Fans of Happy Valley believe they've spotted one deceptively small detail that points towards Ryan Cawood (Rhys Connah) being the one to finally bring down the psychopathic Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) once and for all. Viewers have been left on the edge of their seats this season, with all signs pointing towards a dramatic showdown during the last-ever episode this Sunday.
One of the most compelling threads of this third and final season has been the now-teenage Ryan's plan to get to know his murderous biological father on his own terms, making his own mind up away from the opinion of others.
The secret prison meetings in Sheffield have caused a great deal of hurt and division within the family, with many viewers initially sharing grandma Catherine Cawood's (Sarah Lancashire) terror that Tommy could have a damaging influence on the impressionable youngster.
These fears were further exacerbated after killer Tommy jumped the dock during his trial and went on the run, with the intention of starting a new life in Marbella with Ryan.
It would appear however that Ryan may know his own mind far more than his family gives him credit for, being more like Catherine than Tommy. Now viewers believe the 16-year-old could be the one to put Tommy back behind bars - using his gaming know-how to track him down.
Episode five ended with Tommy making contact with Ryan through an online gaming chat, with Ryan surprised to learn his fugitive father knew his username.
After repeatedly asking him what his post-escape plans were, Tommy revealed his hopes of running away to Spain and asked Ryan to ditch his GCSEs and join him. Ryan agreed to think about it, but his expression wasn't exactly one of excitement.
Viewers believe Ryan, now with full knowledge of his father's despicable crimes, could use their gaming chats to turn Tommy in, by getting officers to track down his IP address.
In a Reddit forum dedicated to such theories, one viewer speculated: "Ryan will give up Tommy Lee Royce. Games consoles hooked up to a live network have IP addresses that can be traced. It’s already been established that there’s a task force set up to track Tommy Lee Royce down."
Another agreed: "I think Ryan will give up Tommy Lee Royce also. At least that's the ending I'd like to see for the boy."
As crafty as Tommy is, it does appear he could be deceived in this way. His lack of understanding of how to video call via the gaming chat suggests his knowledge of console technology isn't as strong as that of avid gamer Ryan.
Tommy also appears to completely trust the boy, letting him in on his plans as soon as he determined he was alone and presumably expecting him to stay quiet. He could well be underestimating him.
You can catch the final ever episode of Happy Valley on Sunday at 9 pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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