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S02.E01: Episode 1


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Well, this is going to be an explosive season.

 

I have no idea why the Latimers need the prosecutor. I guess the family of the victim is the plaintiff as opposed to the state like it is in the USA. And clearly this trial is going to be more a power play between Sharon and Jocelyn (and whatever is in their shared backstory) than a just trial.

 

I guess the defense's main play is discrediting Hardy and the case he built. Most of the work has been done for them, given what happened in Sandbrook and how Hardy's career and reputation was completely ruined thanks to his whoring wife and his need to protect people over reason.

 

I really feel bad for Ellie. Completely ostracized and essentially in exile thanks to her husband, Tom doesn't want to live with her and she gets Beth screaming in her face for something that isn't her fault. The Latimers really need to calm the hell down lest they alienate the people that are on their side. Beth is in no position to be up in Ellie's face about her never knowing anything. How much did Beth know about what was going on under her nose before Hardy and Ellie exposed everything? Her daughter with an older boyfriend and dealing cocaine, her son with two cellphones and cavorting with Joe Miller for months before his death and falling out with Tom, and her husband hitting Danny and fucking Becca (and even doing so on the night his son was murdered and was RIGHT AT THE SCENE mere minutes after his son died). I hope Ellie stops acting like an abused puppy and screams right back in Beth's face outlining all the above. You're not above reproach because you're the mother of a dead kid; a kid who is dead because you weren't paying attention (and didn't put the fear of God into him that would have had him too scared to sneak out. You don't need to beat your kids to have them fearing your wrath enough to stay in line).

 

I figured they were going to make Sandbrook one of the plots. I hope they're not going with the idea that Ashworth(?) isn't the killer. That's just a little too much. There's only 8 episodes (I believe; I haven't heard anything about extending the season this go-round). I don't want too many plot lines running concurrently and then a whole lot of rushing to tie the loose ends at the end of the season. I hate that.

 

Joe Miller is a special little creature. Does all this confessing because he's "tired of hiding," and then pusses out and is willing to put a lot of people through pain because he's too scared to go to prison.

I wonder if Gracepoint's ending was a clue to what's going to happen in Broadchurch and why Tom doesn't want to live with Ellie right now.

 

The writing and atmosphere of Broadchurch is right on (though they really need to forget what they learned in the Zack Snyder School of Filmmaking and STAHP with the excessive slow motion), so I wonder why Gracepoint was so off the mark. Well, aside from the failed casting choices (with exception to keeping Tennant on) and not taking the time to properly translate the show from British to American, instead doing a near shot-for-shot remake. All that crap about making Gracepoint for those who haven't seen Broadchurch is just that, especially all the reassurances that the ending was going to be different. The American Broadchurch fans comprised most the initial audience and they should have had that in mind.

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Oh, that was good. My only problem was Hardy dragging Ellie to the exhumation. What the fuck was the point of that? What good would it do anyone?

Twist prediction: The Eve Myles character is involved in the killing and disappearance of the girls.

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Hardy needed a ride to the Church quickly and not being medically cleared to drive, he had to get her to take him. But he did tell Ellie to drop him off and drive off. She decided to tag along, not knowing what was up.

I wonder about Tom too because on rewatch of series 1, I noticed how he eavesdropped on the dinner with Hardy. Creepy to see him hanging out  with Mark Latimer now.

 

That's a really good question about why the Latimers would be in charge of hiring the attorney for the prosecution when Ellie mentioned the case was "The Crown versus Miller". 

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Ho. Lee. Shit.

 

That episode set up the season with a hammer.

 

I enjoy how the courtroom scenes are actually more familiar to me (as a Canadian) than American court scenes but I am also unclear why the family would need a lawyer. Perhaps that lawyer will assist the Crown attorneys in the case...

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The State is prosecuting Joe Miller. What the Latimers want is a very good barrister being used by the prosecution and they were told that could be a problem (presumably because of Joe's last minute plea change and their other available top barristers are otherwise committed at this stage).

