I thought Joe was great. Brilliant acting, he looked so vulnerable and boyish in that police cell. BUT that scene in the beginning arrrgh! Why have him frantically searching for Tom's laptop if he knew he himself had killed Danny! He seemed so genuine. The leap from down to earth family man to deranged boy-cuddler was just totally implausible. To say how panicked he was in the flashback of the night Danny was killed he has been completely cool and level-headed throughout the past 8 weeks.
I know Ellie was devastated at the station but her entire marriage had been completely ripped away from her. Her world had just completely imploded, and a few scenes later, she's already cheering up and talking about moving on. The same with Tom, one little cry on your mum's shoulder having found out your dad is a killer and a pedophile and none of you are going to ever ever see him again. I would be absolutely inconsolable. It all just felt a bit soulless.
I think the ending would have been so much more powerful if Joe had killed Danny to protect Tom, and a much more believable ending.
I agree about the ending with the lighting of the torches, I know it was supposed to show the ties within the community but it did feel like they ran out of script.
It was just all so, Oh sh*t we've got 65 minutes to tie all this together.
That online extra scene as well, are we supposed to be grateful? What was the point of it? I was half expecting a twist to be that Tom really was the killer in the end, and that Joe had covered.
AND What the hell with Danny's accent? I preferred it when he was a silent dead boy...
So many major annoyances!
Perhaps he was frantically searching for the laptop so he could sabotage it himself.
I think when people have gone through some major life-changing trauma there must be moments when they're on automatic pilot so to speak and can talk as though everything's normal for short bursts.
That for me was one aspect of this series that could have been dispensed with. It was like they wanted to throw any cliches from other shows into the mix just for the sake of it.
But if you read the plethora of comments and theories about this character on the thread this was a great red herring. It fooled many.
Oh well I enjoyed that, but I just went along for the ride and didn't engage in all the speculation.
Torches was a little too much, one in the Village would have been kinda plausible.
Hey ho ITV2 and Plebs...
BIB - me neither, and therefore no expectations and no disappointments. Enjoyed the lot from start to finish.
Fantastic. I don't care if he was the obvious killer, the whole storyline and acting from he whole cast has been brilliant from start to finish.
How will a second series work I wonder? Surely not without DT and OC? I hope not anyway. Miller can still be a cop once it all dies down, Hardy can go get his op and be ok. But they have to be back!
They can't have agreed a second series without either of the main leads, but OC hated being away from her family in London for the filming, so not sure how she'll make that work. But - if you wanted to be soppy about it - the scene is set for them eventually getting together as a couple... shared experience and all that.
I feel sorry for Chris Chibnall - he always envisaged this as one-series deal, but the success has taken everyone by surprise. Can you imagine the pressure he's come under from ITV to make it work as a 'continuing drama'? Poor man....
I wondered that, I can't quite figure it out and its still annoying me. Something to show she can be cold hearted? Killing an innocent creature?
Or its irrelevant, she doesn't like slugs and it had no hidden meaning?
was crying with full chin wobble when Beth saw Danny on the cliff edge
It was partly a metaphor - an ugly, slimy thing in her beautiful home which she had to get rid of. In other words the slug was Joe. Sorry, I teach English Lit - metaphor is part of my life!
I don't think so, just discussing with my daughter, she said it was good to see the reactions of the murderer's family as you don't often think about that or see it portrayed.
It was good and maybe they avoided a twist...........for a reason
I agree - too often (and I watch a lot of murder/mystery/whodunnits!) it's all wrapped up and that's that. This series has shown us the people behind the events, the final episode more than most. I have no issue with that at all.
Hopefully the Sandbrook case can be solved in another series, It was excellent...between a lot of you guys, you got the motive/killer spot on!
Sandbrook was 'solved', it just never went to trial - Hardy knew who'd done it, but without the pendant they had no case that would stick. The killer is free, but known. Unless he/she strikes again there is no chance of a conviction, but it is 'solved' as such.
Why can't people just enjoy it as a bit of escapism rather than over-analysing everything. SAD!
I've done exactly that - watched, not tried to second guess anything, notwithstanding a few things that struck me as obvious along the way (i.e. Paul Coates as a recovering alcoholic which I called back in episode 2, along with a couple of other people - because it was obvious, not through speculation). I've no idea how/why so many other theories have appeared from 'nowhere' - I've said this a few times, but to paraphrase Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and so that proved with the majority of Broadchurch and the characters/explanations; they were just as they seemed/we were told! But for some reason that kind of simplistic approach wasn't popular on here so I kept my mouth shut, lol!
