S01.E06: Episode 6

[ZoloftBlob]

Mark was trying to give Jack advice out of concern and Jack should have listened to him.  When he learned the truth, Mark had no problem with Jack but he knew once the town had discovered he served time for having sex with a minor, they were never going to accept him again.

 

I get that Mark was concerned but he *could* have grabbed the lynch mob led by his employee to listen to him and just tell Jack's story.

 

And I'm sorry but this town is not so small that a Nick Nolte-esque creepy old man living in a shack on the dock is everyone's idea of an afterschool mentor. The "Wildlife" program is school endorsed, everyone knows about it and no one ever questions what a completely bizarre thing it is to have some weird old man with no background check working with their kids?

 

I mean, these people have the internet right?

[Automne]

I get being incredibly pissed about your spouse's infidelity, but I really hate it when the betrayed acts in a manner that destroys any sympathy and gives the other woman the upper hand. By going to Gemma's place of business unprovoked and destroying property and wasting product, Gemma is well within her rights to pursue restitution. Beth's defense of "But she slept with my husband!" won't hold up in small claims court. Bringing up Danny's death as a reason for Beth's emotional outburst wouldn't be a totally good idea because the obvious rebuttal could be made that Gemma's business was suffering due to Danny's death and Beth's destructive rage was even more costly. Not to mention, the Solanos have not been completely cleared of suspicion, so if Gemma was a stone-cold bitch and more intelligent, all she would have to do is start enough whispers to get the citizens of Gracepoint to look at Mark and Beth with a jaundiced eye.

 

The PedoHunt against Jack is unfortunately true to life. People are incredibly quick to jump to conclusions and lose their shit because the lines have been blurred and most people are just fucking stupid and don't realize that pedophilia, ephebophilia, statutory rape, rape, and sex offenders are not all created equal. For fuck's sake, in some states, you're on the sex offender list for drunkenly pissing in public. You can be charged and convicted of statutory rape if you're caught the day before the other person's age of consent birthday. Now granted, a 40-year old sleeping with his 16-year old student is problematic and skeevy, but that's still a long sight from being a diddler of 12-year old boys and even longer of being a murderer.

 

Mark and Chloe need to back the fuck off about their opinion on whether Beth should keep the baby. Especially Chloe, with her Veruca Salt "Don't care how, I want it now," attitude. Honestly, I think she shouldn't because that family is a mess and no innocent should be forced into that situation.

[benteen]

I get that Mark was concerned but he *could* have grabbed the lynch mob led by his employee to listen to him and just tell Jack's story.

 

And I'm sorry but this town is not so small that a Nick Nolte-esque creepy old man living in a shack on the dock is everyone's idea of an afterschool mentor. The "Wildlife" program is school endorsed, everyone knows about it and no one ever questions what a completely bizarre thing it is to have some weird old man with no background check working with their kids?

 

I mean, these people have the internet right?

 

Fair enough.  Mark should have tried to explain things to them and maybe they would have listened because of who he was.  Though I do think once Jack's past was revealed (and it is very difficult to believe it wouldn't have been revealed earlier), he was never going to be accepted by the town again.

[Haleth]

Yeah, that's true.  No way would the townspeople say, "well, that's ok then" after learning the truth about Jack.  It might have exonerated him in the murder investigation but his reputation was ruined.  No one was going to trust their kid around him again.  However I agree it's sloppy writing that not even the police could find the true story.  (And that no one did a background check when he became involved in the Wildlife program.)

 

I wish Mark would have let the lynch mob know that Jack wasn't involved.  He told the mob to go home but he should have added, "He didn't do it."  How sad that Jack's interest in boys was as fill ins for his lost son.  

 

(Wait, that wasn't Vince who asked Tom to sign the petition?)

 

On the other hand the mob mentality would work in Beth's favor regarding Gemma.  Gemma could want restitution for her damaged property but who is really going to fault the wife whose son was recently murdered for breaking a few glasses?

