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Broadchurch review – 1×03

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Courtesy of BBC America

So it looks like psychic Steve Connelly (Will Mellor) was right after all. Last week he suggested that Danny’s (an unseen Oskar McNamara) body was put in a boat and this week we discover that the family boat may have been used to transport the body from the murder site to the beach. What else do we learn?

Let’s bitch it out…
Told ya so! I knew that Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan) wasn’t a murderer. Oh sure, he’s a creep that’s cheating on his pregnant wife, Beth (Jodie Whittaker) with the local hotel owner, Becca (Simone McAullay), but he’s not a killer.
Episode three of Broadchurch is an emotional rollercoaster. As DI Hardy (David Tennant) and Miller (Olivia Colman) zero in on Mark, the Latimer family begins to disintegrate from the inside. Mark spends nearly the entire episode separated from his wife and daughter, lying because he’s embarrassed and desperate to keep the truth from Beth. In a way it kinda makes sense, but I found it challenging to accept that Mark would rather be arrested and let his wife and daughter assume the worst than simply come clean.
On the home front, Beth continues to unravel emotionally. Jodie Whittaker is completely owning the various stages of grief: cleaning the tub in despair, confiding in daughter Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) that they can’t trust anyone and, in the most astonishing scene, angrily inquiring if Mark – now cleared – killed their son. And these two are headed for even more rocky times now that she’s aware of his infidelity (Take note, kids: if you’re going to cheat, try to avoid making out with your mistress in the middle of the street).

This week also really begins to explore the world outside of the Latimer family. Mark’s partner, Nige (Joe Sims), gets a few key scenes as we learn that he’s willing to lie for Mark and provide a false alibi (albeit one easily discredited), but more importantly he’s a bit of a suspicious bloke, what with that crossbow in the back of his work van. Between him and Susan (Pauline Quirke), there’s plenty of shady behaviour going on.

If anything, that’s what Broadchurch wants us to consider. Between our complicity with the way the media devours anything tragic (I like how Vicky McClure’s Karen is ready to pounce on Hardy the moment he goes anywhere – like he owes her the story) to the inept responses of the townspeople who want to bury their heads in the sand, the series certainly delights in peeling back the unpleasant underbelly of society.

Courtesy of BBC America

Other Observations:

  • In a surprisingly uncomfortable scene, Miller’s son Tom (Adam Wilson) gives testimony that Mark hit Danny a few times. Hardy’s dispassionate tone doesn’t win him any favours with Miller’s husband, Joe (Matthew Gravelle) who shares her dislike for the new boss after the interview
  • Speaking of Tom, the scene with him at the skatepark is interesting because it reinforces how much the crime has affected everyone in town. Thus far we’ve only seen adults dealing with the grief, but the children immediately descend upon Tom like vultures, looking for scraps of information. The poor boy is completely overwhelmed in seconds
  • I love how Miller keeps trying to give Hardy gifts. Last week it was fish and chips and this week it’s a thermos. We know from the pilot that she likes to give people gifts, partially because she’s kind, but also because she’s a bit desperate to be seen as likable. All signs point to Miller becoming increasing hardened over the duration of the show, but for now she’s still adhering to social conventions, inviting Hardy to come to dinner because she thinks it’s “what people do”
  • With that said, the way Hardy throws her into the lions’ den to lead the debrief is just mean. There’s making Miller realize that she can’t be so kind and then there’s cruelty. Hardy is sliding closer to the latter
  • Regarding the crime scene: Susan and the owners are the only ones with keys to the hut. Mark said he did a job there “a few weeks ago”, but Susan contradicts this. Mark eventually comes clean, so does this mean Susan is the one lying?
  • The role of religion is starting to creep in. Not only do we see Rev. Coates (Arthur Darvill) delivering his sermon, but he makes a television appearance to offer comfort to the town’s residents. Unfortunately for him this only incurs Mark’s wrath, but Beth’s mother certainly seems to think that Broadchurch needs to know that Paul is available to them during the difficult time
  • Finally, the episode ends with a boat burning in the ocean near the spot where Danny’s body was dumped. Initially I thought it was the Latimer boat, but on closer inspection it looks much older. I guess that’s this week’s mystery

Best Lines:

  • Pete Lawson (Marcus Garvey) (surveying the gifts around the kitchen): “I’ll take some…some amazing pies”
  • Susan (to Miller & Hardy, proving she’s a total bitch): “You woke the dog. You caught him yet? Those kids aren’t safe out there”
  • Miller (when her husband Joe sarcastically says he likes her boss): “I really don’t like him”
  • Miller (when Hardy finally agrees to come for dinner): “Thank you, bloody hell”

Your turn: what did you think of Mark Latimer’s actions in this episode? Do you agree that Whittaker is amazing at making us feel her grief? Is Paul taking advantage of the situation to help the church profit? And what is up with Susan?! Comment away below

Broadchurch airs Wednesdays at 9pm EST on BBC America