Postscript to the my previous praise...I was surprised but in retrospect grateful that Danny's voice was so much older than an 11 year old's, he sounded more like a lad of 17 or so. Not that age makes any difference to the loss of life but I think I'd have been even more upset to hear a small child's voice during that scene of his killing.
I thought the ending was fab and suited the series perfectly. I guessed the killer a few weeks ago but was never certain and I think I only guessed because he seemed the least obvious in the first few weeks.
I get the feeling that's what happened with a lot of people, hence Joe topping the polls of whodunnit.
I thought Joe was great. Brilliant acting, he looked so vulnerable and boyish in that police cell. BUT that scene in the beginning arrrgh! Why have him frantically searching for Tom's laptop if he knew he himself had killed Danny! He seemed so genuine. The leap from down to earth family man to deranged boy-cuddler was just totally implausible. To say how panicked he was in the flashback of the night Danny was killed he has been completely cool and level-headed throughout the past 8 weeks.
I know Ellie was devastated at the station but her entire marriage had been completely ripped away from her. Her world had just completely imploded, and a few scenes later, she's already cheering up and talking about moving on. The same with Tom, one little cry on your mum's shoulder having found out your dad is a killer and a pedophile and none of you are going to ever ever see him again. I would be absolutely inconsolable. It all just felt a bit soulless.
I think the ending would have been so much more powerful if Joe had killed Danny to protect Tom, and a much more believable ending.
I agree about the ending with the lighting of the torches, I know it was supposed to show the ties within the community but it did feel like they ran out of script.
It was just all so, Oh sh*t we've got 65 minutes to tie all this together.
That online extra scene as well, are we supposed to be grateful? What was the point of it? I was half expecting a twist to be that Tom really was the killer in the end, and that Joe had covered.
AND What the hell with Danny's accent? I preferred it when he was a silent dead boy...
So many major annoyances!
I second everything you say. I did not want another Mayday but we got it.
I really believed there was going to be a brilliant twist. I saw images of Ellies house burning and a car going over the cliff. If only they had been in the final scene.
Cannot take the fantastic acting away. It was outstanding.
Sorry, but I was disappointed with that. It set up so many intriguing possibilities but ended up being the most obvious. I thought the last 10 minutes were hideous as well.
Well I enjoyed the series, I still think something's were left unanswered. We don't know who this mysterious post man was Danny was arguing with. The thing with the clocks, marks lost 2 hours, why the pregnancy was complicated. Having said that I still enjoyed it and most of us were right!! Well done guys, enjoyed the threads on this, now what to do on a Monday night....
Please can someone tell me what was in the extra bit, having dongle 'issues'!!
I actually really enjoyed that ending, I did like the way they concentrated on the aftermath and the emotional side of it all. I think it fitted the rest of the story well.
So I guess the electric going out was a significant moment of the time Danny died, that Susan thought Danny looked peaceful even though he was lying on his front, face to the side. I thought they covered the Nige Susan stuff well and answered quite a bit of that and I guess the vicar looking shifty, was actually him as a new vicar, maybe thinking he'd bit off more than he could chew.
Child abuse did seem to be a theme, with Jack and Susan's husband, so I was actually surprised Joe killed him on the basis of his very dodgy relationship with Danny. But poor old Danny.
The acting was excellent, I thought, in this. But the lighting and colouring of it were absolutely beautiful. The beach scenes...the autumn colours when Hardy went tell the family the killer was found... All stunning to my mind.
I think most people knew who it was going to be, but the reasons why Joe did it more than made up for the predictability. It was truly creepy and disturbing.
That's how you make something predictable interesting and gripping. So many writers fail to do that, but Chris did it beautifully.
I agree about the ending with the lighting of the torches, I know it was supposed to show the ties within the community but it did feel like they ran out of script
No, totally disagree , this was a great ending to a wonderful drama. The lighting of the beacons IMO was a very touching moment, who needs a script and commentary every second?
The Facebook video extra was to be sure neither here nor there , good idea though, perhaps ITV will develop this further in the future. Brilliant drama.
Alec said something about Danny having only 2 contacts, Tom and Joe.
When did he find this information out?
Surely not of Toms computer?
It was in the transcripts he got from Alistair Murray.
That was why he had his lightbulb moment almost as soon as he looked at the emails - he could see only two names, he was thinking about Joe and Nige, both shaven headed - and that was it.
Really enjoyed watching this. Some great actors - David Tennant and Olivia Colman especially. I've not really seen David Tennant in anything other than a few episodes of Doctor Who. What a fantastic actor. Will look forward to this returning and hope he is in it again.
Will now have to watch everything that he appears in.
Alec said something about Danny having only 2 contacts, Tom and Joe.
When did he find this information out?