[saber5055]

 

You didn't get the point of that scene.  Mark was trying to give Jack advice out of concern and Jack should have listened to him.  When he learned the truth, Mark had no problem with Jack but he knew once the town had discovered he served time for having sex with a minor, they were never going to accept him again.  Even if it was proven that he didn't kill Danny.  The whole scene was the one time where Mark didn't act like an ass and tried to do the right thing.

After Jack told him, didn't Mark head back to the lynch mob and then turn and shout at Jack to get out of town? The scene is hazy in my mind. But I do remember Mark did nothing to cool off his mob except tell them to go home. Plus, after Jack told his story, Mark could have expressed his sympathy on the loss of his son, but no, he said nothing because Mark is a self-centered jackass. Jack's death is on Mark's head IMO, and the head(s) of whomever threw the rock and painted the dock.

 

As for Jack listening to Mark's "advice," Jack wasn't even given time to pack and move away before the attack on his home. And who can say who would/would not have accepted Jack if they knew the truth? No one was given that chance.

 

Jack was a talented piano player. Who knew?

 

 

Gemma could want restitution for her damaged property but who is really going to fault the wife whose son was recently murdered for breaking a few glasses?

And letting how many gallons of craft beer go down the drain? Or onto the floor in this case. And as for who would fault her, I'm raising my hand. Because one has suffered a loss and feels anger toward another doesn't give them carte blanche to walk into that person's place of employ and trash it. Beth herself asked Father if she would have to pay for the damages, so even she knew she was wrong.

 

A confrontation between a lover and a scorned wife can be handled in an adult way. Beth didn't physically attack Mark and he's the one (not) wearing the pants in the Mark/Gemma relationship. She gave him a verbal beat down/guilt trip, and that's how she should have confronted/handled Gemma, not with a childish act of glass throwing/beer letting.

 

I get being incredibly pissed about your spouse's infidelity, but I really hate it when the betrayed acts in a manner that destroys any sympathy and gives the other woman the upper hand. By going to Gemma's place of business unprovoked and destroying property and wasting product, Gemma is well within her rights to pursue restitution.

Amen, Automne. You said it much better than I.

[Netfoot]

No way would the townspeople say, "well, that's ok then" after learning the truth about Jack.  It might have exonerated him in the murder investigation but his reputation was ruined.  No one was going to trust their kid around him again.

 

At 38 years old, he fell in love with a girl 16 years, 11 months.  He spent two years in jail over it, and when he got out, they were married.  A child was born -- we don't know how long they were married before the birth.  At the age of nine, the child was killed.  The marriage dissolved some time thereafter.  All this, 20 years ago.   I'm not sure that makes him a danger to the precious little darlings of Gracepoint!

 

Vince was trying to provoke Mark into going after Jack. That doesn't help Mark.  If Mark goes to jail for doing something, Vince is out of a job. 

 

I still have yet to see that old lady use that skateboard that she has hidden behind the door.  That is just another thing that was thrown into the air, that was never followed up on.  Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't.  Maybe she is teaching her dog to skateboard.

 

Danny's skateboard was never found.  We're supposed to assume the skateboard is his, and that CreepySusan is somehow implicated in his death.  Her possession can easily be explained away by having simply found the skateboard, but where it was found might be informative.

 

Oh, and Vince might be happy to see Mark dragged off to jail, if it leaves Vince as the only plumber on town!

[saber5055]

 

We're supposed to assume the skateboard is his, and that CreepySusan is somehow implicated in his death.  Her possession can easily be explained away by having simply found the skateboard, but where it was found might be informative.

Yes, for all we know, CreepySusan competes in the XGames! Or she is Tony Hawk's ex and that's his board.

[Automne]

 

On the other hand the mob mentality would work in Beth's favor regarding Gemma.  Gemma could want restitution for her damaged property but who is really going to fault the wife whose son was recently murdered for breaking a few glasses?

 

Gemma is a pretty blonde woman with an enticing English accent who serves beer and apparently puts out. Not to mention she's a business owner that caters to tourism, which is probably Gracepoint's main source of income. What mob?

 

And you'd be surprised how quickly sympathetic goodwill can run out. Emotional distress does not excuse you from acting like an adult. Keep running around, screeching at people, acting entitled, and destroying property and the town full of assholes will eventually turn on you.

