Broken Episode 3 Recap

As the episode begins, we see Michael being abused by Father Matthew (Thomas Arnold) in class. After the brief flashback ends, Michael (Sean Bean) drops Helen off at home. She promises to be at the church service that night. Sure enough, Helen is there as usual. Andrew Powell (Mark Stanley) is also in attendance. After Michael belittles the church and their ways, he sits down and has a private conversation with Andrew. We learn from Andrew that Dawn Morris (Aisling Loftus) and the other officers plan to lie about Vernon’s shooting. Andrew isn’t sure what to do. Michael gives him encourage to be truthful. Andrew suggests Dawn sprayed the boy because she always wanted to spray someone. And, he explains that Dennis Kilcaid (Tony Hirst) has always wanted to shoot someone.

Andrew returns home to his wife, Caroline (Faye McKeever), and his daughter. He is adamant that he is going to tell the truth no matter what. Later, he receives a visit from Dawn. She pleads with him to stick by her side. Caroline watches form the doorway. Later that night, Caroline encourages Drew to phone Ian Wakefield (Matthew Wilson). He has the least to hide, since he was least involved with Vernon’s death. Ian insists he hasn’t spoken with Dawn. Drew tells him about Dawn’s threat. When the call ends, we see that Dawn is standing right beside of Ian. That night, Drew has trouble sleeping, due to flashbacks of the shooting. Meanwhile, Father Kerrigan thinks about the time he told his preacher about the sexual abuse. The priest told him to keep it a secret from everyone.

The following day, Andrew and the others speak with the man in charge of the investigation. Andrew tells the truth and sticks with his story. Ian flips and sides with Dawn. Andrew confronts Ian at his house afterwards. Ian admits that someone did lean on him. He explains that it was Andrew who tried to change his testimony. Helen (Muna Otaru) and Michael visit the police station. The man in charge admits Vernon cannot be buried just yet, since they need to hold the body for the toxicology report. Michael makes a comment about race, but the man doesn’t care and insists he isn’t in charge of the investigation. Later, Michael has an encounter with Roz (Paula Malcomson). She gives some of her clothing away for charity, while telling Michael she is immigrating to Perth. Of course, she uses the code language to disguise her planned suicide. She promises to call Michael later.

Later, Andrew goes out with his colleague, Joe Mason (Ian Conningham). At the pub, Andrew gets into a brief argument with Kilcaid. Then, the others give Andrew dirty looks. Andrew tells Mason that he is now stuck in a difficult situation. If he changes his story, he’ll look like he folded. Mason tells him not to worry about everyone and only focus on himself and Caroline. The next day, Helen and Michael speak with the police. Helen tells the investigator about the day of the shooting. Michael remains adamant that Vernon was only a danger to himself. Michael becomes a little combatant and complains about the investigator in charge being so closely connected with the officers he is investigating. Next, Andrew prepares to celebrate his daughter’s birthday. It is interrupted by a visit from his commanding officer.

Andrew’s boss quickly turns things around on him. He complains that Andrew never signed out his CS spray. Andrew insists he did and also admits he never used it anyway. Andrew also learns that Ian has told them about the phone call. The man’s words convince Andrew that Mason has squealed on him. Andrew returns outside and gets into an argument with Mason. Caroline also argues with him. Andrew reminds her that she fully supported his initial decision. Eventually, Andrew’s mother chimes in and lets Caroline and Mason have it. Andrew rushes off and visits the police station. He recants and agrees to sign a statement. Then, he visits Michael’s house. There, he finds Helen. He apologizes to her profusely. Helen admits she doesn’t trust the police. However, she also makes it clear she has a different opinion about Andrew.

Andrew tracks down Michael at the church. Andrew argues with Kerrigan about the church’s willingness to forgive with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Then, he breaks down and admits he is a coward. Next, Kerrigan gives another sermon. This time, he recalls Father Matthew visiting him in the shower. At the end of the speech, Kerrigan gives communion to everyone, including Andrew. Afterwards, Andrew visits him at home and asks why he gave him communion. Kerrigan responds by asking why he needed it. Andrew reveals he needed it more than ever. Andrew explains that is why he gave it to him. Next, Michael visits his old school. It is dusty and abandoned. Then, he tracks down Father Matthew (Robert Gillespie).

Kerrigan confronts the man about the abuse. Matthew is unremorseful. He suggests Michael liked it, since he got an erection. He also admits several others have visited him over the years. Kerrigan reveals he thought he was gay and eventually became suicidal. Matthew apologizes, but confirms he doesn’t mean it. Michael becomes enraged and yells that is going to pray for man, until he realizes what he has done. He also hopes the man will suffer long enough and hard enough for God to show him mercy.

Broken Review

Initially, I thought Broken was going to delve into racial politics. It brushed over that and shed a light on something far bigger. Andrew Powell’s predicament felt very authentic. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that similar situations play out in real life frequently. It appears that Dawn Morris and Dennis Kilcaid will not get punished for the death of Vernon Oyenusi. While the episode definitely portrayed Dawn as the bad girl, it focused more on Andrew’s own internal struggle.

More importantly, Andrew’s case forced Michael Kerrigan to confront his own demons. He tracked down Father Matthew and gave him a piece of his mind. After getting away with his crimes for so many years, Father Matthew probably feels invincible at this point. Plus, he has been protected by the church. Who could touch him? Andrew’s struggle was interesting, but the climax was definitely the encounter between Kerrigan and Matthew. It lifted the episode to another level. It deserves an 8.5 out of 10. Catch up with past recaps of Broken right now.

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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.