It’s always fascinating, when a story suddenly resembles a gathering storm. When suddenly, the air surrounding the characters is charged with energy and you quickly realize that something, be it good or bad, is about to happen in the story; and you’re drawn in even further because of this newfound energy and that’s precisely what’s happening on Broadchurch right now.
 
Because after weeks of a slow burn in the storytelling, the kind that has only yielded a handful of clues, everything is starting to build toward something far greater. Suddenly tensions are now rising amongst the people of this town, clues are dropping left and right and who knows where it will take us when all is said and done but wow, it made last night’s episode an absolute must see, and if anything, let’s start with a discussion on the tension building within this town because that might explode before anything else.
 
After all, Cath is now aware of the fact that her husband and Trish have slept together, and the bad blood that came out of Trish’s confession to her friend seems to have set off a chain reaction in the town. Suddenly, no one seems to trust one another, and everyone is at one another’s throats and that led to a couple of scary moments last night wherein Jim just about strangled Clive when the cabbie decided to sass Jim when he gave him a ride, and Jim also paid the price for his affair when Ed gave him the business straight out of the blue and well, I’m quite happy to see everyone paying the piper in some form or fashion. It’s clear now that horrible things have been happening in the shadows for some time now between this supposed group of friends and it’s a good thing that each and every one of them are having to face their demons and their past transgressions.
 
But while all of that was fascinating to watch, the other building tension in this story came from the case itself, which is quite amazing, considering that once again…we are no closer to having a clue as to who is behind this heinous crime. But what we do know, now, is that whomever committed this heinous act against Trish, appears to have done it again and again, since the details of Trish’s assault seem to match the account of the young woman we met last week, and to make matters worse it would seem a third unreported assault is about to come to light as well. Of course, some of these revelations, and the fact that Aaron Mayford worked for the company that employs the second victim leads to him being brought in for questioning, but alas…that goes nowhere.
 
If anything, we at least know now that Mayford isn’t directly involved in one of these crimes since he was serving time when it happened and quite frankly, while the guy is a creep and a jerk and hiding something, at this point, I simply don’t see him being involved in this whole matter. Especially when one considers that Leo is clearly hiding something since he asked his girlfriend to lie for him and also because…Ian continues to be one shady son-of-a-gun since he broke into Trish’s house, no doubt to get his hands on that laptop, in the closing moments of the episode. But…on the plus side, at least it seems Hardy and Miller have their hands on the sock that that was used to gag Trish which could help move the case forward at last…until next time.

If there's one thing I am truly enjoying when it comes to the second season of AMC's Preacher, it's the fact that the show simply finds a way to completely and utterly surprise the audience week in and week out. You might be treated to a powerful character study, which the show delivered last week, or you might tune in and enjoy one wild and wacky episode, something we've seen plenty of this year, or...you could find yourself watching an incredibly tense story, one where the stakes are high, as was the case with last night's episode. 

Because 'Sokosha' certainly didn't mess around in the slightest. It was either get the job done, or people were going to die, and while that implies that the action and adventure took precedence over anything else in this particular tale, that simply was not the case. As is seemingly tradition with this show this season, developing the characters and learning more about them was quite a priority as well. After all, we learned more about Cassidy last night, in that Denis is actually his son and that dear old dad would do anything for his boy and we also received a little insight into the dark past surrounding Jesse's family, in that they seem to know plenty about Voodoo and all of this came about from one simple storyline...the time had come for Jesse Custer and the Saint of Killers to square off at last.  

If anything, this long-awaited showdown managed to help reinforce Jesse’s heroic tendencies this season because everything he did when it came to dealing with the Saint was bold and heroic. In fact I was particularly impressed with how quickly Jesse shot down the notion of running any further, immediately opting instead to figure out how to solve this mess on his own and seeing him recruit his pals to research the legend of the Saint and find his weakness was downright brilliant and it gave a slight sense of safety to the moment when Jesse and his nemesis stood toe to toe in Denis’ apartment since Jesse was actually in control and able to tame the Saint…that is until this dark and demented Cowboy gave our intrepid Preacher only an hour to complete his task to find the Saint a soul so he could finally ascend into Heaven.
 
