Countdown to Thirteen: Broadchurch: Series 2, Episode 5 (2015)

Pretty decent episode.  Interesting development coming along in the Sandbrook mystery, and there are some good bits in the trial plot, although they mostly take place outside the courtroom.  There are definitely things going on here whose results I care about, and that hasn’t always been true this season.

Ellie goes over Hardy’s old Sandbrook files, and the two discuss new theories in the case.  Meanwhile, Sharon digs for other witnesses for the defense, attempting to strongarm one and getting surprised by another.  In the Latimer household, Mark seems ready to put the past behind them and focus on the good, but Beth can’t move forward without looking back.  She’s anxious to do something positive in Danny’s name, and while she’s been offered an outlet to do so, she’s not sure if it’s the right path for her.

The Sandbrook plot give us some nice examples of Ellie in smart-detective mode, which is always welcome to me.  The actual piece of uncovered evidence that starts leading her and Hardy down a new path seems convenient to me (if she found it in his case files, why wasn’t it something he investigated at the time?), but I like her dedication, and she puts forth a bold theory that impresses me a little.

As I said, the trial stuff is okay this time around, mostly because we spend so little of it on Sharon making outrageous claims against the witnesses she’s questioning on the stand.  Instead, we’re behind the curtain a little more, looking into people who might be willing or could be coerced into testifying on the killer’s behalf.  It offers a bit of good interpersonal stuff with characters we haven’t seen as much of this season.

While this is yet another fairly Beth-light episode (she is getting less to do this season – I don’t think my recollections of series 1 can be that skewed, since I rewatched it so recently,) it whets my appetite for what I hope is better to come.  Beth’s ongoing dilemma with how to honor Danny’s memory is interesting to me, and the plot the show seems to be setting up for her has a lot of potential (however, done wrong, it could also blow up spectacularly, so I’m admittedly a bit wary,) but they’ve been spinning their wheels with it a little.  I’m ready for some real forward movement on this front.