Review of Broadchurch – Series 1, episode 5: The bodies keep washing up 

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Review of Broadchurch – Series 1, episode 5: The bodies keep washing up

Last updated: Wednesday, 10 April 2013 at 9:59 am

SPOILERS: Do not read this if you have not see series 1, episode 5 of ‘Broadchurch’

did not get much closer to a murderer, but instead spun out a storyline full of sad reflections.

The dead body of newsagent Jack Marshall was found on the beach flung below a cliff, in a similar position to Danny.

We don’t know yet whether it was a suicide or a murder, but given the nature of the drama it’s likely to be the former. Especially as Ellie Miller flagged up the fact that Alec Hardy failed to catch the murderer in his last case only a few scenes before.

Marshall was hounded by the men in the town who shouted at him “You’re Dead”, after Chloe’s boyfriend told the press that Marshall enjoyed hugging him as a young sea brigade member without his top on.

But his conviction for paedophilia was for a relationship with a girl, not a boy. A girl of 15 who he later married. Like Mark Latimer at the age of 17 who impregnated and later married 15-year-old Beth, Marshall’s relationship with his “child bride” also resulted in a son, who later died as a child in a car crash. “You and me are the same,” he tells Mark, before thugs smash his car in.

The knots of familiarity continued to tangle Ellie Miller into the case too. Her ex-brother-in-law’s boat (belonging to young journalist Olly’s Dad) looks to be the one the killer took to sea to burn the boat with incriminating evidence of Danny’s blood and hair. Olly seemed (as always) naïve to any wrongdoing- but was this a front? Last episode we saw him enter his mother’s house shouting “do you have any idea how much trouble we’re in?” Hmmm….

He got himself all tied up this week with fellow colleague Karen White, who was irritatingly patronising towards her “apprentice” before the two locked lips. Olly’s quips about using the hotel’s back entrance brought a little humour to an otherwise deeply desolate episode, but why would Ms White suddenly bring up the boat the morning after the night before? Had she done a little extra investigation herself, and bedded Olly to frame him in some way?

Becca Fisher’s hotel is really shaping up to be the house of love. If she’s not pulling Mark Latimer outside it, the two journos are airing their dirty laundry, and David Tennant is trying to “relax” with the Aussie (Doesn’t he already know she does coke?) Her excuse “I’d be worried that you’d collapse on me” was feeble- it’s obvious she’d love to get it on with him. Was she trying to think of a quick exit so she could go and kill Jack Marshall?

She also didn’t join in on the opening reconstruction of the night of Danny’s death. Was this a pang of guilty conscience because she was implicated in the murder? Or, more obvious to the community, because she was having an affair with the murdered boy’s father on the night of his death.

Then there are the two shady characters from last week’s episode: Susan Wright and Nige Carter. Nige was flamingly angry at Jack Marshall, a bit bizarre given he has no children. Could it be a displacement of his own guilt? He also owes Susan money to cover something up and it’s worth more than £50o. Did she burn the boat for Nige? She did help out Jack Marshall with the sea brigade.

Then Susan tried to entice Ellie’s son Tom by telling him he could take her dog for a walk whenever he liked (the dog is actually Pauline Quirke’s own, called Bailey- but don’t let that fool you). Is she planning to murder him and hide his skateboard too?

Aside from Olly’s dad’s boat, the second key piece of information revealed this episode by forensics was that the murderer (or someone who saw the body two hours before it was found) was smoking an unusual brand of cigarettes with a high percentage of tar. I’m sure we’ve seen someone buy cigs from Jack Marshall in the past four episodes- who was it?

And who is most likely to be smoking cigarettes with lots of tar? Chloe’s boyfriend might to prove he’s cool, or Becca Fisher because she loves recreational activities. I can imagine Susan-hard-as-nails-Wright puffing on high tar content. Or could it be Jack Marshall all along? Did he kill Danny and throw himself off the cliff in despair?

With only three more episodes to go, the unraveled plot is bound to tie up soon.

Tagged in: Broadchurch, Chris Chibnall, David Tennant, doctor who, jodie whittaker, Olivia Colman

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It’s such a pitiful part of human nature that the only thing people seem capable of doing when they’re confronted with an alternative opinion is lash out.

Bored. Entire series has degenerated into stereotypes and clichés. From the jealous ex-Sea Brigade boy striking out at the one adult who stood up to him, to the ‘why does god take the young’ nonsense, through the not-as-slimy as she looks journo. Boring, clichéd, small town soap opera. Best use for the space it has occupied on the TIVO is to delete it to create free space, I fear.

A sad waste of the acting talent that put time into it, but the script, direction and photography were totally pedestrian and predictable.

Journalist Karen is a smoker – asked Chloe for a light as her excuse to strike up an acquaintance with her.

And why does Karen have such a vendetta against Hardy – to the extent that she vanished from her editor’s radar, then took time off so she could stay on the story?

Is it red diesel dripping from Dannys hand opening sequence..

Tractor thing an odd set-up anyway as no farmer I know leaves their tractors out at far side of fields..usually bring them back end of days work…

Is Nige a poacher (crossbow) or sex offender (when he was in SeaBrigade) or both..

and is that what Pauline Quirks character has on him..

Were the boys running small packets as they scurried about town on their skateboards (but unrelated to murder)

Cannot believe DC Miller didn’t follow up her sisters claim of seeing something..

Nor that police haven’t been through Dannys hard disc by now..

and surely his main (and known about) mobile account (via parents) would have been checked and calls list obtained..thus pointing to Tom Miller..

If Tom Miller didn’t see it he knew where Danny was going that night..

So you read a book on your media studies course. Might stand you in good stead for a career on a supermarket trade mag or the Stoneybridge Echo but it isn’t impressing anyone here.

No, I actually studied Structural Engineering and whilst my comment aout Postman might not be impressing anyone, apparently Broadchurch is and that’s MUCH more revealing in terms of what we’re dealing with here…

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