"Broadchurch" Recap: "Series 2 - Episode 4"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Perhaps what I enjoy most about watching Broadchurch, outside of its rich and deeply flawed characters, is the lovely way that they handle their surprises. Each week gives us something new and exciting to see, and quite frankly, shock us and this week in "Episode 4" the show managed to keep the surprises coming with some big time revelations.  

The biggest revelations came from the Sandbrook case as DI Hardy asked Miller to drive him back to the town in the hopes of getting an officer he trusts to re open the investigation that sent him to Broadchurch. But of course, nothing quite goes as planned when it comes to this case, and Hardy quickly discovers that Ricky Gillespie, the father of the girls in the case, was having an affair with Claire, information that is just now coming to light, armed with this knowledge, he heads off to meet his contact.

That contact it turns out, is his wife, who also just happened to be the former lead investigator on the case and she has little interest in seeing this case be re opened. But matters are only further complicated when Ricky shows up to confront Hardy at a family dinner, telling him to leave Sandbrook and never come back and to leave the case alone. Something that leaves Hardy extremely disturbed and asking himself the same question over and over again...why would a father who lost his daughters NOT want to see the case re opened?  

Plus, there was another treat delivered by the show when Miller lets Hardy know the night she and Claire went out drinking she pulled two numbers from Claire's phone, Hardy's...and a mystery number and when they call it, no one picks up, but we were shown who was on the other end of that line, and it just happened to be Ricky, sitting at his desk before a beautiful picture of a field of bluebells. 

But alas his, and our, questions must wait because of course, there is a trial to be dealt with. One that once again managed to shock and confound everyone as Sharon, the greasiest lawyer in the United Kingdom, decides to sensationalize the trial further when she realizes that Jocelyn's case is pretty damn rock solid. So of course she brings to the stand Susan Wright, who has returned to make peace with her son because she is dying.  But Nigel wants nothing to do with her, and well...she makes him pay for it by going back to the story she told the police before skipping town...that she saw Nigel placing Danny's body on the beach on the night that he died.  

So...it's looking more and more like Lee Ashworth could potentially be innocent and that he is trying super hard to start over in life once again with his ex wife in Broadchurch. But, his ex is clearly a couple of things. A great big liar, a woman who can't enough of any man that's near her and well...potentially involved with the Sandbrook case as well.  I'm fascinated with Ricky and his disdain for not seeing Hardy find justice for his little girls and his odd love of bluebells. Of course the trial is still frustrating because seriously, Sharon could give Saul Goodman a run for his money, but I think the trial is no longer the focus. She's losing and she knows it and it feels like everyone is going to see Joe go to jail, because clearly the juiciest part of this show is yet to come...we are closing in on the Sandbrook killer and I can't wait to find out who it turns out to be. 

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