17 Apr 2013

The obligatory Broadchurch post

Six weeks ago, the first part of Broadchurch aired - a slow, Dorset-set drama about a crime that shocks a small village. Since then it has slowly and surely built up to what some people are tipping the telly drama event of the year (well, so far at any rate). Certainly it's a big hit ratings-wise.

It's amazingly well made, which is odd because it's an ITV drama - great cast, lovely stylish direction and music, and even the writing's up to scratch. One of its strengths is in its sincerity. Not only is there realism in the local police's investigation, but you've also got Olivia Colman in it, and she's amazing, which adds some warmth and humour and truthfulness to the subject material. Given the slow pace - seven or eight weeks is a long time in this digital age - and that it's dealing with heightened events, it's the characters and the humanity that stops the whole thing getting silly.

Many people have compared it to Danish drama The Killing and you can see why: a (relatively) long, drawn out investigation isn't the norm on crime dramas these days - usually it's wrapped up in two hours. It takes its time with the potential suspects (an isolated community, with huge murder mystery style potential suspicions), and we see the story, mainly, from the point of view of the police, the victim's family, and the press. Like The Killing, it's quietly stylish (although this has much more slow-mo), but also it's very gripping, with a new development and twist seemingly every week. The cliffhangers might not match The Killing's - though Episode 6's nighttime chase could have been lifted from the other - but it's proving to be unmissable.

Final episode's next week, and we still don't really know who's done it, and a whole heap of forgotten clues and soon-to-be-answered questions.

So - who killed Danny Latimer?


Seeing as everyone's got a pet theory - which everyone then has to change week on week - I thought I might post mine.

First off - the death. It's a bit hazy at the moment - first we see Danny on the cliffs at the dead of night (which nobody's mentioned!), then there's a hut, a boat which was later burned, and the body put on plain view on the beach... So, he was killed on the boat then. Why all the trouble - lack of evidence? Seemingly Danny went to meet his killer secretly that night... willingly? And did they want the body to be found straight away, because they had an alibi that night?

Susan Wright says she saw a man in a boat, dragging the body onto the beach - did she really? She lies easily, as we've seen. And though she recognised the man as Nige - who is now a credible suspect - can we trust her? Could she be the murderer herself? (unlikely)

Danny's friend Tom can't have done it - that would be silly, even if he's acting strangely. Even more silly would be his father, and Ellie's husband, Joe Miller. I know people are speculating it, but he's the least likely person who could have done it, and the only evidence against him would be the stuff with his son. So no - but Tom definitely knows something important, perhaps who Danny was going to meet.

In your standard murder mystery, often it's the most likely person who did it. Here, the most likely person was the first person arrested, Mark Latimer. He got off, as he had an alibi (though it was the first time he'd ever slept around...) and not much of a motive-  but could later evidence change things around? It's not the most likely, but he's still in the picture, and it would bring the story round full circle if it was a big main character like that.

Otherwise, my (figurative) money's probably on the dark horse, psychic Steve. It's a bit of a ludicrous character, but played perfectly down-to-earth. I can see why he's in the show - it ties in with the themes of grief and the public and adds a layer of mystery. But, presuming he isn't a psychic then - how did he know about the boat? He hasn't been in it much, but he's still a suspect too... Don't get me started on motive though!

And then you've also got the nice young vicar with a shady past (who was more trusted than the newspaper seller with a shady past!), and the thing with Danny's sister's boyfriend...

Regardless of what the end result might be, it's still been one of the best things on TV this year. Now we just have to wait until Monday...

1 comment:

Annie said...

Interesting theories but I don't think Ellie's husband can be ruled out quite so easily.