When the episode begins, Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) is seen interviewing two prostitutes. One has been attacked by a strange man. During the conversation, Catherine begins to suspect that the attacker is Sean Balmforth (Matthew Lewis). She returns to work afterwards and belittles the other female officers, who blatantly ignored the prostitutes. She returns home and speaks with Clare (Siobhan Finneran) about Ryan’s upcoming birthday and Becky’s suicide. They insist they’ll be able to get through it and agree to put on happy smiles regardless. In the morning, Ryan (Rhys Connah) is allowed to open his presents.
He receives a present from each of his family members, as well as a toy from an unknown individual. A card cannot be found with the strange gift. Next, Andy Shepherd (Vincent Franklin) and Jodie Shackleton (Katherine Kelly) update the team and let them know about Sean. Andy admits they’re going to arrest Sean and he also enlists John’s (Kevin Doyle) help preparing for an upcoming interview with the suspect. Afterwards, Andy speaks to John in private and reveals that John’s phone number was found in Vicky’s phone. John manages to play it off and associates the coincidence to a previous case. Afterwards, Catherine speaks with Ann (Charlie Murphy) and learns that her father, Nevison (George Costigan), is familiar with Sean from work.
The pair is confronted by Mike Taylor (Rick Warden), who congratulates them both for their assistance in the matter. Afterwards, Ryan and Daniel play with Ryan’s new toys, before they rush off to school. Once they’ve left, Clare discovers a note, which has been included with the gift. She doesn’t open it and instead sits it aside. Next, we jump to Daryl Garrs (Robert Emms). Daryl is seen purchasing supplies at a local store, before he is confronted by his bullies. He makes his way to his vehicle, pulls out a hammer and attacks them all. Shafiq (Shane Zaza) and Ann are forced to confront and arrest Daryl for his actions, despite pleas from his sister, Alison (Susan Lynch).
With help from Daryl, Ann manages to find the weapon in Daryl’s vehicle. Meanwhile, Sean is brought into the station and charged with the murders. He goes berserk and insists he is innocent of the crimes. Meanwhile, John watches on and says nothing. Next, Catherine assists in Daryl’s booking process. During the encounter, Daryl insists his bullies are animals and need to be eliminated. Back at home, Catherine learns about the card and demands that Ryan’s new toy be thrown in the garbage, after learning it was from Tommy (James Norton). Next, Sean is interviewed, but he remains silent aside from a written statement from his client.
Afterwards, Clare and Catherine speak about the gift and attempt to figure out precisely who delivered it to their home. Clare insists they should take it to a charity shop, but Catherine decides to take it to work, so they can investigate. She also admits that Tommy is never going to go away. Next, Clare spends time with Neil Ackroyd (Con O’Neill). They watch a new report regarding the arrest of Sean. That night, Neil admits it was Vicky, who harassed him and humiliated him, after an affair with her. He pleads with Clare to keep the relationship a secret and not to tell Catherine. Clare apparently agrees. The next day, Andy updates the team once more and it seems that more and more evidence is being collected again Sean. They decide to speak with him once more.
Catherine takes the toy box to Mike, who agrees to have it analyzed for fingerprints and also insists they’ll speak with the authorities at the prison. At the school, Ryan chats with Frances (Shirley Henderson) about his birthday. He tells her about Catherine throwing the toy in the bin. Jodie confronts John with the DNA evidence, which was found in his van. He continues saying no comment to each of their questions. Afterwards, Catherine meets with Nevison (George Costigan), who admits he wouldn’t be surprised, if Sean was the killer. Meanwhile, Clare attempts to convince Neil to tell the authorities about his relationship with Vicky. He seems convinced that the move would turn out to be a disaster.
At work, Catherine speaks with Steph, who contemplates resigning. Catherine manages to calm her down and convince her to stick around a bit longer. That night at dinner, Ryan brings up the toy and his father, which infuriates Catherine. The next day, John attempts to return home, but finds the locks changed. His wife, Amanda, refuses to let him inside. Next, Alison speaks with her brother and accuses him of drinking and driving. Frances pays a visit to Tommy and tells him about the toy. He continues telling her that she needs to eliminate Catherine. He also tells her they should split, unless she is going to fulfill his desires. At this point, Frances seems more than willing to help remove Catherine from the picture.
Happy Valley Review
The fourth episode of Happy Valley was very intense and began pulling all of the separate story lines together. First, Sean was finally arrested for the murders, while John seems to believe he is inching closer and closer together a clean break. Clare and Catherine seem to have the right idea, as they know it is someone other than Tommy who was responsible for the toy. Also, Neil finally admitted that it was Vicky, who destroyed his normal life and previous marriage.
Finally, James Norton’s acting was tremendous, as he attempted to and potentially succeeded in convincing Frances to dispose of Catherine. Will she be able to succeed and will Sean go down for the murders, which he probably didn’t commit? All in all, an excellent episode, which deserves an 8.5 out of 10. Be sure to catch up with our previous Happy Valley recaps right now!
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
