'Happy Valley's Penultimate Episode Moves the Chess Pieces into Place

Where do we stand with Happy Valley with one episode left in Season 3, not to mention the series? The main themes and conflicts have been refined down to sharp points. The chess pieces have been shuffled for the climactic finale. Although none of the developments seem improper or inappropriate, this week’s episode still suffers from character and story shifts, feeling like chess moves rather than natural, unprovoked behavior from our ensemble. Still, the imperfections in this episode of reactions and transitions will be swiftly forgotten if next week’s finale blows our socks off.

Last week, Catherine took part in a prank on PC Tekeli (Mete Durson) by getting him to apply for an “Alien Life-Form Liaison Officer” position that the other officers made up. The reason why Catherine, someone who takes nobody’s nonsense, didn’t call out this prank for being a mean-spirited waste of time becomes clear in Episode 5’s opening minutes because the story needed her to – she’s informed that Tekeli has filed a complaint against her for bullying and racist mistreatment.

Catherine’s having none of it, dismissing it with a venom she usually reserves for pieces of sh*t like Rob Hepworth, but it feels misplaced here, as if she’s too highly strung about Tommy Lee Royce’s court appearance to consider workplace mistakes she’s made. When her unit is put in charge of securing the Hepworth crime scene (Rob took the sensible option of reporting Joanna’s body to the police), Catherine acts in a pretty ugly manner to her complainant; we’re yet to see if this commentary on toxic police dynamics has anything to say in a non-clumsy manner.