Countdown to Thirteen: Broadchurch: Series 3, Episode 5 (2017)

I think the show’s investigation game has changed a little with each season.  In series 1, Hardy and Ellie would typically focus on one suspect for an episode or two, largely eliminate them, and find someone new.  In series 2, they had Hardy’s main suspect that they’d come back to amid occasional forays into other possibilities.  Here, there are a number of potential suspects, and it’s still very much up for grabs.

The investigation expands as another woman comes forward about being raped several years ago, under circumstances that are disturbingly similar to Trish’s.  Ellie and Hardy look for connections and try to figure out which of their suspects might have had ties to both women.  Meanwhile, a secret of Trish’s comes out and has a ripple effect through her circle.

With the widened scope of the investigation, I like seeing Ellie and Hardy compare the details and speculate as to how they might fit together.  It remains to be seen whether the rapes really were committed by the same person (though personally, as a storyline, I’m guessing they were,) but it’s interesting to see how that changes the questions the detectives have as they examine the evidence.

There’s a lot in this episode dealing with the affects of rape culture, which I appreciate.  Officer “Maybe She’s Making It Up” has had her eyes opened a bit to the weight of what’s going on, and while I’m not a huge fan of how the show goes about that, it’s good to see her attitudes changing a little.  I also appreciate the sentiment behind Hardy’s slightly-stunned realization that the other woman didn’t report her rape until now because she didn’t think the police would believe her, although again, the execution feels a bit off.  I don’t know – maybe it’s in fact depressingly realistic, but to me, it feels a little, “Is this your first rodeo, Hardy?  How do you not know this?”  Trish also experiences a pretty awful confrontation with someone she’s close to, in which they throw an ugly rape myth in her face.  Hard to watch, but very real.

On the Beth side of the proceedings, she has a few things going on.  She has a debriefing session with a colleague, getting into her own feelings about her work with Trish, and she also deals with Mark’s continuing obsessions, questioning why she’s always expected to shoulder the burden of his grief.  Overall, I’ve been liking what they’re doing with Beth this season.  To be sure, Jodie Whittaker is good at handling the intense emotions of the first two seasons, but at some point, it starts to feel like the show has nothing for her outside of crying or raging.  Which is of course totally understandable for where she is at that time, but it’s much more narratively-satisfying to watch her have a chance to be more proactive, to really channel her grief into something positive.