How will Happy Valley end? All the fan theories
Happy Valley's final season has gripped the nation since it launched on New Year's Day, and on Sunday fans will finally discover what becomes of Catherine Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce.
With multiple endings reportedly filmed to keep any twists under wraps, viewers can't wait to find out what writer Sally Wainwright has been keeping for the explosive finale since the series first launched in 2014.
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Fans have been speculating about what could possibly happen in the 70-minute special, with one person pointing out on Twitter that there is a lot to get through: "Stressed. Things that need tying up in Ep6: Catherine & TLR, Ryan & TLR, Ivan’s marriage (lol), Clare & Catherine’s relationship, Faisal & Jo, Rob & Jo, Alison & Landy, Himalayas, Poppy’s coat, Retirement party, Konezivic’s, Richard & Darius, Ann’s breakdown, Aliens."
If you’re going to work thinking you’ve got a busy week… At least you haven’t got to find organised crime gangster Darius Knezevic, get triple murderer Tommy Lee Royce back behind bars and solve the murder of Joanna Hepworth before you retire on THURSDAY #HappyValley pic.twitter.com/Ilgggqk6PL
— Paul Stanworth (@paulstanworth) January 30, 2023
It's quite a list - and another fan added: "There is a lot to cover in the last episode of #HappyValley next week. • Will Tommy Lee Royce get caught? • Will the pharmacist get caught? • Will the drug lord get taken down? • Why are Neil and Clare both so simple? • Why does Catherine use that ringtone?"
Meanwhile, celeb fan Dan Walker is convinced he's got it figured out: "Ryan is playing Tommy & stitches him up at the last minute, Catherine & Ann whack him over the head with a big stick, Tommy is back in jail, Dodgy pharmacist gets caught, Rob changes his ways, Catherine forgives Claire & drives off in her Land Rover #NeverGoingToHappen #HappyValley"
These are the loose ends every Happy Valley fan wants to see tied up come Sunday.
Will Tommy Lee Royce kill Catherine Cawood?
He's been threatening to do it throughout the entire show, he almost managed it in season one, and he's told Darius Knezevic that it's more important to him than escaping to Malaga...could Tommy (James Norton) actually kill Catherine (Sarah Lancashire)?
It'd certainly be an unpopular ending for her many fans, but it's a definite possibility, especially given sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran) and her partner Neil (Conn O'Neill) are such liabilities.
There's also the danger of ex-husband Richard (Derek Riddell) playing it risky by trying to interview Darius, providing a direct link back to where she is hiding out.
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One fan wondered: "Sarah Lancashire has stayed out of the press etc… makes me worried that Catherine dies? I want a happy ending for Catherine and Grandson x"
Someone else commented: "Tommy is so certain on his revenge against Catherine I think it’s a certain outcome in the finale"
Another fan predicted: "The showdown between Catherine and Tommy next week is going to be the best thing to ever grace tv screens Sarah Lancashire and James Norton are coming for BAFTAs"
Will Tommy Lee Royce kill anyone else?
Let's not forget that Tommy has murdered without a second thought in the past, and tried his best to kill off abductee Ann Gallagher (Charlie Murphy) who went on to become a detective and Catherine's daughter-in-law after her escape.
One viewer speculated: "70 minutes for #HappyValley next week, was hoping for a 120 mins feature length, as for Tommy going after Catherine, she isn't the only "policewoman" he may have a grudge against.."
Someone else agreed: "I think he might be talking about Ann not Catherine because if Ann hadn’t managed to escape from him and get her out in the first place Catherine would have died in the first series. She got away from him and thwarted his plans so I think it might be Ann."
Could anyone kill Tommy Lee Royce?
Many fans feel the finale is hurtling towards either Catherine or Tommy (or possibly both) not surviving.
Apart from Catherine, Ann and the Knezevics, who else might kill Tommy? His son Ryan (Rhys Connah), predict many fans who think the teen could be forced to take action.
One fan tweeted: "Prediction: Ryan shoots Tommy in order to protect Catherine"
Someone else wrote: "Tommy will die, it's the only way to close the show imo. But it doesn't mean Catherine staying alive, she may sacrifice herself for the safe future of her family. But also Ann could save her paying her debt for saving her life before, or Ryan after choosing the right side."
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Another viewer shared: "I think Ryan will kill his father, only for Catherine to go down for it. Throughout #HappyValley, there has always been the question of how much Ryan is like Tommy. Would definitely be a satisfying ending to one of the best shows on TV."
Wondering if Darius was really Tommy's ally, one fan wrote: "Something about the way Darius warned Tommy off killing Catherine. If he ignores him and tries it could Darius be the one to bump Tommy off a la the concrete underpants?"
Will Ryan do the right thing?
Many characters (and viewers) have struggled to understand how Ryan could possibly visit Tommy in prison, and at the end of episode five he was seen chatting with the escaped convict via games consoles.
Ryan is feeling unloved and unwanted by his family - but will he show Catherine that he's nothing like his father after all?
One viewer worried: "ARGH! So Tommy told Ryan he loved him. But Catherine didn't. When Ryan said he loved her, she just said: "What's brought that on?" So he's going to go with Tommy."
Someone else asked: "Do we think that Ryan will have to choose (kill) between Catherine and Tommy in the last episode?"
Others had faith in Ryan, with one person tweeting: "When Ryan has to choose between Catherine & Tommy it’s Anne’s rant that’ll save Catherine. Ryan needed to hear that"
Someone else agreed: "I've got faith in Ryan - he's got a connection with Daniel now, clearly, and he loves his granny. Ann was harsh and cruel, but she wasn't wrong. They've been tiptoeing around TLR with Ryan and it didn't help anything. Ohhhh, roll on next Sunday."
Who will Joanna Hepworth's murder be pinned on?
There's also the side storyline of Ryan's PE teacher Mr Hepworth being framed for the murder of his wife Joanna, who he had been abusing but didn't actually kill.
Viewers know the real murder was dodgy pharmacist Faisal Bhatti who had been supplying her with prescription drugs and was in trouble with the Knezevics for treading on their toes.
One viewer tweeted: "The thing that gets me is, that PE teacher really didn't do it but who's gonna believe him, even I don't believe him and I saw the pharmacist in the kitchen with the rolling pin myself"
Others have picked up on his silent young daughter who many have commented never takes her coat off: "Anyone else think somethings gonna come out about Robs daughter? Not seen her without her coat off all series. Same bruises as Joanna maybe?"
Will Catherine ever get a happy ending?
At the start of season three, Catherine spoke about the number of police who die within five years of retiring, and how she plans to drive her Landrover to the Himalayas instead.
Catherine keeps reminding us she's due to retire on Thursday - but will she ever make it to the leaving drinks that her colleagues can't quite decide on arranging?
And will she and Clare ever repair their once rock-solid sisterly relationship?
One fan tweeted their perfect ending: "I hope in the last episode of #HappyValley, Claire goes out for a while and when she comes back she throws Tommy Lee Royce's severed head down on the kitchen table in front of Catherine, who apologises, then they go on that holiday to Spain. There, all fixed."
Someone else wrote: "After that episode all I can do is continue weeping and hope that everyone lives to see Catherine drive off in her landy to the Himalayas"
Whatever the ending that Wainwright and co have in store for us, one fan summed up the mood by tweeting: "Genuinely bewildered by the fact that we're all meant to just carry on with our normal lives while we're waiting for next Sunday and the last episode of the masterpiece that is #HappyValley. It baffles me. There should be public holidays and compulsory group discussions."
Happy Valley concludes on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.