TV REVIEW: London Spy - Blue

After the slower pace of the first two episodes, the violent opening to London Spy's third instalment comes as a bit of a shock to the system as Danny is dragged out of his bed by the police. It turns out the crime scene of Alex's death was littered with various bits of paraphernalia from Danny's earlier life when he was much more carefree and also careless. As the net closes in on him, he turns to Scottie for help, who willingly obliges to take up his friend's cause when he's in dire need. Danny is forced to confront elements of his past in order to start getting answers about a future that is no longer in his control.

Some thrillers make themselves about the mystery at the heart of the narrative and forget the characters operating at the heart of it. One of the best things about London Spy has been that focus on character first with the drama arising out of Danny's experiences, his relationships and the slow erosion of his life by unseen forces. Cleverly though, Tom Rob Smith also knows when to expand that story into one of institutions, prejudice and the establishment. As Danny's search continues, it gets wider in scope and in turn, feels more hopeless than ever. There's no establishment quite like the British one for closing down anyone wayward. As Scottie says towards the end of the episode, they're "quite alone."

The episode reinforces on nearly every level by becoming quite the assault on the senses at times. During Danny's interview with the police, the score punches its way into the scene at uncomfortable levels, mirroring his own desperation. After the emotional fallout of his HIV test, the music that has provided a pulse-like presence throughout is conspicuously absent, allowing his overspill of anxiety to become the only sound we hear. It's a deft combination of sound and silence that constantly unsettles throughout the episode. Moments of relative calm are just that, a brief pause before Danny dives further into the conspiracy around him.

It helps that the series has its heart one of the best actors working today. Ben Whishaw has been a captivating presence since the start, but it's Blue that pushes him further than any of the previous episodes have done. The Danny we met in the first episode - carefree, charming and laidback - has all but disappeared, replaced with a frightened, paranoid man unsure of anything. The scene in which he was told of his HIV infection, forced upon him by those that seek to discredit him, is a performance of heartrending brilliance, remarkable in its restraint and still completely devastating.

In that plot development, the episode also produces a searing criticism of social prejudices still manifesting within our society about sexuality and lifestyle choices. Tom Rob Smith utilises these prejudices to feel every bit as frustrating as the forces currently circling Danny and sealing him off from the truth behind Alex's death. Like the idea of the establishment (not only ours, but our allies now too), the prejudice that Danny will face as a result of his diagnosis feels overwhelming in its scale. One only has to look at the reaction Charlie Sheen's HIV revelation to realise how close to the truth this aspect of Danny's story is.

Elsewhere in the episode, London Spy's impressive supporting cast continue to make their presence felt in the series. Jim Broadbent is ever reliable; please forgive the wild speculation that I'm about to indulge in, but something doesn't feel quite right about Scottie. He's just a little too good to be true and if anyone knows about all the dark secrets of Danny's past that could be used against him, it's Scottie. Following on from Charlotte Rampling's turn, Mark Gatiss gleefully ups the sinister feel of this episode with ease. He used to play the kind of skincrawlingly indecent people every now and again, but this is the first drama I've seen in a while to truly capture the man's extraordinary range as a possible villain.

Having spent the first two episodes building this world, Blue feels like an uncontrollable slide into darkness as Danny's quest continues. Not content with simply functioning as a thriller, the episode's underlying social criticism enhances the plight of its central character and fully exploits the emotional responses of its audience without ever feeling cynical. Superb.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of previous episode, Strangers, here.

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TV REVIEW: London Spy - Strangers

Still reeling from the revelation that Alex wasn't at all who he said he was, Danny embarks on his own personal quest to prove that his boyfriend was murdered. The police still refuse to believe that Danny was completely unaware of Alex's S&M lifestyle so he turns to the press to try and tell his side of the story. After they run a double-page spread exposing all sorts of nasty things about both Danny and Alex, he is invited to stay at his former lover's parents' house, where the mystery deepens even further.

