Did anyone piece this together?

By James Hibbs

Published: Monday, 06 February 2023 at 12:00 am

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Happy Valley season 3.

After almost a decade of waiting, fans have finally seen the tense and thrilling ending to Catherine Cawood’s (Sarah Lancashire) story in Happy Valley. However, it turns out that if they’d been paying attention, they may have been able to piece it together ahead of time.

It’s been noted on Twitter that two major moments from the series’s final instalments had in fact been teased at the start of every episode in season 3, as part of the opening credits.

Not only had Tommy’s (James Norton) getaway bike from his court escape in episode 4 been seen briefly in the opening titles, but his brutal death scene, where he covered himself in petrol and set himself alight, had also been hinted at.

Eagle-eyed viewers may have noticed a quick glimpse of Tommy’s hand reaching out and picking up the petrol can – a moment which out of context may have seemed in conspicuous, but following the finale becomes a crucial tease of things to come.

Of course, its appearance in the series’s opening titles wasn’t the only notable thing about Tommy’s death – it also mirrored a threat made in the very first episode, when Catherine confronted a man threatening to do exactly what Tommy follows through with.

The finale also saw a major moment for Ryan (Rhys Connah) when he decided not to join Tommy and run away to Spain – a choice that actor Rhys Connah told RadioTimes.com was “vital”.

He said: “It’s a big decision. It’s a vital choice because Catherine’s always been worried about Ryan turning into his dad. And for Ryan, making a choice to go with Tommy would essentially be choosing to turn into his dad.

“But the fact that he chose Catherine is what makes his character come full circle. He proves that he isn’t like Tommy, that he isn’t going to be a bad person, and that he can be a good person when a lot of people don’t think he can.”