The latter two services also offer the first two seasons, and I highly recommend you see them. With a grand arc unfolding over nearly a decade in real time, the 18 episodes of this series take viewers on a twisting, cliff-hanging, deeply satisfying emotional journey.
In the star turn of a lifetime, Sarah Lancashire plays Sgt. Catherine Cawood, a sharp, big-hearted divorcee who often sports a yellow police vest. Catherine is raising her grandson, Ryan, whose mother killed herself from the trauma of being kidnapped and raped by Ryan's father, a sociopath named Tommy Lee Royce. Tommy's played by James Norton, who you may know as the crime-solving vicar in Grantchester. While Season 1 focused on Catherine bringing Tommy to justice, Season 2 dealt with her trying to create a normal life for her family while her nemesis plots vengeance from prison.
As Season 3 begins, it's seven years later, and Catherine is about to retire and take a trip to the Himalayas. Her world is overturned when she discovers that the 16-year-old Ryan has begun communicating with Tommy — he wants to know more about his dad. Even as Catherine wants Ryan to stop, she's still hard at work, looking into a murder that Tommy may have committed a decade ago, and dealing with a drug-addicted woman whom she fears is being abused by her husband.
Now, Wainwright — who also created Last Tango in Halifax and the gender-bending HBO series Gentleman Jack – knows how to reel you in. Season 3 serves up funny police banter, stinging family arguments, elaborate jail breaks, casual murders, elaborate murders, dramatic showdowns and moments of profound personal betrayal. Through it all, her characters burst with humanity — even evil ones, like the often sweet-faced Tommy, who Norton makes an unnervingly mercurial bad guy.
Catherine's police work lets Wainwright capture a Yorkshire she knows inside out. While Mare of Easttown was justly praised for its portrait of small town Pennsylvania, Happy Valley's detailed vision of its community is even richer, and not only because the local dialect is as thick as Yorkshire pudding. We get Catherine's world in all its gritty reality — the poverty, corruption, drug use, domestic violence, gangsterism and despair that stand in stark contrast to the area's tradition of working-class solidarity and its often beautiful landscape.
The show rotates around Lancashire's full-court-press of a performance in a role that asks her to do everything. Catherine is an honest, foul-mouthed cop. She's a nurturing mother who mourns her dead daughter, raises Ryan with boundless love and worries that her reporter ex-husband may get into trouble investigating a gang. She's a linebacker of a woman who, more than once, gets bloodied from knockdown-dragouts with male criminals. And she's a female avenger who, attuned to the weakness and violence of men, is especially protective of women.
Catherine's not a saint, of course. She jumps to conclusions, lashes out at her sister and, in her protectiveness toward Ryan, she doesn't let him know what Tommy is truly like. But her flaws only deepen our sense of her strengths. Indeed, she emerges as one of the genuine feminist heroes in television history. Happy Valley isn't a happy place, but I was always happy being in her company.
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Transcript
DAVE DAVIES, HOST:
This is FRESH AIR. When critics rank the greatest British TV shows of the new millennium, the crime series "Happy Valley" is always at or near the top. The heroine is a West Yorkshire police sergeant who must deal with local crimes that touch her own family directly. Its third season has just begun on BBC America and on the Acorn and AMC+ streaming services. Our critic-at-large John Powers says it's a powerful, enthralling series - like "Mare Of Easttown," only better.
JOHN POWERS, BYLINE: It wasn't so long ago that a handful of shows were commonly offered as examples of how good television can be. In America, these touchstones tended to skew extremely male - "The Sopranos," "The Wire," "Mad Men," "Breaking Bad." The exact opposite was true in Britain, where the defining titles of the 21st century - "Fleabag," "Killing Eve," "I May Destroy You" - are by and about women. The most popular of this bunch is "Happy Valley," the BBC crime series that became an instant sensation when it premiered in 2014. Created by Sally Wainwright and centering on a woman police sergeant in the Calder Valley of West Yorkshire, it set the gold standard for crime series anchored by complicated women. You find its DNA all over a show like "Mare Of Easttown."
When "Happy Valley's" third and final season aired in Britain earlier this year, it was a smash with both critics and viewers. It's now come to our screens on BBC America, Acorn TV and AMC+. The latter two services also offer the first two seasons, and I highly recommend you see them. With a grand arc unfolding over nearly a decade in real time, the 18 episodes of this series take viewers on a twisting, cliff-hanging, deeply satisfying emotional journey. In the star turn of a lifetime, Sarah Lancashire plays Sergeant Catherine Cawood, a sharp, big-hearted divorcee who often sports a yellow police vest. Catherine is raising her grandson, Ryan, whose mother killed herself from the trauma of being kidnapped and raped by Ryan's father, a sociopath named Tommy Lee Royce. Tommy's played by James Norton, who you may know as the crime-solving vicar in "Grantchester."