 

Confront Gemma for screwing Mark and having Chloe acquire cocaine, absolutely (especially since Gemma doesn't seem to be facing charges for the latter). I'm down for that. But do it with a clear head and not letting emotions take the lead. Glasses might be cheap, but beer isn't. And the intention Beth had when she broke the glasses wouldn't look good, either. She didn't come and start talking to Gemma first where it could be argued that she got heated and let emotions get the better of her. No, she came to the inn, picked up a glass while staring directly at Gemma, and slammed it to the ground. Then did it again like a small child does in retaliation to being told that they can't have something.

 

The only thing that would go against Gemma is that Paul the Priest is the only witness and he's certainly not objective. God knows that he'd lie on the Holy Bible in favor of Beth.

[saber5055]

I liked that Hugo commented on what a nasty job it was to sift through all that public beach sand to find evidence. I imagine he found (and discarded) a lot of skanky bits. But he said he found the fresh cig butts before the tide could wash them away. Wouldn't the tide have washed those tents away by the next day? I really don't have a clue what day we are suppose to be on after the Thursday Danny was found dead, but in-and-out tides are a daily event, right?

[Netfoot]

I really don't have a clue what day we are suppose to be on after the Thursday Danny was found dead, but in-and-out tides are a daily event, right?

 

Two high and two low, every day.

[HermitsUnited]

I really don't have a clue what day we are suppose to be on after the Thursday Danny was found dead, but in-and-out tides are a daily event, right?

Nah in Gracepoint tides are controlled by the omniscient whale. Whenever he deigns to flap his tale the tide goes in. Obviously he thought it would be wise to give CSI a week to clear the beach out. He'd already cleared out all the incriminating evidence anyway.

 

But in all seriousness you're not alone in wondering what day post murder we are. It'd be great if someone has the answer handy? I think it must be close to a week? After all the police really haven't advanced much in their investigation. And yes, very odd that the crime scene wasn't inundated regularly with the normal tides that come in and out twice a day.

[millennium]

I enjoyed this episode only because of Nick Nolte and his wonderful performance. Poor Jack.

 

I, too, was annoyed by the town and their pitchforks. No one thinks twice. No tries to look a bit further into the charges. Why couldn't Ellie try to correct the misperception? Someone needed to sit down with Kathy - the newspaper editor - and make sure the correct story was written. And Mark keeps the truth about Jack's past to himself. Nice!

 

The small town mob is a cliche and I wish writers would resist the temptation to go there.    I don't know about anyone else but I've never lived in a place where one or two blue-collar assholes are able to convince a whole crowd to abandon everything they ever learned about being an American and start menacing a longtime friend and neighbor whom many of them knew growing up.    It's facile bullshit.

[Catherinewriter]

If Susan turns out to be the murderer, or just, you know, drowns or something, Tom can have her dog. Yup.

Goodbye, Jack. When Nick Nolte's character Tommy died in "Rich Man, Poor Man," I thought I would die, all those years ago. I felt much the same way watching Jack this week after he'd made his decision. Kudos, Nick. They'd better give you an Emmy for this role.

[queenanne]

I don't understand what Vince's motivation is when it comes to raising the ire of the town to go after Jack.  I don't think it is loyalty towards Mark.  Vince was trying to provoke Mark into going after Jack. That doesn't help Mark.  If Mark goes to jail for doing something, Vince is out of a job. 

 

It just doesn't make any sense to me,  If anything, I would think that Vince would try to keep Mark (his boss) from gettting enraged.  There is something about Vince that I just don't like.  But then again, the only thing I do like in that town is the dog.

 

I still have yet to see that old lady use that skateboard that she has hidden behind the door.  That is just another thing that was thrown into the air, that was never followed up on.  Maybe it means something, maybe it doesn't.  Maybe she is teaching her dog to skateboard.

 

I don't understand it either, and I think we're just supposed to not-understand it enough to think Vince did that as a red herring/to deflect suspicion, because Vince really killed Danny.

