REVIEWS: TV It was who we all thought it was, right? All that time, all the buildup, all that expectation that the writer would pull a last minute 360 on us and surprise us with a culprit we weren’t expecting... and we were right all along. And yet, the whodunnit part of Broadchurch, ITV’s huge murder mystery hit, didn’t actually turn out to be the most important part after all. It was much more about the how and the why, and all the emotional fallout that came with it. The series was so well crafted from the top down: The scripts were cracking, the direction and production were pitched perfectly, and the performances will surely net their fair share of awards in due course. Olivia Coleman’s performance in the finale alone was simply world class.
BROADCHURCH
You could make a convincing point that an 8-episode run was too lengthy, but despite the frustration that came with the long wait for answers, no instalment felt like filler. The fifth, for example - in which David Bradley’s Jack Marshall became the target of a media smear campaign - was arguably among the best. News that the show will return for a second series next year has divided opinion thus far but, after seeing what creator/writer Chris Chibnall did with this first batch, it’s easy to be optimistic and hope he has another ace up his sleeve. 94% Broadchurch is released on DVD on May 20.
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