Broadchurch: Season 1

I think mine will be something like the 462nd review so I wonder what I can say that hasn't already been said and done so in the most amazing ways. Still, I will go ahead and add my stars to the tab this remarkable series is racking up. I can't sleep and need something to do.From the opening of the first episode I was taken in the grip of this drama. It had me by the throat and punched me in the gut. I literally couldn't breathe in some parts. Be warned, most of the time it is so painful to watch. I cried. I couldn't help it. I got caught up in it. As a parent, I had no problem whatsoever relating to the nightmare unfolding in the lives of the family of the murdered boy. Talk about intense! I started watching as soon as the first episode became available via Amazon's instant streaming but I actually didn't watch each episode as soon as it was downloaded because I didn't know if I could take any more! But I did continue to watch. I had to...a saga about each individual in the show was being revealed. It became more than the effect this death had on the victim's family. The impact and trauma expanded to every single person in the small community of Broadchurch.Don't expect any relief or distraction from the horror of the murder of a young boy. It was sad without any let up. The music was beautiful and haunting adding to and intensifying the melancholy. There was no waking up from the nightmare and the sun coming up in the morning. Which is exactly what I imagine it would be like to live through such a shattering event. There is no happy ending. The final episode, 8, is a devastating reveal of the murderer and the added devastation it causes. Someone murdered this child in a small close-knit community. Everyone in Broadchurch is thinking, "It must have been a stranger that did this evil thing, right?" I kept thinking, could finding out that the murderer is someone known to this traumatized family make it even more painful? Perhaps. Still, the people of Broadchurch comforted themselves with the knowledge that no one they know could do such a horrific thing and as a beach front "tourist" town, the murderer has to be a stranger. And then...suspicion begins to be cast about...upon locals...we have a front row seat to see what this does...who begins pointing fingers at whom. No one is left untouched and unaffected by the fallout. Broadchurch is ripped apart...and so was I.I loved the writing. I liked the way the story was told/revealed bit by bit. I appreciated that I wasn't "let in" on who the killer was or even what motivated the murder until the very end. I got the impression that a philosophy was being put forth. For me, the "lesson" was one of not jumping to conclusions, that appearances can definitely be deceiving; things aren't usually as straight forward as they first appear, are not black and white. Another thing I enjoyed was how the writing gave us realistic and believable characters doing and saying things that fit their situation. Yes, at first glance we are only given enough information to tempt us to jump to conclusions but ultimately things made sense. Peoples' actions and behavior always has a why behind them and the writing did a good job of realistically portraying the why...when it's revealed, that is. You know, someone says something and we wonder, "Why" did they say that? A lot of the time the dialogue in both film and books, for me, is hugely disconnected between what is said and why a person would possibly say it. Would they really say that? It really bugs me when this disconnect happens and Broadchurch had very little of it.I liked having to unravel the layers of the folks of Broadchurch, myself, rather than having it done for me. I enjoyed how "the why" which motivated and shaped each person's behavior was revealed. How and why did they get where they were in their lives? Some sins do indeed have long shadows and they don't necessarily have to be our own sins. So, how do people live through, get beyond, and even overcome