Thanks to the opening episode taking its time to establish both Danny and Alex, as well as the central mystery around which the series will now revolve, the second episode is allowed move forward with that puzzle. Strangers throws a lot of information at us during its runtime; Danny is in possession of something which needs to be cracked by a code, Alex's mother perhaps knows more than she is letting on and Danny is being watched, maybe aided, by a mysterious American who leaves him his card. The bulk of the episode is devoted to Alex's family and his unconventional upbringing with a mother (the wonderfully sinister Charlotte Rampling) who pushed him hard to realise his potential.

Whishaw is mesmerising in the central role; even simple things like staring out of a train window seem vitally important to understanding what Danny's going through at this point in time. It's a measured performance though and given that the series rides on Danny's emotions, Whishaw takes care to ensure it never strays into anything disproportionately overt. The after-dinner library scene with Rampling is beautifully taut, each character playing their cards close to their chest, Frances especially. She's a classic domineering mother, but someone who absolutely still believes she did the right thing for her son. 

There's a curious relationship developing as a result of the differences between Danny and Alex in how Danny views the rest of the world. Whilst Alex was devoted to reason and order, Danny is much more intuitive, something which proves to be a strength as he starts to move into Alex's world. He realises that two older people masquerading as Alex's parents aren't who they say they are not with reason, as Alex's actual mother points out, but with feeling. Likewise, he instantly knows which Alex's room is because "it's the loneliest room" he's ever been in. It's an intriguing idea, one which branches off from the usual dogged investigation of deduction and reason into one of feeling and irrationality. The fact that Danny is a bit haphazard and openly emotional could be what allows him to see things others can't.

That idea of sight and seeing is built into the episode, a continuation of the noirish themes that dominated the first instalment. As Danny makes his way through Alex's childhood home, everything is partially covered, hidden by dust sheets or overtaken by ivy and obscured from view. Lamps only half-light rooms, leaving vast swathes of the house in complete darkness. In Alex's room, everything is left uncovered as this is where Danny understands by simply knowing his partner well enough to see his room the way he left it. It does mean that the episode loses its subtlety in places. Danny making his way through the maze may have seemed like a clever symbolism during production, but it jars with the more intelligent sets elsewhere.

As it's only five episodes long, I'm expecting the pace to pick up more in the next few episodes, but so far London Spy has felt refreshing in its slow unfolding. It's more befitting of the emotional tragedy that lies at the heart of its mystery and Danny is a suitably unconventional hero to follow the revelations with. It may not be the most subtle, but it's certainly captivating.

- Becky

You can read Becky's review of previous episode, Lullaby, here.

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TV REVIEW: London Spy - Lullaby

London Spy revolves around Ben Whishaw's Danny, a fairly carefree man living a life of clubs and late nights in between his shifts in a warehouse moving boxes and scanning barcodes. On a morning after the heavy night before, he meets Alex (Edward Holcroft), a fastidious, socially awkward banker. 

Despite their obvious differences, they strike up a tentative conversation that evolves into a serious, months-long relationship, in which both of them appear to be heavily invested. Danny soon introduces him to an old, also gay friend, Scotty (Jim Broadbent), who seems to have met Alex before, despite the denial of both parties. Before long, the mystery around Alex increases and Danny finds himself in a situation far beyond his expectations.

There's an embrace here with the noirish elements, which gives the show an evocative feel; Danny gazes out of his window into the lives of others a la Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window and Alex is a classic noir archetype, albeit in male form, an homme fatale around whom the central mystery builds. He cuts a handsome, enigmatic form and Holcraft manages the tricky task of performing a character who feels like a blank slate, but bringing forth Alex's unique kind of warmth in his scenes with Whishaw's Danny. 

Director Jakob Verbruggen works well with Holcroft to portray Alex as just slightly out of step with the world around him. He appears on the edge of shots, just out of the main focus of the camera or emerging out of the grey London landscape, nearly camouflaged in his also grey running gear. It's easy to understand Danny's fascination with this mysterious, beautiful stranger and again, the audience sees him often through Danny's perspective, blinding us to the secrets yet to be revealed.

Lullaby wisely doesn't throw us into the espionage deep end just yet, instead devoting its runtime to the development of that crucial relationship between Danny and Alex. The scenes between them are intimately shot and their scenes together are really quite sweet, offering a tender grounding for whatever lies ahead. The dynamics of their relationship shift elegantly throughout its development with Danny's experience allowing him to take the lead before it becomes apparent that he is just as emotionally broken as Alex and needs him perhaps more than we initially realised.

