*Written in 2017*
Pretty strong episode, I think. Some intense goings-on, looking at both the investigation at large and the effect that it has on the town. A few interpersonal character issues are starting to come to a head as well.
The town roils with reports of a new suspect in the case, and Hardy and Ellie try to maintain a hold of things as rumors, fueled by the papers, fly around Broadchurch. The villagers are divided on the issue, with some denying the stories, others sharpening pitchforks, and still others unsure what to believe. Mark learns several shocking things, and Beth confronts him about something that’s recently come to light (wow, how’s that for vague?)
A number of good things here. I think the main story of the investigation in this episode is mostly handled well, and there’s some nice dialogue and strong acting on display there. And as secrets start coming out, it feels a lot more like things are beginning to happen. Even with things that are still only half spoken-of, like Hardy’s past before Broadchurch, we’re getting some momentum on those threads, and it feels a bit less like the show spinning its wheels.
I’ve been liking Ellie quite a bit better the past couple of episodes, which is both a relief and something of an affirmation—watching this season for a second time, I remembered going in that I’d liked her, but she didn’t do too much to engender that affection over the first few episodes. Now, though, she’s stretching her muscles as a detective, making good connections and just generally acting more on top of things. And mostly, she’s doing it while still being her. By that, I mean it isn’t just a story of her improving under Hardy’s curmudgeonly tutelage. Yes, she’s learning to consider possible theories even when the implications of them would be horrible, but she hasn’t turned completely jaded, and it comes across like her showing what she can do rather than just what Hardy’s “taught” her.
An additional shoutout to Arthur Darvill (Rory!) as Paul, the local vicar. His storyline on the show, at least this season, is pretty low-key for the most part, but he just does such a nice job of fleshing the character out—for that matter, I think the show handles him pretty well, too. He paints a nice picture of this caring young man who’s trying to shepherd the villagers (many of whom aren’t really in his “flock”) through this horrific event, not quite knowing how to go about it but always being a gentle presence when he tries to help. What’s more, it’s obvious that he’s both devoted to his religion and, for lack of a better word, a “regular” guy; he hangs out at a local watering hole, jokes around with neighbors, and self-deprecatingly admits that he was asked to lead the school IT club mainly because of how desperate the school was to get someone. Really nice portrayal all-around.
As for Beth, it’s a strong episode for her as well. Jodie Whittaker has several major spotlight scenes, mostly dealing with the stuff between her and Mark but involving several different characters. She has an excellent scene with Mark near the start of the episode—once again, we see just how utterly wrung-out Beth is, that she’s been trying to drag this shell of herself around since Danny’s death and she is completely done with having to deal with any more crap. But despite that raggedness, she doesn’t hold back in questioning Mark about what’s going on, not giving him any easy ways out.
*Written in 2025*
It’s an entertaining episode for Jonathan Bailey. Olly can be a dubious character, this hungry young reporter who’s sort of caught between the upstanding small-town editor (Maggie) and the slick, somewhat mercenary writer for a major paper (Karen.) He gives off the vibe of a basically decent guy who wants to do good journalism, but his desire to advance his career means he’s kind of easily led. Here, his eagerness to please Karen gets him in over his head with a national paper, and the fallout from his actions lands on one of his neighbors. Bailey plays him so golden retriever, though, which is fun. There’s an especially good scene here where he debriefs with a sexual partner. As he fishes to make sure she had a good time, she points out, “You really are quite needy, Olly, always wanting affirmation. Has anyone ever told you that?” To which he replies, hilariously, “I just like good feedback.”
And I know I talked about Arthur Darvill/Paul in my original post, but I want to shout out this fun exchange between him and Becca, who runs the local hotel. The conversation turns to her ex-partner, and she sullenly intones, “Don’t buy a hotel with a dickhead.” Without missing a beat, Paul replies, “Good advice. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians says much the same.” I feel like a lot of attempts at biblical jokes fall flat, so it always stands out to me when someone sticks the landing.
I think Hardy is a little less prominent in this episode than he’s been in others. There are a lot of moving pieces here, and with everything else going on, we just get less of Hardy and Ellie working the case together. Still, David Tennant does well with what he’s given. When Hardy mentions that Paul doesn’t have an alibi for the night of Danny’s murder, his boss warns, “Tread carefully. We could do without offending the church”—I love Hardy’s deadpan smartass reply, “Better hope it’s not him then.”
I also like that, as much as Hardy is frequently exasperated by the people he has to deal with over the course of the investigation, he’s capable of very calm focus as well. If he thinks someone is wasting his time, he’ll shout and sneer and insult them, but otherwise, he can be very direct and civil. In this episode, he interviews the new suspect who’s emerged, and even as the town is in an uproar over the scandalous media coverage, Hardy isn’t touched by any of that. Regarding the past dirt that comes to light, 1) he’s only interested if it’s relevant to the case, and 2) it doesn’t stop him from treating the suspect like a human—“All I want is to get to the truth of Danny Latimer’s death,” he explains, ignoring all the extraneous noise.
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