‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Exposed to the Light’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 705 of ‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’.
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Something that is just a simple norm in life, is family, and understandably so. After all, we are simply born into one and just like that we have parents and siblings and the incredible bond that we share with them on a fundamental level, makes them incredibly important individuals in our lives. To the point where we immediately turn to them in a time of need because they know us in a manner that no one else ever will, and they know exactly what to say to guide us and help us, and that does give a person a special type of peace for certain, one that helps us to feel as though we belong. But while so many of us love our families and don’t know what we would do without them, not everyone gets to enjoy the wonder of having one.
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Because some people don’t know their family in the slightest, for reasons that can and do vary from person to person. And that motivates them to seek out their blood relatives to feel that sense of belonging and sadly, that type of powerful search can end in disaster if the loved one in question, isn’t interested in having a family and it just so happens… that this particular search and problem was featured in this week’s episode of The Brokenwood Mysteries. Which made ‘Exposed to the Light’ quite the sorrowful tale at times and an engrossing one to boot. Since at first glance it didn’t really seem as though it was going to focus on such matters. For this week’s surprise murder happened at a revamped movie theater, making it seem as though strange circumstances brought death to the movies.

But once Mike and his intrepid team began to properly dig into the matter, some interesting truth came out. Such as the fact that the deceased, named Lyall, had enemies. For he and his son Kane had a terrible relationship, and Kane had no problem exercising emotional (and physical violence) if it suited his needs. But even then, hating one’s dad is no crime, and since there was no evidence to tie Kane to the end, the team simply had to dig deeper and what they found… was a tragic story about a broken family. For Patricia, the co-owner of the theater, had a love affair with Lyall when she was young, one that also extended to his brother since she was nothing but a foolish teenager. And the resulting pregnancy from these romantic trysts, brought about a baby boy named Ben that Patricia gave up for adoption. 

Which brought about a lot of hard years for Ben. For he was yearning to know his family line and feel that sense of belonging and that motivated him to take a DNA test and the results of that test, led him to Lyall, whom he utterly believed was his father. But alas, dear old dad wanted nothing to do with Ben and the pain that came from that, led to a scuffle in the theater when Ben confronted Lyall once again. One where Ben defended himself, and in the heat of the moment… all of that pain and sorrow and loneliness anger came bubbling to the surface and Ben ended Lyall’s life. Leaving Ben with nothing in the end, since he was off to jail for murder and what was truly wild about this sorrowful moment, is that he might have killed… his uncle. For Patricia didn’t know the true identity of the father of her child, and it could have been Lyall’s brother Oliver and that really was quite the tragic way to end this tale.

Simply because, had Ben taken the time to follow the proper channels and ease his way into a conversation with his potential father, things might have gone far smoother, and he might have even figured out who his real dad was and Lyall might still be alive. But alas, that desperate need to belong undid him in the end and that really did make this episode quite powerful when all is said and done. Since it was unexpectedly filled with some moving and heartbreaking moments, the kind that helped us to understand how a broken family unit can rip people to shreds emotionally and to top it all off, there’s another reason why a heavy bit of air hangs over this particular tale. For we are near the end of our season seven journey and let’s be honest, this show is so good, we simply don’t want another year of adventures of end. Until next time.

'The Brokenwood Mysteries' is streaming now on AcornTV.

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