Broadchurch: Episode 2.1

Broadchurch: Episode 2.1
ITV
4 March 2015
Crime Drama
DVD
B+

Although a year and a half had passed in real time, this is set six months or less since the end of the previous series, because Beth was at least three months along then and is still pregnant now.  At first, we catch up with the major characters, seeing how they're coping, including that Ellie is now a traffic cop in another town.  And then Joe, to the surprise of everyone including his court-appointed lawyer, pleads Not Guilty!  Suddenly, not only isn't there closure, but everything is ripped apart.  Meanwhile, Alec is trying to deal with loose ends of his previous case and asks Ellie for help.  The dynamic between them is as strong as ever, as characters and performers, but I enjoyed even things like the romance between the vicar and the hotelier.  (New or just newly public?)    One odd thing here is that the same boy is playing Tom Miller, but he looks more like fourteen or fifteen than twelve, which makes the scene of him playing videogames with Mark even stranger, especially if things are being set up for them to be like Joe and Danny.  (One reason Joe won't plead guilty is because he says everyone has secrets and is guilty.)  It'll be interesting to see how the old and new elements, including the history between the new opposing lawyers, plays out.

Removal Man Boyd Rogers previously was Paparazzi, while Prisoner Guard Officer Anthony Farrelly was Arresting Police Officer before.

New cast members:

• William Andrews as Ben Haywood
• Jenny Bede as Laura
• Eliza Bennett as Lisa Newbery
• Paul Blackwell and Kumud Pant as Court Guards
• Hollie Burgess as Pippa Gillespie
• James D'Arcy as Lee Ashworth
• Shaun Dooley as Ricky Gillespie
• Lucas Hare as Clerk of the Court
• Gbemisola Ikumelo as WPC Stewart
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Sharon Bishop
• Eve Myles as Claire Ripley
• Charlotte Rampling as Jocelyn Knight
• Alfie and Marley Stansfield as Fred Miller (obviously a toddler actor would have to be replaced when time has passed more slowly than in the real world)
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Abby Thompson