Broadchurch: Examining the dichotomy of a sexualised society

As I remarked in my review of episode one, I don’t think series three of Broadchurch is entirely about guessing whodunnit. Episode two throws up an awful lot of smarmy, nervous men as suspects yet just behind all of the clues and crime solving there’s something more nuanced going on.

For me, the most interesting part of the episode was when DS Ellie Miller, whilst interviewing the unxious Leo, catches a glimpse of a variety of pictures of half-nude women on the walls of the factory office where he works. She doesn’t address the issue to him but her clear disdain at the imagery and the way the camera lingers on the images enough to get the point across is indicative of the nuance the show is striving for this season.

This season, in telling a story about a serious sexual assault, isn’t focusing solely on the mystery of the crime but rather examining the attitudes society has towards sexual assault, victims of sexual assault and women in general. The shots of the women on the walls tie back in with Ellie’s discovery in last week’s episode that her son was sharing porn around at school.

It’s extremely promising that Broadchurch isn’t choosing to be totally sensationalist and doing a story on sexual assault for the sake of it but rather using the platform to say something important about how women can be sexualised in a place as casual as a workplace or a school.

The show covers the cause and the effect of each situation, as the pornographic images commodify women’s bodies and even police officers question whether or not the victim was at fault for being drunk.

DC Katie Harford questioning Trish’s honesty or asking if she was drunk come at it from a different angle, she’s not a chauvinist man, she’s a woman and her line of questioning seems harsh against Ellie’s caring and considerate attitude. However, there may be something more there, yet that’ll come soon enough as we discover what it is and why she knows one of the suspects.

Shame is a prevalent emotion for Trish, her conversation with Beth, where the key phrase “I wish he’d just killed me” rings painfully true and I wouldn’t be surprised if the show chooses to go down this route. Victims feeling guilty or not being believed is something the show can look at carefully yet there also needs to be some care taken in how Hardy can become too aggressive.

There’s an interesting dichotomy between the imagery this week that really begins to pick at the way different issues create situations like these. There’s a great moment early on in the episode when Hardy remarks that only a handful of officers are available to investigate “lucky to get two”, showing how little attention can be given to crimes of this nature.

It’s these moments and details, that give this series its purpose and make it a worthy drama where men can have pictures of half naked women on their walls at work and rape victims don’t get enough help from the police.

I also love the continued friendship between Ellie and Beth which despite having a purpose towards the case, also took a moment for them to discuss their careers and even approach the subject of their sexuality.

Of course, there are still elements of mystery especially around what Trish isn’t telling us. I don’t feel like the show would turn her into a villain, yet I’m expecting there to be an element of wherein she feels like she can’t tell the truth because she knows and feels threatened by her attacker.

The show feels like it knows what it’s doing and continues to play it well, never feeling overzealous or over the top. The score is subtle and yearning which comes in tune with the nature of the episode. I also love the performances, Julie Hesmondhalgh does fantastically in the scene where she tells her daughter about the assault and Coleman and Tennant continues to be the best detective double act on TV.

The only fault I found was the cafe scene which came across as bizarre.

Great lines:

.“How do you do it, Miller, the single parent thing?”

“By constantly absorbing feelings of failure, guilt and shame”

.”I am never in the mood for swaggering young shits”