Broadening its horizons a little too much?

Review by Jessica Lambert

Broadchurch… Or should I say, ‘Boredchurch?’ Let’s face it, the second series of the hugely popular ITV crime drama hasn’t been too successful with viewers, despite getting off to a flying start with its first episode.

Anticipation for its return sky rocketed just before its release and viewers couldn’t wait to get their teeth into another whodunnit drama. However, the shows writer, Chris Chibnall, had other plans and decided to pick up where he left off, stating ‘the end is where it begins.’ Perhaps sometimes things end for a reason… And should stay that way.

Same town, same characters, same dynamic duo. Does that mean the same success? Evidently not. The BAFTA award winning show hasn’t managed to pull in the same amount of interest, with 2 million less tuning in this time round.

At the heart of the first series, we were all asking one simple question – who killed Danny Latimer? So far, no one really knows that the hell is going on with this second series. The introduction of a previous case has complicated things more than necessary, though without it I’m not sure the series would be substantial enough for an eight episode span.

The problem lies in the clear absence of the initial shock. A quiet, close-knit community torn apart by the murder of a young boy. Without the chance to unravel a murder mystery, this second stint of Broadchurch just isn’t as compelling.

The arrival of various characters has at times peaked our interest, especially Claire and Joe Ashworth. Their morbid relationship has kept viewers on the edge of their seats and it’s hard to work out just what Claire’s intentions are. Does she fear him? Does she want to take him to bed? (That, she did do, in the fourth episode!) Or is she secretly in love with DI Hardy? Who knows!

Although I do like Jocelyn, I feel the storyline with her blurred vision is there for the mere sake of it. In the same way that the defence barrister, Sharon, has her own demons in the form of her imprisoned son. Again, another distracting storyline that we don’t particularly care about.

Chris Chiball has succeeded in bringing Alec and Ellie’s chemistry to life on screen once again, however. Ellie isn’t the chirpy, go-happy detective she was in the first half of series one but she still captures her audience and has us laughing throughout. That in itself makes the last three episodes worth watching at least!