Hebden Bridge, where this copsoap is set, is a picturesque (like a model village) hilly town prone to flooding in the northeast of England, near Halifax, set in a broad, sweeping valley, of which many admirable broad, sweeping shots are taken throughout this crime drama. Eee bah gum.
The main character is a middle-aged woman police officer who suffers from the 3-series persecution of a nutcase who fathered a heavily-eyebrowed son by her daughter. Adorably, Sarah Lancashire does the turn of her life.
The first two seasons are a very engaging cop-drama with twists, turns and suspense that provide a very satisfying level of entertainment. If you watch them, you ought to find the experience enjoyable.
The third series is extremely drawn out; while there are many moments of acute and perceptive character observation, these are spaced with very slow intervals of hackneyed suspense situations familiar from many cop dramas of the past. It doesn't help that the two main sister characters both appeared in 'Coronation Street'. The whole six-episode thing could have been done in an hour.
Happy Valley is well formulated to keep you watching to the end; and in the end no real harm is done to Sgt. Cawood's spacious, colourful, expensive kitchen - but nor do you see the come-uppance of the murderous non-white pharmacist, whose story is actually more engaging than the main plot that meanders to a banal conclusion.
Series 1 & 2 excellent, series 3 drawn out, dreary, and droopy.
The main character is a middle-aged woman police officer who suffers from the 3-series persecution of a nutcase who fathered a heavily-eyebrowed son by her daughter. Adorably, Sarah Lancashire does the turn of her life.
The first two seasons are a very engaging cop-drama with twists, turns and suspense that provide a very satisfying level of entertainment. If you watch them, you ought to find the experience enjoyable.
The third series is extremely drawn out; while there are many moments of acute and perceptive character observation, these are spaced with very slow intervals of hackneyed suspense situations familiar from many cop dramas of the past. It doesn't help that the two main sister characters both appeared in 'Coronation Street'. The whole six-episode thing could have been done in an hour.
Happy Valley is well formulated to keep you watching to the end; and in the end no real harm is done to Sgt. Cawood's spacious, colourful, expensive kitchen - but nor do you see the come-uppance of the murderous non-white pharmacist, whose story is actually more engaging than the main plot that meanders to a banal conclusion.
Series 1 & 2 excellent, series 3 drawn out, dreary, and droopy.