Broadchurch series two, episode two: five burning questions we need answered
From Lee Ashworth's guilt to the mysteries of Jocelyn Knight and Sharon Bishop, here's what's been puzzling us during this week's instalment...
1. Is Joe actually guilty?
Yes, we know what you're thinking. We saw Joe kill Danny – the events played out right in front of our eyes. But what if there's more to it? Joe certainly hints as much, telling Paul Coates "no one's innocent, everyone's hiding things" during one of their prison chit-chats. Could there have been others involved? Or – *Gracepoint spoiler alert* – could we discover Joe was in fact covering for Tom all along. Personally, I'm praying this is a dead end. We suspected Joe for weeks, he confessed – done, finished, caput. Let's just hope it stays that way.
2. What's going on with Jocelyn?
There's something up with the Latimers' QC. Last week we were introduced to her hermetic ways, ensconced in her cliff top lodge as Maggie Radcliffe entreated her to prosecute Danny's case. Just why has she been absent from court these three years? It was a question that remained unanswered this week as the trial begun, and while Charlotte Rampling's character appeared to be on the case, scolding Miller, Hardy and the Latimers, it's her relationship with Maggie that bewilders us the most. They seem close – and the Broadchurch Echo editor clearly knows what's up – but why does a fearsome barrister like Jocelyn want Maggie to read to her?
3. And what's going on with Sharon, too?
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The start of the trial saw Jocelyn Knight squaring up to her former pupil Sharon Bishop. But besides his chess-themed war of words, there's plenty Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall isn't telling us about Sharon, too. Based on our findings last week the defence QC has suffered a professional wobble, but tonight's episode gave us a further insight, showing her chatting loudly on the phone and clearly upset. While her conversation gave little away – "don't say things like that to me, I'm not having it"; "you can't change what's happened, now it's about what happens next and that's down to you" – it was clearly someone close to her on the receiving end of the pep talk. Is that person connected to the crisis that was alluded to last week? We're clearly being led to ponder the back stories of both our QCs.
4. Why did Hardy choose Miller's old house?
Alec could have picked anywhere in Broadchurch to arrange Lee and Claire's rendezvous. Anywhere. Yes, his justification for Miller's house was that they both knew it, but aren't there countless places in the tiny town that the detective duo could navigate? Why opt to position Ellie outside, in plain sight of the neighbours who would surely spot her? Unless it was a purposeful decoy. Alec looked pretty stressed by the end, but could it have all been an act? Is Lee and Claire's disappearance all part of his grand plan? It's a long shot, but just about plausible, eh?
5. Is Alec wrong?
With Lee Ashworth returning to English soil to "get his life back" and Miller questioning his guilt, could Hardy's conviction be misplaced? It's a question we're all asking, but is the former detective's own certainty wavering? We know Ellie found a Sandbrook case file in his desk, although that's likely evidence of his own obsession with Lee. But experience has told us, if all finger's are pointing at a crime drama suspect, he probably didn't do it. The first few episodes of Broadchurch series one certainly taught us that.
Broadchurch continues next Monday at 9:00pm on ITV