Though the slow pace may put some people off, it feels crucial to what follows in the revelations that the last few minutes of the episode brought us. An audience must understand why a person such as Danny would take such risks to find out what killed Alex and therefore, building their relationship and showing their increasing devotion to each other provides us with that motive. It also means that not only does Alex break Danny's trust, but he also breaks ours. It was apparent he was a man with secrets, but the extent of which comes as a shock, particularly his apparent Christian Grey alter-ego. 

Ben Whishaw is easily one of the most interesting actors around today, as capable of spinning a one liner out as Q in the Daniel Craig Bond movies as he is of carrying the dramatic weight of a series such as the criminally cancelled The Hour (no, I'm still not over that). He's the most fantastic chameleon of an actor and to find him in an espionage thriller on BBC Two is a welcome development. He anchors the drama and provides an emotional centre for the audience in contrast to Holcroft's still performance, one which I'm sure will continue as the series develops.

Too many television thrillers like to confuse their audience early with plot twist upon plot twist so the slow and simple opening to London Spy is refreshing, whilst it is also fully aware of the archetypes it is playing with. With an intriguing set-up and a stellar cast still waiting to make their entrance, London Spy looks set to be a rewarding viewing experience.

- Becky

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FEATURE: Shocktober '15 - Angel Heart

Over the course of October, I shall be watching one horror movie a day and reviewing it right here for your reading pleasure. I haven't seen any of the films I'll be watching before and you can find the full list here.

Harry Angel (Mickey Rourke), a private detective in New York is hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (Robert de Niro) to track down a missing musician by the name of Johnny Favourite, real name Johnny Liebling. He was supposed to be in a hospital, suffering severe neurological trauma as a result of his injuries in the Second World War. Harry's investigation soon leads him to New Orleans and the door of Epiphany Proudfoot (Lisa Bonet) who knows more about Johnny's activities than she initially lets on. The continuing search leads Harry down a dark path that might be considerably more devilish than he realises.

Combining a noir with the horror genre is a move that should be made more often as the two genres cross over fairly easily and with fascinating results such as Seven and in Angel Heart too. Both genres rely heavily on atmospherics and Parker's film piles that on in spades; everyone is drenched either in rain or sweat, the music is bluesy and slow, and the narrative is punctured by bloody visions that grow more mysterious as the film continues. Even without the supernatural elements, it's a solid slice of neo-noir, but it's adding the horror to it that ties the whole film together.

As the narrative builds and the horror elements become more apparent, Parker steadies everything an assured directorial hand. He never allows the pure horror to take over, instead using genre elements and a religious twist to infuse the neo-noir with an extra layer of symbolism. Some of it is more overt (Louis Cyphre for example. I mean, really) whilst other aspects gently reveal themselves over the course of the film. There's also a nice ambiguity playing through it; do these people know these things to be true? Or do they simply believe it to be true?

It's a testament to Robert de Niro's performance that he manages to remain completely creepy even with a man bun. Of course, the pointed nails and emphatic egg-eating (no joke) help, but the man bun is quite something. He casts an eerie shadow over the film and feels archaic even in the period setting. His scenes with Rourke are a great exercise in contrasts; Rourke's all energy and slightly manic whilst de Niro is almost statuesque in his stillness. Rourke is a great lead, too, playing the sad sack gumshoe with ease and growing into the more emotional heavy lifting as the film continues.

A hazy, sweaty little thriller, Angel Heart is a good example of the kind of sparks that can fly when two genres heavily reliant on atmospherics blend together to produce something that really crawls under your skin.

- Becky

You can find my other Shocktober '15 reviews here.

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TV REVIEW: Broadchurch - Episode 9

Monday nights have become a bit surreal of late. As Broadchurch has become increasingly bonkers, they’ve taken on a kind of mad escapist quality, not always vastly satisfying, but unmissable nonetheless.

