Happy Valley has come to a dramatic, heartbreaking, and bittersweet end – so who’s going to answer all our unanswered questions after the final episode?!
Series 3 of the excellent BBC One drama ended on Sunday (February 5, 2023) and saw Catherine and Tommy finally come face to face.
The final ever episode was the near-perfect finale to a series we’ve loved since it started in 2014.
But it didn’t tie up all the loose ends.
Here are all the unanswered questions we still have after watching the Happy Valley series 3 finale.
***Warning: spoilers from Happy Valley episode 6 ahead***
Happy Valley final episode questions – where were half the cast?
The final ever episode of Happy Valley was as good as we’d hoped.
Obviously we were devastated to say goodbye to some of the best characters on TV this decade.
But it was the right ending – with Tommy Lee Royce dead, and Catherine Cawood facing a Tommy-free retirement with her sister Clare and grandson Ryan by her side.
It was as dramatic as (just over) an hour gets.
But there were some notable absences…
Where on earth was Sarah’s ex-husband Richard, and son Daniel?
They did not feature in the final episode at all.
Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy) was also missing.
The character was kidnapped and raped by Tommy Lee Royce in the first series of Happy Valley, and went on to become a policewoman.
She was a crucial character in all three series of the drama, and delivered a blistering attack on Ryan in episode 5.
Some viewers might have been expecting a scene with all the important characters celebrating Catherine’s retirement but, then, that’s not really how Happy Valley worked, was it?
Why did Darius cancel his meeting with Richard?
In episode 5, Catherine’s ex-husband Richard thought his career had reached a pinnacle when corrupt ‘businessman’ Darius Knezevic agreed to an interview.
In fact, he was so excited about the meeting, he even left his son alone and in danger (with his drunk wife) in order to make the meeting.
However, Darius didn’t show up, which we thought meant something – but actually it didn’t.
In fact, there was no mention of this whole side-plot in the final episode.
Darius and Richard were both largely forgotten.
We know the finale was all about the showdown between Catherine and Tommy.
But then why even include the storyline about Richard investigating the Knezevic brothers in the first place?
Happy Valley final episode questions: Did Nev and Catherine ever go on a date?
Some viewers might remember a small, seemingly insignificant scene between Neville Gallagher and Catherine Cawood this series.
Ann’s dad Nev was a self-made millionaire, and a widower after his wife died of cancer.
In a previous episode, Nev tried to ask Catherine out on a date.
In series 3, episode 1 – at Ryan’s 16th birthday meal – the extended family came together.
Nev (George Costigan) was dropping unsubtle hints about grandchildren, and then went on to ask Catherine out on a date.
We’d love to see our Cath looked after in her older years…
But did they actually ever go on a date?
Will Catherine get to the Himalayas?
In the last ever episode of Happy Valley, Catherine retired after 30 years as a copper.
Viewers know that she planned to “drive to the Himalayas” in her new SUV.
But would she really leave her grandson Ryan, the only connection she has left with her dead daughter?
The final episode revealed – via a text from boss Mike Taylor – that she was headed to the Highlands.
So has she decided to have adventures closer to home, or planning her trip the long way round?
We’d easily watch a spin-off series of Catherine driving around the world – like a super-sweary travel show.
Happy Valley final episode questions: Why did Rob Hepworth’s daughter always wear a coat?
Teacher Rob Hepworth finally got what was coming to him in the Happy Valley season 3 finale.
Although he didn’t kill his wife Joanna, he did get arrested for having indecent images on his phone.
Like many viewers suspected, he was a vile groomer.
In previous episodes, viewers saw how he virtually ignored his own daughters Florence and Poppy.
And a few scenes drew attention to the fact that Rob’s youngest daughter never took her coat off…
Our worst fears were that Rob was hurting her too – after all, mum Joanna had bruises all up her arm.
So why was the little girl refusing to take off her coat?
We never found out.
What did Tommy really do to Becky?
In the finale of Happy Valley series 3, Catherine and Tommy had an epic showdown in which he poured petrol over himself and set himself ablaze.
During a very fraught conversation, Tommy told Catherine that he loved her daughter Becky, and that she was the only person who ever made him feel “normal”.
However, Catherine spat back that he had “reduced Becky to nothing with your endless threats”.
We also saw Tommy crying while looking at pictures of Becky, proving that he may have actually loved her in his own sick, twisted way.
Viewers know that Becky took her own life after having Tommy’s child, Ryan.
Catherine always believed that Tommy raped Becky, although Tommy – and Becky’s brother Daniel – believed they did have a proper relationship, too.
Earlier in series 3, Catherine told Neil that what Tommy did to her daughter Becky was “worse than you will ever know”.
She revealed: “Only Daniel and I know the real truth of what Tommy did to Becky.”
She had previously hinted that Tommy’s behaviour towards Becky was abhorrent, but what did he actually do?
Some viewers have demanded a prequel to delve into the story of Becky and Tommy.
Sally Wainwright, are you listening?
Read more: BBC unveils Happy Valley replacement The Gold as viewers share unexpected reaction
Happy Valley seasons 1 to 3 are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
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