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From tvdb

 

 

I'll gladly add a title, but I couldn't find one on my quick search. 

 

AFAIK, Broadchurch doesn't have actual episode titles. On Netflix, it's just "Episode One" and so forth.

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Yay! Broadchurch is back. It looks like this season is going to be as good as season 1. So glad to see everyone back again. I'm glad they are going to do Sandpoint since what happened had such an impact on Hardy and the way they talked about it made me hoped they would follow up. I guess this is going to have a two-pronged plot with Joe's trial and Lee Ashworth. Should make for some very intense episodes.

Seeing the first episode of Broadchurch really brought home how much Gracepoint was dull and listless in comparison. The actors playing Mark, Beth, the vicar and Ellie were natural and interesting in their roles and brought the town of Broadchurch to life in a way I never felt with GP.

And David Tennant is so much better when he can use a Scottish accent.

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Question for the UK folks: Why do the Latimers need an attorney? Won't the government prosecute him?

 

Oh, yeah--and it's good to see the Broadchurch gang again.

The Crown is responsible for the prosecution, yes, but the Latimers want to ensure that the very best possible attorney handles the case, rather than whoever happens to be next on the CPS go-to list, because they don't want to take any chances in seeing the man who killed their son go down for the crime - especially knowing that he has an excellent defence team.

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I thought that Joe saying "he has had time to think about it" means to me he didn't do it but is protecting someone who did. I guess we can all work out the gaps.

 

I don't think you can just choose a Silk like it's on a menu; don't the QC's decide what cases to take? I'm thinking the Latimers wouldn't be the ones doing the asking, at least that's the way it is in Oz. 

 

Ellie is brilliant I so like this original version better than that idiotic Ellie in Gracepoint who was so unconvincing as a detective.

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Hot. Freaking. Damn. This is going to be good.

I was a huge supporter of Gracepoint but watching this new episode of Broadchurch really highlighted the poor casting choices for Danny's family in the American remake. Plus, they managed to hit all the right emotional nuances whereas the remake was miles off the mark. The interactions between Miller and Hardy vacillate perfectly between snippy and sincere. Hardy is obviously a decent yet emotionally stunted guy trying to do the right thing, and when he asked Miller if she wanted a hug (much to her horror) I laughed. The Latimer's grief is palpable and justified but Beth needs to chill because I had the urge to smack her when she was yelling in Miller's face. The animosity between the opposing legal teams is already boiling and I'm looking forward to some exciting courtroom scenes.

I recall that one of the (few) complaint I heard about the first series was that it was slow. Adding the Sandbrook case to mix will address that issue and I think it's going to make for a truly gripping eight episodes of TV.

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Thanks for the info on barristers.

 

Broadchurch will air in the US in March. I don't know if I'll continue to try and watch this now or wait until March. It's kind of hard to remember to get the channel at 4:00 in the afternoon! Mostly, I wanted to know what the storyline would be.

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Damn, Joe. Way to screw over everyone who is already hurting.

 

I don't like Mark and Tom being secret buddies, even if they're just playing video games. Mark got a creepy look on his face when Tom told him that no one knows about that place. That might just be the paranoia talking though.

Edited by ElectricBoogaloo
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Damn, Joe. Way to screw over everyone who is already hurting.

 

I don't like Mark and Tom being secret buddies, even if they're just playing video games. Mark got a creepy look on his face when Tom told him that no one knows about that place. That might just be the paranoia talking though.

I can't figure out what Mark's playing at. Is he trying to fill the gap left by Danny? Is he trying to be there for Tom, whose world has fallen apart, and who was Danny's best friend? Is he trying to do to Joe a measure what Joe did to him, by forming a bond with his son (I can be a better father to your son than you are)?  Is he trying to understand what happened between Danny and Joe? Is he angling for some form of revenge? Maybe all of the above? Maybe Mark himself doesn't even know.