events in their lives? There are a lot of walking wounded. And they abound in this program. Some programs are pure escapism, not this one. It's a drama, a tragedy. It is not a typical crime procedural (I believe that is the term.) I didn't think that this show was mainly about solving the murder. It was mainly about how the murder effected the family and then in a ripple effect every other person in the community and further.I was transported from my sofa into the community of Broadchurch. I became a neighbor and emotionally connected. By developing the characters over several episodes there was a greater depth to everyone.I can't find fault with any of the acting. It was completely top-notch. I am a huge fan of British programming and I am constantly awed by the degree of greatness in the acting! These people are good. They don't get their roles because they look good on camera in jeans without a T-shirt! I've never followed the Dr. Who series so am not familiar with Tennant in that roll but I thought he was masterful. He played a mournful and deeply scarred person to perfection. He was driven in his pursuit of the truth. I wanted to know what had happened to him that had shaped him. He was an outsider in Broadchurch. He was sent there to solve this murder yet, there was a connection and it was personal, that was made plain, but it wasn't a connection to the victim or anyone involved. So, what was it?Now, on the other hand, Detective Ellie (Olivia Colman) was a local. Her son was a close friend of the murdered boy. Her family was closely connected to and lived just a few doors down from the victim. Like everyone else in Broadchurch this was up-close-and-personal. She should have been in charge of the case but was blindsided by having Tennant assigned instead. To add insult to injury she was forced to endure his rough and insensitive manner toward everyone she had known forever. The suspects were her friends and she began the investigation pretty much unable to even consider that someone she knows could have committed such an atrocity to one of their own. As the story unfolds she begins to see people once so familiar to her in different ways than she did before. She discovers she didn't really know them at all. Colman was brilliant. The emotion she brought to the role was astounding. She was completely believable and real to me.It would be a glaring omission not to mention how well all the other roles were acted. The young murdered boy was painfully beautiful. His parents portrayed the crippling and devastating blow of losing their son absolutely superbly. You'll see the supporting characters perform their parts perfectly.At the conclusion we are notified that "Broadchurch will return." For me, I will watch to see what the writer(s) will bring to the screen next. I would like to see what happens to these folks. Could I stand to see another 8 episodes of such heart wrenching melancholy? I'm really not sure. This offering was painful for me. It was so real. So, in follow-up programming I would like to see something with the intense acting, superb writing but perhaps a little relief from the drama. I don't need comedy. I'm talking some breathing room. A person needs to be able to breathe when a program is nearly 8 hours long. Anyway, I'll be taking a peek at what might be happening next in Broadchurch.The rating is appropriate for the content of the subject matter. There were no scenes of graphic sex or gory violence, (thank goodness!), which is a welcome change of what one normally sees these days in any kind of drama involving murder. No autopsies or mutilated corpse was depicted. (The subject matter was horrific enough without adding any of that!) The only sex scene was of the couple after the act and both were either clothed or completely covered. All of these things are something I greatly appreciate because I don't want to see it. There is mild swearing that I've come to expect in a program of this rating and I think only one use of the "F" word at the end.

