Sarah Lancashire is one heck of a talented actress. I only recently watched the first series of Happy Valley, and was left an instant fan of her work. Taking on the role of Catherine Cawood, she does an impeccable job of bringing a true sense of realism and relatability to the character. Like any true-to-life personality she has her many flaws, which ground her, leaving her open and wounded. Thankfully that's something that continues on in the second series of Sally Wainwright's multi BAFTA Award-winning show, and she leads the way once more in brilliant fashion.
Credit: BBC
Siobhan Finneran and Karl Davies join her amongst the incredible returnees from the first series whilst the addition of Katherine Kelly is a stroke of brilliance - she's always fantastic no matter where she ends up or who she plays. With Julie Hesmondhalgh also on board it'll be great to see these two former soap stars come into their own in these ambitious and exciting roles. They've done more than starring in Coronation Street since now, but with Wainwright's writing this could be one of the major standouts of their career. Then there's Matthew Lewis, sporting a funky moustache, who's a far cry from the Neville Longbottom we grew to love in the Harry Potter franchise. Here he's someone we're all going to have to keep an eye on...
Murder's quickly in the air, as a body is found of a local woman who's been sexually assaulted and strangled. Soon, viewers discover the identity of the victim, leading to even more questions being raised in the investigation. It's not long before the characters of the first series are brought back together in a strange game of Cluedo where everybody's a suspect and the viewer's left in a different position to the one they were left in at the beginning of the first series. Back then we knew who was guilty - now, we're as clueless as the investigating officers - at least for now.
A stalking sub-plot leaves an odd taste in the mouth - it'll be interesting to see if this is weaved within the show's main story or be left completely separate. At such an early point it's hard to know whether the plotline will be at all necessary but it does show a lot of promise, as does the one bringing Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) back into the fold, with a new, sinister comrade...
How far would you go to protect the ones you love? That's the question the first episode of the new series will leave you with. When you've got a terrible past that you'd like to leave behind, just what would you do to ensure you could move on?
Happy Valley series 2 continues 9pm, Tuesdays on BBC One.
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