This penultimate episode however, did feel a little like an hour we could have survived without. There were a few revelations; it turns out Claire (Eve Myles) had an abortion years ago whilst Lee (James D’Arcy) was either in prison or on the run, I forget/no longer care which. We also learned that, with Alec Hardy (David Tennant) lying next to her when she awoke from the procedure in flashback, that perhaps they’ve always been closer than he would have people believe? Having had his heart surgery, it seems that Alec is going to survive until the end of the series after all, which is just as well given that he and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) have finally started to make some headway with the Sandbrook case, connecting Claire and Ricky Gillespie (Shaun Dooley) through the mysterious dialled number on Claire’s phone. Perhaps Lee is innocent after all? He’s creepy as hell, which by the usual Broadchurch standards means he hasn’t done a thing wrong. 

So far so relatively logical, although none of this felt like it contributed to the wider plot in any significant way. It felt, and I hate to say it, a little filler. And then we had the madder scenes of the episode to contend with, the majority of which, now I think about it, seemed to happen around the beach and cliff areas. Ah, that sea air. We had Claire inexplicably choosing to hide out at the beach huts after Alec threw her out. ‘No one knows I’m here, do they?’ what, here in your secret hide-out on the beach in broad daylight? It’s hardly Fort Knox is it, love? And then the mad fight between her and Lee with them both seemingly attempting to drown each other in the surf, then giving up and realising that perhaps they’re not good for each other after all. Really, you think? And then to cap it all off, there was that kiss between barrister Jocelyn (Charlotte Rampling) and journalist Maggie (Carolyn Pickles). 

In the right context, it could have been very sweet, albeit random. Unfortunately, this wasn’t that context, and it felt thrown in and a little insensitive. That said, there has been a bit of a theme in recent episodes of people changing their behaviour due to ill health, becoming more rash and emotional (Hardy, Susan) so given Jocelyn’s failing eyesight, meaning it (just about) fits the pattern, I’ll let this one slide for now.

On the plus side, at least Ellie seems to have her family and her life back together a bit now, thankfully. I never quite understood why her eldest son turned against her as he did, so I was pleased to see that rectified through another fabulous Ellie Miller common sense shouting match last week. She was beginning to turn into a bit of a downtrodden plot device, so it was good to see her firing on all cylinders again here, even if she has made a bit of a mess of her evidence in court on a number of occasions. It was also good to see Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s arrogant, self-serving Abby get a bit of a comeuppance, again in a slightly bizarre exchange, as lawyer Ben (William Andrews) took great delight in telling her what a horrible person she is. It was a laugh out loud moment amongst a sea (literally) of disbelief.

Despite all the madness, there was a little bit of tension to be found, as the case against Joe Miller (Matthew Gravelle) finally came to an end. For a while it almost, almost appeared that we were going to hear the verdict in this episode. But of course we weren’t. 

If nothing else, it would have been nice to give Matthew Gravelle something to do. He was outstanding in the final episodes of series one, yet this series all he’s really been able to do, albeit for obvious reasons, is sit behind bulletproof glass and widen his eyes occasionally. 

Which seems a shame to me.

Will he be found guilty? All will be revealed tomorrow.

Jen

@jenniferklarge

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TV REVIEW: Broadchurch - Episode Six

This week on the ever-eventful rollercoaster that is the second series of Broadchurch, Ellie and Alec get closer to solving the Sandbrook case and it's looking increasingly like Claire has something to hide (d'uh). Lee is still lurking around, doing his lurking thing and then sort-of-but-not-really violently threatening Claire, but she finds it sexy, so that's all right. Tom takes his turn in the witness box, seemingly pointing the finger at Mark, but then again, maybe not (honestly, this case has had more suspects in it than the average Miss Marple). 

As the courses of the intertwining narratives progressed, it's been a constant shift between which one was the more compelling. This week, as the trial faced its biggest challenge of nearly being dismissed, that became the more interesting of the two, particularly given the emotional revelations at the heart of Mark and Tom's testimonies. The court scenes have veered wildly from one extreme to another and I'm still surprised that so many people are getting away with openly lying under oath, but hey, let's not let due process get in the way of a good drama. It's still very silly, but we are edging closer to finding the verdict.

