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Happy Valley [BBC 1] [** Spoilers **]

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    #62
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    ^ The drugs issue seems to be ongoing though, so I suppose there's scope for story there but, again, would it run the risk of becoming a straight forward police procedural then?


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    #63
    Basq
    Registered Users Posts: 43,777 ✭✭✭✭Basq


    Excellent series although the final episode all felt a bit predictable unfortunately.. still very good though!


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    #64
    Ruu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,622 ✭✭✭Ruu


    Great series, just caught the last episode. Wouldn't see much point to a second,
    some closure in the final scene where Catherine was looking over the valley and looks like weight was lifted along with making up with her son


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    #65
    Fiolina
    Registered Users Posts: 623 ✭✭✭Fiolina


    I'm raging, I forgot to record this last night. Does anyone know where I'd pick it up please. I have UPC. Thanks :(


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    #66
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    Basq wrote: »
    Excellent series although the final episode all felt a bit predictable unfortunately.. still very good though!

    You know, I wasn't entirely sure up until the end that it wasn't going to have a horrible gruesome ending. So while the happy-ish ending may have been a tiny bit predictable I was glad of it. :)

    I loved how the first 3/4 episodes were full of drama with the kidnapping and then the last few dialed that right down but were heavy with emotional drama. I thought the scene with Catherine and her son in the kitchen at her party was one of the best scenes of the whole series. It turned our perception of her as a character, of the whole story line, on it's head. I loved as well how flawed she was as a character. She was brave and strong but she was far from perfect and that's far more appealing to me, as a woman, than seeing some perfect career woman who has all her s**t together and busts balls in a man's world, the kind of horribly written female characters that are supposed to pass for modern women that you see so much of on TV these days.


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    #67
    Butterface
    Registered Users Posts: 731 ✭✭✭Butterface


    I finished it earlier and I only watched it because of the rave reviews from this thread.. well I'm glad I did!

    Even though Catherine did seem to have come to terms with some of her baggage, I still think there's more stories to be told in the valley.

    The fact that her daughter seemed to be involved with drugs, and her interest in where the drugs come from could see her pursue that further. So she still has that personal interest, if less immediate then before.
    Although, as a regular bobby maybe she would have to be promoted to detective again in order to get involved indepth.


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    #68
    _Whimsical_
    Registered Users Posts: 7,955 ✭✭✭_Whimsical_


    Another great episode. They brought resolution but it was measured, not the "ding dong the witch is dead" where everything's suddenly fantastic sort.
    I think there was tension right up to the end too, I didn't find it predictable,
    when Tommy poured the petrol I screamed like Ryan
    .

    I think there is scope for another series there. The drugs issue definitely has some miles to go. I think Ryan's story and the next chapter of his life is probably just beginning after that awful experience too. I could see a second series that might focus on drug dealing in the area while at the same time have Catherine have a lot on her hands at home with keeping Ryan on the straight and narrow. There's a lot of complex emotional stuff to tease out in that dynamic yet.
    I can't imagine anything having the tension or the resonance this series has had though.


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    #69
    Dickerty
    Registered Users Posts: 7,872 ✭✭✭Dickerty


    Agree with most of what's on here! Hard to say if a second series would be as impactful, but I think they could make it work.

    Most emotional part of the series for me was Ryan, asking her whether she thought he could play football with his Grandad, while holding back the tears! In the midst of all the chaos, there is an 8 year old boy who doesn't understand why he's different... :(


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    #70
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    Dickerty wrote: »
    Most emotional part of the series for me was Ryan, asking her whether she thought he could play football with his Grandad, while holding back the tears! In the midst of all the chaos, there is an 8 year old boy who doesn't understand why he's different... :(

    I think that's why it worked so well. The stuff at home was as compelling as the police stuff. If it had just been about a women whose family fell apart after her daughter killed herself it would probably have been just as good to watch.


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    #71
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 15,814 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Recorded this when it was on and sat down this afternoon to watch episode one only to find that the piece of crap UPC Horizon box had recorded it sans audio. Tried episode two to find it was in 4:3 so ended up downloading them. On episode two and really liking it. It's dark, very dark but there's a light touch that helps ensure that it's never overtly grim.

    It reminds me of Midsummer Murders only with a hint of wit and a nice streak of pitch black humor.


