Yorkshire is beautiful. Until it isn't. When Sally Wainwright brought her powerhouse drama back to the BBC in February 2016, she didn't just give us another police procedural. She gave us a visceral, mud-flecked masterpiece that felt less like a TV show and more like a bruise that wouldn't heal. Happy Valley series 2 is a masterclass in how to build a world where the jokes are as sharp as the knives.
Honestly, coming back after that first series was a massive gamble. The first run was basically a self-contained explosion of grief and violence. How do you follow the rescue of Ann Gallagher? You don't. You move the goalposts instead.
The Problem With Being Catherine Cawood
Catherine Cawood—played by a Sarah Lancashire so good it actually hurts to watch—is the heartbeat of this thing. Eighteen months have passed. She’s got her Queen’s Police Medal. She’s "the" hero of the valley. But she’s still living in a terraced house in Hebden Bridge, raising a grandson who is the living image of the man who ruined her life.
Then she finds a body. Not just any body. It’s a decomposed mess in a garage, and it turns out to be Lynn Dewhurst. Who’s Lynn? She’s Tommy Lee Royce’s mother. Suddenly, the woman who wants Tommy dead is the prime suspect in his mother’s murder. It’s a brilliant, cruel bit of writing.
Wainwright doesn't do "simple." While Catherine is juggling the suspicion of being a serial killer, she’s also dealing with human trafficking, a sister falling off the wagon, and a teaching assistant who’s basically a Charles Manson-style groupie for Tommy. It’s a lot. Maybe too much for a normal human? But Catherine isn’t normal. She’s just a copper who refuses to break.
Why the John Wadsworth Subplot is Absolute Genius
Most shows have a "B-plot." You know the type. It’s the stuff you check your phone during. Not here. The story of DCI John Wadsworth (Kevin Doyle) is one of the most stressful things ever put on British television.
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Imagine being a detective investigating a serial killer while you’ve actually committed a murder yourself. John is a "nice" man. A weak man. He’s being blackmailed by a woman named Vicky Fleming, who drugs him and takes photos of him in her underwear. It’s pathetic and terrifying. When he kills her in a moment of pure, panicked rage, he tries to make it look like the work of the local prostitute killer.
Happy Valley series 2 uses John as a mirror. He’s what happens when a "good" person starts lying and can’t stop. The scene on the bridge at the end? Where he tells Catherine exactly what she needs to say to talk him down because he’s done the negotiator training? It’s darkly funny and utterly miserable. That’s the Happy Valley special.
The Long Shadow of Tommy Lee Royce
James Norton is terrifying. Even behind bars. He spends most of the series in a prison cell, but his influence is everywhere. He’s a virus.
He uses Frances Drummond (Shirley Henderson), a woman so lonely she’s fallen in love with a monster, to get to his son, Ryan. This is the real horror of the series. It’s not the murders. It’s the idea that a father can poison a child's mind from a high-security wing. Watching Frances whisper lies into Ryan’s ear at the school gates makes your skin crawl.
It forces us to ask the big question: Is Ryan his father's son?
Catherine looks at that boy and sees the man who raped her daughter. She loves him, but she’s scared of him. That final shot of the series—Catherine watching Ryan on the hillside as the music turns ominous—is haunting. It’s not a happy ending. It’s a warning.
A Masterclass in Writing
Sally Wainwright has this rule. Every scene should do three things. If characters are talking about a case, they’re also revealing a secret about their marriage and eating a sandwich they don’t like. It makes the world feel lived-in.
- Dialogue that bites: People in the Calder Valley don't talk like they're in a movie. They’re blunt. They’re funny. They say "wank" and "toss" and "shut up."
- The Landscape: The hills are gorgeous, but the grey sky feels like it's pressing down on everyone.
- The Casting: Everyone from Siobhan Finneran to Matthew Lewis (yes, Neville Longbottom) brings their A-game.
What Most People Get Wrong
People call this a "grim" show. It is. But they miss the humor. There’s a scene early on where Catherine is chasing sheep. It’s slapstick. Then, seconds later, she finds a corpse.
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Life is like that. You’re laughing one minute, and the floor drops out the next. Wainwright understands that better than anyone else writing for TV today. She doesn't apologize for the violence because the violence has consequences. It's not "cool" action. It's messy, loud, and leaves people with PTSD.
Takeaway for Fans and New Watchers
If you haven't revisited Happy Valley series 2 lately, you've missed the nuances.
- Watch the background. The way Ryan reacts to small things tells you everything about his grooming.
- Pay attention to the women. This is a show about female resilience in a valley full of "weak or criminal" men (Wainwright’s words, sort of).
- Don't skip the "boring" bits. The scenes where Catherine and Clare are just having a brew are where the real heart of the show lives.
The series isn't just about catching a killer. It’s about surviving the fallout of living. It’s about the fact that no matter how many medals you win, you still have to go home and deal with the laundry and the ghosts.
To truly understand the impact of the show, look at the ratings. Over 9 million people watched the finale of this series. In an era of streaming and endless choice, that's a massive achievement. It's because we recognize Catherine. We might not be cops, but we all know what it's like to try and hold a family together while the world tries to tear it apart.
If you're looking for the next step, start by re-watching the first episode of series 2. Notice how the cinematography has changed from the first run. It's more cinematic, more "polished," as some critics said, but it hasn't lost its teeth. Focus on the introduction of Daryl Garrs. The clues for the ending are there from the very first moment he appears on screen.