Broadchurch Review

This is a great trilogy of mysteries set in a coastal town in Dorset.

The series stars David Tennant as Alec Hardy a detective who just arrived in town following a failed murder case and Olivia Coleman as Ellie Miller a local officer with close connections to many town residents. This show became an instant hit due to the excellent chemistry between the leads and how they contrast each other.

Other cast and characters include - Andrew Buchan and Jodie Whittaker as Mark and Beth Latimer the parents of a murdered boy, Arthur Darvill as Reverend Paul and Caroline Pickles as Maggie editor of the local paper.

Season 1

An 11-year-old boy is found dead at the local beach, Danny the son of the Latimer family who are close friends with Ellie and her family.

Besides the appeal of the two main leads, this season presents us one of the greatest murder mystery stories on television. The mystery itself is pretty Agatha Christie style – body found, a handful of suspects each with something to hide, red herring after red herring etc. What keeps the mystery intriguing, besides the whodunit element, is the effect it has on the characters and not just the boy’s family but also the residents of the town, the local media and even the police. The revelation of who the killer is incredibly shocking and is pretty devastating for everyone.

It’s also the story arcs for the two leads, Alec is the more experienced detective however has a lot to prove after messing up his last case, Ellie is desperate to be a great detective but she’s out of her depth as she’s forced to treat her friends and neighbours like suspects. Both David Tennant and Olivia Coleman work off of each other perfectly, they bicker a lot but they also bring out the strengths in each other.

Besides Tennant and Coleman, Andrew Buchan and Jodie Whittaker deliver emotionally raw performances as Danny’s grieving parents. Other standouts include David Bradley as an owner of a newsagents and Pauline Quirke as an observant woman both with mysterious past and come off as quite creepy.

Season 2

There are two main story arcs; the trial of Danny’s killer and the re-opening of the Sandbrook murder case Hardy had failed to solve before coming to Broadchurch.

This season received a mixed reception compared to Season 1 and it’s understandable why. Really no follow-up season could’ve matched the bar that was set so high. The court case itself was pretty engaging, I don’t know how accurate it is to the legal system but it does present a lot of consequences from Season 1, such as the lies the witness and moments Hardy and Miller went against procedure. It’s also great to see the conflict between the two lawyers and their story arcs, played excellently by Charlotte Rampling and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The Sandbrook mystery however wasn’t so interesting, the problem was it felt kind of shoehorned in and it makes Hardy look incompetent that he could be so easily mislead. Eve Myles and James D’Arcy are great additions and help keep the mystery plot going. But it seems their characters are being written as they’re going, as their motivations are pretty difficult to identify what they’re doing.

This was a good season for Ellie’s character however, as she never seems to catch a break and it’s great to see her fight back after everything she’s been through. Olivia Coleman does an amazing job portraying Ellie’s suffering and evolution without sacrificing her quirky sense of humour.

Season 3

Three years later, an unknown attacker at a party has raped a middle-aged woman Trish Winterman.

The final season kind of acts like a new starter, where Season 2 sets to look at the consequence and resolve plotlines of Season 1, this gives us a new mystery and new characters. This works for the best as Season 2 tried too hard by doing too much at once while this starts afresh and is allowed to breathe.

That’s not to say there’s no continuation from the first two, Alec and Ellie seemed to learn from their past mistakes and realise how well they work together while still butting heads. We also still follow Mark and Beth, three years on and Mark no matter how much he tries, even helped write a book, can’t find closure for Danny’s death which is causing him to be kind of self destructive. Beth on the hand utilises her time to help others, she is assigned to help Trish, it’s great to see how she evolved as a character. I like watching Beth and Trish bond, as these two broken women give each other strength and it was great to see Beth have an active role in the mystery.

The mystery is structured very similar to Season 1, however the revelation is not as shocking but does deliver a unique message about rape.

Julie Hesmondhalgh delivers a brilliant performance as the victim Trish, she’s very sympathetic but she’s also an enjoyable character not just a self-pity or bitter victim. Other standout additional cast include Sarah Parish as Trish’s best friend Cath, Lenny Henry as Trish’s boss Ed and Sebastian Armesto as a creepy taxi driver.

Conclusion 

Overall this is a great series, each season delivering an unexpected turn of events that keep you hooked. While neither Seasons 2 nor 3 could match the quality of Season 1, they are still worthy continuations with great acting from all the cast. It has been confirmed that Season 3 is the last ever, which is perfectly fine as it’s best to end on high note.