Although I am a little late to the game, I finally sat down and watched Broadchurch. After digging into the first few episodes, I felt the need to dig deeper and binge watch the first season, which I normally never do. This speaks to the quality of the show. David Tennant plays one of the leads, as the troubled detective, Alec Hardy. He is accompanied by Olivia Colman, who plays his lapdog Ellie Miller.
The show opens with the death of a young boy, Danny Latimer. His parents, Beth (Jodie Whittaker) and Mark (Andrew Buchan), quickly go on the hunt, before they become suspects themselves. This becomes the repetitive nature of the show. Everyone in town is a suspect and all seem equally guilty at one point or another. The town Vicar, Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) is eventually suspected, as is Mark’s business partner, Nigel Carter (Joe Sims).
Although the investigation is intriguing, the personal relationships, drama, and exposed pasts drive the show. It seems like everyone living in Broadchurch is tainted in one form or another and nobody is invincible. Broadchurch does an excellent job portraying the small town, where everyone knows everyone and privacy is all, but a pipe dream.
Much of Broadchurch feels cliche and done before, but it never seemed to matter. The show is slow, but again, it doesn’t matter. What is lacking in action is made up for in emotions and mystery. The music, characters, scenery, acting, and intrigue fuse together to develop something special. It is somewhat difficult to pinpoint what makes Broadchurch so amazing, but it just seems to hit all of the right notes.
As someone, who is behind the game, I wish I’d caught up on the show sooner. Subtitles and patience may be needed, but Broadchurch is well worth your trouble. With the second season already out, my immediate reaction is to find it and watch it right away. Unsurprisingly, a third is on the way, as well.
We can only hope Alec Hardy stays away from America, Ellie Miller avoids Reverend Smallbone and Nige is able to prevent himself from making prank calls to the police! The first season of Broadchurch deserves an 8.5 out of 10.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