That quest is where the tension came into play, because the clock was ticking and if Jesse didn’t find a soul, his friends were going to die horribly and wouldn’t you know it? Finding a soul in Voodoo filled New Orleans actually turned out to be quite the difficult task since a company from the Far East figured out how to modernize the process of harnessing the essence of who we are for quite the profit. That revelation led to a touch of comic relief as Jesse did his best to break into the armored truck this company uses to transport those all important souls, but it wasn’t long before the tension returned with time running out…forcing Jesse to make one incredible sacrifice and give the Saint a bit of his soul, allowing for Jesse to finally use the Word against this unstoppable killer, and send him back to Hell for all the lives he’s taken in his quest to crush Genesis.
 
But one must wonder now as to what the price will be for Jesse when it comes to this victory. After all, sacrificing a chunk of one’s soul and sending that little bit of one’s self to Hell cannot be a good thing and already in the closing seconds of the episode, it seems as though the 1% he gave to the Saint is already changing him in ways we don’t quite understand. Regardless, I really enjoyed this episode. There was not a minute wasted in this one, and I love the fact they introduced another wrinkle into the fold with this soul stealing company and who knows what kind of fallout will be coming Jesse’s way for destroying their inventory. But in the here and the now, the Saint has been dealt with, Jesse Custer continues to be an awesome hero and once more I’m left wanting more from this show and I’m counting down the minutes until the next episode. Until then.

The roar of the crowd. Entire towns drawn to fill a football stadium. Students and alum rise to their feet. Football players seek redemption. A championship culture exists in the middle of nowhere.
 
Documentary series Last Chance U returns for its second season to pull you into the world of junior college (JUCO) football. The show focuses on East Mississippi Community College’s championship-winning football team. The EMCC Lions consistently sell out their 5,000 seat football stadium despite the fact that the school sits in the tiny town of Scooba, Mississippi which boasts a population of just around 700.
 
Last Chance U refers to the fact that EMCC is often the last place the players on the football team can prove themselves. Many players on the team were once elite prospects who succumbed to injuries, academic struggles, suspensions or even major off-the-field issues coming out of high school or at top Division-I universities like Florida State or Clemson. For them, EMCC and JUCO is just a pit stop as they look to turn their lives around and get recruited by a big-name college. 
 
Unlike a standard sports documentary, this show feels much more personal and emotional, providing intense drama and deep characters you feel for by the end of the series. Without question, the football action is top-notch and how it is filmed makes you feel like you are a part of the action. But you continue watching the show less for the football and more because you’re hooked on the story and personalities of the players and staff. It’s often easy to look at athletes as just jersey numbers, but Last Chance U uncovers the humanity behind the facemasks. When it’s all said and done, these college athletes are just kids still learning and figuring life out. The show gives a glimpse of the work ethic, the moral struggles, and the internal growth of these young athletes.

One of season one’s standouts was athletic academic advisor Brittany Wagner. Tasked with getting students who eat, sleep, and breathe football to care about the ‘student’ part of their career, Ms. Wagner tackles her job with persistence and compassion. Through her, you get a deeper look at the heart and soul of each player. Coach Buddy Stephens is more tumultuous. The football season starts with the coach coming off as a tough-love figure, but as the season progresses, and as the team finds itself in a brawl with a rival squad, Coach Stephens unleashes a verbal attack on his players and loses the locker room. Season two will look at the yin and yang Ms. Wagner and Coach Stephens bring to the team and will test whether or not they can cohabitate on the staff.
 
The creators and filmmakers behind the well-crafted series deserve tons of credit. The show rivals the best ESPN 30 for 30 films in how it is shot and presented, with real-life stories about small-town football that not even a Friday Night Lights type drama could replicate.
 