Surely not of Toms computer?
I think from Tom's computer they found an email address they didn't know Danny had, as Hardy said Danny only used the address for Tom and one other person, who I assume is Joe
I do have to say though, despite hating it post flashback of Danny's murder, the first 20 minutes were spectacularly gripping. I felt sick. Thought I was gonna do a Hardy and go all faint and funny. I just couldn't take the conclusion seriously, though. That first scene when Joe was looking for Tom's laptop, I was convinced we'd all got the wrong guy...then he completely changed character. I suppose he was portrayed as he was because in his own mind, he isn't a bad person. He told himself what he was doing was not wrong, as he told Danny. It will take me a while to get over this one.
Comments
Perhaps he was frantically searching for the laptop so he could sabotage it himself.
I think when people have gone through some major life-changing trauma there must be moments when they're on automatic pilot so to speak and can talk as though everything's normal for short bursts.
But if you read the plethora of comments and theories about this character on the thread this was a great red herring. It fooled many.
BIB - me neither, and therefore no expectations and no disappointments. Enjoyed the lot from start to finish.
They can't have agreed a second series without either of the main leads, but OC hated being away from her family in London for the filming, so not sure how she'll make that work. But - if you wanted to be soppy about it - the scene is set for them eventually getting together as a couple... shared experience and all that.
I feel sorry for Chris Chibnall - he always envisaged this as one-series deal, but the success has taken everyone by surprise. Can you imagine the pressure he's come under from ITV to make it work as a 'continuing drama'? Poor man....
It was partly a metaphor - an ugly, slimy thing in her beautiful home which she had to get rid of. In other words the slug was Joe. Sorry, I teach English Lit - metaphor is part of my life!
I agree - too often (and I watch a lot of murder/mystery/whodunnits!) it's all wrapped up and that's that. This series has shown us the people behind the events, the final episode more than most. I have no issue with that at all.
Sandbrook was 'solved', it just never went to trial - Hardy knew who'd done it, but without the pendant they had no case that would stick. The killer is free, but known. Unless he/she strikes again there is no chance of a conviction, but it is 'solved' as such.
I've done exactly that - watched, not tried to second guess anything, notwithstanding a few things that struck me as obvious along the way (i.e. Paul Coates as a recovering alcoholic which I called back in episode 2, along with a couple of other people - because it was obvious, not through speculation). I've no idea how/why so many other theories have appeared from 'nowhere' - I've said this a few times, but to paraphrase Freud, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and so that proved with the majority of Broadchurch and the characters/explanations; they were just as they seemed/we were told! But for some reason that kind of simplistic approach wasn't popular on here so I kept my mouth shut, lol!
I get the feeling that's what happened with a lot of people, hence Joe topping the polls of whodunnit.
I second everything you say. I did not want another Mayday but we got it.
I really believed there was going to be a brilliant twist. I saw images of Ellies house burning and a car going over the cliff. If only they had been in the final scene.
Cannot take the fantastic acting away. It was outstanding.
Alec said something about Danny having only 2 contacts, Tom and Joe.
When did he find this information out?
Surely not of Toms computer?
I actually really enjoyed that ending, I did like the way they concentrated on the aftermath and the emotional side of it all. I think it fitted the rest of the story well.
So I guess the electric going out was a significant moment of the time Danny died, that Susan thought Danny looked peaceful even though he was lying on his front, face to the side. I thought they covered the Nige Susan stuff well and answered quite a bit of that and I guess the vicar looking shifty, was actually him as a new vicar, maybe thinking he'd bit off more than he could chew.
Child abuse did seem to be a theme, with Jack and Susan's husband, so I was actually surprised Joe killed him on the basis of his very dodgy relationship with Danny. But poor old Danny.
Absolutely top class.
I didn't understand that at all.
That's how you make something predictable interesting and gripping. So many writers fail to do that, but Chris did it beautifully.
No, totally disagree , this was a great ending to a wonderful drama. The lighting of the beacons IMO was a very touching moment, who needs a script and commentary every second?
The Facebook video extra was to be sure neither here nor there , good idea though, perhaps ITV will develop this further in the future. Brilliant drama.
It planted the seed that Joe kept secrets from Ellie.
It was in the transcripts he got from Alistair Murray.
That was why he had his lightbulb moment almost as soon as he looked at the emails - he could see only two names, he was thinking about Joe and Nige, both shaven headed - and that was it.
I did.:) It was just about the best drama serial I have seen for a long time.
Will now have to watch everything that he appears in.
I think from Tom's computer they found an email address they didn't know Danny had, as Hardy said Danny only used the address for Tom and one other person, who I assume is Joe