 

I can see how easy it would be to fall into something like that, starting probably from a chance meeting and single conversation and spinning on from there - Tom mixed up and confused, Mark grieving and missing his son, each finding something they need in the other. But it's the kind of thing that can spiral out of control so easily, especially with so much other stuff going on, so many heightened emotions in the mix, and keeping it secret is worrying.

Edited by Llywela
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Broadchurch will air in the US in March. I don't know if I'll continue to try and watch this now or wait until March. It's kind of hard to remember to get the channel at 4:00 in the afternoon! Mostly, I wanted to know what the storyline would be.

 

happyhumanist, ITV has an online viewer so you don't actually need to watch at 4 when it airs - you can watch anytime. Sorry if I've misunderstood your comment but if that's what you meant, there is a solution!

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So. Much. Squealing. The characters feel so lived in and authentic, I don't think I've ever felt that way about a tv show.

 

Mark is a douche, I never liked him. Danny's death is just a sanctimonious pedestal for him to weasel out of all of his nasty behavior. Agreed, Beth is the pot calling the kettle black. Husband missing at all hours and sitting there primly, pretending to be a healthy family. He could be doing anything, and even after all he's done, she's still too much of a wuss to push and find out. I think she's projecting her own weakness onto Ellie. Ellie is 100x stronger than Beth ever could be. 

 

I wasn't too sold on the "dark brooding genius lawyer with a dark past" until I saw her interact with her protege. That minute where the protege sneered "so you'd do it for them, but not for-" was kind of chilling. Shit is gonna go down, I'm totally on board with this now!

 

Why do I feel like Claire is one half of a dastardly plot to do in Hardy, or something else equally incriminating? She's so shady.

 

It's actually kind of a neat reversal. Ellie and Hardy are good detectives, but Ellie was too blinded by her personal connections to Broadchurch to be effective. Similarly, Hardy is too invested in Sandbrook to view it objectively, so Ellie will come in with the skeptical eyes. 

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I can't figure out what Mark's playing at. Is he trying to fill the gap left by Danny? Is he trying to be there for Tom, whose world has fallen apart, and who was Danny's best friend? Is he trying to do to Joe a measure what Joe did to him, by forming a bond with his son (I can be a better father to your son than you are)?  Is he trying to understand what happened between Danny and Joe? Is he angling for some form of revenge? Maybe all of the above? Maybe Mark himself doesn't even know.

All excellent points! And are they in the older woman with the dog's camper? Does it not seem odd that she's got a video game set-up? Where the heck is the owner of the place anyway? You know that's gonna figure into the plot somehow.

What about Ellie leaving her baby in the car -was he in there during the entire visit to the counselor??? Then during the exhumation and she's not the slightest bit alarmed when there's a probable serial killer lurking about and her infant is by himself in an unattended car?!? I love this show but what is up with that?

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I loved when Miller stormed out of the bathroom after Hardy offered her a hug, and she tripped over a "Wet Floor" sign and snarked "Did you put that there?!"

Yeah that was brilliant. I guess we've all been there at stages of our lives. I really liked the way the actress sold it, the American production could never have pulled that off.

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What about Ellie leaving her baby in the car -was he in there during the entire visit to the counselor??? Then during the exhumation and she's not the slightest bit alarmed when there's a probable serial killer lurking about and her infant is by himself in an unattended car?!? I love this show but what is up with that?

The toddler wasn't in the car while Ellie was seeing her counsellor. When she left the house and found Hardy lurking by her car, she told him that she couldn't do whatever he wanted her to do because she had to collect Fred from the childminder within 20 minutes. Cut to Hardy and Ellie arriving at Claire's, with Fred in tow - she'd just taken Hardy with her to collect him and carried on from there. The only time Fred was left in the car was in the final set-piece at the church, when there were plenty of police officers around and the car was securely locked - not ideal, but he wasn't going to come to any harm in the few minutes he was alone and it was kind of a crisis.

 

I think Tom said something to Mark about the vacant caravan and its rent payment, but I missed the detail.