By the end of season one, I was ready to buy some Lions’ gear and become a full-fledged EMCC fan. Season two promises to bring just as much intrigue with new players, the fallout of the brawl, tension among staff, and Lions hungry for redemption. If you haven’t watched season one yet, now is your chance to binge as season two hits Netflix on July 21st. ​

In last week's recap of Broadchurch, I made mention of something that the show is doing this season that quite frankly is turning out to be a brilliant stroke of genius in that...this series is managing to draw us in and enthrall us without really advancing the case all that much. After all, Miller and Hardy are no where near ready to bring in the person responsible for assaulting Trish Winterman, but despite the fact they haven't cracked this case in the slightest yet, we simply cannot stop watching the events that do unfold before our eyes because this series is delivering a raw and visceral experience for the ages. 

Take for example the opening of last night's episode, wherein Trish was joined by Hardy, Miller and Beth at Axehampton House in an effort to jog Trish's memory when it came to that fateful night, and it didn't take long for this simple act to evolve into something far more powerful. Because in a matter of tense moments, Trish went from bold and strong survivor, to cowering in fear over finding the place where this heinous crime was committed and goodness, it was extremely hard to watch her lie down on the ground, in the exact place where she was assaulted and see her break down in fear and disgust, to the point where she needed to leave as quickly as possible. But thankfully...her decision to do this did yield something more than mere pain and suffering. 

It at least yielded a clue since Hardy and Miller were able to walk out of there with one half of a matching pair of Cricket Bats, which it would seem is the weapon responsible for creating the wound on Trish's head, and once they sent that in for testing, it was on to their next possible clue...a sex offender named Aaron Mayford who was recently released on parole and the crime he committed was a match to this case detail wise and really when all is said and done...this guy is a genuine creep. He's firmly entrenched in the belief that he did nothing wrong, he took the time to insult Miller and even harassed DC Harford later on in the episode, but thus far...there's no solid evidence that he was involved in Trish's assault. But knowing how this show likes to tie everything together in some form or fashion...it should be interesting to see why the show introduced this character exactly when it did.

Yet while it seemed for a brief moment there that Miller and Hardy were getting somewhere at last, the show quickly changed changed gears and once again returned us to the everyday life of the people of Broadchurch and it would seem at this point, Cath and much of the community want to try and heal as best they can when it comes to this incident and an impromptu soccer game actually managed to bring everyone together, even Trish and well...this little reintroduction of the mundane so to speak, one that even showed us Hardy on an awkward first date has apparently all been part of the plan. It's making us comfortable, it's allowing for us to bring our guard down and in doing so...it made the back half of this episode all the more stunning.  

Because just like that a few surprises were delivered our way. The first one turned out to be the grand reveal of who sent Trish the threatening text messages, and it turned out to be Ian's girlfriend who sent those angry words; before she learned of Trish's assault and to make matters worse, we discovered that it was Jim who slept with Trish the morning of the party...which will no doubt complicate matters since Jim and Cath are already on poor terms. But none of that compared with the grand revelation that arrived at the end of the episode, wherein a woman asked to see a detective to report an assault that happened to her a couple of years ago, where her attacker tied her up and gagged her as well, strongly implying that this might not be the first time that Trish's attacker has committed this heinous crime...

So just like that, the case expands, the strange and secretive treachery happening amongst friends continues to be revealed and the slow burn continues and I'm good with it quite frankly. The show is truly delving deep into the darkest parts of the human condition and it's simply fascinating to watch and this little formula of providing us with slice of life vignettes with a few surprises in between is working just fine if you ask me. Either way, the mystery persists, and new questions are popping up as well. After all, we still have no clue what Ian did to Trish's computer. It's strange that Ed is suddenly so chummy and protective toward Trish and also...what happened to Hardy's daughter? These are all questions that I have no doubt will be answered in time but until they are, all we can do is sit back and enjoy this harrowing ride. Until next time.

