Happy Valley Page #11

Season #1 Episode #5

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CUT TO:

55 INT. PUB, HEBDEN BRIDGE. DAY 14. 13.00 55

Lunch time. A nice pub. CATHERINE’s met RICHARD for lunch.

We meet them during a lapse in the conversation. They’ve got

drinks, the food hasn’t arrived yet.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 54.

RICHARD:

It’s nice to see you.

CATHERINE’s quiet. And she looks a bit dishevelled, like

she’s not overly bothered about what she looks like.

CATHERINE:

Thank you for helping Clare. With

Ryan. When I was in hospital.

RICHARD nods thoughtfully. He even looks close to smiling.

RICHARD:

He’s all right.

CATHERINE takes a moment to consider whether to bother saying

the next thing or not.

CATHERINE:

I can’t stand him.

RICHARD:

Sorry?

CATHERINE:

I can’t stand him.

RICHARD:

(carefully)

What y’talking about?

CATHERINE:

Ryan. I can’t stand looking at him.

RICHARD:

What’re - why’re you saying that?

CATHERINE:

I understand. I get it. I get what

it was. I get why you couldn’t live

in the same house. I get it. I get

it. Believe me, I get it.

RICHARD:

You can’t -

(a whisper, this is

dreadful)

You can’t say that.

CATHERINE:

Can’t I? Why?

RICHARD:

Because you made the choice.

CATHERINE:

Why didn’t I listen to you?

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 55.

RICHARD:

You can’t say that Catherine.

CATHERINE:

D’you want him?

RICHARD:

No.

(silence)

I mean I would, but you can’t just -

you don’t mean this.

CATHERINE:

The times. I’ve had to sit. And

listen. To the stupid, mindless,

idiotic things he’s done at that

school. Daniel was never like that!

Becky was never like that! Where

does he get it from? Hm?

(RICHARD doesn’t respond)

It’s not rocket science.

RICHARD:

Yeah, and it’s still not his fault.

Either. Is it. Like you told me.

(a moment)

I thought you said he’s dyslexic.

CATHERINE:

He’s daft.

RICHARD:

Catherine. If he’s dyslexic he will

get angry and frustrated. It

doesn’t mean he’s

(he hesitates, then

whispers - )

Like his dad.

CATHERINE:

But

RICHARD:

What? But what?

She still hates saying it, even when she’s angry with him and

it should (in theory) be easier.

CATHERINE:

He’s bound to be. At some level.

He’s just bound to be. Isn’t he?

RICHARD:

Tommy Lee Royce - I don’t even

think he is a psychopath, not a

real one. I think.

(MORE)

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 56.

RICHARD (CONT'D)

He’s this little twisted thing who

grew up - unloved, more than

unloved, despised probably, treated

like... dirt on a daily basis - in

squalor and chaos. Ryan is loved.

Cared for. He has not grown up in

either squalor or chaos. Thanks to

you. There’s a massive massive

difference, and yeah - part of him

will always inevitably be Tommy Lee

bloody Royce - but part of him will

always be Becky. And a bigger part

of him will be you. And Clare.

Because you’re the people who’ve

had most influence on him! And I

understand it’s tough from time to

time. But... kids are a nightmare,

all kids, any kid, they all have

their moments. You know this!

Blimey! Becky, she used to drive us

up the flaming [walls] - !

CATHERINE:

Don’t.

(seriously, she means it;

don’t say anything bad

about BECKY. Silence.

Eventually - )

It’s kind of interesting. To hear

you defending him.

RICHARD:

(reluctantly)

Daniel rang me. Last night. Clare’d

rung him, she was worried. About

you. That’s [why] - that’s why I

asked you out.

(CATHERINE nods:
she kind

of knew something like

that’d gone on)

What’re you doing for your birthday

next week?

CATHERINE:

Same as I do every year. Nothing.

RICHARD:

That’s not true, we used to do [all

sorts of]

She interrupts, she’s dismissive, he so doesn’t understand

her

CATHERINE:

Why am I even here?

RICHARD:

Sorry?

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 57.

CATHERINE:

For the last eight years I have not

celebrated my birthday. Course you

wouldn’t know that because you

divorced me. Ever since Becky died,

do you know how - you must, she was

your daughter too, but maybe it’s

different for men, I’ve got no idea

-but do you not know how perverse

it is? That people think you want

to celebrate your own existence,

when you’ve got a child who’s dead?

No offence, but I carried her. For

nine months. In here. Her flesh was

my flesh, and she’s dead, part of

me is dead. Physically. Dead. I

thought I’d come to terms with it,

but I haven’t, I never will, and

why the hell Clare’s got this

obsession with celebrating my

birthday, I [do not know] -

RICHARD:

Catherine, it’s not an obsession,

she’s just trying to focus on it to

-

CATHERINE:

Cheer me up!

A moment. That was a bit mad. Shouting in a pub. Well, not

shouting, but a bit loud. Silence.

RICHARD:

People are trying to help you. ‘Cos

they love you. And at the moment it

feels like they’re hitting a brick

wall.

A WAITRESS comes and puts plates of nosh down in front of

them. RICHARD murmurs “thanks”. CATHERINE realises how not

hungry she is when she sees the food. A long pause, and then

eventually

CATHERINE:

(she’s gone quiet again)

I have to go.

RICHARD:

We just... got food.

CATHERINE:

I don’t want you to ring me up any

more. We should never’ve got back

into bed together, it was stupid.

She gets a couple of tenners out and drops them on the table.

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 58.

RICHARD:

You don’t have to do that.

(she leaves. In a kind of

measured way, so it

doesn’t look like she’s

walking out, even though

that’s exactly what she’s

doing)

Catherine.

(he doesn’t want to raise

his voice)

Catherine.

But she’s gone.

CUT TO:

56 EXT. MOORLAND. DAY 14. 13.10 56

CATHERINE sits alone. The moorland, the sky. She has tears

streaming down her face. She’s not blubbering, she’s not

giving into the tears, she’s just not stopping them. She’s in

that place (mental place) where you just have to be on your

own, because you’re so sorrowful you just can’t inflict it on

other people. And maybe only when she’s this alone can she

still feel close to BECKY (on her own terms, without the

panic attacks). Just then CATHERINE feels her phone buzzing

in her pocket. She gets it out and checks the screen. A

number she doesn’t recognise. The usual toss-up about whether

to bother answering or not.

CATHERINE:

Hello?

VOICE:

Catherine? It’s Phil. Crabtree.

CATHERINE:

Oh hello.

PHIL:

How are you?

CATHERINE:

Fine. I’m fine.

Liar. But so what.

PHIL:

I wondered if you wanted to be

brought up to speed. With where

we’re at. I think you might find it

interesting.

CUT TO:

HAPPY VALLEY. EPISODE FIVE. BY SALLY WAINWRIGHT. 59.

57 INT. CAFE, SOWERBY BRIDGE. DAY 14. 13.30 57

CATHERINE’s with PHIL in a very ordinary little cafe, sipping

mugs of tea. They’ve got the pleasantries over, so

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