Edited by Llywela
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The toddler wasn't in the car while Ellie was seeing her counsellor. When she left the house and found Hardy lurking by her car, she told him that she couldn't do whatever he wanted her to do because she had to collect Fred from the childminder within 20 minutes. Cut to Hardy and Ellie arriving at Claire's, with Fred in tow - she'd just taken Hardy with her to collect him and carried on from there.

Thanks for clearing that up! It just seemed so odd after that beautiful session where Ellie pours her heart out in therapy about all the guilt she's feeling. So I went back and watched that part again and I never would have heard her say that if you hadn't pointed it out. Even though I frequently work in the UK, my American ears sometimes still have a hard time catching things spoken rapidly like that, and without that clarification, the editing really makes it look like -poof, all the sudden there's Fred at Claire's. And even though logically with all the police around the baby should be reasonably safe, I think in the US, people are just more fearful about that sort of thing, so it seemed strange to me.

I think Tom said something to Mark about the vacant caravan and its rent payment, but I missed the detail.

Tom said the woman who gave him the keys just disappeared. They discuss it but it's still a mystery as to who this woman is or why she disappeared. I just thought the exterior looked like the place where the woman with the dog lived.

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I thought it was Susan's too but I immediately wondered why it would still be empty and not have been rented out to someone else. Did Susan own it? Even if she owned the trailer (caravan) there are still fees that have to be paid to have it parked there. It's been about six months since Susan left so it still being empty makes no sense.

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It is Susan's. She gave Tom the key so he could come and visit the dog if he wanted -- while she lived there. In her haste to leave town, she didn't go collect the key back from him. 

The timeline that's bugging me is the 7 months from when Hardy said he put Claire in her hideaway and took the job in Broadchurch and now. He moved to Broadchurch just before Danny was killed, so if Danny died in July, that means this is February. But no one was in winter coats. The earliest it could probably be is late March of the next year. It looked too lush for that.

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Hmm, I wasn't super thrilled with S1 and felt the show had liberally borrowed from S1 of Forbrydelsen/The Killing, and of course I didn't even bother with Gracepoint. But the season 2 premiere really sucked me in and made me frustrated at having to wait for another week for the next episode.

The Claire storyline felt retcon-ish, but there was so much cast chemistry I didn't mind.

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The timeline that's bugging me is the 7 months from when Hardy said he put Claire in her hideaway and took the job in Broadchurch and now. He moved to Broadchurch just before Danny was killed, so if Danny died in July, that means this is February. But no one was in winter coats. The earliest it could probably be is late March of the next year. It looked too lush for that.

I've been much further north than where this make believe town approximately is (somewhere in Dorset) in March and the weather can be hit or miss. You definitely still need a coat handy but you can also have some warm(ish) days where it's completely appropriate to dress that way. I was not near the coasts during this time but most of the fields were lush and and the grass was green.

Edited by julzzy
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Wow, that was a shocker of an episode!

I immediately rewatched the entire first season and  I am glad I did as I found it better than the first time around.

 

I chuckled "vicars and tarts" at seeing Becca and the vicar kiss and rewatching first season, I chuckled again on the pretty good chemistry between them.

 

I'm not looking forward to a "they are both so awesome" teacher-and-pupil-battle.

 

I do, different from posters above, fully accept Beths behaviour. I don't think it is hypocrite. She lost her son, she is emotional. How is she supposed to know what others think and do? That was the point of the first season: everybody had secrets, no matter how good you know them. Ellie never had a chance (and probably will never have enough words) to explain how a friend can fail friendship, knowing her husband, knowing her son and, as a police officer, be so slow on progress. Ellie incorporates all roles, and therefor is to Beths instinct omnipresent, maybe omnipotent, evil centre of the universe. Well, they never talked about it, that's for sure. This show is so realistic!

 

I never liked Mark, and he was always my number one suspect. Now Tom has changed his plea, .... hhmmmm.....

 

I did like the forshadowing roles of Hardley (going to make a lot of mistakes) and Ellie (picking up the pieces and find structure).

 

It's going to be awesome!

