Countdown to Thirteen: Broadchurch: Series 3, Episode 7 (2017)

In my opinion, this is probably the least-intense penultimate episode of any season on the show.  Sure, we know that the mystery will be solved in the next episode, and there are some definite ante-upping moments, but I don’t really get that feeling of everything coming to a head.  We’ll see how it all shakes out next week.

Ellie and Hardy have a major suspect in custody, but new evidence crops up that casts doubt on whether or not he’s their man.  They try and determine, once and for all, who the rapists is.  Meanwhile, Beth deals with the fallout of the struggles Mark has been wrestling with this season.

I feel like it’s still pretty wide open at this point.  Back in series 1, there were a number of suspects considered and mostly eliminated over the course of the season, but here it seems like it could still be any of the main five or six very plausible suspects.  I won’t discard the possibility of someone out of left field, but my money’s on one of those guys.  And regardless, we’re definitely continuing the theme of the season – even though only one of them did it, they’re all gross and creepy and contribute to the culture that leads to these crimes happening in the first place.

It’s a pretty good episode for Beth.  There are big things happening on the family side, so she’s not really involved in the Trish storyline today.  Instead, she’s very focused on what’s going on with Mark and has a few strong scenes dealing with it, both talking with him directly and discussing the situation with other characters.  Jodie Whittaker does a great job conveying how wrung-out she is performing so much emotional labor on Mark’s behalf.  I like that – though it may seem callous to have so little patience for an obviously-hurting man, it’s clear that Beth has been giving so much of herself for such a long time that she’s reaching her breaking point.