Happy Valley Page #6

Season #2 Episode #1

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CUT TO:

35 INT. FLATS, LOCAL HOUSING ESTATE. DAY 2. 11.06 35

ANN and JOHN WADSWORTH have been paired up on the house-tohouse.

They’re leaving one flat together and heading for

another.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 27.

JOHN:

How long’ve you been doing the job

then?

ANN:

It’s my first day. You’ve asked me

that three times now.

JOHN’s shocked by his own absent-mindedness, and by ANN’s

bluntness. Before he has time to come back with a smart

response his mobile bleats. He fumbles to pull it from his

pocket then checks the screen. His heart sinks. We can assume

it’s VJ - VICKY - again. He glances apologetically at ANN,

like “Give me a second”.

JOHN:

Hi. Hello.

Cutting as and when with

CUT TO:

36 EXT. OSWALDS DEPARTMENT STORE, HALIFAX. DAY 2. 11.07 36

VICKY’s out the back of the store, making the phone call on

her break.

VICKY:

John?

JOHN:

Can I ring you back? I’m right in

the middle of something. I will

ring you back, can you just give me

a couple o’ minutes?

VICKY:

Yeah well

(she doesn’t want to sound

too desperate or pushy,

but -)

Make sure you do.

JOHN:

I will. I will, I will. Two

minutes. Bye. Bye. Bye bye.

During this brief exchange we clock ANN watching him; she can

tell by the tone of his voice that it’s a very personal call.

JOHN hangs up.

JOHN (CONT’D)

(to ANN, checks his watch)

D’you fancy a cup o’ tea?

CUT TO:

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 28.

37 EXT. LOCAL HOUSING ESTATE. DAY 2. 11.10 37

SHAF and ANN loiter beside the mobile police unit, clutching

styrofoam cups of tea. The DETECTIVE that SHAF’s been paired

with discusses something with the DETECTIVE SERGEANT at the

doorway of the mobile unit. JOHN WADSWORTH (also clutching a

cup of tea) has wandered off over yonder to make his phone

call.

ANN:

I think he’s having an affair.

SHAF:

Probably.

ANN:

His mind’s not on t’job.

SHAF:

(a shrug:
what do you

expect?)

CID. They’re all tossers.

ANN:

How come we don’t like doing house

to house? Us woodentops. Why did

they all groan when she announced

it?

SHAF:

Because. When do they ever come and

help us out with our work load? Eh?

They don’t. They think we’re just

here to support them and we’re not.

They just sit on their fat arses

behind desks all day bending paper

clips.

(ANN’s amused:
she likes

SHAF, and SHAF’s

delighted that he’s

making ANN smile)

S’true! Same rank as us, same pay

as us, we do all the work, they get

all the glory. Just remember - who

caught the Ripper? - two uniforms.

And you’re not a woodentop. By the

way. I’m a woodentop, you’re a

plastic police officer.

ANN:

Oh okay.

We cut to JOHN, who’s just dialed VICKY’s number. It rings.

VICKY:

(v.o.)

Hello.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 29.

JOHN:

Hi. Sorry. It’s wall-to-wall.

Honestly. I’ve not had two minutes

to myself.

Cutting as and when with:

CUT TO:

38 INT. OSWALDS DEPARTMENT STORE, HALIFAX. DAY 2. 11.11 38

VICKY:

Okay.

VICKY’s inside the store now, back at work, and self-

conscious, taking a personal call. She keeps an eye out to

avoid any colleagues or customers.

JOHN:

So. Look.

(this is so awkward. He

doesn’t know how to say

the thing that needs to

be said)

And this isn’t why I haven’t rung.

I just think... this isn’t really

what either of us thought it was

going to be. When it started.

(silence)

Is it.

VICKY’s upset. She knew this was coming. Not that she can

exhibit her upset here.

VICKY:

It could’ve been.

JOHN:

Yeah. But. It isn’t.

VICKY:

I knew something was up.

Silence. Then bravely JOHN ventures

JOHN:

I don’t want to do this any more.

(silence)

Vicky?

VICKY:

I kinda got that. Over the last few

days, I think the penny’s been

dropping.

JOHN:

I’m sorry.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 30.

VICKY:

Yup. Well.

(a moment)

So am I.

JOHN:

Are you okay?

VICKY:

(no)

Mm.

JOHN:

Okay, well

VICKY:

(interrupts)

I’ve still got some of your things.

JOHN:

What things?

VICKY:

Things. Bits that you’ve left. I’ve

got your warrant card. That one you

lost. I found it a few days ago.

Under the bed. D’you want it back?

It spooks him that she has something like that in her

possession.

JOHN:

Yeah. Yeah, if... yeah.

VICKY:

Right well d’you want to come round

and fetch them?

JOHN:

To your flat?

That worries him.

VICKY:

Actually. Perhaps it’d be better if

we met on neutral ground. In a pub.

Somewhere.

That sounds a lot better for JOHN, and he jumps at it.

JOHN:

Yeah. Yeah yeah.

VICKY:

This evening. I’ll be at the Wills

O’Nats up Slaithwaite at eight

o’clock.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 31.

JOHN:

I don’t know if I can do this

evening, it depends what time the

boss lets us g[o]

VICKY:

If you’re not there I shan’t wait.

She hangs up. Despite JOHN’s relief that the most difficult

thing’s been said, he’s disturbed by the fact that she’s got

the I.D. pass, and the subtle, inevitable threat that she

could make life difficult for him if she chose to.

CUT TO:

39 EXT. NGA. CAR PARK. DAY 2. 11.13 39

NEV pulls up in his Bentley. He looks bad-tempered, and like

he hasn’t really got time to be here. He heads into the

reception area and can see SEAN in the board room.

CUT TO:

40 EXT. NGA, RECEPTION AREA. DAY 2. 11.14 40

We follow NEV as he runs up the two flights of stairs and

disappears into the board room on the left.

CUT TO:

40A INT. NGA, BOARDROOM. DAY 2. 11.15 40A

We discover SEAN BALMFORTH (28-years old, overalls). He looks

belligerent.

NEV:

What am I going to do with you,

Sean lad? Eh?

(he examines his feelings

one more time)

I’ve thought about this long and

hard, and the upshot is, I’m sorry,

but I’m going to have to let you

go.

(SEAN says nothing. He

doesn’t trust his own

articulacy. Or lack if

it)

I’ve given you the benefit of the

doubt time and again, and then

this! I’ve just spent the last hour

apologising.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE ONE. GREEN SCRIPT. 32.

SEAN:

It were them that started off being

rude and swearing, not m[e]

NEV:

You damaged their wall, you churned

up their garden with a seven ton

truck, d’you think they’re going to

come out and say thank you? You

know, just a bit of humility when

you’ve done something like that. Is

all that’s required. They’re

ordinary people, they’re nice

people, they just wanted someone to

say sorry.

(silence)

Are you even listening?

(no response. Has SEAN got

problems? If he has,

NEV’s next thought is

that he’s got problems

himself right now without

this)

Pop into accounts and get your P45

off Janice. Go on.

SEAN lingers. He wishes he could say something to NEVISON to

make him change his mind, but he senses it’ll be a waste of

time. He sets off, and at the last minute, thinks to turn

around and say

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