Happy Valley Page #3

Season #2 Episode #3

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Fifty years old, she works at the

make-up counter at Oswald’s

Department store in Halifax.

According to the landlord. Who owns

the shop. So! Shaf. Can you go see

if she’s in work this morning and

what she knows about what’s

happened? Ann! Go with him. Right,

that’s all folks! Mind how you go.

The OFFICERS pile out of the room, each of them going

“Morning boss” as they head past MIKE. CATHERINE’s the last

one left in the room. MIKE waits for the PCs to disappear up

the stairs before he says anything that could humiliate

CATHERINE.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE THREE. PEACH SCRIPT. 1212.

MIKE:

Chief Super’s coming in to see you.

One thirty this aft, it’ll be in my

office.

(despite the bravado that

she might normally

display, that puts the

wind up CATHERINE. This

is serious. And she’s

looking pale cos she’s

had less than three hours

sleep)

Pillock. Are you all right?

CUT TO:

10 INT. NORLAND ROAD POLICE STATION, MIKE’S OFFICE. DAY 7. 10

13.30

CATHERINE’s with PRAVEEN.

PRAVEEN:

Have you thought about retirement?

CATHERINE:

No. Sir.

PRAVEEN:

Medical retirement.

CATHERINE:

Why? What’s wrong with me?

PRAVEEN:

Eighteen months ago you nearly

died.

CATHERINE:

My wrist aches when the temperature

drops below zero.

(she flexes her right

hand, the one TOMMY

crushed. Then clenches it

into a fist. Her joints

crack, and she flexes it

again)

But other than that.

PRAVEEN:

A thing like that takes its toll

mentally as well as physically,

Catherine. We did go some way down

the medical retirement route last

time

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE THREE. PEACH SCRIPT. 1313.

CATHERINE:

Yeah, and it wasn’t what I wanted

then, and it isn’t what I want now.

Sir.

PRAVEEN:

It would appear to me. That you

have unresolved issues. Which is

why you turned up at that funeral

yesterday, a funeral which - you

and me both know for a thousand and

one reasons - you shouldn’t have

been anywhere near.

(she offers no response)

You were offered counselling. When

you left hospital. Eighteen months

ago.

CATHERINE:

Yes.

PRAVEEN:

Did you go?

CATHERINE:

Yup.

PRAVEEN:

Did you complete the course of

treatment?

(nope. Silence)

Okay. I’m giving you options.

Catherine. Two options. I’d like

you to see the force psychologist.

(CATHERINE reacts. Badly)

I’d like you to complete whatever

course of treatment he suggests.

Or. The alternative, and I do think

it’s something you should consider.

Seriously, you’ve had a long and

distinguished career, you are a

highly respected officer who’s

suffered a major trauma. Why don’t

I have a case conference with HR to

take things forward down the

medical retirement route.

CATHERINE:

You’re not gonna do that to me.

PRAVEEN:

There is no stigma attached. You’d

retire on a full pension, you’d

CATHERINE:

(interrupts)

Yeah, and I’d miss the next three

years’ salary.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE THREE. PEACH SCRIPT. 1414.

PRAVEEN:

Well do you want to think about it?

CATHERINE:

No.

PRAVEEN:

Fine. So you’ll take the first

option.

(she doesn’t reply. It’s

no more attractive than

the second option)

You’ll see the force psychologist,

you’ll remain operational, but this

time you will complete whatever

course of treatment he suggests to

you.

CUT TO:

11 INT. THERAPISTS ROOM. DAY 8. 09.32 11

Back in the present with CATHERINE and the THERAPIST. Et

voila, that’s why we’re here. Under duress. Silence.

Eventually

THERAPIST:

And has Clare managed to stay dry?

During the last two weeks?

CATHERINE:

It’s early days. But yeah. It was

a lapse, it shook her more than

anyone. She’s been at every AA

meeting going since. They do all

sorts, they have a jive class, she

goes with this new boyfriend.

THERAPIST:

What about Daniel?

CATHERINE:

God knows.

THERAPIST:

And Ryan?

CATHERINE:

He can be fine. For weeks. But you

never know when the phone’s gonna

go and it’ll be Mrs. Beresford.

“You’re going to have to come in

and fetch him”.

THERAPIST:

You have a lot on.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE THREE. PEACH SCRIPT. 1515.

CATHERINE:

No more than most people my age. I

suspect.

THERAPIST:

You did something very selfless.

When you took Ryan on. There must

have been times when you’ve

struggled. With it.

CATHERINE:

I don’t dwell on it. I’ve always

focused on the fact that it isn’t

his fault.

THERAPIST:

Tell me about Tommy Lee Royce.

CATHERINE:

What about him?

THERAPIST:

(pause)

What took you to the funeral.

CATHERINE searches for something that won’t sound glib.

CATHERINE:

I have a friend. Who’s scared of

birds. A proper phobia. And one

day. This peacock. Came and sat

just outside her front door. No

idea where it came from. And it

just sat there. For hours. And she

didn’t dare go out, and her husband

was at work, and she said she felt

too stupid to ring anyone. So she

just stared at it. Through the

sitting room window. For two hours.

‘Til it left. And I said why? And

she said, “So I knew where it was”.

(she’s still thinking, and

who knows, maybe she has

touched on something)

Maybe that’s it, maybe that’s all

it was. I just wanted to make sure

I knew where he was. ‘Til he went

back inside.

That sounds convincing enough. And it’s true. It’s part of

the truth, anyway. And whatever, it sounds like something a

therapist would lap up.

THERAPIST:

Going back to the question. Have

you ever contemplated killing

yourself or others. What about him?

Tommy Lee Royce.

HAPPY VALLEY SERIES TWO. EPISODE THREE. PEACH SCRIPT. 1616.

CATHERINE:

My daughter died because of him.

What do you think?

THERAPIST:

Tell me about that.

CATHERINE would still love to grind TOMMY’s severed scrotum

into the dirt. Perhaps more than ever. But she’s not going to

share that thought and risk becoming non-operational.

CATHERINE:

Look. If I’d really wanted to kill

him. I could’ve done. On that

narrow boat, eighteen months since.

I had him on the floor, he was

helpless, I coulda kicked the

stuffing out of him. But I didn’t.

What I actually did was douse him

in foam so he couldn’t set fire to

himself. When it came to it, when

the chips were down, my instinct

was to do the right thing.

THERAPIST:

Do you regret that?

Yes. Big time.

CATHERINE:

(utterly convincing)

No.

CUT TO:

12 INT. NORLAND ROAD POLICE STATION, LOCKER ROOM. DAY 8. 12

10.30

An hour or so later. CATHERINE’s getting her robocop kit on

from her locker. She looks extremely unamused, like she’s

angrily fantasising about what she would like to do to TOMMY

LEE ROYCE. JOYCE appears in the doorway.

JOYCE:

How was it?

(CATHERINE considers going

into the details. But she

really can’t be arsed)

That bad?

CATHERINE:

You can hear yourself talking wank.

It’s dripping off the ceiling and

crawling down the walls, the room’s

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