REVIEW: Broadchurch Season 1

ITV's Broadchurch is the latest in a growing trend of shows about the impact of a child's death on an insular community (The Killing, Top of the Lake), not to mention yet another show about two mismatched cops paired up to find a killer. And yet, despite the familiar setup at work here, the way the story plays out over these 8 episodes leaves you with a stunning, heartbreaking, incredibly effective pay-off, arguably greater in impact than either of those other shows exploring similar themes.

It's fast-paced writing with wide ranging emotional depth from creator Chris Chibnall, and the fictional seaside town of Broadchurch, England is populated with fully developed and specific characters, all of whom harbor secrets of their own. The number of suspects is constantly shifting, and allegiances and plausible motives are lobbied back and forth like a birdie in game of Badminton- every episode leaves you with newly roused suspicions. When 11-year-old Danny Latimer is found dead on the beach in the first episode, the impact on the town is immediate as people wonder who in their close knit community where everyone either knows or is related to everyone else could have committed this crime.

The detectives assigned to the case are Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller, played by David Tennant and Olivia Colman, and at first the familiar tropes are out in force. He's an outsider, untrusting, grizzled, and socially awkward, having been discharged from his last case in disgrace after failing to catch a killer in similar circumstances. She's a local soccer mom, warm, friendly, and possibly too emotionally attached, her son having been the victim's best friend. They don't get along of course, but as they work together their fondness and understanding grows, and if it wasn't for the two performances this partnership wouldn't be anything special at all, but Tennant and Colman sell it completely by making each character into an understanding and sensitive human being with problems of their own, that we come to know and like over the course of the show. They have a great professional chemistry, and I'd like to see them back again for another season, but who knows how that can happen with the ending of this one- the story is entirely self-contained and leaves you with no loose ends, it's more like a miniseries than anything else.

Despite the skillfulness of the way the mystery is unfolded, the heavy weight of this material is not avoided, and we see the full impact the death of a child can leave on the family affected. The parents of the young boy are played by Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan as Beth and Mark Latimer, a couple who's been together since they were teenagers, are having their own marital troubles and have spent their entire lives knowing everyone around them, never having conceived of something like this shattering their comfortable little world. Whittaker especially is heartbreaking as Beth- she shows how the sunny, cheery personality of a young mom is devastated and ripped apart by grief, never to be the same again. There are several moments that wring genuine tears from the viewer throughout the series, even before the reveal of the whodunit.

And what a reveal it is- unlike The Killing, which didn't know how to wrap up its central mystery, or Top of the Lake, whose priority was in purposely not giving you all the answers, Broadchurch lays bare the foundation, the suspects, the motives, and keeps you guessing until the final episode who killer is. When you finally find out, you realize  the clues were laid out all along for you to have solved it if you were really keeping track (I binge-watched and was therefore blindsided by the reveal, but maybe you'll be smarter than me). Nor does the show cheat you out of seeing the aftermath, the effect on the community, the family's reaction, everything you might want to know.

Broadchurch has already been commissioned for an American version sometime next year on Fox- but for now, the original is must-see television, currently airing on BBC America. Do yourself a favor and check this thing out- you won't regret it. It's as immersive as a great Agatha Christie novel come to life, and just as satisfying.

Grade: A

Trailer: 

RECAP: The Newsroom 2x04 "Unintended Consequences"

Well, tonight marks a Maggie-centered episode, in which we finally find out what happened in Africa that caused her to chop off her hair and dye it red, a look that properly horrified lawyer Marcia Gay Harden back in the season premiere.

It's Maggie's turn at the deposition table, and to trade barbs with lawyer MGH (that's my name for her from now on), who's clearly relishing the bitchy insults she gets to lob at the News Night crew, one by one. Maggie then relays her story about Uganda, where we see an extended flashback of her and Gary (Cooper) traveling to an orphanage and Maggie befriending a young African boy who admires her hair and asks her to read him a story 7 times. Gary has a camera with him and is filming, which causes the trouble- when we return to Maggie's deposition at the end of the episode, we see that after having been stranded at the orphanage for the night, gunshots and shouting wake up the kids, and the crew has to gather them up in a bus and head out fast. Maggie's new friend Daniel, though, has hidden under her bed and she has to go back for him. As they're heading out they hear yells, which apparently translated to "give us the camera," and as Maggie turns around with Daniel on her back, a shot rings out and hits the boy in the spine, killing him instantly. They make it onto the bus and manage an escape, but Maggie is traumatized, and reacts when they get back to New York by getting rid of her hair. She also relays to MGH that even though she was prescribed Paxil by a psychiatrist, she's not taking the meds because she's "fine." MGH doesn't believe this of course, and neither do we, but we'll have to find out in future episodes, because this one ends on this very dramatic note about Maggie's mental state. We also find out that the deposition is apparently taking place a year from the events we're seeing unfold in 2011, so the show is going to be making a major time jump in the near future.

