My
wife and I are following the 3rd season of Broadchurch, it’s final
season before writer and showrunner Chris Chibnall and co-star Jodie Whitaker
move on to Doctor Who next year.
My
wife watched the first season on her own mostly so she could watch former
Doctor Who star David Tenant in something. She urged me to watch the American
remake called Gracepoint with her which I did. The American version was.. OK
but Gracepoint did badly in the ratings so it was cancelled after one season. Broadchurch
was a bigger success in the UK and was approved for a 2nd season. I
wactched Broadchurch 2 with Andrea and later went back and rewatched Series 1 which
I found to be better on so many levels than Gracepoint.
Broadchurch
is a quiet English seaside community whose bucolic peace is sharttered by the
death of a young boy named Dany Latimer. This crime is investigated by detectives
Alec Hardy (David Tennant), a hard edge, brooding new comer to Broadchurch and
Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), a wife and mother, a long time resident of
Broadchurch who tends to be more empathetic in her approach towards police
work. It is a diametrically opposing dynamic made more intense by Hardy being
haunted by a bolloxed up prior murder case and a heart condition that threatens
to kill him. Hardy tries to hide his secrets and put off treatment for his heart
problem until Danny Latimer’s murderer is brought to justice.
Danny’s
parents, Beth and Mark, are shattered by grief but other secrets come to light
to pound away at those fractures. On the night of Danny’s death, Mark was
having a sexual affair with another woman and Beth discovers she’s pregnant. And
is their teenage daughter dealing drugs?
A
local shopowner becomes a target of fear and suspicion after his years past arrest
for statutory rape is revealed. It is a revelation
that has nothing to do with the murder of Danny Latimer but the shopkeeper is
driven to despair and suicide.
Rev
Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill…. Hello, Rory!) has to struggle to be of help at an
individual level (with the grief stricken Beth) or the community at large
dealining with grief and fear and anger.
It’s
these moments of human struggle intertwined with a web of secrets where Broadchurch really excels. The murder mystery at it's core is an ever tightening knot of suspense but what really drives Broadchurch is Chris Chibnall's raw unflinching look at what happens to our lives when tragedy strikes and secrets are laid bare.
The resolution of the murder of Danny Latimer really pushes credulity but it is a brutally gut wrenching answer that however absurd it may be seems seems appropriate to this dark underbelly of small town England that Chibnall has deftly created.
The second season of Broadchurch suffers a bit from the rehashing of season one's mystery as Danny's killer, confessed and undoubtedly guilty pleads not guilty at his trial. The motivation of this mad twist from both the murderer and the writer is questionable but it does serve to underscore the fractures in Broadchurch society in the wake of Danny Latimer's murder. Moving on from such a tragedy is damn near impossible but the trials pour salt into the open wound where a knife continues to twist.
The other half of season 2 takes us away from the titular community as Hardy seeks redemption in finally solving the case that drove him to Broadchurch in the first place. Once more, the murder of children is at the center of the case and as with the murder of Danny, one of these deaths is instigated by angry passions let loose with deadly consequences. The other death of the younger child is a brutally heartless act to cover up the first crime. It can be hard to watch. Chris Chibnall does not hide us from the flaws and failings of his characters and the evil they are capable of.
There is a moment of hope of sorts. While Danny's murderer escapes consequences of his actions through the law, he does not escape the judgement of Broadchurch. With a choice of revenge or justice, the people of Broadchurch choose justice. It is, dare I say it, an ending the Doctor might approve of.
So we're up to season 3 and Hardy & Miller have a new case to solve, the rape of a woman named Trish Winterman. Much of the opening episode centers around Hardy & Miller meeting Trish for the first time. They're considerate & kind (yes, even Hardy) but they have a job to do, questions to ask, evidence to gather. Time draws out slowly and uncomfortably with spare dialogue as Trish is clearly disassociated from these proceedings, traumatized by her assault. These scenes play out slowly, quietly, methodically.
Over the course of the next few episodes, we learn more about Trish, her friends and associates and a disturbingly wide circle of suspects. Like the case of Danny's murder, Trish's rape is uncovering secrets the parties involved wish would not come to light. Marriages, friendships, all sorts of relationships are riddled with deep and widening fault lines.
