Broadchurch 1.03

Episode 3

Mark Latimer is brought in to the police station for questioning. Before he goes in he texts his employee Nige and asks him to cover for him on the night of the murder. Mark tells Alec and Allie that he was with Nige. He also tells them that he was in the cottage fixing something, which explains how his prints wound up there. 

Alec and Ellie talk to the cleaning lady. She has no recollection of giving the keys to the cottage to Mark. They investigate Mark's boat and find some blood stains. 

They question Nige but he doesn't have a very good story and they see right through it and are able to confirm he wasn't with Mark when they talk to his mother.

Beth goes for a walk in the middle of the day. She tries going to the office where she works, the newspaper. Her boss encourages her to go home. She doesn't want to. She takes a walk to the cliffs. The repair man who approached Alec and Elaine about having a message from Danny approaches Beth also claiming to have a message from Danny. Beth tells him to back off and then she runs away and returns home.

Alec arrests Mark for obstructing the investigation. Mark is later cleared when Becca Fisher shows up at the police station and admits that she and Mark were together the night that Danny was killed.

Karen White, the reporter from the Daily Mail tries to talk to Nige but he doesn't want to talk. He's hiding a crossbow in his truck.

Tom, Ellie's son, is brought in for questioning. He was Danny's best friend. He tells Alec that Danny told him that his father had hit him once or twice. 

Rev. Paul goes to see Beth. He asks her if she has told Mark about the pregnancy. She has not. He suggests that they could have a memorial service for Mark while the investigation is still ongoing. Later than night, while Mark is still at the police station, Steven Connolly, the repair guy comes to see Beth again. This time she lets him in and lets him talk. He tells her that Danny doesn't want her to find out who killed him because it is someone who is close to her.

Mark is released by the police. He goes home. He doesn't tell them that he was arrested. Everyone goes to bed. Beth asks Mark if he killed Danny. He gets angry and goes for a walk. He meets up with Becca. They embrace unaware that Beth has followed Mark and sees them together.

The episode ends in the early morning just before dawn. A boat is on fire just off the coast.

Thoughts

Was that Mark's boat on fire? Who did that? Mark? Nige? Someone else?

Chloe is the one who told Becca that she needed to go to the police station. Why? Does this mean that Chloe knew that hew father was having an affair with Becca?

What will Beth's next move be? Will she tell Mark right away that she saw him with Becca Fisher or will she hold that information for a little while?

I think I am starting to see some cracks in the foundation of this show. It isn't impressing me as much as it did at first. I think the problem is that a lot of things are being thrown out there without seeming to lay them out in any sort of order. If everything is important then nothing is important. I'm not about to give up on it just yet but I am not as won over by it now as I once was. Once again it seems like there is just a little too much going on here.