N.B. This post contains spoilers for Broadchurch Season 2 Episode 1, and for Season 1. If you want a relatively spoiler-free synopsis of Season 1, click here.
Could Broadchurch's new season possibly be more nerve-wracking than the last?! I didn't think so, but I may be wrong!
The season premiere was a great bit of TV and no mistake. I laughed, teared up, exclaimed "Oh, shit!!", bit my fingernails, and all the things you're supposed to do during a crime drama. This season looks set to be more pacey than the last, with this first episode setting up several intriguing story lines and raising the stakes enormously. It packs a real emotional wallop, too, as we already know the characters, and now see them face a new set of challenges that are undeniably brutal.
Good old Alec Hardy. Rightly called by one critic "the world's saddest detective", David Tennant's poor haggard DI has more on the line this season. Contrary to what I assumed, he hasn't had his operation yet so the threat of imminent cardiac arrest is still hanging over him. That isn't the only kind of death he's dicing with, though - it looks like his reputation is likely to be in critical danger as well. And worst of all, the Sandbrook murderer is back in town. Hardy's got his work cut out for him.
One of the main charms of Season 1, Hardy and Miller's love-hate relationship, is still in force - for Ellie Miller, at least. Hardy's new protective streak toward Ellie and his fumbling attempts at personal growth are touchingly hilarious (offering her a hug in the women's bathroom yet?!). Their testy yet trusting relationship provides a much-needed element of sympathetic humour amid the general doom and gloom.
These are dark days for Ellie Miller, for sure - Hardy needs her help, her husband's in the dock and Beth hates her; and most worryingly, her son doesn't want to see her, instead spending his time playing video games with Mark Latimer. It's an unsettling development that could turn very bad, I fear. Olivia Colman gives a courageously vulnerable performance as a woman whose life is truly a walking nightmare.
Joe Miller's decision to plea not guilty caught me by surprise, and the horror of the scene really packs a punch - all those stellar actors leave us in no doubt the havoc it's going to wreak on the characters' lives. I'm not looking forward to plumbing the depths of Joe's dark, self-justifying mind as he tries to convince the world he's not guilty. I can see a lot of very intense courtroom drama on the horizon.
Unsurprisingly, I have a list of itching questions leading up to next week. Who stole Hardy's NHS letter, and what do they want with it? I've got my bets on the Sandbrook murderer, looking to stitch up his defence and cast doubt on Hardy's mental state and therefore his reliability as a witness.
What is the significance of the bluebells, and of the water and sounds of drowning that Hardy's thinking about in the opening sequence? We know water symbolises his worst fears, so what does it mean in connection to the Sandbrook murders? What secrets is he keeping?
One of the Sandbrook victims' bodies hasn't been found. Is it possible that she is alive?
I think in the next few episodes, at least, we'll have a lot of doubts thrown on Alec Hardy's reliability. Joe Miller's defence will go for the jugular, of course, but the unfolding of events themselves may also cast doubt on his judgment. Has he made a mistake taking matters into his own hands to protect Claire? Can she be trusted? Is there a possibility she might still be loyal to her husband? What does she know about the bluebells, and how is she implicated in the Sandbrook murders? And what does Hardy know about the bluebells, and what isn't he telling us?
Overall, I'm really impressed. The transition from Season 1 to Season 2 feels almost flawless, cleverly picking up on seemingly minor details from last season - like why Alec Hardy came to Broadchurch in the first place - that now prove crucial to the unfolding story. Exploring the emotional fallout of Joe Miller's trial is fair enough, but I think it would undermine Broadchurch's unique flavour to spend too much running time in the courtroom. Hopefully the inevitably frustrating saga of Joe's case will be well balanced by the most appealing element of Season 1 - which is Hardy and Miller scrapping and cooperating their way toward solving a crime. Personally, I'm much more excited about digging into the Sandbrook case and giving Hardy a shot at getting well-deserved resolution to the case, than I am about seeing the loathsome Joe stir up melodrama with his "we all have secrets" bullshit. With any luck, this season will invest enough time in Hardy and Miller's relationship, which was the real linchpin of Season 1 and certainly the element I enjoyed the most.
So well done, Chris Chibnall and Co. Bring on the next episode!
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