The other plot in this episode was frankly rather repetitive and annoying, as Neal recruits his OWS friend Shelly for an interview with Will, who of course berates and humiliates her on the air. She leaves the building infuriated, which is a problem because she knows someone in her circle at Zucotti Park who has written an article about the phosphorus gas having been used on citizens in Pakistan, and could be the evidence News Night needs to confirm Operation Genoa. Shelly refuses to lead them to her guy unless she receives an on air apology from Will- which, as we all know, will never happen. So Mac sends Sloan to apologize, which doesn't work as they get into another haughty exchange which ends with Sloan insulting Shelly, and then Don, who ends up doing the same thing. Finally, Will comes through and goes to see her in person, not to apologize, but to get into a final obnoxious exchange, where he admits he used her to brandish his reputation as a moderate, but the final point of this whole subplot is revealed when Shelly (apparently charmed by Will's "wisdom") admits that she was the one who sucked on the air, and Will, as always is right in his point about Occupy being a joke due to its lack of leaders. What's funny is that this whole back and forth attempts to point out Will's "smugness" as being a problem (and a charge Aaron Sorkin has received on multiple occasions regarding this show's characters), yet Will still has to win out in the end, no matter how pompous and arrogant he is. Jeff Daniels is so good at playing this guy that you buy it, but at some point this is pushing a character to insane unlikeability levels. Shelly's no peach, but the way she backs down in the face of Will's mere presence is slightly nauseating.

In the C-plot this week, Jim, still covering the Romney campaign but now ostracized from the bus, manages to finally land an interview with the candidate when he pushes spokesperson Taylor (Constance Zimmer again) too far and she tells him to go fuck himself in exasperation. However, after hearing Hallie's boss berate and humiliate her (a common theme this episode) over the phone for not producing enough material, he gives up the interview for her. This, predictably, causes Mac to yank him off the campaign trail, and Hallie to yell at him for patronizing her, but it all works out in Jim's favor when Hallie shows up by his poolside sulk later that night to kiss him (again, predictably) and thank him for what he did. Well, at least in this little side plot the guy who did the yelling and humiliating was not portrayed to be the real stand up guy at the end. Probably because he used the word "bitch," which was just about the only rude thing Will himself did not say to the Occupy girl, which I guess lets him off the hook.

Despite my grumbles at this show letting Will pretty much get away with anything (I don't know how many times I wanted to shout "yes he IS" every time someone defended him as NOT being an asshole in this episode), the Operation Genoa storyline is still heating up, and Maggie was given something a bit more interesting to deal with (I'm starting to think it's just Alison Pill who rubs me the wrong way with that character now). But seriously, if Will's going to be that arrogant, at least have him and the staff ADMIT that he's an asshole and move on. But pretending that he's not? Yeah, not buying it, folks.

The New Doctor Who

Peter Capaldi is set to become the 12th doctor in the long running series, as the BBC announced during a live show where Capaldi appeared for the first time before screaming fans. I admit that I don't watch Doctor Who, but this kinda makes me want to start- as you know, I love Peter Capaldi, who played the inimitable Malcolm Tucker for years on The Thick of It and also in the film In the Loop- I'm probably one of the few Americans for whom this name means anything, but since Doctor Who is a cult hit in the U.S. too, this is going to make people more aware of Capaldi everywhere and that can only be a good thing.

TCA Award Winners

The Television Critics Association just handed out their awards tonight. Here are the results: 

  • Individual Achievement in Drama: Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) 
  • Individual Achievement in Comedy: Louis C.K. (Louie) 
  • Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: The Central Park Five  (PBS)
  • Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming: Shark Tank (ABC)
  • Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: Bunheads (ABC Family) 
  • Outstanding New Program: The Americans (FX) 
  • Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials: Behind the Candelabra (HBO) 
  • Outstanding Achievement in Drama: Game of Thrones (HBO) 
  • Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: (tie) The Big Bang Theory (CBS) and Parks and Recreation (NBC) 
  • Career Achievement Award: Barbara Walters
  • Heritage Award: All in the Family (CBS) 
  • Program of the Year: Breaking Bad (AMC) 

Not much of a surprise here. Continued critics love for Tatiana Maslany, even though she shamefully didn't receive an Emmy nod. I'm guessing that the "Program of the Year" award is different from the drama series achievement in that it's some kind of zeitgeist, cultural phenomenon recognition- and in that case, you can already see the anticipatory accolades for Breaking Bad beginning to take shape, just days away from its final season premiere (I sort of doubt that prize was for the season that aired almost a year ago now- Game of Thrones would have been more appropriate as far as current hype is concerned). And at least they recognized The Americans for something, which was also wrongfully snubbed by the TV Academy.

Parks and Recreation Exit

Buzzfeed has the breaking news today that main cast members Rob Lowe and Rashida Jones are leaving NBC's Parks and Rec this year, and their last appearance will be the 13th episode of the season, set to air in February.

It's surprising news, but not detrimental, as I have honestly never thought Rashida Jones brought anything special to her part on the show. As Leslie's best friend Ann, they've tried to give her different kinds of material to pull off, comedic and dramatic, while attempting to pair her off with nearly every male actor on the show, but she's never been particularly funny or charismatic on screen. Sorry if that's a bit harsh, but it's true. As for Rob Lowe, he has been funny ever since he appeared in 2010 as Pawnee City Manager Chris Traiger, and it's something more of a loss for him to exit as well, but since his character was really only friends with Adam Scott's Ben, it doesn't shake up the group dynamic too much. Their departure will probably be organic, as this past season saw Chris and Ann getting back together and trying to start a family, so I'm sure their upcoming move will be related to that storyline.