Is Broadchurch losing the plot?

abigailwebber500
Jan 27, 2015
3 min read

I love Broadchurch. I binge watched six of the eight episodes of Series 1, transfixed by the slow-building tension, the nuanced characterisation and relationships, and the stunning cinematography. I loved the way that the writer had been allowed to take his time with the story, letting it unfold at a gentle but insistently compelling pace, gradually putting together an incredibly detailed collage of the people and personalities of the town. After the first, gut-tearingly painful episode, there were no great shocks: the detectives worked to put the slim selection of clues together whilst the inhabitants of Broadchurch came to terms with the seismic shift that had taken place in their previously undisturbed existence. The murder of Danny Latimer was like the lifting of a rock on an ants' nest: suddenly secrets were revealed, deceptions exposed and every move was made in the knowledge that both police and press were watching. It was a masterpiece of subtle, powefully dramatic writing.

This series, though ... it still has strong performances, a top-notch cast (enter Lucy Cohu, last night, as DI Hardy's ex-wife) and that breathtaking scenery. But the plot - it's just all over the place. Joe Miller's case is so full of holes you could drain spaghetti with it, and the Sandbrook mystery, with its evocative and irritatingly symbolic pressed bluebells, feels more like a case of smoke and mirrors than concrete story: it there anything actually there to investigate? We're constantly being fed clues that, in Series 1, would have added to the patchwork and told us more about the characters, but here seem designed only to obfuscate and distract. It's such a disappointment, after the glorious heights of the first series. Charlotte Rampling continues to delight - give her her own series, please! - and Tennant and Coleman are doing a solid job but they are playing out a story that is becoming worrying more exaggerated and hard to credit.

Wolf Hall, on the other hand, left me speechless with admiration, particularly at Mark Rylance's incredible performance. Fans of the books will know how elusive Cromwell's character is, even with an internal monologue - the skill with which the actor conveyed the intelligence, ambition and hidden pain of the man literally made me catch my breath.

On a lighter note, I'm still enjoying Last Tango in Halifax but am worried that they're running out of plot. So far this series there's been a wedding, a baby, a sudden death and the discovery of a grown up son - who is conveniently loaded. And, as per usual, a lot of the confusion and misunderstanding that is meat and drink to this type of series, and what makes it so watchable. But because I love it, and feel invested in the characters, I'm concerned that even with these big plot twists, the recent series has felt as though it was dragging its feet at times, and there's been more than a hint of plot rehashing.

Fortitude begins on Sky1 on Thursday - looking forward to seeing how this ambitious project has turned out. I'm hoping for a British The Killing, but suspect I'm being optimistic. Whatever happens, I'm thrilled to see Sofie Grabol back on screen, even if Sarah Lund has been laid to rest. Half of one is better than none ...