It would truly seem that AMC's Preacher is on a mission in season two to correct all of the missteps that the series made in its inaugural year. After all, we've talked at length in these recaps as to how the plots are suddenly beefed up in incredible fashion and how the show seems to have thrown caution to the wind, allowing for wild and amazing moments to stand out on their own, and now it would seem the show is also poised to move on to its next enhancement for the series...character development. 

Now that's not a knock on the series by any means because every single person on this show is incredibly vibrant and entertaining, but let's be honest...we only know so much about these characters. We've never truly explored what makes them tick or what drives them to do the things they do and that's exactly what last night's episode, 'Dallas', fixed, since we learned just about everything there is to know about Jesse and Tulip and their storied relationship and in doing this, Preacher delivered unto us one of their most intimate and philosophical episodes to date, since this story also took the time to examine the power of loss and how some people simply cannot handle it. 

As it turns out, the person who couldn't deal with loss turned out to be Jesse, because this episode did work with flashbacks a plenty, taking us back to what happened shortly after Jesse's worst day ever; where Carlos double crossed he and Tulip shortly before his beloved lost the baby as well. In the days and weeks and months following that tragic day, Jesse was completely and utterly a shell of his former self and he internalized his pain to the point where he in essence created his own personal Hell, complete with ironic visuals showing us exactly how unnerving his life had become and to top it all off, his isolation and his pain pushed away the only person he's ever loved and in a desperate attempt to find salvation for his actions...and internal peace for that matter, he made the choice to return to Annville and become a Preacher like his father.  

But what made this little vignette so fascinating is the sheer fact that it revealed so much about these characters. It demonstrated just how much Jesse meant to Tulip and how shattered she was by the fact that he turned his back on her and their way of life. She was truly happy with what they had and not having an ounce of that anymore was more than she could bear and it drove her into Viktor's waiting arms and as for Jesse...well this story gave us incredible insight into how lost he's truly been all of his life, and how desperately he's wanted someone to love him unconditionally. The best example of this came from the subsequent fury he exhibited when he learned that Tulip was doing shady jobs behind his back, effectively shunning his notion of a simpler life and him for that matter, and perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Jesse's story last night is the fact that he believes he's being punished for his transgressions and the only way he can ever find salvation or forgiveness is by doing something good in this life...  

Which made the internal battle Jesse dealt with all night, as to whether or not he should kill Viktor all the more harrowing because crossing that line would have shattered all the work Jesse has put in over the past half season to be a better man and thankfully...he stayed true to this new heroic iteration of Jesse Custer and it seems he's won back Tulip and secured the divorce she needed so that they can finally be together. But alas, the joy from this happy-ish ending won't last for long. Because the Saint of Killers found Viktor and dealt out his own brand of Hellish justice and in order to set things right, Viktor's daughter is going to lead the Cowboy right to Jesse and his friends. When all is said and done however, I really enjoyed how this episode played out. It was nice to take a break from the wild and crazy storylines and give us an intimate character study and it was one that was worthwhile since we really know what Jesse and Tulip are all about now, and I'm betting taking the time to provide us with this kind of insight, is going to serve a purpose down the road as well. Until next time. 

I have always appreciated the fact that Battlestar Galactica explores ideas and concepts and notions that other science fiction stories avoid and outright refuse to examine and one such element that falls into that category that it has returned to on several occasions to help ground the show...is the whole matter surrounding resources.

After all, it's easy to create or invent technology in these types of stories that solve such matters in order to focus on other topics or to make the tale easier to tell, but BSG loves a challenge and for its next episode, 'The Passage', resources were quite the big deal because something has happened to the food supply in the fleet, and a square meal is now a scarcity. But before the fleet descends into chaos over starvation, the Galactica has discovered a planet covered in algae that can be converted into food and provide everyone with the nutrients they need, there's just one big problem. In order to get to this planet, the fleet will have to navigate through a massive star cluster, and this dangerous quest to feed the fleet will prove to be dangerous...and costly. 

