BBC One
Previously on Happy Valley: David Sowerbutts did a bad kidnap and things were never the same after. Catherine chases a pop-up ice cream drug van operation convinced that Royce is the man behind the wheel. It’s not him of course as he’s over in Abduction Terrace overseeing the Great Masterplan That Cannot Fail. Half-starved, taped to a chair and sitting in her own piss Ann has looked better. Nice kidnapper Lewis visits her in the cellar and finds her knickers on the floor suggesting that rapey Royce has raped her and I think it’s safe to say that the signs were there. Lewis takes it up with phone support. “Are we allowed to fuck her?” he asks Ashley. “Sounds to me like he was using his initiative” comes the response and once he thinks it over Lewis discovers he has a few ethical problems with that. Great – we’ll discuss it at the next round table shall we?
Elsewhere everyone seems to be in the confessional. Nevison breaks the news of Ann’s abduction to his wife – one of the tougher conversations he’s had to have. Thank God he’s got trusty Kevin to confide in. In a world where people kidnap and rape your daughter you need stand-up guys like Kevin around. Kevin is also on the confession tip telling Jenny “I did this stupid thing”. Stupid doesn’t begin to cover it you grotesque tub. It’s not all trauma for Kev though as Ashley nominates him to drop round a £20,000 good faith instalment from Nevison which he is more than happy to do because he gets a cut which can go towards Jen’s motorised scooter.
Further family difficulties arise for Catherine when her son Daniel (Gendry from Game of Thrones) invites them over to announce that his missus is pregnant. That’s lovely and all but rapey Ryan son of Royce isn’t welcome at family events and the tension is palpable. Later Catherine tries to dump rapey Ryan on Richard for games of football but he isn’t having it. Like you need that little bastard nausing up your Saturdays.
I mean, he’s a constant reminder of his father rapey Royce who beats up Lewis in the cellar when he tries to protect Ann. He pulls his balaclava off and now Ann has seen his face. The net could be closing in soon on the chumps as Catherine gets a tipoff that Royce has been seen in town. She even gets the address of the house he went into. She does a brief recce of the gaffe before skedaddling. Royce clocks her and tells Ashley of the new development. Someone’s going to need a new hide out. Well you always said you wanted to travel, Anne.
The verdict: Into the valley. Betrothed and divine.
Mark out of 10: 8