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I didn't know a thing about what the season was going to be about since I stay as unspoiled as I can. I knew Hardy was going to be back, but that's it. They seemed to lay out a ton of plot to cover, so I hope it all gets its due. I'm really not into seeing a courtroom heavy series, but I'm guessing that it's really not going to be about that. 

 

I did laugh a lot with the scenes between Miller and Hardy. You need that on a show like this. 

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I don't think there were many spoilers, if any. It's been well hushed.

I rewatched it and I can tell I'm gonna have a difficult time with Eve Myles. It's been a while since Torchwood by she grated hard on that show and with all the excitement about this first episode of the new season she managed to not bug during my first watch, but she didn't make it through round two. There is just something about her that aggravates me. Hopefully she'll tone down whatever acting choices she's done previously.

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Showcase in Canada just aired the first episode of season 2 tonight.  I really enjoyed it.  Watching all these actors interact really showed why Gracepoint wasn't as well done.  The chemistry was missing on Gracepoint.  This was perfect.  Even the new characters were interesting.  I am really going to enjoy this season.

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This is one of the few shows on the tube I'm looking forward to.  Showcase just aired Episode One of Season Two and though the writer in me predicted that Joe would change his plea (the most logical, reasonable way to extend the story) I could still share the other characters' shock when and how he did it.

 

So just to be clear -- the Charlotte Rampling (Jocelyn?) character will not be the actual prosecutor acting for the Crown/State but instead will be representing the family's interests in court? 

 

Speaking of the Latimer family, Beth needs to chill out.  I get that she's in pain, but the person who should have been screamed at was the defense attorney, not Ellie.

 

And speaking of the defense attorney, I think I could really get to dislike her in a hurry.  The look on her face at the exhumation was rather smug.  That's one of the problems with the legal system, IMO -- in the rush to win, it doesn't matter who gets hurt.  Or whether justice is or isn't served, either.

Finally, I really don't need to repeat this, but what the heck -- I loves me some David Tennant!

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I can totally understand being pissed at Ellie because I'm pissed at her. You weren't just his wife you're a damn police officer and you didn't see it. Her entire approach to the case was too emotional. After she missed that the killer was in her bed, it makes sense that she didn't get the promotion and her whining about it all the time in Season 1 certainly didn't endear her to me.

 

I'm so excited about the wonderful actresses in Broadchurch I'm doing a happy dance! Charlotte Rampling AND Marianne Jean Baptiste YAAAAS!

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I got into the series through Gracepoint, having never seen original Broadchurch. I decided to check the second season out because having heard that Broadchurch ended much the same way Gracepoint did, with some minor difference, I was interested to see where they would go in a second season. Honestly, the premise is not exciting me too much. I'm not really interested in seeing things get twisted and Carver's past with the other case used against him again, to drag out Joe's inevitable guilt. Not to mention Joe's stupid, pathetic face just bugs me. I also called bullshit on the body exhumation.

 

Now granted I get most of my law from American television so maybe British law works different but doesn't one have to prove irrefutable cause, such as new evidence, new confession, etc. to have a body exhumed? I mean that is borderline sacrilegious to dig someone up from their final resting place and the defense gets to have it done with no evidence, that we were told anyway, explaining why it was necessary? That just seemed like drama for drama sake. 

 

Finally, I know it's the thing to negatively compare Gracepoint to this show but honestly, I'm not that much more impressed. I find the grieving family just as insufferable in this version as I did Gracepoint. Mark is just as stoic and annoying in this version as he is in Gracepoint and the daughter just as annoying. And huge unpopular opinion but I actually kind of prefer Gracepoint's Ellie to this one whose faces and weird varying tones i find less quirky and interesting and more just kind of annoying. That said, it is nice to see MarieAnne Jn. Baptiste again. Great actress and it's been too long since she's been on the screen. 

 

And what I do prefer with Broadchurch is the portrayal of Tom who is less Damian from The Omen like Gracepoint's version was and the priest who I notice in this version doesn't have any past romantic history with Beth and seems fairly normal as opposed to Gracepoint's version who was both annoying and kind of creepy.