The murder of Danny Latimer still casts a long shadow. Beth Latimer is channeling her grief into helping other victims of crime as a crisis counselor; Trish is one of her clients. Meanwhile, her husband Mark will not let things go. It s a division that has shattered their marriage. Mark wants to pursue a civil case against Danny's murderer but Beth and her daughter do not want to hear of it. They are trying their damnedest to move forward. Last week's episode sees Mark take off to confront Danny's killer, perhaps intent on taking a life for a life.
For all the weight of the drama, there are moments of genuine humor, mostly from the comfortable camaraderie between Hardy & Miller. David Tennant and Olivia Colman have developed a finely honed relationship with these characters.
We've still have three more episodes to go to discover the identity of Trish's assailant and see if the Latimers can pull themselves together as a family. Once again, Chris Chibnall is writing some gripping stuff but the strongest grasp is less on the mystery and more on these struggling, flawed characters.
I frequently end each episode with the following diatribe:
"God, I hate this show!"
"Chris Chibnall is evil!"
"I can't wait to see the next one!"
_____________________________________
Tomorrow, a look at an animated cult classic film, The Iron Giant.
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
The resolution of the murder of Danny Latimer really pushes credulity but it is a brutally gut wrenching answer that however absurd it may be seems seems appropriate to this dark underbelly of small town England that Chibnall has deftly created.
The second season of Broadchurch suffers a bit from the rehashing of season one's mystery as Danny's killer, confessed and undoubtedly guilty pleads not guilty at his trial. The motivation of this mad twist from both the murderer and the writer is questionable but it does serve to underscore the fractures in Broadchurch society in the wake of Danny Latimer's murder. Moving on from such a tragedy is damn near impossible but the trials pour salt into the open wound where a knife continues to twist.
The other half of season 2 takes us away from the titular community as Hardy seeks redemption in finally solving the case that drove him to Broadchurch in the first place. Once more, the murder of children is at the center of the case and as with the murder of Danny, one of these deaths is instigated by angry passions let loose with deadly consequences. The other death of the younger child is a brutally heartless act to cover up the first crime. It can be hard to watch. Chris Chibnall does not hide us from the flaws and failings of his characters and the evil they are capable of.
There is a moment of hope of sorts. While Danny's murderer escapes consequences of his actions through the law, he does not escape the judgement of Broadchurch. With a choice of revenge or justice, the people of Broadchurch choose justice. It is, dare I say it, an ending the Doctor might approve of.
So we're up to season 3 and Hardy & Miller have a new case to solve, the rape of a woman named Trish Winterman. Much of the opening episode centers around Hardy & Miller meeting Trish for the first time. They're considerate & kind (yes, even Hardy) but they have a job to do, questions to ask, evidence to gather. Time draws out slowly and uncomfortably with spare dialogue as Trish is clearly disassociated from these proceedings, traumatized by her assault. These scenes play out slowly, quietly, methodically.
Over the course of the next few episodes, we learn more about Trish, her friends and associates and a disturbingly wide circle of suspects. Like the case of Danny's murder, Trish's rape is uncovering secrets the parties involved wish would not come to light. Marriages, friendships, all sorts of relationships are riddled with deep and widening fault lines.
The murder of Danny Latimer still casts a long shadow. Beth Latimer is channeling her grief into helping other victims of crime as a crisis counselor; Trish is one of her clients. Meanwhile, her husband Mark will not let things go. It s a division that has shattered their marriage. Mark wants to pursue a civil case against Danny's murderer but Beth and her daughter do not want to hear of it. They are trying their damnedest to move forward. Last week's episode sees Mark take off to confront Danny's killer, perhaps intent on taking a life for a life.
For all the weight of the drama, there are moments of genuine humor, mostly from the comfortable camaraderie between Hardy & Miller. David Tennant and Olivia Colman have developed a finely honed relationship with these characters.
We've still have three more episodes to go to discover the identity of Trish's assailant and see if the Latimers can pull themselves together as a family. Once again, Chris Chibnall is writing some gripping stuff but the strongest grasp is less on the mystery and more on these struggling, flawed characters.
I frequently end each episode with the following diatribe:
"God, I hate this show!"
"Chris Chibnall is evil!"
"I can't wait to see the next one!"
_____________________________________
Tomorrow, a look at an animated cult classic film, The Iron Giant.
Until next time, remember to be good to one another.
No comments:
Post a Comment