Happy Valley season 3 review: Sarah Lancashire is stronger than ever

Firstly, if you're expecting a slow burning introduction episode, you'll be pleasantly surprised – the premiere is anything but. Like the hurried rate of Sarah Lancashire's speech and her smart quips (which are an incredible and unmissable feat in themselves), the first episode of the anticipated season kicks off at a similar rate, with the discovery of a body at a reservoir.

From the offset, it's as though no time has passed since the last season as we see Sergeant Catherine Cawood (Lancashire) firmly but hilariously tell her PCs off over the phone, and later smirk as she calls senior officers "t***s" after initially ignoring her opinion about the victim's identity.

As the opening credits roll, you can't help but think "she's back", as though our television sets can now breathe a sigh of relief that Catherine is safely at the helm of another season of Happy Valley. Now, she is counting down the days till retirement when she can set off for the Himalayas in her new 4x4 and, in the familiar comfort of a tea and cigarette break with her sister Clare (Siobhan Finneran), she speaks excitedly about what's to come.

She says: “I’m counting the seconds – I mean, don’t get me wrong I’m very proud my 30 years, I’m the best copper that ever lived … I’m just becoming the person I’ve always wanted to be. Don’t take s**t off anyone anymore, I say it like it is, I know who I am finally.”

The anecdote is a drastic turn away from the Sergeant we've all come to know and will surely surprise many. But of course, as comes with the expected sense of finality in this season, Catherine too is ready to hang up her police uniform once and for all.

And a major part of that sense of calm, we learn, is because there's been relative peace on the Cawood front. We understand that the last few years for the Cawood family have “seemed a bit easier somehow” with Ryan having moved school and the family finally moving on from the past.

But the episode is woven through with a sense of doom for the viewer as we quickly learn that, actually, the threat of Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) has not been as far from the Cawood doorstep as they think. In a new prison and with a shocking new look, Royce is as cocky and chilling as ever before. This time round, he's being questioned in conjunction with the body found at the reservoir. While the details of Royce's possible involvement remain a mystery to viewers at this point, the episode allows the cogs in our crime drama brains to be turning right from its first quarter.

In a way, it's what fans expect of Happy Valley. The viewer is often more informed than the characters within the episodes and so, we start off as we mean to go on – knowing certain details before others and waiting for their anticipated emotional responses. We see it with the ongoing Catherine and Royce feud, as too do we see it in the new plot line with pharmacist Faisal Bhatti (Amit Shah). It gives the viewer a sense of omniscience, which only adds an unmistakably endearing note to the series that makes it far too easy to watch.

In a similar way, much of the first episode is a blanket of familiarity: the intimate Cawood household kitchen and the faces around the dinner table, but this time round with some noticeable changes. Daniel (Karl Davies) and Ann (Charlie Murphy) are together, working on their new home renovation and of course, Ryan (Rhys Connah) is a teenager. He's as opinionated and straight-talking as he's been in previous seasons, this time with more of an older male bravado that only seems to visibly worry Catherine more.

Underpinning this episode also is the realisation that the growing drug problem in the valley – that has been present throughout its previous two seasons – is stronger than ever. “Did you tell her we get more people addicted to prescription drugs than we do heroine?” Clare asks Catherine, highlighting the very real plight in this part of the UK.

Part of this means following Joanna Hepworth (Mollie Winnard), a recovering drug addict who is married to Ryan’s football coach Rob (Mark Stanley). Stanley's performance as Rob makes him a clear contender for season 3's villain, rivalling Royce. From the offset, he is the controlling, angry teacher, husband and father who keeps a padlock on the fridge, a detailed meal plan for everyone in the house and doesn’t allow Joanna to answer any of Catherine’s questions after he calls the police about his wife.

Catherine obviously expertly handles the situation, remarking to him simply that she’s “not a taxi service” when he assumes he can ride in her police car.

Although Happy Valley is the kind of gripping drama that shouldn’t typically warrant laughter, Sally Wainwright brilliantly manages to weave in comedic lines – yet again – into scenes. From squeaking toys when pharmacist Faisal Bhatti is trying to figure out what’s going on with Joanna, to Catherine talking about her non-desire to do yoga on account of farting, the first episode is laced through with moments of genuine hilarity that make the one hour go by all too quickly.

Lancashire's multi-pronged performance – as a doting grandmother, a sister, a policewoman, a manager, and even a confidante for coercive controlling relationships – never ceases to amaze. But in this episode, her obligation to protect Ryan and her fierce sense of territory is also absorbed by the viewer in an unmistakable way that will likely be tested throughout the season. We'll just have to ensure we're appropriately strapped in.

Happy Valley season 3 will premiere on New Year's Day at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The first two seasons are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.

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