'Broadchurch' Recap: 'Series 3 - Episode 4'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

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.

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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.

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