Broadchurch

Looking for a new show to binge watch on Netflix, but not sure if you’re ready to commit to 6 seasons with 23 episodes each?  Well, I’ve got one for you that is a good investment of a few days worth of binge watching.  “Broadchurch” is 2 seasons, 8 episodes, 48 minutes each and is a wonderfully emotional, crime, murder, mystery drama. When a young boy is murdered, a quiet beach side town in England is turned inside out and upside down they try to cope with and figure out what happened.  The first season is brilliant, and the second season is mostly good, but distracted by the horribly played out court drama.  You can never rely on dramatizations of legal proceedings to be accurate, but if the court proceedings in this show are even slightly reflective of the British court system, then God, please do save the Queen!

Still, by the second season, you’re so invested in the characters and the little town of Broadchurch, that you want to see justice happen.  Plus, the series finale makes up for it with a somewhat unexpected twist and solid finish, leaving you feeling like you can part with the new friends in your life, whose lives you’ve just invested the last few days of all your emotions into.  You’ve cried with them, laughed with them, got angry with and for them, and wanted to hug them all at various times throughout the 16 episodes.

The performances given by the strong cast is what you expect from a good British drama.  Jodie Whittaker (Black Sea, The Assets) is breathtaking as Beth Latimer, the mother of Danny Latimer, whose mysterious death is what brings us to Broadchurch.  She reminds me of Emily Mortimer—baby’s breath voice, English rose beauty, delicate like a flower, but not fragile…strongly rooted.  David Tennant (Dr. Who, Harry Potter and the Goblet of FIre) and Olivia Colman (Peep Show, Rev.), who play the lead investigators, are a brilliant pair. I love Olivia Colman, whose character Ellie Miller, is saucy and incredibly caring—She’s just a stand up woman, and she’s quite funny. The pair of them are a nice juxtaposition of contrasting characters.  You have Ellie, mother of two, a Broadchurch local who cares about her town and the people of her town, who are her neighbours; and then you have DI Hardy (Tennant), who’s an outsider with his own agenda.  Each character has a purpose and is an important piece to puzzle—from the meddling journalist trying to make it to the big times, to the town reverend who is the glue that holds the town together.

What I really like about this show is how this small town is a family.  When tragedy strikes, it tears them apart, bonds them, and you run through the emotional rollercoaster that inevitably ensues when tragedy hits a tight knit family.  Moreover, there are some really strong female characters here, who are very real and relatable.  They’re emotional as women are, and they’re strong as women—particularly mothers—are.

Not only was the production good, but it’s a powerful story.  While you hope to God it never happens to you or your loved ones, it makes you think about, what if this happened to you? I certainly know people who have divorced after the death of a child, and it’s a scary thought.  It also makes you think about people who do have to go through such tragedies, and you have to hope the justice system prevails for them.

All in all, good watch.  I highly recommend it.  I hear there's a 3rd season coming, so I'll look forward to that.

BIG LOVE & HUGS

Love,

Justine