Now this episode, was quite frankly far more incredible than I remember it being the first time I watched it years ago for so many reasons. For starters, rather than focus on the chaos in the fleet that would come with a massive food shortage, the show instead opted to focus on everyone's resolve to get the job done. It was either suck it up, live with the danger and risk that comes with this search for food...or die of starvation, so they might as well give it their all and the heroism that came with that, considering that every single pilot was exposed to heavy doses of radiation was downright incredible and not to mention...there were some serious consequences to go along with this mission since the fleet lost several ships in this story as well, which means more precious lives are lost and quarters are only going to get more cramped for those who weren't aboard those lost vessels.  

But the heroism is the part that sticks with me the most in this episode, especially when it comes to Kat, since her story was truly something else. Because over the course of the hour we learned that this plucky pilot lied and assumed a new identity to get aboard Galactica thanks to her checkered past where she trafficked drugs and people all over the colonies and unfortunately for Kat, that past came back to haunt her when an old friend comes aboard the ship, and to make matters worse...Starbuck finds out all the details about this as well, leading Kat to push herself to incredible limits. She hides just how much radiation she's been exposed to, and stays behind in the cluster to make sure that no more ships are lost during the final run to the planet and well...such a heroic act costs her her life thanks to radiation poisoning and goodness, what a powerful and beautiful storyline. Kat has seen good days and bad days on this show, and she was always a fireball that never quite found her inner hero until now...and while its great she went out on top, it's a shame she didn't discover what she's capable of, or find this kind of inner peace sooner. 

Regardless, this was one intense episode. It truly takes you on an emotional rollercoaster because as the ships continue to burn up in the star cluster, you feel your spirits sink, only to have them lifted once again once Kat saves the day...and then come the tears. But despite the feels this episode provides us with, it's also important to note that this one seemingly lays the foundation for a bigger season three storyline as well, the search to discover the identity of the Final Five Cylons, and it would seem this search, thanks to Baltar's desire to know as to whether or not he's a Cylon as well...will likely force humanity and their enemy to cross paths once again on or around the planet that the fleet is near and it should be interesting to see what clues and conflict come about as the quest for the Final Five kicks into high gear. Until next time. 

The more time I've had to soak up the wonder of season three of Battlestar Galactica, the more I've come to realize that it has sneakily slipped in a common plot device used in this show, an analysis of the human condition. Buried beneath the Battle of New Caprica and the revenge that came with reuniting the fleet, a common theme has emerged, the past and how we deal with it.  

After all, we've seen yesterday come up often in multiple episodes now since the aforementioned revenge episode, 'Collaborators', focused heavily on past transgressions and even 'Torn' got into the game by looking back at Adama's biggest mistake as a Battlestar Commander and it seems that at long last, the show decided to bring this prevailing theme to a head in 'Unfinished Business'.  I mean heck, that title speaks to the fact that what what has transpired in days gone by was going to be a focus for this particular tale, but rather than take a traditional route in confronting the past, this particular episode explored the whole matter in unique fashion...with an unexpected amount of violence. 

Because in this story, the Admiral has set up a special kind of Fight Club aboard the Galactica, one that everyone is allowed to talk about because on the surface...it seems like a great way to let off some steam, and to top it off there's no rank in the ring so a good old fashioned brawl seems like a great way to even tempers in-between skirmishes with the Cylons. But Adama being the mastermind that he is, well he just so happens to have a bigger plan in mind for these fights...he wants the crew to settle what the title makes mention of because despite the fact they've survived some incredible horrors this season, he firmly believes the crew has gone soft and lost their edge a bit, and he also feels that teamwork has fallen to the wayside thanks to the bad blood that developed on New Caprica. 

Yet while that idea sounds fascinating enough in its own right, the show wasn't comfortable just hinting at what caused some of that bad blood, it straight up felt the need to show us and at long last we went back to the early days on New Caprica where two key plot lines caught my eye, one involving the Admiral and the Chief, and a big surprise when it came to Kara and Lee. We'll talk about the latter of those stories in a moment simply because, it's rare that we ever see the Admiral take anything personal. He's a model officer, and a good man that has lived the kind of life where you see it all, and know when to let certain things go because of those experiences, and his flashback allowed for us to discover that he was hurt and hurt deep by Chief Tyrol's request to live on the planet and he used that past memory to teach his crew a lesson about letting go of the past by taking a dive after challenging the Chief to a little fisticuffs in the ring. 

