'Happy Valley' series 1 review: A gripping crime drama series that inspired Kate Winslet's 'Mare of Easttown'

Brad Ingelsby's HBO crime drama miniseries 'Mare of Easttown' was one of my favourite TV shows of 2021. A compelling mystery, well-realised small-town setting, the writing, direction, and finally a stellar cast led by a peerless Kate Winslet, it all made for a few hours of high-quality television. Imagine my surprise when I was told that it might have been derivative of Sally Wainwright's 'Happy Valley', a British BBC One show whose existence I had not even been aware of. And indeed, the similarities are eerie. 'Happy Valley' also has at its centre a bit cranky but tough middle-aged policewoman. She is also divorced, one of her children died by suicide before the events of the show, and she is saddled with a young grandson.

All this did tone down my glowing opinion of 'Mare of Easttown' a bit, but not Winslet's tour-de-force performance, which remains one of the best acting I have seen on the small screen. But it did, eventually, inspire me to watch 'Happy Valley' season 1 (or series 1 as the Brits call it), and boy am I glad I did it. 'Happy Valley' is not only a great show, but it is also several notches above in terms of quality than its HBO spawn.

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Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is still recovering from her daughter Becky's suicide eight years ago. She lives with her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) who also assists her in taking care of Becky and her rapist's child Ryan (Rhys Connah). The battle over whether to keep Ryan, a product of rape led to Catherine's divorce from her ex-husband Richard (Derek Riddell) and her estrangement with her son Daniel (Karl Davies).

Meanwhile, the said rapist Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) is released from prison -- he was locked up for drug charges -- leading Cawood to get worried about spotting him while out and about. She does not believe she would be able to keep her rage in control.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Catherine, Royce becomes secretly involved in an abduction of a young girl Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy). And Cawood gets the wind of this.

Across its six episodes, 'Happy Valley' series 1 tells a story of a woman coming to terms with her inner demons like guilt and grief even as she hunts the abductors to save the girl. Despite all the darkness in the show, 'Happy Valley' is a refreshing departure from the trappings of American crime dramas with all the colours leached out of the landscape, melancholic tone, and characters that tacitly appear to say they would rather be anywhere but here.

In contrast, 'Happy Valley' has a vitality that is rarely seen in the genre. The setting, a stunningly beautiful town called Hebden Bridge surrounded by verdant fields and gently rolling hills, belies a dark underbelly. It is not exactly a shining example of economic prosperity. Here, the prevalent drug trafficking has crippled the working class, and all signs suggest the authorities are not only privy to all the criminal activity, but extremely involved. The police officers, no matter how honest, have to heed their superiors' orders to not delve too deep into this whole thing. And not even the haves are untouched by the impact, as Catherine is painfully well aware.

Royce was a product of that environment. The show, wisely I thought, does not excuse his atrocious actions but does paint a picture of the kind of society that births these monsters. Royce is undoubtedly a vile man who deserves to rot in jail his whole life, but he grew up in a squalid neighbourhood to a druggie, abusive woman, and never knew his father.

No wonder then that he grew up to be an out-and-out psychopath. Norton, with all his beauty, is spookily believable in the role, perfectly embodying the stoic maniac schtick.

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Lancashire plays the role of world-weary, dry-humoured policewoman even better than Winslet. It is an incredible, transfixing performance, bringing out an emotionally damaged woman who still unfailingly keeps up the take-no-prisoners attitude, and tries to keep her family, which has not recovered after Becca's death, together. Catherine feels less like a character invented by a screenwriter, and more like a citizen of Hebden Bridge who one can meet if they happen to visit the place.

In the first scene of the show, Catherine tries to stop a spurned lover from burning himself to death. He says something along the lines of she doesn't understand his pain. She responds with a matter-of-fact tone of a woman who has seen all this and more before, "I'm Catherine by the way. I'm 47, I'm divorced. I live with me sister who's a recovering heroin addict. I've two grown-up children, one dead, one who doesn't speak to me and a grandson, so…"'

'Happy Valley' series 1 is masterfully gripping television. It is available in India on BookMyShow Stream.