Very exciting beginning to a mystery. Who killed Danny? How? Why? All the dramatic elements get extremely well set up for what promises to be an exciting mystery, full of personal drama and compelling acting. I want to see the rest of the series, after this beginning.
A big hurdle, however: the British seem to have been infected by the "shaky hands syndrome", wherein camera men cannot keep their hands still while holding the camera. The camera work actually distracted me from the story. Hopefully the British will realize that the American fad of bad camera work can only detract from their otherwise exemplary work.
I started with the intention of only watching a few minutes. With the opening scene and the score, I just couldn’t. Great acting, plot and score makes for an experience I couldn’t tear away from.
After the first episode it shows me that this is way better than Gracepoint. I feel a lot more connected than the american counterparts. Can't wait to take in these two seasons.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2021-05-31T04:54:08Z— updated 2021-06-03T03:25:08Z
[7.7/10] A good start to the series. Some archetypes in play, but that’s standard for mystery stories, and there’s plenty of room to give the characters and the town of Broadchurch greater depth. This will undoubtedly reveal my inveterate yankee-ness, but out of the gate, the series strikes me as Fargo with the vibe of something like Dexter. It has a “murder in a close-knit community within a small town” setup narratively, while having a certain slickness and even color-grading that feels more akin to the work of Miami Metro and its favorite serial killer.
Honestly, the first thing that stood out to me here is the cinematography, editing, and direction. There’s some well-crafted artistry to how this first episode is put together. Some of it is showy, with the usual close-ups of people’s hands or other small moments of something tactile, and the color-grading has that yellow-ish tint that a lot of crime dramas seem to take on for some reason. But there’s also a lot of interesting framing and blocking that creates layers and interesting presentations for different characters. I’ll be curious to know whether any of the dutch angles or other unique shots for particular characters are foreshadowing or not. (I’m looking at you, dad!)
Otherwise, the stock qualities of some of the setups and major players are balanced out by the quality of the performers. It should be illegal to manage to get Olivia Coleman and David Tennant as your leads, with Jodie Whittaker as a major supporting character no less. Coleman and Tennant don’t have as much to do range-wise out of the gate, but Whittaker knocks it out of the part with the role of the grieving mother, selling the magnitude of the loss in every scene.
As basic as some of the setups are, they do make room for things to go. DS Miller is the hometown detective who’s been passed over by an outsider, who knows the people of Broadchurch but who also risks being blinkered by that fact. DI Hardy is the out-of-towner with some mysterious but controversial event from his past who’s much more by the book and seemingly cold and clinical about a gruesome case despite asking “Why me?” over it. Those are familiar character sheets, but there’s a reason for that, as the show has plenty of potential in taking those ideas further.
Likewise, we get some interesting side bits and probably red herrings. The tangle of the news media side of it is interesting: from the wet behind the ears young reporter who breaks the story too soon, to the lovable but tough-as-nails editor puffing him and slapping him back down, to the big city reporter come to cover a real story that just so happens to be in Broadchurch. The interpersonal and investigational role of that trio promises to be an interesting one.
At the same time, we have a nice little cast of characters already, with little moments that suggest motives and potential cul de sacs for the mystery. Danny’s best friend, his paper route manager, his sister’s boyfriend, and an ominously lurking cigarette-smoking woman all have questionable little moments that suggest they were involved with his disappearance and death, or at least have information to share. It’s all diffuse enough at this stage to suggest a wide array of candidates without tipping the show’s hand too soon.
The overall business with Danny’s family is well down. Again, Whitaker nails the grieving mother bit every time, and the mutual recriminations and sense of loss and dismay for the Latitmers is well done. There’s also some nice early crossed wires between Miller and Hardy, from dealing with the media to comforting the family to using surnames that makes them a promising odd couple. And Ellie’s family life is another source of realness here, with the interactions between Ellie and her husband seeming particularly sweet, and her age appropriate explanation of Danny’s death to her son standing out as measured and careful.
On the whole, I’d be lying if I said I was sucked in from the jump, but there’s some well-done emotional moments sprinkled in here that make it worthy of my time, and at worst, it’s sound as a pound from beginning to end. Interested to see where we’ll go from here.
My top suspects:
1. The Dad -- he just seems squirrely and even insincere about his son, even if I’m betting it’s a red herring
2. The Young Reporter -- Crazy theory, but maybe he aided in the murder so he could get a big story to launch his star at one of the big city newspapers.
3. Cigarette Smoking Woman -- I’m betting more that she saw something than that she did something, but still! She’s suspicious and hasn’t said a word yet, so she’s gotta have something relevant!