But truly, the centerpiece of this episode is the story involving Starbuck and Apollo because something quite incredible happened to the two of them on New Caprica, they finally fell in love. After years of hemming and hawing around their feelings, the two finally decide to take the plunge and declare their feelings for one another and while this should have led to a happy ending...well this just isn't that kind of show. Freaked out at the prospect of being happy, Kara returns to Sam's waiting arms and marries him, badly wounding Apollo and setting up the anger between the two of them we learned about in the season premiere, and it would seem the only way these two could make amends was to beat the living hell out of one another and believe it or not...it worked. 

If anything, the simplicity of this episode and what it stands for is what makes it such a magnificent tale. After all, we can all stand to be reminded of the fact that while the past is important and helps shape our lives...there is a future to live for and I like that this episode let us know in non heavy handed fashion, that sometimes you just have to let the bad stuff go, and how you do that is up to you. When all is said and done however, I'm curious to see if this episode stands as the closing point for the show's analysis of the past and what it does to mankind because it truly feels like the finale of this philosophical arc and if it is...well I cannot wait to see what new part of the human condition the show is planning to explore next. Until next time. ​

The mark of a good mystery, is that it should constantly keep you guessing. Just when you've think you've figured out that the cook was the one who committed a brutal crime, it turns out to be the butler...or perhaps someone else. It's that guessing game that keeps us engrossed and involved and as the third season of Broadchurch continues on, it's becoming clear that the series is going to continue to keep us guessing as we try to figure out who was behind the brutal assault committed against Trish Winterman.

In fact, Miller made a fine point when it comes to this conundrum last night, by pointing out that despite all the work put into the case thus far, they haven't narrowed down the vast field of suspects before them in the slightest and that's downright scary considering the fact that whomever did this is still on the streets, and while this week's entry in this sorrowful story didn't bring us any closer to figuring out who committed this atrocious crime, it certainly kept our interest. Because in many ways, the mystery surrounding this assault, is chipping away at the harmony in this community. Neighbors and friends are starting to suspect one another and that kind of suspicion will only cause problems for this case and relationships as a whole down the road.

However, despite the ambiguity this episode delivered our way, there are at least two suspects that clearly have something to hide here; Clive and Trish's ex husband Ian. Because as it turns out, Clive has done nothing but lie to the Police and well...everybody in his life. Not only did Hardy and Miller put a wrench into his alibi as to where he was on the night the assault was committed, they also came to discover that he's quite the Casanova around Broadchurch, dating women he picks up in his cab left and right, despite the fact that he's married and also a step-dad, and to make matters worse, he seems to have a strange collection of trinkets from the women he's 'loved' including something from Trish, which raises all kinds of questions about their relationship, and Clive for that matter.

But truly, Ian's behavior and story this go round is the biggest eyebrow raiser of them all, since he took the time to confess to Jim that he lied during his interview and well...that was quite the horrifying revelation to say the least. Because Ian admitted point blank that he drank too damn much and blacked out around the time that Trish was assaulted and well, it's freaky that not even Ian knows what on earth he did during that time frame and his stumbles didn't end there since he showed up at Trish's doorstep in a desperate attempt to speak with her and of course there was the biggest shocker of the night when it came to Ian; his strange meeting with the young man who runs his father's fishing supply business where Ian asks the man to remove something important from a laptop...

The implication is strong there that the laptop in question belongs to Trish and I am dying to know what the heck Ian did to it and really...that's the brilliance of this episode and this season as a whole. While one could complain that the mystery is going nowhere, the secrets that everyone seems to be hiding are drawing us in minute by minute and it seems as though in this instance, it won't be a smoking gun or some stunning find that brings our criminal to justice...it could come down to someone trying desperately to keep the facts from becoming public knowledge and their desperation will reveal the truth when they make a grand mistake. Either way, this investigation is incredibly engrossing and now that we are three episodes in, I'm truly hungry to know more and I'm counting down the minutes until next week's episode arrives. Until then. 