[GreyBunny]

Confront Gemma for screwing Mark and having Chloe acquire cocaine, absolutely (especially since Gemma doesn't seem to be facing charges for the latter). I'm down for that. But do it with a clear head and not letting emotions take the lead. 

 

The drugs too, I'd forgotten about that.  She didn't just fuck Beth's husband, she dealt cocaine to Beth's daughter.  Again, Gemma got off easy.  The toxic bitch deserved a beatdown.

[HermitsUnited]

The drugs too, I'd forgotten about that.  She didn't just fuck Beth's husband, she dealt cocaine to Beth's daughter.  Again, Gemma got off easy.  The toxic bitch deserved a beatdown.

I dunno. Beth's husband was a willing participant and Gemma asked Chloe if she knew where to get some cocaine. In that scenario I'm pretty sure Chloe is the one dealing. I'm not saying Gemma was right to start an affair with Mark, but I don't think she's as bad as people are making out. I think Beth needs to look at her own family before she goes around pointing the finger.

 

And re: Vince. Aren't there plenty of dickheads out there who'll pick a fight because it makes them feel more "manly"? I don't think there's any motive other than Vince wanting to be seen to be doing something for Danny and picking on Jack was an easy target. If you watch the scene all he does is parade around like a stupid peacock. You only have to go out on a Friday night to any bar in the world to see that sort of behaviour...

[alexvillage]

 

I liked that Hugo commented on what a nasty job it was to sift through all that public beach sand to find evidence. I imagine he found (and discarded) a lot of skanky bits. But he said he found the fresh cig butts before the tide could wash them away. Wouldn't the tide have washed those tents away by the next day? I really don't have a clue what day we are suppose to be on after the Thursday Danny was found dead, but in-and-out tides are a daily event, right?

Yes, thank you. It makes no sense. Very little about how their crime scene team is dealing with the murder makes sense to me.

 

I am unspoiled, did not watch Broadchurch. But I am calling who did it. I am not going to say but I am calling it

[truthaboutluv]

Beth needs to deal with the adultry issue with her husband, and only her husband.  She had no business going after Gemma.  Gemma isn't the problem.  Gemma is just the person that Mark slept with.  Mark could have gone off with anyone.

 

 

Agreed. My feelings on situations like that is that while the other woman is definitely shitty and culpable, especially if they know the man is married, at the end of the day, they are not the one who made promises and a commitment to the wife, the husband did. I guess I can understand better if she and Gemma were close friends but while the town has been portrayed as one of those "where everyone knows everyone", I have gotten no indication Gemma and Beth were close friends.

 

Again, I'm not saying Gemma's actions weren't shitty and I am no fan of the character and in fact find her to be quite annoying but still, I think Beth was out of line to come to her place of employment and essentially trash her business. I agree with the comment that Gemma would have been within her rights to sue Beth for the damages and hell would have been within her rights to clock her lights out when she wouldn't calm the hell down and stop trashing the place. 

 

Not sure what the deal is with Ellie's sister. So she can't pay her bills. She's obviously not the coke dealer since then she would be loaded with money.

 

 

I think Owen alluded to her having a gambling addiction. Of course the way she was acting when Ellie came to see her, with all the tweaking and stuff, there may also be some drug addiction mixed in there as well. Which means she probably did see something related to Danny that night since I do think Danny's murder may be tied to some kind of drug dealing which would explain his second phone and all the money found in his room. And I agree with someone else that it makes no sense that Ellie just dismissed her sister. I definitely agree with her not agreeing to blackmail nonsense but all she had to do was haul her down to jail and make Carver threaten her with obstruction of justice if she didn't just say what she knew.

 

I wasn't getting the vibe for that scene. It started as Hugo just asking Ellie to go get a drink, an thing I've seen on plenty of cop shows all the time. It's a way to unwind and hang out in a more relaxed setting with co-workers. Tbh, I was trying to figure out what was on the plate in front of Ellie. ( Muffins/cupcakes that were upside down.) So far nothing strange.

