Friday, September 27, 2013

Broadchurch Ends, but not with a Whimper

by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist

On August 8th of this year I wrote a piece about the premier episode of a gripping and intense British television drama called Broadchurch.  The show, which aired in Great Britain earlier in the year, was presented in the U.S.  by BBC America.  The eight one-hour episodes focused on solving one horrible crime - the murder of an eleven-year-old boy.

It was difficult, at least for me, to remember (or be available) to watch a program once a week for eight weeks, and during the run of Broadchurch, I managed to miss an episode-and-a-half.  But even with that dramatic deficit, I was caught up enough to thoroughly enjoy this week's finale, a conclusion that was as emotional as anything I have ever witnessed on television - or even in the movies, for that matter.

Broadchurch is programming of a quality rarely seen on the small screen.  David Tennant and Olivia Colman, the mismatched detectives whose lives suddenly coalesced around a single crime, had an intense chemistry that made both characters highly believable, though not always sympathetic.  Tennant and Colman tapped, and at times blasted, a staggering range of emotions, particularly during the last fifteen minutes of the finale.  Their performances in those closing segments were gut-wrenching and uncomfortably unforgettable.

Alfred Hitchcock would have loved Broadchurch.

Fox is reportedly planning an American ripoff of the series next year, and there is a rumor circulating on the Internet which claims the Brits may also produce a second season of the show.  If either or both of the new versions are as good as the original, we will all be in for a treat!

1 comment:

Don said...

Like you, I was amazed at the quality of Broadchurch. And the reaction of Miller when she found out her husband was the murderer was beyond description.

There's another BBC series, Orphan Black, which is also well worth the attention of anyone who enjoys a good mystery.