Broadchurch - Series Premiere - Recap: Oh, Danny Boy

Credit: BBC America

The show is critically-acclaimed back home in the UK, and though the premiere doesn't make immediately apparent what's so special about it, the debut episode goes a long way in establishing the mood and atmosphere of the series. This is a small, if not insular, town in which crimes like the horrific murder that kicks off the series just don't happen. It's an unreservedly dark show filmed in near-total, beautiful sunlight, in contrast to other shows which have a tendency to drench the palette in bleak gray tones. It's a visual contrast that serves the episode well, as the nightmarish nature of the crime at the heart of the series is at odds with the idyllic nature of the small-town setting. But beyond the aesthetics of the show, Broadchurch could end up being the most well-acted version of this kind of small-town crime drama that I've seen, as the pilot features absolutely sensational turns from Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker, in addition to a rich, understated performance from Doctor Who alum David Tennant. And that's just in this premiere. Sure, we simmer in the grief of the loved one's family perhaps a little too long, and we don't really get the investigation started this week, but so much of this show is atmosphere, mood, and the fallout of a tragedy, such as finger-pointing and questions of where to place the blame. Whose fault is it that nobody noticed the boy was missing until it's too late? The show is very tentative about getting its story started, but once things get rolling, it's hard to turn away, making this one of the most encouraging premieres of the season.

The premiere builds dread right from the start, as we see 11-year-old Daniel Latimer looking over a cliff in the late night/early morning hours, with dripping blood from his hands while looking numb to it all. Cut to the next morning, and Danny's body has been discovered on the shore of the beach below the cliff. Though it initially appears that he's fallen, evidence from the cliff and the placement of the body below essentially prove that he couldn't have fallen. Nor could he have jumped or been thrown. This was murder made to look like an accident, and the coroner's report seals it: Danny was violently asphyxiated, with considerable damage having been done to his spine in the process. Worse, he was strangled face-to-face, meaning the last thing he saw was the face of his killer as the person choked the life out of him.

Credit: BBC America

But the real story is in how Danny's death affects those around him. His mother, Beth (Jodie Whittaker), is at first curious about the whereabouts of her son, but curiosity quickly flowers into panic once it becomes apparent that no one has seen or heard from Danny since the day before. When Beth hits a traffic jam related to the discovery of a body on the beach, it's as if she knows her son is the victim, and the slow-motion, nauseating dread with which the scene plays out is one of the most effective evocations of grief I've seen on TV in some time, with Beth completely falling to pieces as any mother would. In fact, Whittaker comes pretty damn close to being the episode's MVP, and not simply because her acting is the most acting, but because she charts her character's arc without needing to use a whole lot of words to do so. It's all in her body language, particularly with how it quickly becomes apparent that she not only blames her husband for failing to check in on Danny the night before, she also might suspect him of possibly having something more to do with Danny's death than he's leading on. "Where were you last night?" she asks her husband, and it's clearly a point of offense for him. Her husband, Mark (Andrew Buchan), obviously loved his son, as there are few moments in the episode as heartbreaking as Mark identifying Danny's body and saying goodbye, apologizing for having failed to be there for him. So once Beth begins poking around with her accusations about why he didn't look in on their son, Mark immediately slams back, tearfully, with "Why didn't you?" It's clear that they're simply pointing fingers as an outpouring of grief, but it feels like an authentic response to everything that has happened.

Credit: BBC America

But the Latimers aren't really the stars of this premiere. That title goes to Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman), whose personal connection to just about everyone in town (as a result of having been raised in Broadchurch, and living there her entire life) adds significant dimensions to the investigation. She's nearly as torn up about Danny's death as his parents, shedding tears while watching Mark say goodbye to his son, or holding back Beth at the beach when she sees her nearing the body. As Ellie embraces her husband after a long day's work, she breaks down and wonders whether she'll actually be able to go through with the investigation -- she also wonders how she's going to tell her son, who was Danny's best friend. Colman provides warmth and depth to the role, and leaves the most indelible impression of any actor in the premiere, torn as her character is between her untenable position as both an investigator and native resident of Broadchurch. No matter who killed Daniel Latimer, the truth is likely to challenger her perceptions of the people she's known her entire life. That will be a difficult arc to portray, but the premiere leaves me with no doubts about Colman's ability to depict that internal struggle.

Credit: BBC America

Nor does the premiere leave me with any doubts about David Tennant's ability to carry off his character's journey. As Detective Inspector Alec Hardy, Tennant delivers a character with a bit of a chip on his shoulder. He's moved over to Broadchurch after a scandal in his original department, and in doing so, he's taken a promotion meant for Ellie. They're now partners, and it's an uneasy partnership, as Hardy quickly loses his temper with her once he discovers that she's inadvertently revealed the identity of the victim to the press, her nephew, Olly Stevens (Jonathan Bailey). He spends a significant portion of the episode making promises to the various people affected by Danny's death that they will catch his killer, that there's nowhere for Danny's murdered to run. His determination is apparent from the word "go," even if his scruffy, acerbic, all-business nature makes him a bit of a tough nut to crack.

Credit: BBC America

Of course, Hardy is not really all that different from anyone else in the premiere, since everyone has secrets in their past -- and in their present. Danny's older sister is concealing a relationship with an older man, while an out-of-town reporter is trying to get an exclusive on Danny's death by taking evidence from the memorial surrounding the crime scene (namely, a teddy bear left by Danny's sister). Even Ellie's son is concealing evidence from his mother, deleting texts and emails from Danny on the night of his death. In a small town, everyone is a suspect, but a small town makes it all the more likely that the truth will out, particularly with characters as doggedly determined as Ellie and Alec. The mystery is already engaging enough to compel interest in its own right, but it's the characters that will make Broadchurch a crime drama worth following.