Then Ellie gets all '...but I'm married!' My reaction: ...And? At this point in the scene, nothing untoward has been suggested. I feel that Ellie made it awkward firs,t with the repeated assurances that she is happily married. Apparently only unhappily married women go out for a drink with co-workers? What? Hugo, who I'm not totally defending, seemed as surprised by Ellie's reaction as I was, and didn't formulate a graceful exit to that conversation. IA, once you ask and it's answered, move on, dude.

 

 

I didn't see the scene that way. To me I found Hugo a bit ambiguous in his first offer of a drink and I myself could not tell if he was just trying to be friendly or coming onto Ellie and I kind of leaned more towards the latter based on the sort of smirk on his face. I thought Ellie's initial reaction seemed to be one where she too wasn't really sure if he was flirting or not. Because she sort of answers tentatively and says she's married almost in a tone that suggests she might have thought maybe Hugo wasn't aware and so she was letting him know so things wouldn't be awkward.

 

If he really was just asking for a drink like "cops do all the time", his response would have been something along the lines of "I know, but I just thought we could just hang out like co-workers." Instead his smirk gets even smarmier in my opinion and he says, "so that's a deal breaker for you?" Like seriously...wtaf? He was out of line. He clearly knows very well she is married, but still felt the need to make a play for her, then he compounded her discomfort by pushing even after she made it clear she had zero interest.

[benteen]

Yeah, Hugo pushed it past the comfortable point at the end.  He wanted a hookup, not a drink between friends and was a creep about it.

Edited November 9, 2014 by benteen

[MaryPatShelby]

This is the first episode that really drew me in, and I only thought "I wish I were watching Broadchurch" maybe 4 times, instead of the usual 104. Weird because I had been kind of dreading the "lynch mob" episode.  It was also the first time I liked Michael Pena's portrayal of Mark, even though I wasn't crazy about all of Mark's behaviors.  I loved the short brief sweet scene of Mark and Beth sitting close together looking at baby photos of Danny.

[LeGrandElephant]

When he learned the truth, Mark had no problem with Jack but he knew once the town had discovered he served time for having sex with a minor, they were never going to accept him again.

Yeah but that's implausible and a huge assumption. If everyone heard the story about how Jack was arrested for statutory rape but then married the girl and had a son who died... Well, maybe they'd still be weirded out by the age difference, but I doubt they'd be after him with pitchforks. They might be worried about him around the teenage girls but not around the little boys. Those are generally separate worries.

Basically it makes no sense to me why Jack or anyone who heard his story wouldn't just tell every one the gist of it. Then, I woul expect all those people to calm down and back off. It might not make him the most popular guy in town but i think it would stop them from actively persecuting him.

[iMonrey]

 

Thought that the scene with Tom skateboarding down the street with the entire police force in tow was very well done.

 

I thought that was the most implausible scene thus far. Would they really ask Danny's best friend, a kid the same age, to re-enact the final moments of the dead kid's life? At night? Just to see how long it took for him to reach the murder scene? WTF? Anyone could have guess-timated this very thing, they didn't need a re-enactment from a civilian child.

 

 

Am I the only one who thought what a tragedy it was that Gemma left the beer flowing out of the taps after Beth left the bar?

 

Yeah, I know she was probably stunned from the onslaught, but I was literally yelling at her to shut off the damn taps after Beth stormed off instead of just standing there slack-jawed.

[Shermie]

I would like to know how long it's been since the murder - three days? A week? A month?

Regardless, it's asking a lot to expect Beth to be level-headed and rational when dealing with the woman her husband is having an affair with. Her child was murdered, it hasn't been solved, she doesn't know who to trust, and then she finds out her husband is cheating. That's a lot to deal with.

Grief after losing a child to an accident is a long, difficult process and you don't "get over it" in a couple weeks (although TV would make you think otherwise). But losing a child to murder, likely by someone you know? And find out all kinds of unseemly things about your dead son and surviving daughter? And then lose the trust of your husband?

