Other Doctor Lives: Broadchurch: Series 3, Episode 5 (2017)

*Written in 2018*

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 effects of rape culture, which I appreciate. Katie, a.k.a. 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.

*Written in 2025*

In my original post, I talked about Hardy’s surprised reaction that the second woman didn’t come forward earlier out of fear of the police’s response. I stand by my “is this your first rodeo?” sentiment there, but I also appreciate that Hardy recognizes that his reaction has a time and a place. When he and Ellie are interviewing the survivor, he’s nothing but professional and quietly reassuring. As with Trish’s initial interview, he lets Ellie take the reins, and when the survivor says, “I know how women like me get treated,” he simply promises her, “Not by us.” It isn’t until later, when he’s in the car with Ellie, and he laments, “She didn’t report it ‘cause she didn’t think she’d be treated with respect or dignity.” He never makes his feelings the woman’s problem.

This episode also sees him meticulously grilling a suspect, asking for every single detail of his alibi to poke potential holes in it: the route he drove to allegedly go fishing on the night of the rape, what he caught, and how many were left over after the fish dinner the following day. David Tennant does a really nice job in this scene. Hardy is calm and even-toned but relentless, never letting up. He’s the one taking the lead here, and at Ellie’s first question, the suspect condescendingly crows, “Oh, she speaks!” At that, Hardy still doesn’t raise his voice or get aggravated, but you can feel the ice in his tone as he orders, “Answer the question, please.”