In fact, there's been a recurring theme of people just taking complete liberties with their situation and using it to advance either case. This week found the defence's assistant barrister sleeping with the journalist who was covering the case. Um. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure there's a little thing called ethics which would prevent that sort of thing from happening, let alone using it to influence the course of the trial. I'm all for silliness in Broadchurch (I've stuck with it for this long), but it's the odd moment like this that complete remove you from the ongoing storyline. Suspension of disbelief is one thing, but when implausibility is practically hammering at the fourth wall, it's a little tough to ignore.

If we're talking outright daftness though, it's most definitely the Sandbrook case's turn to wear the silly hat for the week. That Claire was somehow involved in the Sandbrook deaths has been really apparent for a while now so the twists and turns didn't come with a shock so much as a shrug. Eve Myles' temper tantrum was creatively mad, letting us know that Claire isn't as calm and collected as she might make out and as Ellie so brilliantly pointed out, she isn't exactly one for self-control. I'm still not entirely sure what part Lee has to play in it all, other than unwitting scapegoat, but the scene of them looking at a house with an easily accessible family next door was suitably sinister.

Olivia Colman continues to be not only the best thing in the series, but quite possibly also since sliced bread. Whether it's putting down the idiots she has to deal with (usually Hardy) with a withering one liner or finally confronting her son, Colman's character feels the most dimensional out of the entire Broadchurch rogues' gallery. Her scene opposite Tom in which she took charge and, for want of a better term, gave him a bollocking was one of the best things the second series has done so far. It's Ellie's emotional journey that's keeping me going more than anything else in this show.

- Becky

You can read Jen's review of the previous episode here.

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TV REVIEW: Broadchurch - Episode 5

Despite throwing even more confusing twists and turns at us, and not really getting any closer to divulging any answers, the cinematography and running themes in this episode of Broadchurch made it one of the best for a while. 

With lots of shifting focus in shots, more hilltop seascapes and not to mention the eerie fairy lights of the fairground outside Hardy (David Tennant)’s gaff, it actually felt a more like a standalone short film than anything else. Although some elements of the show doubtless continue to be frustrating at best, and at worst totally unrealistic, at least we’re being given a beautiful, almost art-house view of the seaside to keep us going. Even if it is shot through the lens of what is now three grisly child murders. 

But I quibble.

As Alec tried not to let Ellie (Olivia Colman) get too caught up in the Sandbrook case (the words bolted, horse and stable door spring to mind) she was allowed an uplifting, albeit momentarily, storyline as she took it upon herself to solve the mystery. Meanwhile, drama between the legal teams increased, Beth (Jodie Whittaker) tried and failed to come to terms with her loss once again, Claire (Eve Myles) admitted to sleeping with Lee (James D’Arcy) whilst left alone at the cottage, and Ricky Gillespie (Shaun Dooley) turned up – although we’re still not too sure of his real motivation. Does he know something about the deaths of his daughter and niece? Meanwhile, it looked even less likely that DI Hardy will survive the series, and James D’Arcy somehow managed to pop up in just about every shot. Could the shock twist of all be that he’s actually some sort of ninja? Time will tell.

Again, this was another episode with a lot of people shouting at a lot of other people, most of whom didn’t really deserve it. We had Sharon Bishop (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) shouting at Charlotte Rampling’s Jocelyn over the latter not taking up her son’s defence as he was put on trial for murder, we had Tom, played by star-in-the-making Adam Wilson (also seen recently in Mr Selfridge and Silent Witness) telling Ellie off for not standing by his murderous Dad, and even Paul (Arthur Darvill) the sinister vicar had a tough time of it.

 I know I’ve questioned Paul’s holiness since day one, but the shock from Becca (Simone McAullay) and minor blackmail on the part of Joe’s legal team that a vicar should be visiting a sinner in jail seems a little far-fetched. Err, it’s his job? Give him a break! Whether this is just a ruse to let him off the hook of suspicion himself for a while, I don’t know, but it certainly worked on me.