I agree with those who say Mark should have just explained Jack's situation. Finding out he wasn't guilty, and then whispering he should leave town? Stupid, and yes, the small town mob trope. Ugh, it doesn't exist. Most people would hear the story and shrug and say, "oh, that makes sense, it's kind of a weird age difference, but those were different times, and he lost his child and marriage, so leave the sad old guy alone."

[LeGrandElephant]

Exactly. Maybe they'd still not want him running an after school program, but I doubt they'd be trying to run him out of town.

[Wouldofshouldof]

I would like to know how long it's been since the murder - three days? A week? A month?

Regardless, it's asking a lot to expect Beth to be level-headed and rational when dealing with the woman her husband is having an affair with. Her child was murdered, it hasn't been solved, she doesn't know who to trust, and then she finds out her husband is cheating. That's a lot to deal with.

Here's my problem with Beth storming into the bar and wreaking havoc.  She saw Mark with Gemma at night, then at least a day went by, if not more, before she told Mark she knew about them, then later they had their talk in the bedroom, then at least another day went by before she went into the bar.  Her fury at that point would have been much more believable, I don't know, 2 or 3 days earlier.

[SFoster21]

It's a slow burn. You maintain and then you blow.

[dialyn]

I agree with those who say Mark should have just explained Jack's situation. Finding out he wasn't guilty, and then whispering he should leave town? Stupid, and yes, the small town mob trope. Ugh, it doesn't exist. Most people would hear the story and shrug and say, "oh, that makes sense, it's kind of a weird age difference, but those were different times, and he lost his child and marriage, so leave the sad old guy alone."

The crowd was standing just a few feet away and Jack wasn't exactly whispering.  I was surprised they didn't hear any part of the conversation.  I do think this is representative of what we see go on all the time these days.  Something hits the media (especially social media) and in seconds it is spread around without anyone checking to see if it is true.  You even have major news channels reporting on Twitter and Facebook postings as if those reliable resources only to have to pull back later because it was found the information was not accurate, but people stampede around before waiting to find out what the facts are.  Of course Jack didn't help by not being forthcoming.  Yes, it isn't anyone's business, except it was made everyone's business once it was reported.

 

Have to say, the only show I find more depressing than this one is "How to Get Way with Murder" which I stopped watching because there was absolutely no character that wasn't ethically twisted. This show is unrelentingly dark, but at least there are characters trying to do the right thing (though they often get it wrong).   I'm pretty tired of Detective Emmett Carver and his angst.  I almost laughed when he asked Gemma to spend the night and I was glad the writers did not follow up that line of thought.   He would be no thrill to wake up to.

[saber5055]

 

It's a slow burn. You maintain and then you blow.

Too bad she didn't "blow" at her husband, the person who's sharing her bed at night. She TALKED at him, which made that scene well-done and strong IMO. If she had slut-shamed Gemma, that scene would have been much more powerful and memorable to Gemma. Put her on the spot and make her squirm under your steely gaze and pointed questions. But no, Beth became a hot-headed little child throwing a tantrum. She made it easy to see why Mark wanted an affair, to get away from that. And solved nothing with Gemma. After Mark and Beth get divorced, which is in the cards, no way can their marriage survive cheating and Danny's death, Gemma will be there to take poor abused Mark in and shelter him from his childish and uncontrolled ex.

 

JMHO from having been in that situation IRL.

[dialyn]

After Mark and Beth get divorced, which is in the cards, no way can their marriage survive cheating and Danny's death, Gemma will be there to take poor abused Mark in and shelter him from his childish and uncontrolled ex.

Will Gemma really want him?  She might not mind him as a side affair, but I would wonder why she would want him on a more permanent basis. 

Edited November 11, 2014 by dialyn

[GreyBunny]

^ Agreed.  Her son has been violently murdered and they don't know who did it.  Then she finds out her husband has been cheating.  Plus she's pregnant and probably feeling trapped.  That's a lot all at once.  I don't blame her for not putting on some ridiculous retro-noir-ish steely-eyed performance complete with ice dripping from her voice.  

She's childish but I give her a pass for being angry and hotheaded in that moment.  Mark is no prize, he's just as childish, if not more so, and Gemma is just thoughtless and evil.