‘Broadchurch’ is nearly finished - sob. This time next week, it’ll all be over forever - another sob.
But in the meantime, there is still work to be done for detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller. While many of the town’s secrets have been uncovered, they must still uncover the identity of Trish Winterman’s attacker. Which means answering...
1. Ed Burnett’s explained why his party clothes were covered in grass and mud stains, apparently he fell down the bank during a sulky walk through the woods, but we still haven’t found out - what about the twine in his pocket?
2. At least he told his daughter Kate about another strange bag of twine he found, this time with blood stains on it. But why did his daughter Kate, a policewoman, handle the newly found twine with her bare hands?
3. Jim’s memory of a young lady and a red Renault Clio brought a smile to his face, but would have he been so quick to smirk if he’d been guilty of her attack? It’s not looking good for the cheeky mechanic, however, because of...
4. ... The condoms, finally. Cath’s found them, in husband Jim’s glove box, those ones we saw right back at the start, and they were bought on the same evening as the doomed party, and used with “a fit waitress” - how smooth. Will they do for him? It all comes down to...
5. ... The second sock. With DNA on it which Hardy and Miller have matched to one of the usual suspects, even if we don’t yet know. That all seemed a bit sudden, almost as though writer Chris Chibnall suddenly realised he only had one episode left, with many loose ends to tie.
6. Meanwhile, finally, Ian Winterman admitted to what we’d long guessed - that he’d loaded up some cyberware to spy on his estranged wife via her computer. Which led Hardy and Miller all the way to twine-meister Leo, who ended up sounding surprisingly sweet when describing his childhood and his link to Ian. Turns out he was at the party too. Of course. Who wasn’t?
7. Elsewhere, the dodgy vicar’s popped up again, this time to provide an ear for Beth Latimer’s sadness and frustrations. We must ask again, why is the Reverend Coates still in this story?
8. The taxi driver’s wife has FINALLY discovered what everyone else knew, that her husband really is a low-life. She CAN’t be as naive as she makes out, can she? On the other hand, if she has been and now she’s finally realised what a dupe she’s been, what ends will she go to for revenge?
9. Finally, “What is this?” Trish asked her daughter. The answer, a very moving scene with all the women of Broadchurch gathered in defiance of fear, phone torches ablaze, and a distinct reminder of the first series when the community first gathered in honour of Danny Latimer. This felt like it should have been the very last scene of this unforgettable drama - how can they top it?
‘Broadchurch’ concludes next Monday. Catch up on ITVPlayer.