As the episode starts, Leah Winterman (Hannah Millward) speaks with Ellie and Alec about her mother’s text messages. Ellie (Olivia Colman) promises that Trish will be fine, but admits it will take time. Seconds later, Trish (Julie Hesmondhalgh) tells the detectives that the sender had to be the attacker. Alec (David Tennant) asks whether or not the sender could be the man that Trish slept with before the party. She refuses to speak about him. During their conversation, Leah makes contact with her father, Ian (Charlie Higson). Ian leaves home and speaks with his daughter in private. He offers to come off, but Leah refuses. She admits she promised Trish to keep the rape a secret. Back at the station, Ellie suggests they focus on the source of the text message. The detectives continue to question what Trish could potentially be hiding.

While Alec attempts to figure out a possible motive, Ellie belittles him for being too hard on Trish. Ellie becomes afraid as she walks home alone. Ian meets with Jim Atwood (Mark Bazeley) at Jim’s garage. Ian seems genuinely stunned that Trish was rapped. Ian also admits he lied to the police during his interview. Ian tries to convince Jim to provide him with an alibi. In the morning, Alec gets a visit from three boys, who are looking for his daughter. He suggests she would be at school, but the boys seem to think otherwise. One of the boys is Michael Lucas (Deon Lee-Williams). They refuse to give their names. Mark Latimer (Andrew Buchan) meets with Beth (Jodie Whittaker), during her jog. They agree to meet up later back at Beth’s home. Ian pays a visit to Trish’s house. However, she hides and refuses to answer the door. Back at the station, Alec gives the team a brief update. He winds up arguing with DC Katie Harford (Georgina Campbell). Then, he whisks Ellie away in a hurry.

Tim Miller (Adam Wilson) goes through his mother’s belongings, until he finds his iPhone. Then, he leaves with his grandpa. Tom and his friend Michael Lucas are transported to the church, where they’re lectured by Rev Paul Coates (Arthur Darvill). Alec and Ellie speak with Ed Burnett (Lenny Henry) and question him about his fight with Jim during the party. Ed admits he was arguing with Jim, because he tries to control Cath’s (Sarah Parish) work schedule. Ed insists he isn’t a drinker. He also suggests Trish did nothing to provoke the attack. After the detectives leave, Ed asks Cath whether or not she told the detectives about his fight with Jim. She insists she didn’t, before they contemplate speaking with Trish. Cath asks Ed where he went after the fight. He insists he was around for a bit, before going home. Katie meets with Arthur Tamworth (Richard Hope) at the Axehampton mansion.

Katie is given surveillance evidence, before Arthur asks about Trish. Arthur admits he doesn’t think they’ll rent out the house again. Beth speaks with Trish about the police interview. Trish understands that she made the work more difficult for the detectives. Trish also reveals she knows about Beth’s past and Danny’s murder. Meanwhile, Michael tells Tom about his hatred for his stepfather. Then, Tom forces Michael to watch the sex video on his phone. Seconds later, Ellie and Alec meets with Chaz (Charles Babalola), who was in charge of the party’s catering. Chaz admits he only got one smoke break around 11 or 12 and walked down near the lake. He also confirms he saw nobody of interest. Before the detectives leave, Chaz agrees to give information about his team and a DNA sample. Mark meets with Beth at home. Mark invites Ben Haywood (William Andrews) into the home seconds later. Mark confesses he has been thinking about going after Joe in a civil case.

Mark and Beth wind up arguing. Beth and Chloe (Charlotte Beaumont) admit they want the entire thing to just disappear. Meanwhile, Alec and Ellie meet with the band leader for the party. He seems excited to be asked for a DNA sample. He admits he saw Jim and Cath arguing when he first arrived. He also confesses to seeing Ed very angry before he left. He suggests Ed looked like he could kill someone. After the interview ends, Ellie eats while asking Alec why he decided to return. He admits it hates it there mostly. The conversation is interrupted when Ellie receives a phone call from the lady at the taxi company. After the call ends, Clive Lucas (Sebastian Armesto) is interviewed by the detectives. He is shown a list of his potential clients on the night of the party. He names a few and admits he gave them rides.

He is quickly called out on his lies. Clive confesses he picked up a fare off of the road, which is considered against regulations. He admits he never told Ange, while also agreeing to show the detectives where he dropped the client off at. Then, Clive is asked about Maria, who filed a complaint about him, due to sexual advances. He suggests it was all a mix up on his behalf. He also admits to having a drink with Trish, but insists she was simply too old for him. Mark meets with Beth and they argue a little more. Beth admits she doesn’t dream of Danny anymore, before leaving. Alec and Ellie return to the station. There, Katie tells them about her conversation with Alan Tomkins. Alan used to drive for Budmouth Taxis. Alan swears he saw Lucas’ car locked up and empty in the carpark on the night of the rape. Trish’s phone rings again. They discover another text with an apology.

Moments later, Alec and Ellie meet with Clive’s wife, Lindsay (Beck Brunning). They learn about the couple’s meeting and marriage. Lindsay admits she knows Clive is a cheater. Nevertheless, she decides to stay with him for the baby. Next, Trish meets with Cath. Trish tells Cath that she isn’t to blame. She also admits she doesn’t know who to believe anymore. Back at the station, Katie has put together a board with all of the male suspects. It covers an entire wall. At home, Cath asks Jim whether or not he had anything to do with Trish’s rape. They wind up arguing briefly. Then, Ian meets with Leo Humphries (Chris Mason).

Ian tells Leo that he wants the stuff Leo put on his laptop deleted. Leo admits he cannot do it remotely. Ian seems to agree to hand it over, as long as Leo gets rid of it. That night, Lucas returns home. He is ignored by Michael. Trish gets flowers on her front step. Lucas heads to the garage and unlocks a drawer. Inside, he finds a bunch of personal items, such as a watch and glasses. He also has a picture of Trish and Leah.

 

Broadchurch Review

This episode of Broadchurch uncovered more about the night of the party and revealed that things were not perfect. Cath and Jim were caught in an argument. Then, Jim and Ed got into a physical fight. Lucas has also been caught in numerous lies. Also, Tom shows off the sex video to his friend Michael. Could the video contain evidence of Trish’s rape or is it nothing more than a teenage fantasy? This episode also mentioned Joe Miller frequently. Nobody seems to know where he is. Could he be lurking around a corner?

Finally, Ian seems to be hiding a few things of his own. What could be on his laptop? While I can think of hundreds of different scenarios, I am positive about nothing at this point. Too many questions and uncertainties remain. Nevertheless, Broadchurch’s 3rd episode scores an 8 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Broadchurch right now!