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    #72
    somesoldiers
    Registered Users Posts: 13,845 ✭✭✭✭somesoldiers


    UPC has become totally unreliable, I series linked Form There to Here and first episode only recorded 10 minutes. Had to watch it on the bbc player. You only have to look at the UPC formum to see tis is rife and they are doing nothing about it. Drop the free wifi, the ability to watch on my iPad, use my iPad as remote and all that waffle and just fix the basics


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    #73
    Ruu
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,622 ✭✭✭Ruu


    Saw an ad for a new series on ITV called Grantchester where James Norton plays a mystery solving, priest! Too soon for me! :)


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    #74
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    somesoldiers wrote: »
    UPC has become totally unreliable, I series linked Form There to Here and first episode only recorded 10 minutes. Had to watch it on the bbc player. You only have to look at the UPC formum to see tis is rife and they are doing nothing about it. Drop the free wifi, the ability to watch on my iPad, use my iPad as remote and all that waffle and just fix the basics

    Their online customer care is pretty good. I've got them to fix stuff through twitter a few times now and it's so much easier and faster than trying to phone them. The only problem is that I seem to need them so much.


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    #75
    somesoldiers
    Registered Users Posts: 13,845 ✭✭✭✭somesoldiers


    TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »
    Their online customer care is pretty good. I've got them to fix stuff through twitter a few times now and it's so much easier and faster than trying to phone them. The only problem is that I seem to need them so much.

    Did you have any incomplete or missing recordings? Any that were there and subsequently got deleted, multiple versions of the same episode on series link? And did they fix these?


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    #76
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 15,814 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Finished up episode 4 and would go so far as to say that Happy Valley is the best new show of the past year. Really is just great stuff and what really separates it from most is just ho well written and interesting the home life is. Generally when shows attempt to do something behind the scenes it's just bland and boring but here you really start to care about them. The scene where Ryan asks is Richard his granddad was heart breaking, it was a brilliantly played scene that packed more emotion than a dozen scenes of brutal violence ever could.

    Even the violence here never feels exploitative, the show doesn't revel in it and instead presents it as the nasty, vile thing it is. The final scene in episode 4 is hard to watch and far more powerful as a result. With two episodes left I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out and could happily watch a dozen more though realise that this may not be the type of show that needs more than a single series.


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    #77
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 15,814 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Finished up the series and I have to say that it really is amongst the best drama of the past decade. It's good enough that it can be held up against shows such as The Wire, OZ, etc. It's just a superb piece of television with one of the finest performances that I have ever seen.

    Sally Wainwright has a talent for crafting characters who are so much more that you'd ever expect. She draws us into their lives and makes us genuinely care for them and in Happy Valley she succeeds in doing something that many have tried and most have failed at. She makes her characters home lives every bit as gripping and emotional as their work, if not more so. Catherine is one of TV's strongest female character yet she's deeply flawed and complex that you could spend a day trying to get to know the real her. It's just flawless writing coupled with an exceptional performance.

    Even the villains are more than simple caricatures, they're layered and human and each has a carefully constructed back-story. The character of Tommy, who is largely off screen is one we know inside out before we spend so much as 5 minutes with him. That we know what he is capable of makes the whole kidnapping and subsequent rape scene so much more gripping. Even Ashley is more than just a simply smarmy ass, he's a nasty piece of work but he's also incredibly humane, though after someone told me that actor is Alun Armstrongs' son, all I could see when he's on screen is his father in New Tricks.

    Anyone on the fence about Happy Valley really should get stuck into it, it's a complex and thrilling show that features brilliant writing and some award worthy performances. It' the kind of show that you can't wait to see the next episode and uses violence the way it should be. It's not there to titillate but rather it's presented for the nasty, vile and evil thing that it is.


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    #78
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Catherine is one of TV's strongest female character yet she's deeply flawed and complex that you could spend a day trying to get to know the real her. It's just flawless writing coupled with an exceptional performance.

    This is one of the things I loved about it. Not to launch into a rant about how poorly women are represented on TV but it's a fact. As a women myself I'm so sick of women either being the stay at home wife/mum who are nothing more than a plot point, at best, to the male lead. Or, the alternative, a ball busting career woman who has no personal life because she's married to her career, who serves as a plot point to the male lead.

    Catherine was a realistic representation of a woman. Smart, capable, funny, caring, stubborn, angry, hurtful, selfish etc. etc. etc. Basically she was painted as being a fully fleshed out human being which is so rare on TV and it's not until you see a character like this that you actually realise how rare it is.
    It' the kind of show that you can't wait to see the next episode and uses violence the way it should be. It's not there to titillate but rather it's presented for the nasty, vile and evil thing that it is.

    I was really annoyed at all the people complaining about the depiction of violence towards women and ranting about it under the feminist umbrella. As you say it was never used as a cheap stunt, it wasn't there just to make it a bit gritty, it was never presented in any other way than being the horrible thing it was. The sad fact of the matter is that this kind of violence against women happens all the time, on a daily basis, if a show can present that in a realistic and sensitive way then it should be applauded. You can't bury your head in the sand about things like that. And it wasn't even like they showed that much. A lot of it was implied.