This all tied in well with what seems to be an ongoing theme not just of justice as a system, but of what it is fair to expect of individuals. Is it fair to assume Ellie knew what Joe was up to just because she was married to him? Is it fair to punish her for what he did? Conversely, is it fair to blame Claire for protecting her husband? Can we really expect Beth to help precisely the sort of offender who killed her son? The list goes on.

Interestingly, Sandbrook has actually now become intriguing enough as a storyline in itself that it doesn’t feel so much like an irritating distraction from the main event. We’re now genuinely caught up in the mystery, to the extent that I for one now have to frequently remind myself that Eve Myles hasn’t actually been in the show since the beginning. Again, more cleverness on the part of Chris Chibnall in that most viewers are now working on two separate theories for two separate mysteries, all from the comfort of their sofas, and will most likely tune in to find the answer to one or the other. 

On the downside, Susan Wright’s (Pauline Quirke) re-appearance felt like a bit of a farce. Her attempted revelations became yet another example of the show’s slightly annoying habit of dealing you a cliff-hanger (literally, given the town’s location) at the end of almost every episode, only for it to either never be mentioned again or dismissed within the first five minutes of the following episode, like a dissatisfying rollercoaster. Ellie and Alec’s alleged affair, anyone?

Nonetheless, Broadchurch continues to be well acted, well shot and well written. But as viewers become increasingly frustrated, will it continue to be well watched as we enter the final three episodes? Probably, after all, most of us still want to know whodunit, whydunit and can, in the case of Joe, can they prove he-dunit?

Let’s hope so.

Jen

@jenniferklarge

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TV REVIEW: Broadchurch - Episodes Three & Four

When the first series of Broadchurch had reached the halfway point, the nation was on tenterhooks wanting to know who had killed Danny Latimer. Now, everyone seems to be wondering how long it's going to be before everyone in that courtroom gets disbarred and/or starts dancing a fandango on the grave of this particular fictional legal system. As much as I still love the show and all the weird and wonderful goings-on, it's gone a bit mad. It's not quite full cobblers just yet, but compared to the glorious restraint shown in the first series, it feels like Broadchurch has taken a running jump of the picturesque Cliff of Sanity, falling headlong into the Sea of Melodrama below.

The two strands of the Broadchurch and Sandbrook cases aren't so much weaving together as crashing into each other at opportune intervals. Lee Ashworth lurks in every scene he's let near like a handsome, dangerous lurking thing (James D'Arcy gives good lurk), the residents of Broadchurch itself seem to have forgotten that a young boy died and are revelling with a grotesque glee at the proceedings whilst Miller and Hardy try to connect the dots. The trouble is, all of the dots are screaming 'Lee Ashworth is innocent! Look check out this creepy guy over here!" Only they're not.

Before I descend into a complete frenzy of bewilderment and slightly open-mouthed awe, I do have to point out a lot of the positives going on in Broadchurch right now. Well, a few of the positives. Ok, fine, one major positive; all of the roles for older women currently occupying this production. Obviously, Olivia Colman is wonderful and amazing and we still love her. Then's there's Charlotte Rampling who is utter class, Meera Syal bringing fierceness and an excellent wig to the proceedings and Marianne Jean-Baptiste as the conscience-stricken defence barrister. They are all absolutely fantastic and are really excelling within the slightly bonkers proceedings.

Not only that, but we also get the return of lurking Pauline Quirke in the fourth episode (more lurking) who points the finger at Creepy Nige for the disposal of Danny's body. Yes, Creepy Nige is back to earning his nickname, pulling all sorts of facial expressions at his estranged mother when she first tries to make peace with him before trying to frame him in another ridiculous shock moment. It's at these more emotional, sombre moments of high melodrama that Broadchurch is striving for a balance that it's not always able to keep. 

There are those jaw-dropping moments that are fuelled by pure pettiness on behalf of the witness (seriously, how have none of them been done for perjury?) and then there are others where Chris Chibnall is trying to hark back to the restraint of the first series. It doesn't always quite land. The scene of David Tennant gallantly carrying the body of the Sandbrook murder victim back to shore through the pouring rain was far too overwrought to be taken seriously. Tennant is a good enough actor to just let the storytelling land the emotional moments. He doesn't need sodden flashbacks to make him look good.

