‘Broadchurch’ Series 3 continues tonight, with the second episode seeing detectives Hardy and Miller begin their investigation into the brutal assault on local resident Trish Winterman.
Episode 2 will give viewers a bigger opportunity to meet new characters Cath Atwood and Ed Burnett, played by show newcomers Sarah Parish and Lenny Henry.
For her role as traumatised Trish, Julie Hesmondhalgh has already earned viewers’ plaudits, with fans clamouring for her to win acting awards for her work.
In the meantime...
1. As Hardy was quick to wonder, why DID Trish wait so long to report the attack? We have to tread carefully here, as the writers have worked with the support of victim’s support advisers, and it could well be the accurate, natural reluctance of a victim to reveal her emotional and physical wounds, or something more specific in terms of the identity of her assailant?
2. Why were there so many more men than women at Cath Atwood’s party? She told the police up to 50 men had been there that night. Miller’s look said it all.
3. If Cath is Trish’s best friend, and she’d been calling her for the last three days without getting an answer, why hadn’t she been round to check on her?
4. Crime aside, we caught up with the Latimers, and the jolt their return to the screen provided, proved just how invested we became in the events of their lives in the first series, to a lesser extent the second. We learned they had separated - what happened to finally push them apart, and will it remain that way?
5. We also discovered Mark Latimer had cooperated on a book written about his son’s murder - was it this that did for his marriage? Otherwise, why was he so willing to cooperate up until the point it was published, when we saw him incredibly unhappy. What changed his mind?
6. Nice to see the enigmatic Reverend Coates back - the carrier of confessions. As we’ve been asking for three series now, what does he know that he’s not saying?
‘Broadchurch’ continues tonight on ITV at 9pm. Catch up on ITV Player.