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Happy Valley - Great UK Crime Drama [1]

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Date: 2023-02-06  

Promotional image from BBC.

First time story writing from me. In general I am more of an observer and commenter on DKOS as it is a US website for US politics and that is not an area where I have any expertise or knowledge to contribute.

But there have been a few discussions recently about the police, and about good TV dramas. I am a retired UK police officer and a lover of good TV, so that is more in my wheelhouse.

Last night I watched the final episode of a British drama called “Happy Valley” and I am writing this Story to recommend it to you. I understand it is available to stream in the US on various platforms.

It comes from a writer called Sally Wainwright, who is simply one of the best screenwriters in the world. She tackles an eclectic mix of topics (her recent “Gentleman Jack” is a dramatisation of the life of the famous 19th century lesbian Anne Lister), but she has a couple of police/crime dramas under her belt.

In general I avoid UK police dramas as they are idiotic, unrealistic nonsense full of explosions, car chases, piles of dead bodies and recycled tropes. However, despite being a professional writer and not former law enforcement, Wainwright does a better job of capturing how UK policing looks, feels and works than pretty much anyone else. I expect she is a master of research.

Happy Valley revolves around an unglamorous, tough middle-aged woman working in a beautiful but troubled rural area in Yorkshire (it’s actually set in the Calder Valley — which is genuinely nicknamed “Happy Valley” by police due to high levels of drug use).

The script does pander to the usual menu of having a lot of “very exciting” things happen in the immediate orbit of one person, and tying her personal life into those crimes directly. But I can forgive this as a device to make the plot more compelling and avoid an overly large cast.

What “Happy Valley” does extremely well is portray the general demeanour and attitude of UK police officers. Defeatist, frustrated, grouchy, phlegmatic, occasionally childish. But basically forces for good. Violence is portrayed in a realistic way (chaotic, random, brief). The real focus of policing is to the fore (domestic violence, organised crime, drugs). All of the characters are flawed, but not with the usual TV tropes. The plot is unpredictable. You don’t get the feeling that you’re watching a retread of the same old “traditional crime drama”.

And best of all is Sarah Lancashire as Sergeant Cawood. To those not familiar, Lancashire is an ex-soap opera star who has matured into a brilliant dramatic actress. Cawood is a frumpy, ballsy grandma in her fifties. Lancashire is a normal looking woman, not ugly, but no model either. Her characterisation of Cawood is entirely about her work, her family connections and her friendships. Happy Valley doesn’t go near any typical Hollywood depictions of women. It passes the Bechdel test by a country mile.

I’ll leave it there, as I don’t want to give any more away. But do yourselves a favour and watch “Happy Valley”. And let me know your views!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/6/2151336/-Happy-Valley-Great-UK-Crime-Drama

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