And yet, we're still hooked. It's still absolutely compelling television, it's just compelling television of an entirely different kind to the first series. This one seems to be hinging more on how many times can we shock the audience with another cliffhanger before they call foul as opposed to crafting the meticulous crime drama we all fell in love with. And I'm sort of OK with that. Granted, if we do get that courtroom-based fandango, I may eat my words, but hell, I'm all for Meera Syal dancing on her bench with wig in hand.

- Becky

You can read Jen's review of Episode Two here.

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TV REVIEW: Broadchurch - Episode One

The first series of Broadchurch came as a bit of a shock to everyone really. Built around the central mystery of the murder of Danny Latimer, the series took into account every aspect of the investigation from the police work involved, the reaction of the local and national press, to the emotional torment it placed on everyone affected. It explored some keenly observed themes, particularly in relation to journalistic and police ethics, as well as providing the kind of emotionally involving event television that had just about everyone who watched it debating who might have killed Danny Latimer. 

When the second series was announced, it heralded many jokes about Broadchurch turning into a coastal Midsomer, a town in which murders took place with such alarming regularity that no one would want to visit, let alone move there. Wisely, series creator Chris Chibnall keeps that close, emotional focus on the ramifications of Danny's murder as the audience checks in for Joe Miller's trial. 

Given how central he was to the community through his wife and detective on the Latimer case, Ellie, Joe's actions in pleading 'not guilty' to Danny's murder instantly throws the direction of the series towards a full trial. Meanwhile, in the background, Alec is haunted by the Sandbrook case, oft-mentioned but never explored fully in the first series, as the main suspect in that case returns to haunt his wife, whom Alec has under his unofficial protection.

When we were first introduced to Broadchurch, the town and its inhabitants were revealed to us through a fantastic tracking shot that followed Mark Latimer through his morning routine. It had a nice, flowing style that not only demonstrated the residents' closeness, but also the town itself; quiet, idyllic and rarely interrupted. The contrast to the opening episode of this series is stark. The audience is given glimpses of the characters' new dynamics following the outcome of the investigation as the action cuts between several of the main players in their respective and, importantly, distant locations. 

As ever, the performances are excellent, showcased perfectly in the court scene at the heart of the episode in which Joe delivered his unexpected plea. As the family torn apart by the murder of their son and the subsequent focus on them, both Jodie Whittaker and Andrew Buchan provide a solid emotional core, every new development etched in pain across their faces. Newcomers Eve Myles and Charlotte Rampling also make a strong first impression respectively, adding a gravitas to the two plots which will no doubt become the focus of the series.

However, it is once again down to the fabulous Olivia Colman who steals every scene she's let near as the downtrodden and rightfully angry Ellie. Brimming with a quiet fury throughout the episode, Colman proves just how valuable she is to Broadchurch as a series, inspiring sympathy for a character who could quite easily have faded alongside the taciturn Hardy. Her chemistry with David Tennant has improved even further since their first outing together, antagonising and relying on each other in equal measure. Their scene in the bathroom allowed a grim levity to an otherwise mournful episode, further impacted by Ellie's inclusion into the world of Claire. 

Moving forward into the series, the two main plot strands promise plenty more intrigue and there are several suggestions along the way that factors from both the Sandbrook and Broadchurch cases echo and parallel each other. Mark has struck up a close, secretive relationship with Tom Miller, much like Joe's with Danny, that sets alarm bells ringing. Lee Ashworth, the main suspect in the previous case, was acquitted after his case fell apart, something which threatens Joe's trial and Ellie's post-murder investigation situation parallels Claire's, exiled and alone. And I'm still not convinced that Arthur Darvill's reverend isn't involved in there somewhere along the way. He's just a bit too shifty.

There is a slight concern that Broadchurch has traded in its usually realistic focus for something a bit more dramatic and thriller-lite, particularly given the return of the Sandbrook case's main suspect and its inherent threat to newcomer Claire. However, Broadchurch earned itself a lot of good faith in its excellent first series and it's a strong start to its second.

Jen and I will be alternating episodes once again and so I shall leave you in her capable hands for next week's instalment.

- Becky

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