It's always a wonderful thing when you watch your favorite televisions shows up their game and take their storytelling to new heights, and that's precisely what happened on Preacher last night, which is quite the amazing feat, considering that this year has already been revolutionary in nature. But what made 'Viktor' so downright incredible, is the fact that it not only managed to propel the plot line revolving around the hunt for God leaps and bounds, it also managed to answer our questions about what exactly is going on with Tulip and take us in the heart of Hell to learn more about this mystical place.

Which means that this episode managed to weave a triple plot line narrative together and it was utterly amazing to watch these stories unfold and since we've got plenty to discuss today, let's start with our trip south of the border, into the depths of Hell where we continued Eugene's harrowing storyline as he tried to understand this strange new place he found himself within and really there were two key highlights to this plot thread; the fact that it gave us uncomfortable insight into the man that is Adolf Hitler since the story attempted to make the audience sympathetic to his plight and also because, it would seem Eugene's arrival is doing some strange things to Hell. His Worst Memory Generator isn't working quite right and the failure of his unit seems to be spreading to the rest of his cell block, and considering that one of the Top Brass of the Underworld pointed out that he seems to be a nice guy and should be the opposite down here...it makes one wonder if by chance all these system failures are related to the fact that Eugene might not belong in Hell.

But while that was a cool place to go plot wise, there was of course the hunt for God that needed to be tended to and despite Jesse's failures on night one to track the man down, a chance moment, or a divine one depending on how you want to look at it, brought Jesse and Cassidy face to face (via a television screen) with the actor that played fake God in last year's season finale, playing a homeless man in a Katrina informercial. This led the duo to speak to the man's agent in the hopes of contacting him about how he may have found his way into Heaven, only to learn that the actor, Mark Harelik, has disappeared and upon viewing his audition tape, Jesse and Cassidy find out why. Shortly after landing the part to play the ultimate Deity, he's shot in the chest so he can ascend to Heaven and this discovery brings up all kinds of questions. For starters, how many people know that God is missing since the people behind this had to be aware the Lord was gone in order to hire this guy, and second to that...who the heck hired Mark?

However, the answers to those questions will have to wait until another day, because there is the matter of Tulip and Viktor to resolve and well...this turned out to be quite the bombshell. At first it seemed as though Tulip's betrayal of this mystery man was money or crime related, and the apathy from the people that work for the man displayed toward Tulip seemed to reaffirm this possibility. Yet considering the fact that Viktor and his henchmen are incredibly ruthless, going so far as to torture people to death...it made no sense that Tulip was being kept alive after burning someone this powerful. But all was revealed in the closing moments of the episode when Jesse came looking for his love, and also got into the most epic fight scene ever because let's be honest...you haven't lived until you've witnessed a bloody death match set to the tune of Billy Joel's 'Uptown Girl', but once that was out of the way, Jesse found his love and nearly took Viktor's life as well...but he was stopped mid strangle when Tulip dropped a nuclear bomb; he couldn't kill Viktor, because Viktor is Tulip's husband.

So just like that...everything changes when it comes to Jesse and Tulip's relationship, and I think we can expect some seriously powerful fallout to come about thanks to this revelation and really...holy cow, what an episode. This thing was loaded to the gills with memorable moments and this is one that quite frankly I may need to watch a few times to make sure I didn't miss anything. I guess if there's any complaints when it comes to this one, it would be the whole Hitler thing in general. Because I simply can't tell if the show is actually trying to redeem history's greatest monster or if it's simply messing with us as it is wont to do. But needless to say, I feel good about the fact that the more 'empathetic' moments for Hitler didn't move me in the slightest and there was a definite sense of enjoyment in watching him get the crap kicked out of him. Other than that, it should be quite interesting to see where the whole God plot goes from here. There's a fair chance Jesse will need a break from the search considering what he just discovered and the hunt will only become more difficult considering the Saint of Killers has arrived in the Big Easy. Either way, this season continues to impress and I really need it to be next Monday so I can see what happens next. Until next time.

