At the beginning of the 5th episode, Laura Benson (Kelly Gough) tells the detectives about her personal experience. She confesses she was raped nearly two years ago. The details of Laura’s rape closely parallel that of Trish’s. She confirms she spoke to her GP after the attack. Also, she washed her clothes, but never wore them again. She agrees to give them to the police. When pushed, Laura admits she didn’t come forward, because she didn’t want to paraded in the media. After the interview, Laura takes Ellie (Olivia Colman) and Alec (David Tennant) to the field, where she was raped. Laura is then returned home. Alec promises her that they’ll do their best to get the culprit. Afterwards, Alec and Ellie speak about the interview. They agree that the attacker may be the same for both cases.

Next, Leah (Hannah Millward) and Trish Winterman (Julie Hesmondhalgh) hang out near the beach. Leah tries to talk her mother out of the upcoming meeting. Trish refuses and Leah heads home. Seconds later, Jim Atwood (Mark Bazeley) arrives and speaks with Trish. Trish tries to force Jim to tell Cath (Sarah Parish) about their affair. Jim insists that would ruin him. Trish remains adamant that she will tell her the truth one way or another. Jim puts up little resistance. Back at the station, Katie (Georgina Campbell) informs Alec and Ellie that Aaron Mayford (Jim Howick) has been linked to the farm store and the Coopers Telemarking, where Laura worked. Ellie and Katie visit Aaron and take him into custody. While Alec takes Aaron’s DNA, we see fishermen on the beach. Then, the interview begins.

Again, Aaron insists he was out fishing on the night of the attack. He tells the detectives which route he took. Unfortunately, he is caught in a lie. Then, Aaron confesses he caught mackerel and still has some in his freezer. Aaron insists Jenna (Hara Yannas) would back up his story, unless she ate the fish while he was at the police station. He eventually admits to being with Dave King at a local bar a little while back. Aaron also confirms he was near Abbots Chapel at the Rising Sun a few years back. When asked about his IT support work, he denies knowing Laura Benson. Cath takes supplies to Trish’s house. During the encounter, Trish finally tells Cath about the affair with Jim. Cath ridicules her friend, while questioning why anyone would rape Trish. Moments later, Jim receives a call from Cath. She tells him not to come home that night.

Cath also threatens to set fire to Jim’s life. Next, Beth Latimer (Jodie Whittaker) meets with her boss. They speak about Beth’s meetings with Trish. Beth gives the woman information about the rape. The details remind the boss of a past client. Meanwhile, evidence is collected from Aaron’s house. Katie confirms there was no mackerel in the fridge or freezer. The arrival of Beth and her boss interrupts the investigation. During the interview with Beth and her boss, the detectives learn about another similar rape near Budmouth. Beth’s boss refuses to give up the woman’s name, due to legal reasons. However, she agrees to speak with her. Afterwards, Ellie admits if the dates are connected, Aaron would be ruled out, since he was in prison during one of the attacks. Nevertheless, Katie doesn’t seem convinced. Next, Alec and Ellie decide to speak with Leo Humphries’ alibi. Before they leave, Aaron is released from the jail.

Next, Ian (Charlie Higson) meets with Ed Burnett (Lenny Henry). Ian asks for a place to stay. Ed refuses, while simultaneously shaming Ian for being terrible to his wife. Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill) tracks down Beth and exclaims that they need to stop Mark (Andrew Buchan) from attacking Joe. Beth admits she is over it and doesn’t care what Mark does at this point. Mark meets with Maggie (Carolyn Pickles) and gets letters. We see that Mark has already packed his bags. He also grabs a razor blade and hammer, before leaving. Ellie and Alec meet with Danielle Lawrence (Ines De Clercq). The woman gives Leo a great alibi. Ellie threatens her with prosecution, if she is caught lying. After they leave, Ellie and Alec agree that she is most likely lying. Danielle calls Leo (Chris Mason) and tells him about the visit. He agrees to repay her for giving him a solid alibi.

Meanwhile, Clive (Sebastian Armesto) has a weird conversation with Lindsay and Michael. When Alec returns home, he finds Chloe Latimer (Charlotte Beaumont) speaks with Daisy (Hannah Rae). He quickly discovers that something is wrong. Daisy admits her phone was stolen and the school kids have spread around a naught picture of her. She begs to move away from the area. Meanwhile, we see Leo get into a red cab, which looks similar to Clive’s. Then, Jim breaks down. Ed speaks with Cath and learns about the affair. Ed seems angered that Jim and Trish slept together. Clive arrives and picks up Jim. While they drive along, Clive continues to speak about Trish’s rape. Eventually, Jim forces him to pull over. Jim begins to strangle Clive with the seatbelt, while threatening him. Mark arrives at his destination. He ignores a voice message from Beth, before continuing forward. He sees Joe Miller (Matthew Gravelle) in the distance.

Meanwhile, Ellie and Alec scour over the evidence. Ellie agrees to speak with Daisy. Then, she suggests the attacker might be acting on a seasonal basis. Seconds later, Alec gets a call from Arthur Tamworth (Richard Hope), who reveals his dog has found something suspicious. Ed becomes enraged. He tracks down Jim and attacks him. Alec and Ellie meet with Arthur and retrieve a sock, which might’ve been put in Trish’s mouth. Next, we jump over to Leo, who is playing soccer with his friends. We see that all of the boys are wearing socks similar to the one found by Arthur’s dog. At the end of the episode, Ian sneaks into Trish’s house, while Trish and Leah are sleeping.

 

Broadchurch Review

Despite being as slow as ever, Broadchurch’s 5th episode was good. The episode pushed the suspects closer to the edge. Jim was finally forced to admit to his devious behavior, while Ed became enraged and lashed out. In hopes of getting his computer back, Ian decided to sneak into Trish’s home. The only two that seem unaffected are Leo and Clive. Leo has remained out of the spotlight at this point, while Clive simply doesn’t seem to care in the least.

We still must remember that Jim had condoms, which perfectly matched those found at the scene, in an automobile at his shop. Was it his car or a client’s? Everyone seems to be hiding something and hopefully those secrets spill out soon! A 7.5 out of 10 is awarded to this episode. Catch up with previous recaps of Broadchurch now.