Headline tells my opinion. There is not a weak character in the series. The main characters draw you in. Broadchurch was my first exposer to Olivia Colman, been in love with her acting since. I with the studio would release series 3 for purchase digitally. I've seen it. and it completes a subplot not addressed in the first 2 series.

A detective with a messy past wades into small town ugliness. The show keeps you guessing to be sure.

Instantly one of my favorite shows. This has one story arc through the season which does end with a resolution. It does a really good job of keeping you engaged and wondering where it will go throughout the season. The teases and clues along the way make you sit up and pay attention but don't feel cheap. The chemistry between the two leads is tense and fun to watch. Can't recommend more highly!

Entertainment

David Tennant and Olivia Colman - as someone other said "champagne casting". Chibnall has given an enthralling story (you'll never guess who didit), performed exquisitely by actors with well-developed characters.

The quiet, peaceful seaside town of BROADCHURCH is rocked by the murder of an 11-year-old local boy. Nothing will ever be the same as secrets are revealed and everyone becomes a suspect. BROADCHURCH is storytelling at its extreme best. A talented and diverse cast and a gorgeous setting with haunting music and stylish photography make this stunning series unlike anything else on TV.Alec Hardy (David Tenant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) team up to solve the murder of Danny Latimer. Although serious crime seems rare in BROADCHURCH, it does seem to have a large police department who are unaccustomed to murder cases. The peace has been forever shattered as just about everyone in town, except for Hardy and Miller, are suspects. The young handsome church vicar has a secret as does the local news agent. What about the mysterious Susan Wright, the town loner who lives in the caravan (trailer) park by the sea? This is British crime drama at its best with a cast of delightful character actors, whose every expression and every line on his or face tells a story. BROADCHURCH is refreshing as we have "ordinary" people instead of the usual attractive male cop falling for the gorgeous female cop. The show is about real people that any of us see in our day to day life.Writer Chris Chibnall has created a real gem of a story. Twists and turns keep us addicted to the story as just about everyone becomes a suspect as their secret pasts are revealed. The story can be compared to the Salem Witch Trials in the US as hysteria grips the town and anyone with a suspicious "past" is hounded unmercifully. And we often learn that some people have a legitimate reason to hide their past.This is a great cast and I was particularly drawn to Pauline Quirke as Susan Wright. Her mystery is written on her face and she is hiding something but what? She owns a lovely dog and as an aside, her real life dog plays her dog in the show. A bit of great casting and a gorgeous dog.Beautiful photography and a stunningly gorgeous setting are their own are enough to make this show very special. Add in a very beautiful and haunting soundtrack and BROADCHURCH is a winner on all levels.

Over all the 8 episodes of the first series were good, but rather slow. There was a wide selection of characters in this series, most of whom were involved from start to finish. On the negative side I found that David Tennant's scottish accent was often hard to decipher & the Dorset accent from the other actors was very much over- accentuated. However, my main criticism was the so-called music! This was often far too loud and exceptionally dramatic for the scenes in which it was used. I would say that the type of music required should have been far softer thus enabling one to concentrate on what the scenes portrayed. Due to these observations of mine, I had already decided that I would not wish to purchase the following two series as it would be, obviously, going over the personal lives of the residents following on from the crime committed.

It takes eight hours of addictive drama to root out the murderer of a local boy whose dead body was found on the beach by the cliffs of the famous seaside town of Broadchurch. And then the culprit isn't unmasked until the last few minutes of the last episode. Unfortunately, I missed several of these gripping episodes when first broadcast, so as soon as I saw this Blu-ray version on sale I just had to buy a copy to catch up.I tend to buy films that I would want to watch again and again, and no matter how many times I watch them I find something new in them that I hadn't noticed before. Broadchurch is definitely 'a keeper' in this regard.Blu-ray brings out the beauty of the setting, and that stunning background music only adds to the tension that is somehow sustained for eight hours of Red herrings, and blind alleys, that keep you on the edge of your seat.

Hopeless really to buy a boxed set of a T.V. detective/suspense series - we intended to eke it out in instalments, but, because I couldn't wait to watch the next bit, we ended up having a marathon session with Broadchurch (allowing a few comfort and coffee stops). We did have to watch the beach scene and title, etc repeatedly which began each episode, but as it was scenery from beautiful Dorset, that was not too onerous. The acting was good, the main characters fairly authentic if not especially likeable, and the plot was gripping with rather an unexpected ending. If I found fault it was with that ending. It picked up on the theme that one partner might be oblivious to the criminal activity of the other, but even so it seemed a bit unlikely to me in the household involved.

Both of us loved this series. David Tennent and Olivia Colman are tops and they are accompanied by a great cast of actors. The story is mesmerising and this is our third round of watching it and even if we do know the result, it is worthwhile watching it again and again. Of course it's a murder mystery, horrible because it's the murder of a young lad, but more terrible because of who committed the murder and the reason why. It is not the predictable murder, it is the unseen evil that lurks in the most mundane places among the most mundane community. I am looking out for series 2 - is there one? By the way thanks to David Tennent who is wonderful (loved his Doctor Who) and who is happy not to take the next flight to megabucks.

To be honest, I've now given up on crime dramas, as they've proven a bit of a downer in general and the more you see of them, the more formulaic they become. However, Broadchurch (Season 1) was definitely gripping and worth a look for anyone interested in the genre. (But be warned, Season 2 descended rapidly into ludicrous over-acting and daft plotting. Stick with Season 1!)