*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Happy Valley season 3 episode 6*
Fans of Happy Valley have had to be patient for the past seven years in order to learn the resolution to the long-standing conflict between Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) and Tommy (James Norton).
Although the previous season of Sally Wainwright’s drama came to an end in 2016, the very last episode has now aired, and it was as ‘extraordinary’ as Neil Ackroyd actor Con O’Neill promised.
The tension-filled episode lasted for a staggering seventy minutes, and it was packed with drama. Tommy was still on the run, Ryan wasn’t sure if he would follow his father to Spain, and Catherine was terrified for her safety.
But how did events unfold in the Calder Valley? This is a rundown of the incredible events that transpired in the series finale of Happy Valley.
What happened at the end of Happy Valley season 3 episode 6?
Ryan does the right thing
Ryan told Tommy all he knew about his plans, including handing up his gaming system after their talk.
He informed the police and his grandmother of Tommy’s plans to go to Spain, assuring Catherine that he had never contemplated joining him.
Breaking down, Catherine tells her sister that Ryan is a “well-adjusted” typical adolescent boy after finally realising that he is nothing like his father.
Clare mends bridges with Catherine
Ryan, the episode’s hero, has a mature conversation with Catherine and asks her not to fight Clare for him.
He tells her that when he was a baby and everyone abandoned him, including his grandpa and uncle, it was only Clare who stayed and supported Catherine.
Catherine, seemingly taking his advise to heart, opens up to Clare over Nev’s table and offers to remain for dinner, which is a major thing for the no-nonsense officer.
Clare rushes to Catherine’s side following her dramatic battle with Tommy and lovingly hugs her.
Tommy suddenly develops a moral conscience
In the finale’s most unexpected twist, a severely wounded Tommy seeks sanctuary in Catherine’s abandoned home and scrolls through old photo albums of Becky and Ryan.
Catherine slips inside her house after discovering the window has been damaged and faces Tommy, who has just downed a lethal mix of drugs and alochol.
The criminal maintains that he loves Becky and has changed his mind about killing Catherine since she has provided a good life for his kid, Ryan.
Instead, he douses himself in gasoline and sets himself on fire, dying later in a coma.
With TLR now dead, Catherine, who walked away from the fight unscathed, apparently gets the closure she needs to arrange her dream trip to the Himalayas.
Darius Knezevic is finally behind bars
For years, the police have been anxious to apprehend Darius (Alec Secareanu), an ambitious local politician and master of the criminal underworld.
Officers may now arrest the mafia leader since Tommy told Catherine in his last moments that the mob boss was responsible for Gary Gagowski’s murder.
They also hunt down and imprison all of his muscle, thereby disbanding his whole empire and control over the Calder Valley.
Faisal isn’t going to get away with Joanna’s murder
Given his history of domestic violence, Rob Hepworth (Mark Stanley) appeared to be the prime suspect in Joanna’s (Mollie Winnard) murder.
While Faisal (Amit Shah) may have thought he’d done the ideal crime, Catherine’s contact shows that the illicit prescription drug distribution is the work of the pharmacist.
Faisal lived ‘barely 100 yards away’ from Joanna, who had been purchasing diazepam from him, as Catherine points out when she informs her supervisor.
While we never see Faisal squirm or get jailed (sadly), it’s fair to presume he’ll be discovered.
Happy Valley is available to stream on iPlayer.