Happy Valley fans think they’ve ‘worked out’ heart wrenching reason Poppy always wears a coat
HAPPY Valley viewers have developed a dark fan theory around why PE teacher Rob’s daughter never takes off her jacket.
As the plot twists begin to unravel on series three of hit BBC show, Happy Valley, viewers have started speculating over one of the biggest mysteries of all: why doesn’t Rob Hepworth’s daughter, Poppy, ever remove her coat?
*Some spoilers ahead for the latest series of Happy Valley*
The little girl wears a jacket in every scene, as she’s eating breakfast and dinner and while watching TV.
Other characters also refer to it, pharmacist Faisal Bhatti’s daughter mentions it and in the latest episode Rob – who is abusive to his wife, Joanna – is seen ordering her to “take off the coat” while they’re in the house.
Now Happy Valley fans have come to their own conclusion, speculating as to what significance this has to the overall plot.
On Reddit, conspiracy theories have been developing, one user said: “My theory is the dad is also abusive to the kids and physically hurts them too so she has bruises and doesn’t want to take the coat off cause of that?”
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Another shared: “Didn’t the little one have her coat off recently when there was just the two kids and Joanna at home? I’m sure I remember seeing that. Makes me think the coat is a comfort blanket because she’s scared of her dad. And who can blame her?”
And some are desperate to find out more: “I’m sure I’ve heard/read about people from abusive households keeping shoes/coats on as a trauma response so they’re always ready to leave if they need to, it’s probably some sort of comfort to her, I do hope they explain it by the end of the series though!”
Rob – who was first introduced to viewers as Ryan Cawood’s aggressive PE teacher – has become a central character in the drama.
He is seen to be violent and controlling towards his wife Joanna, and even keeps a padlock on the fridge.
Viewers speculated that Poppy’s jacket is comforting for her, as she often seems distressed by the way her dad speaks to her mum.
One said: “I reckon it’s like a comfort blanket to her” while another agreed and tweeted an almost identical post.
Poor Poppy’s world is about to implode, in the final nail-biting minutes of the last episode of Happy Valley, Rob discovers his wife’s body stuffed in a suitcase in the garage.
Meanwhile Tommy Lee-Royce escaped from the courtroom in Leeds, while his son, Ryan, watched as he punched two security guards and fled on a bike.
Happy Valley continues on Sunday night from 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer.