This episode of Broadchurch felt slow. Moments seemed to last longer than they needed, the cinematography felt more subdued and quiet, not that much narrative ground was covered. By the time the hour was up, I almost felt tired by it all, as if the episode had pulled me into a deep slumber and its events had unfolded in a dream.
Here's the weird thing: it felt intentional. The slow, ground level zooms through a silent corn field. The quiet nature of the episode, no big events unfolding or being revealed until the last act. This Broadchurch combined its pacing and its visuals to form an atmosphere, to craft something different amid its ongoing investigation. That, or I just didn't get enough sleep last night.
Take the episode's opening sequence, for instance, which continues almost immediately from where episode four left us. Laura Benson is being interviewed about her sexual assault from two years ago, coming forward now for the first time, motivated by the news of Trish's rape. It's a beautifully performed scene from all involved, particularly Kelly Gough, but the episode's consistent close ups and slow repeated cut ins turn it into something more. It isn't just an investigation or an interview, it's a woman bearing her soul and talking about a scarring experience. The scene lasts several minutes, drawing closer and closer to Laura's face with every cut. It's harrowing, but hypnotically so.
Other scenes this week take a similar approach, even if they don't display the emotional fragility of this episode's opening moments. Trish and Cathy's conversation about the former sleeping with the latter's husband seems to last longer than necessary, while the escalation of its words starts with two friends and ends with two people who merely know each other, as Cathy says. Hardy and Miller's interview of Aaron Mayford also follows this trend, it's a long sequence consisting of nothing more than escalating dialogue and close ups, and it essentially reveals nothing new.
Maybe eight episodes is just too much for Broadchurch to work with, and so the show feels the need to drag its most important scenes on for longer than intended in order to give the impression of a consistent plot. Cathy and Ed's conversation about whether or not she's attractive is irrelevant to the plot, and therefore isn't granted the same slow burn treatment. The same can be said for Mark Latimer's talk with Maggie Radcliffe, as well as the brief sequence in the Lucas household.
I can only have faith that Broadchurch knows where it's going with all of this. There's an awful lot of stuff being thrown around and we have suspects here, there and everywhere but not that much focus on moving things forward. Last week gave us a handful of answers, but episode five simply picks up the pieces without really saying anything about them. It's as visually stunning as always, and the episode's cold, slow atmosphere is certainly welcome, but that narrative ball needs to keep rolling or the series will slip into unstable territory once again.
Grade: B+
www.morrismovies.co.uk
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