Showing us the aftermath of trauma and loss is one of the true staples of Broadchurch and it is definitely one of the show's strengths for certain. After all, we've spent the past two years seeing exactly what the void of a family member does to people since we've suffered alongside the Latimer family as they mourned the loss of their son Danny and it's been quite the brutal experience to say the least.  But for the final season of the show, Chris Chibnall decided it was high time to evolve that concept and take us right into the middle of what life is like when someone survives a violent crime. 

Because this go round, Trish Winterman has to wake up every single morning with what happened on her mind and quite frankly, this is a brilliant stroke of storytelling because we rarely think about what comes next in matters such as this. We see the reports on the news, read the stories about violent crimes on the internet, but we rarely think about what those folks have to go through after it has happened to them, and how hard it is for them to pick up the pieces and once again, the show held nothing back when it came to this. Trish is merely going through the motions at this point, trying to find a sense of normalcy and she's not having much luck. If anything, something as simple as meeting Beth is proving to be quite the task for her and while it's nice to know Beth and her organization have her back...it's clear how difficult this is on Trish and you truly feel for her every single second she's on screen.

Yet, what was equally as surprising was the fact that the show found a way to integrate this whole theme of struggling with survival following violent crime, by way of Mark Latimer's plight as well. Because despite the fact that the trial is behind him and his family, he still cannot make peace with what happened and he says it himself, there is a powerful anger building inside of him. He wants justice for his boy, he wants Joe to properly pay for what he's done and he's even feeling regret for not taking the opportunity to end Joe's life to make things square, at least in his mind. If anything, this is another genius twist when it comes to the story since its clear Danny's death is haunting Mark in ways we never imagined and it's clear now that trauma and his inability/outright rejection to deal with it all is breaking him down minute by minute.  

But despite spending some quality time analyzing what life is like for those that have survived traumatic and violent moments in their lives, the show did start moving the case forward since Hardy and Miller dug deep into the details of Trish's assault and what they turned up, was incredibly fascinating. For starters, it seems as though there are plenty of suspicious characters that come into play when it comes to that fateful night, but two stood out last night in grave fashion...the cab driver named Clive and Trish's husband, Ian. Because both of these men seemed awfully uncomfortable when it comes to their respective relationships with Trish and both of them refused to provide Miller and Hardy with a DNA sample, which lets be honest...seems odd to say the least.  

If anything, I throughly enjoyed everything this particular episode tossed our way, since it delivered an engrossing and emotional drama with a quality 'who done it' feel, but nothing quite compares to the twists it delivered at the end of the episode. Because Trish's official interview with Hardy and Miller takes a complete left turn when it's revealed that Trish was intimate with someone earlier on the day she was assaulted, a matter that could most certainly be relevant to the case, along with glimpses of Ian doing his best to wash and scrub clothes he was most likely wearing that night and of course, there was the interesting revelation that Detective Constable Katie Harford, the proverbial pain in Miller's side, is the daughter of Trish's boss and it would seem she's ready to share some information with him that could get her into some hot water if Hardy and Miller find out...

Now, if you feel like this episode threw a lot at us, you'd be 100% right. This was in many ways a buffet of ideas and concepts and storylines all coming to life in rapid fire fashion and while one would or could normally consider a cornucopia of ideas such as this to be a wasted opportunity or a poor episode, how it was handled here is what makes this episode so fascinating and wonderful. Everything that surprised us was cleverly crafted and revealed at just the right time and the emotional moments once again put our feels through the wringer. So if anything, these first two episodes have been quite the grand setup to this powerful and painful mystery and now that the facts are starting to come forth, I'm expecting that the pieces will start to come together and more uncomfortable secrets for some are about to be revealed. Until next time.