BINGEWATCH: BROADCHURCH (2013-2017)…
The series entire adds a new dictionary-definition for ‘scene-setting’ with a vast range of establishing shots that sweep majestically across the beach, over cliffs, through fields and even along high streets. Whether it’s a solitary figure staring off into the distance or merely the ominous setting for some revelation in the tapestry that’s unthreading as we pull on several knotty dynamics, the town of Broadchurch and the surrounding area is as much a character in proceedings as its ensemble cast.
Certainly some of Broadchurch‘s story is bleak – often spiraling around tragedy and dishonesty in a small, domestic setting but it avoids the ‘EastEnders on a bigger budget’ trap by its unique pacing and quality control. While soaps tend to have a constant flailing momentum, Broadchurch has the remit and structure to take some of those same social elements and make a stronger base to pivot around.
It’s not impossible to guess who the guilty parties are as the seasons progress, but you have to work out the formula by which Chinball is guiding things. Arguably, the revelations in the climactic moments of both the first and third series feel less organic – confessions, when they come, are a little too convenient, but the lead up to such and the consequences thereafter are largely what the series is about.
Amidst some predictable ‘feels’ there moments of genuine punch-the-air satisfaction, largely through the moments of very human humour and strength that are wisely scattered through. Colman, already a national treasure and multi-award winning actress, is resolutely superb, a tour-de-force whether it’s in the smaller emotional beats or her scathing putdowns and asides.
In 2014, the show was remade for the US as Gracepoint, complete with Tennant reprising his role, now with an American accent, albeit an uneven one and Breaking Bad‘s Anna Gun taking the role of Miller. There were pros and cons to the production. Certainly it was well made, but many lamented yet another example of appropriation rather than export – why weren’t the strengths of the original enough to simply broadcast that? The argument is a valid one, especially given that many of the beats and entire scenes were recreated, especially in its opening episodes though – without spoilers – the ending gets a fundamental shift that arguably enhances the existing framework and even fills in some moments of motivation for actions that the original left to the imagination. After poor ratings it was not renewed after the ten-part first season. France also got a domestic adaptation in 2015, entitled Malaterra which began in a very similar and faithful way but which ultimately deviated from using the same killer.