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    #79
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    This is the best drama I have watched in years,always dismissed Sarah Lancashire before, but wow, can she act! Ordered the DVD,great one for the collection!


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    #80
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,989 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    Just finished this - show title was a big lie! :D

    Seriously excellent TV. I watched all of 'Broadchurch' recently, which I've seen this compared to, and this is far better. The ending is neat (so forced twist) and the emotional arc is much stronger.

    Catherine was excellently done - so rounded. The sort of edges that US networks wouldn't touch, especially with some of the ways in which she treated her own family. And Sarah Lancashire... wow - I want the TV Awards recast now just so she wins. Superb acting.

    I'm also though on the "no season two" side. Obviously there's a lot of story scope for a second season but not with the same emotional bond. There is routes they could take - her sister relapsing, her ex- getting too involved investigating the goings on but it wouldn't be as smart as with Ryan because he divided her whole family.

    Must watch out for these gems - boards was the only way I knew of this.


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    #81
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 15,814 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I think that the problem with a second series is that it could be rather forced. The beauty of the show was the manner in which all these elements and characters so effortlessly came into play. Subtle things like the way it implied that Sarah's sister and Tommy's mother knew one another,r and how it was through that relationship that Tommy found out about his son.


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    #82
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    2nd Series Confirmed.

    http://www.cultbox.co.uk/news/headlines/happy-valley-series-2


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    #83
    Mycroft H
    Registered Users Posts: 9,316 ✭✭✭Mycroft H


    Just binged the first series. Easily the best series this year, powerful stuff.

    Hooked by the sinister dark plot by episode one.


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    #84
    Ludikrus
    Registered Users Posts: 468 ✭✭Ludikrus


    _Whimsical_ wrote: »
    I agree, I'm afraid I don't really like crime dramas as a genre, I'd be delighted if it was just home stuff.Sarah Lancashire is such a great actress too,she puts,199% in. The writer also wrote Last Tango in Halifax, which despite having the most groan inducingly twee premise, ended up being absolutely fantastic and completely avoided the sickly sweet potholes it should've been littered with. It's all "home stuff".
    It's on Netflix if you ever fancy a watch.:)

    I had a look on Netflix for Happy Valley but it's not there. I was sure someone on the radio said it was available. Anyone know where I might get it?


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    #85
    sweetie
    Registered Users Posts: 9,791 ✭✭✭sweetie


    Ludikrus wrote:
    I had a look on Netflix for Happy Valley but it's not there. I was sure someone on the radio said it was available. Anyone know where I might get it?


    US flix I'm afraid


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    #86
    brian_t
    Registered Users Posts: 6,663 ✭✭✭brian_t


    Happy Valley is starting on RTÉ One on Thursday 26th March at 10:15 pm


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    #87
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,849 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    brian_t wrote: »
    Happy Valley is starting on RTÉ One on Thursday 26th March at 20:15 pm

    After the crushing disappointment that was Series 2 of Broadchurch, I'm very much in two minds about watching this......


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    #88
    TICKLE_ME_ELMO
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 23,926 Mod ✭✭✭✭TICKLE_ME_ELMO


    HeidiHeidi wrote: »
    After the crushing disappointment that was Series 2 of Broadchurch, I'm very much in two minds about watching this......

    I assume it's the first series that RTÉ are showing so why you're in two minds about that I don't know. It was the best thing on TV last year.


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    #89
    HeidiHeidi
    Registered Users Posts: 28,849 ✭✭✭✭HeidiHeidi


    TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »
    I assume it's the first series that RTÉ are showing so why you're in two minds about that I don't know. It was the best thing on TV last year.
    Well if it is, then apologies for my incorrect assumption!

    When Series 1 ended there was lots of speculation about a second series, I just presumed that's what the poster was flagging.

    I agree 100% that it was one of the best things on the telly last year.


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    #90
    maudgonner
    Registered Users Posts: 5,455 ✭✭✭maudgonner


    brian_t wrote: »
    Happy Valley is starting on RTÉ One on Thursday 26th March at 20:15 pm

    Wow, that's pretty graphic violence and adult content for a pre-watershed timeslot! Brilliant series though, can't wait for S2.


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    #91
    Skid X
    Registered Users Posts: 21,444 ✭✭✭✭Skid X


    brian_t wrote: »
    Happy Valley is starting on RTÉ One on Thursday 26th March at 20:15 pm

    Good to see RTE picking this up.

    I wonder is it starting at 10.15pm rather than 8.15pm? That would be pre-watershed (and clashing with the Soaps on RTE1)


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