 

eta: I also think it's blindingly clear that the woman (Claire?) either was in on the killing or did it herself and sold the husband out but that there is way more to her and husband's story.

Edited by truthaboutluv
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I didn't catch this, but where are Ellie's sons living, if not with their mum (and seemingly, not her sister)?

 

Creepiest part of a very creepy show: Mark hanging out in the same cottage where his son hung out with Joe Miller, playing video games with Joe's son. (And the boy acting very nonchalant as if it's not weird to be spending time with the dad of the boy his father murdered.) It'd probably be easier for him to let Beth think that he's carrying on with Becca again, rather than to explain that bit of weirdness.

 

Awesome to see Marianne Jean-Baptiste in this.

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So Tom is meeting Mark in Susan's old camper (or whatever you call that structure).  I think it's creepy, especially since Mark is keeping it from Beth.

 

I couldn't stand Beth in season one and I still can't.  Yes, shut up Beth.  You have no idea what your own family is doing and you have no business yelling at Ellie.  I hope we get to see Ellie give some back this season.  I just love Olivia Coleman.  She can act.  Watching Broadchurch again totally reminded me how poor all the acting was in Gracepoint (especially the Ellie character). 

 

I think this season is going to be riveting.  But, but, but, how can Jarvis be a bad guy?

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I didn't get the impression that this season will exonerate Joe Miller; rather that the system could quite likely fail to convict a guilty man.

 

And Matthew Gravelle is giving such a good performance of such a contemptible person, I almost fear for his safety out in public.

 

I guess have too much respect for the Innocence Project to see Sharon Bishop as a parallel to them. She seems more like an OJ defense team style character to me, the stunt with the exhumation, for example, seems to cross the line between "vigorous defense" and "win at all costs".

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I didn't catch this, but where are Ellie's sons living, if not with their mum (and seemingly, not her sister)?

 

Creepiest part of a very creepy show: Mark hanging out in the same cottage where his son hung out with Joe Miller, playing video games with Joe's son. (And the boy acting very nonchalant as if it's not weird to be spending time with the dad of the boy his father murdered.)

Ellie's younger son, Fred, lives with her. Tom's living with Ellie's sister Lucy (Ollie's mum). When Fred's not with Ellie, she usually mentions he's at the child-minder's (babysitter's) or at Lucy's.

 

Tom and Mark are meeting at Susan Wright's trailer, not the cliff top hut. Susan gave Tom keys to the trailer in series 1 because her dog, Vince, liked him. She invited Tom to come and walk Vince. Apparently she didn't get the keys back from Tom before she left town.

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I love the freeze frame of Ellie in the bathroom from the recap, because I really think this is a far better way to install toilets. The handle is on the wall, there is a container of hand sanitizer on the wall to clean hands...

Except is that the tp halfway up the wall behind the toilet? That's insanity.

Also: shut up, Beth.

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I wish BBC America had run a marathon of the first season, because I had forgotten who some of the characters were (like Olly and Becca) and forgotten that Beth was pregnant. My favorite scene was Hardy and Miller in the ladies' toilet, especially when he told that woman who came in it was closed and the offer of the hug. I also realized how much I missed the way David Tennant says "Millah!" Mark in that caravan with Tom just set off so many red flags for me.

 

On a completely superficial note, hot damn did Arthur Darvill look good!

 

Hot. Freaking. Damn. This is going to be good.

 

I concur.

 

THISGONBGUD.gif

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Definitely agree with Shut up, Beth. But I can understand it a little - it's scary to get mad at what's happening legally because then she'd have to admit that justice isn't always served, she's not going to get mad at herself, she doesn't think she can live on her own so she can't get mad at Mark, so the only person left to be mad at is Ellie. But still. Shut up, Beth.

I'm trying to figure out - was Claire part of the Sandbridge case, or another one at the same time? I don't remember them saying before that it was two girls who were killed in that one.

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