While Season 1 focused on Catherine bringing Tommy to justice, Season 2 dealt with her trying to create a normal life for her family while her nemesis plots vengeance from prison. As Season 3 begins, it's seven years later. And Catherine is about to retire and take a trip to the Himalayas. Her world is overturned when she discovers that the 16-year-old Ryan has been communicating with Tommy. He wants to know more about his dad. Even as Catherine wants Ryan to stop, she's still hard at work, looking into a murder that Tommy may have committed a decade ago and dealing with a drug-addicted woman whom she fears is being abused by her husband. Here, we get Catherine's first meeting with that husband. He's called to report his wife's drug use and makes the mistake of complaining about the police response time. Her reaction is quintessential Catherine.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "HAPPY VALLEY")
MARK STANLEY: (As Rob Hepworth) Where have you been? I rang over five hours ago.
SARAH LANCASHIRE: (As Catherine Cawood) Been a very busy night, sir.
STANLEY: (As Rob Hepworth) Yeah, but if you ring 999, you expect someone to turn up. You don't expect to be kept waiting.
LANCASHIRE: (As Catherine Cawood) We've had a major incident to deal with in Littleborough, so I've had to send most of my team off over the border to assist our colleagues. And then, would you believe, we've had a fatal collision up Pelham Lane, two dead. Now, the operator you spoke to ascertained that there was no one unconscious, no one not breathing, no one in need of an ambulance and no one's life in danger. Is that correct?
STANLEY: (As Rob Hepworth) Well, yeah. But...
LANCASHIRE: (As Catherine Cawood) So strictly speaking, that's not a 999 call, just FYI. That's a 101 call. But on the plus side, you've got a sergeant - you've got a very experienced sergeant out to sort it all out. So why don't you tell me what's happened?
POWERS: Now, Wainwright, who also created "Last Tango In Halifax" and the gender-bending HBO series "Gentleman Jack," knows how to reel you in. Season 3 serves up funny police banter, stinging family arguments, elaborate jailbreaks, casual murders, elaborate murders, dramatic showdowns and moments of profound personal betrayal. Through it all, her characters burst with humanity, even evil ones like the often sweet-faced Tommy, who Norton makes an unnervingly mercurial bad guy. Catherine's police work lets Wainwright capture a Yorkshire she knows inside out. While "Mare Of Easttown" was justly praised for its portrait of small town Pennsylvania, "Happy Valley's" detailed vision of its community is even richer, and not only because the local dialect is as thick as Yorkshire pudding. We get Catherine's world in all its gritty reality - the poverty, corruption, drug use, domestic violence, gangsterism and despair that stand in stark contrast to the area's tradition of working-class solidarity and its often beautiful landscape.
The show rotates around Lancashire's full-court-press of a performance in a role that asks her to do everything. Catherine is an honest, foul-mouthed cop. She's a nurturing mother who mourns her dead daughter, raises Ryan with boundless love and worries that her reporter ex-husband may get into trouble investigating a gang. She's a linebacker of a woman who more than once gets bloodied from knock-down, drag-outs with male criminals. And she's a female avenger who, attuned to the weakness and violence of men, is especially protective of women. She's not a saint, of course. She jumps to conclusions, lashes out at her sister. And in her protectiveness toward Ryan, she doesn't let him know what Tommy is truly like. But her flaws only deepen our sense of her strengths. Indeed, she emerges as one of the genuine feminist heroes in television history. "Happy Valley" isn't a happy place, but I was always happy being in her company.
DAVIES: John Powers reviewed the return of the British TV series "Happy Valley." On tomorrow's show, we speak with celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. She's won James Beard awards, hosted a long-running TV series and written many cookbooks. We'll talk about how she built her career after fleeing the chaos in Europe with her family following World War II. And of course, we'll talk about Italian food. I hope you can join us.
(SOUNDBITE OF FRED HERSCH'S "ELF (ISFAHAN)")
DAVIES: FRESH AIR's executive producer is Danny Miller. Our technical director and engineer is Audrey Bentham. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden, Ann Marie Baldonado, Thea Chaloner, Seth Kelley, and Susan Nyakundi. Our digital media producer is Molly Seavy-Nesper. Roberta Shorrock directs the show. For Terry Gross and our co-host, Tonya Mosley, I'm Dave Davies.
(SOUNDBITE OF FRED HERSCH'S "ELF (ISFAHAN)") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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