Broadchurch (TV Series) Episode #3.6 (2017) User Reviews

Andrew Buchan excels

[studioAT · 7/10 · 17 June 2017]

The end may be in sight, but that doesn't stop 'Broadchurch' from ploughing on towards the finish line with the same whip smart dialogue and twists and turns that we've come to expect from it over the three year run.

Andrew Buchan gives a great performance as the grief stricken Mark Latimer, and he goes through an awful lot of turmoil in this episode.

Not that he isn't always but I thought David Tennant was on top form her, particularly in the interview scenes with Lenny Henry.

I want to find out what happens next, but yet I know I'll soon run out of episodes. Ah, the conundrum.

Grief and Anguish done right

[richiehodev · 9/10 · 3 September 2022]

My impression of the Mark Latimer character from S1 is a weak-willed, irresponsible father who showed little to no emotion from his personal tragedy. Mark Latimer at times seemed dodgy and annoyed at the proceedings, and generally more interested in protecting his own personal interests than pursuing justice for his son. Maybe that was a bit of Andrew Buchan or a bit of how the character was written into the script.

But by the beginning of S2, we immediately see a marked change to Mark. He is now relentless and dogged in trying to understand the nature of this crime, and stops at nothing to be the voice that his son never had.

In S3, we see Mark overcome and overburdened with the immense grief that he still has to deal with. That the case was resolved with an unsatisfactory ruling all the more adds to his sense of personal failing and guilt as a father. In this episode, we still see him trying to wrestle with being so close to his son at the crime scene, yet never having the chance to stop his son from being killed. That gnaws at him and stops him from moving on with his life.

Andrew Buchan displays the full range of a grieving parent to perfection, with tears in his eyes imaging what a conversation with his dead son would be like, to rage and resignation at hearing the guilty Joe Miller confess to his crime.

I feel like you can write an entire separate series on the journey that this Mark Latimer character has had to travel, and Andrew Buchan would be perfect for it.

Even Broadchurch's weakest subplot ends in devastating heartbreak

[ryanjmorris · 10/10 · 3 April 2017]

Oh, Broadchurch. I really can't tell you how good it is to see you on top form again.

Tonight's episode was the best instalment of this show since its series one finale back in 2013. Broadchurch went through a rough patch in its second outing, and even this improved third and final series hasn't quite recaptured the glories of what this show achieved four years ago. Until tonight. This was a tense, focused and deeply moving hour of television.

Episode six gives every main cast member a moment to shine. Broadchurch's best element since day one has been its cast, everyone is uniformly terrific. Tonight's episode finally, finally, brings every major player into the mix and allows them all to let loose, one by one. Jodie Whitaker was forceful and angry when Beth confronted Nira by herself, Julie Hesmondhalgh pushed Trish's harsher side to the front lines as she coldly dismissed Cath Atwood, David Tennant fell back into old memories while screaming at Katie Harford, and Olivia Colman brought powerful untold stories to the surface in one showstopping monologue.

Tonight's star performer, though? Andrew Buchan. Buchan has been terrific ever since Broadchurch premiered all those years ago, even managing to add emotional depth to this series' weakest subplot. As Mark Latimer confronts Joe Miller for the first time since his banishment from the town, Buchan demonstrates a remarkable talent for juxtaposing the uncontrollable anger and deep rooted heartbreak that Mark has suffered for years.

Unless you've been through it yourself, it's impossible to understand what losing your child feels like. Buchan manages to sell it, he makes us feel everything Mark has endured since Danny's death. The loss of his son, the uprooting of his town, the decay of his family. Through Mark's words and Buchan's performance, we feel everything. It's a devastating sequence, but it's Mark's final moments tonight where Buchan really shines.

The phone call with daughter Chloe was pure heartbreak fuel. The camera sticks close to Mark's face to disguise his whereabouts, but anyone paying attention would know he was stood at the top of the cliff side. We almost didn't even need to see it. After some (presumably intentionally) jarring editing work, Mark's body lies lifelessly on top of the sea as the camera pulls up, floating further and further away. Mark's subplot hasn't always worked this series, but its end destination justified every second of it.

What it also does, though, is fill me with scepticism heading into the series' home stretch. Presuming Ed Burnett (Lenny Henry) is a giant red herring - I'll be very surprised if he isn't - the show still doesn't feel much closer to discovering the identity of Trish's rapist. Add in the aftermath of Mark's suicide and you have a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of episodes to make use of. Still, tonight's consistent tension, A-grade performances and soul shattering conclusion prove that Broadchurch still has power behind its beauty. If it can maintain that balance for its final episodes, it'll go out on a high.

Closure for Series one, at last.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 24 June 2017]

Alec and Ellie start whittling the list of suspects down, Ed is taken in for questioning after his brutal attack on Jim Atwood. Katie finally reveals Ed is her dad, and is kicked off the case. Mark tracks Joe Miller to his house, and finally learns the truth about what happened to his son, a shock twist occurs.

Lots going on in this episode, the scene where Nira discusses her attack was superbly delivered, utterly heartbreaking, so well performed. Incredible scenes also between Andrew Buchan and Matthew Gravelle. The acting throughout this episode is flawless, the best of the series. What a tragic ending.

A heartbreaking episode, which for my money has been the best episode of the series, back to the quality of the first series. 10/10

Andrew Buchan's masterpiece!

[raghav-sankalp · 10/10 · 9 July 2020]

I am a thirty year old man and I was sobbing like a thirteen year old girl toward the end of the episode. Mark Latimer's emotions were depicted so exquisitely. And not just in this particular episode but throughout the series - the mental battle he has been going through to get some kind of a closure for his departed son.

He tracked Joe, but didn't know what to do. It was such a true depiction of the mental state when you are really helpless. He can't bring back his son, he keeps dreaming of him. And to top it all, his wife was on the verge of divorcing him.

A man is always supposed to be the stronger sex, to take it all - physically as well as mentally. Well, sometimes a man breaks and then he breaks so hard that ....

We bawled our eyes out at the end

[petefrago · 10/10 · 8 November 2018]

This episode made my wife and me cry out loud. Its pretty rare that both of us cry together while watching TV. Great stuff even if we had to switch over to a comedy after this episode.

This is Broadchurch

[JohnArmless · 10/10 · 26 July 2017]

The third season was completely "off the curve" of what the series was, not in a sense that it was better but far below expectations except for that episode. Compared to season three, this episode was a work of art, everything that was not, and reminds us a lot of the other two seasons.

Mark Latimer, or rather Andrew Buchan, is the commander of this ship,and what he does, we can say is his best role. And he stands out,finally, in the series, while others steal the position of "best acting".

All the composition of the episode, all the focus for the direction where it would like to arrive, everything has been successfully achieved! And that's what Broadchurch stands for, all the acting, soundtrack and photography that have made this series into something amazing.

Too bad the third season was far below the quality it could be.

Mark's Testament

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 18 January 2018]

I mistakenly put episodes 5 & 6 together so I will add a bit here. The focus has been Trish all along. She is a very plain woman. The attitudes about her are kind of weird because of her plainness. For instance, why would the guy sleep with her when he had the good looking wife at home? Trish seems to be growing from the events of her rape. There is a second victim who is not willing to talk and it seems obvious she has something critical. Then there is the laptop. What is going on with that. Trish's husband has come into the house late at night and pilfered it. His connection with the former student who is supposed to erase information is stymied.

Ending

[Littleman95 · 10/10 · 27 December 2020]

It's clear that everything is going to an end After this episode I would like that it will be a good managed one.