Broadchurch – Season 2, Episode 4

This Broadchurch the horrible decisions by Hardy kept on coming. Not only did he leave Claire alone and unwatched with Lee lurking about, he shared the same hotel room as Miller right after being accused of having an affair with her, and then snuck around seeing individuals from his previous case in hopes of opening it again. Either this man really doesn’t know when to quit, or boy is he is a glutton for punishment. Even if he has been plagued by the memory of finding Pippa Gillespie’s body, that’s no excuse. At least David Tennant’s performance after waking from a nightmare and wandering around wet, nearly drowning to save a child’s body tugs on the heart strings. You can’t help but feel for Hardy despite his seriously flawed decisions, with Tennant at the helm.

Despite his idiotic tendencies Hardy sure has Ollie down to a key. That poor boy is running around thinking that he’s a godsend to the little town, when he’s only causing a ruckus. If he only knew how in need Tom was. But he’s more occupied with his big break than about inaccurately posting that his aunt slept with Hardy on his Twitter feed so his cousin can see. Certainly it didn’t help the situation, as Tom is begging for a positive role model and everyone he finds keeps abandoning him.

Miller’s and Lucy’s sister time this episode was wonderful. At least Lucy had the guts to say what everyone was thinking regarding the accusation of Miller and Hardy’s supposed affair. Oh, harder Hardy indeed. Too bad it wasn’t long lasting, as Lucy took the stand. Viewers should have known that testimony was going to be a failure from the start. A lot of lies. Nothing but the truth must take on a different meaning for her. No wonder Miller black balled her sister in the past. Lucy is a firework waiting to catch fire.

Another disappointment was Lee’s continued creepy behavior. Does he really think that following Miller around, even if he does pay for her parking, constitutes his innocence? Although now he has the viewers worried about the possibility that Hardy and Claire slept together. Hardy didn’t help the case any by not even acknowledging Miller asking him about it. Lee just seems disturbing. Anyone who doorbell ditches dinner would. Yet, Claire let him in and fell right into his trap. It makes it hard to care for either of them. Their characters are completely ridiculous.

The only potentially redeeming thing Lee has going for him is the audience’s introduction to Ricky. Not only do we meet Pippa Gillespie’s father this episode, but we find out he’s rather shady too. Although, it is almost positive for anyone to have secret skeletons lurking in their closet the way Chibnall writes. It’s part of his mastery. With Ricky’s alibi falling through and the revelation of his secret phone buddy and fondness for bluebells, it seems that Lee actually might be telling the truth. But as always with Broadchurch, as soon as you think you might know where the show is heading you’re in for a turn.

What do you think of this week’s episode? Is Ricky hiding more than our eyes could see? Or is Lee really the one we should be looking at? Tell us what you think in the comments below.