We Don't Need Two Metaphors

It's a case of the good, the bad and the inevitable as Broadchurch reaches an end After several weeks of speculation and anticipation, the Broadchurch killer has been revealed. The finale was a reminder of how good Broadchurch  has been in moments, but it also demonstrates how infuriating the show has been at times. Starting with the inevitable, it was no surprise that Joe Miller was revealed to be the killer. At the end of the day, it followed the route of almost every CSI episode; the killer being somebody who's in the episode, but never at the forefront. It's been done a thousand times before and, despite all of the crackpot theories circulating on the internet, was an unspectacular revelation. In the few hours leading up to the episode's broadcast, one of the show's producers had said that everyone should watch to the very end of the episode. Some people took this as a suggestion that there was a shocking twist at the end of the hour. As such, when t here...

Broadchurch approaches its denouement at an encouraging pace. That's more like it. Broadchurch  has often struggled to balance the investigation and dramatic aspects of its story, but this penultimate episode found the desired equilibrium. After collapsing at the end of last week's episode, DI Alec Hardy's secret illness is out in the open. DS Miller is naturally both furious and worried (mostly furious). It would appear that Hardy is on his last legs, which makes finding the culprit even more urgent. In Hardy's temporary absence, DS Miller gets her chance to shine as she attempts to rally the troops. While Hardy's near constant berating of Miller throughout the series was a little over the top, it's forced Miller to toughen up and probably made her into a better detective. If Hardy does leave/die, DS Miller is now much better suited for the job than she was in episode 1. In the suspect's chair this week was the ever suspicious looking Susan Wrig...

The people of Broadchurch try to return to normality following another death After last week's magnificent episode that dealt with the harassment and death of Jack Marshall, it was expected that this episode would struggle to live up to what went before. Even with that consideration, this episode of Broadchurch  really tested my patience. With each passing episode that reveals next to nothing about the case, the likelihood of Broadchurch  providing a satisfying conclusion diminishes. The main problem is that it's trying to juggle too many suspects. With all that juggling going on, none of the suspects really feel like they could legitimately be considered as suspects. Given that not a lot of people have been definitively ruled out, there's still the possibility that Chris Chibnall could pluck a murderer out of thin air and pull the rug from under all of the series' work so far. Look no further than Joe Miller, Olivia Colman's nice and cheery husband. He'...

The best episode of the series is a haunting glimpse of a very troubled man I've said in my previous two reviews how Broadchurch  had raised its game from those opening episodes, but this episode was something very special indeed.  With the police investigation taking a back seat in this episode, for the most part (more on that later), this episode focuses on the community's reaction to the accusations surrounding newsagent Jack Marshall. Poor Jack Marshall; a man who has done so much to escape his past, only to have it uncovered by scoop-hungry reporters. It's important to note that, in the eyes of the law, Jack was a paedophile and that he served his sentence. Yet as with many cases, the sentence alone does not represent the whole picture. Writer Chris Chibnall drip feeds Jack Marshall's story throughout the episode, and gives David Bradley the stand out scenes of the series so far. After building our suspicions at the end of last week's episode, Chibnall ...

At the halfway mark, Broadchurch is making good on its initial promise I've been quite critical on some of the more minor aspects of Broadchurch in the opening episodes. It says a lot about the quality of this episode that those annoyances didn't bother me as much. First of all, it turns out Alec Hardy is in fact a human being and not a grumpy crime solving android. Hurrah! After initially turning his nose up at the prospect of dinner at the Miller residence, Hardy not only enjoys himself but he starts to open up a little. He's clearly a troubled man, but now we're starting to understand some of what's troubling him. After collapsing in his hotel room, he wakes up in hospital with hotelier Becca at his side. Whilst she is slightly amused at having to pretend to be his wife, Hardy is instantly concerned about keeping the incident under wraps. Alec Hardy and his "wife" Becca Elsewhere, Karen has stepped up her game in pursuit of a story. Aft...

Broadchurch delivers its best episode so far in week 3 Apologies for this somewhat belated and truncated review of the 3rd instalment of Broadchurh . As my previous reviews indicate, I have been enjoying Broadchurch  so far, despite it's flaws. Whilst there were still some problems in this episode, I found it to be the most satisfying of the lot. Beth tries to cope with the boredom that comes from waiting for news. She cleans the house and tries to go back to work, only to be turned away by her caring but overprotective boss. She also meets the friendly neighbourhood psychic Steve, who claims to have a message for her from Danny. Beth's initial disgust at Steve claims soon develops into curiosity. Yet despite his best intentions, Steve's message may have caused more problems for the Latimer family. As with last week's episodes, the scenes with Steve were the best of the episode. Beth (Jodie Whitaker): the grieving mother and suspicious wife  The revelat...

Murder mystery is moving forward, albeit rather slowly Opening episodes are always tricky to get right. The tone has to be set whilst also delivering enough intrigue to ensure the viewer tunes in for the next episode. On the basis of this second episode, Broadchurch has settled into the groove formed in the opening hour. More suspects are introduced this week but some have yet to be developed into fully rounded characters. Pauline Quirke gets to say and do suspicious things, a step up from her looking suspicious moments last week. Arthur Darvill gets another post Doctor Who  role (following his brief appearance in The Paradise ) as the local priest who has to help the town come to terms with the tragedy. Most intriguingly, Steve Connolly (Will Mellor) is a telephone engineer who claims that he receives messages from the dead. This type of character is something I've always liked and I hope that Broadchurch  develops his character and his "abilities" further.  Me...

A few thoughts on the opening episode of ITV's new crime drama In this post The Killing  televisual landscape, crime thrillers have their work cut out to bring something new to the genre. Despite its poor start, Broadchurch  shows signs of have something to offer in this opening episode. Set in a coastal Dorset town, Broadchurch  centres around the suspicious death of an 11 year old boy, Danny Latimer (Adam Wilson). DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and DS Miller (Olivia Colman) are tasked with solving the mystery whilst this small close knit town comes to terms with the tragedy. Olivia Colman & David Tennant in Broadchurch The first 15 minutes of Broadchurch were really quite frustrating. Small niggling inaccuracies that shouldn't have bothered me were too strange to ignore. When Danny doesn't turn up at the school sports day, no one contacts the parents to find out where he is. A journalist returns from the sports day and is told to "get yourself some fre...