Well. Gracepoint sure does have me confused. I’m assuming that is the goal. Broadchurch fans no longer have room to be arrogant, either, since episode 8 was as far as that series went. Some really interesting things happened in tonight’s episode.
For one, Mark Solano and Detective Carver agreed on being suspicious of Paul (the minister). This was probably the worst misdirect yet. Paul doesn’t have an alibi, and his insomnia is considered “suspicious behavior”. I think that normally he should be a suspect, but here’s why I don’t think he is: He’s in love with Beth. He knows that he would cause Beth so much grief and pain by killing Danny, that Rev. Coates is cleared in my mind. Of course, I’m just speculating here, and there could be plenty more surprises in the back two episodes, but right now I don’t see him being the killer. Oh, he “found Tom first” too. But if you’re watching the same show I’m watching, it was a coincidence used as a plot device to misdirect us for one more episode. I think this was a cheap misdirect for sure, but Kevin Rankin is definitely one of the better actors on the show.
I really thought the suspicion surrounding Detective Carver himself was actually pretty interesting. It’s much more suspicious than many of the other “suspects” in the case. It does seem suspicious that he showed up in town and another thing happened. But I guess the same could be said for that reporter lady.
More than anything (except for who the killer is) I want to know why Tom destroyed his computer. I mean, I know that there are files he doesn’t want found, but what are they? What could he and Danny possibly have been into that got Danny killed, and implicated Tom so badly? I genuinely want to know, to the point that it’s distracting. Seriously.
David Tennant was good in this episode, but Anna Gunn was great. Carver is a loner and Tennant plays that well, but Ellie has a much broader range of emotions, that she conveys in every single episode. I was never the biggest Skyler White fan, but I have always known that Anna Gunn has chops. She’s proving it every week. If nothing else, Gracepoint has been a way for all of these actors to keep their skills sharp. I love watching strong acting at work!
I’m really glad that the police are finally paying attention to Susan. She’s creepy as crap, guys. Seriously. I want to know what her deal is very, VERY badly. I’m not sure she is the killer because we’re still two episodes from the end, and it HAS to be more surprising than that. I will be pretty upset if it is her, actually, because I figured it out so quickly.
Gracepoint is a good show. The mystery is interesting, the characters (and actors) are strong, and the dramatic elements created from the mystery plot are perhaps the shows greatest strength. What do you guys think? Are you still enjoying Gracepoint? Who is your top suspect? Let us know!
Photo via Fox
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I know they said that Gracepoint’s ending would be different than Broadchurch’s, but I think that was just a misdirect. It’s becoming increasingly clear that while the ending may differ, the killer will be the same.
I don’t know why you would think that. The killer could have really been anybody in Broadchurch. They could easily tweak a few things in the last two episodes and make it someone else.
The question you should be asking yourself is, while the killer COULD have been anybody in Broadchurch, if it was anyone else, would the show been as good? Without trying to give away TOO many spoilers here, the relationship arc between DI Hardey and DS Miller is developed throughout the series culminating in the final episode. The way he calls her Miller and she keeps trying to correct him is a big theme that pays off in those final scenes. The big payoff scene at the end where Hardey tells Miller the truth is the quintessential scene from Broadchurch, and changing the killer would take that away. That being said I th if the ending is different it will only e that Danny was ACTUALLY having a relationship with the killer, not just fooling around. I could be totally wrong though…
***Some spoilery stuff ****
It could be Det. Miller herself who killed Danny after she discovered the secret. She doesn’t seem to be looking all that hard for the killer, other than pin it on the backpacker–the “out of town” guy. She only got really motivated when Tom went missing… And are you are assuming the reason for Danny’s death is the same? It could be completely different. We only really found out the reason in the tenth episode. They have set it up so many people have possible motives. It even could be Chloe or Mark is the killer and the big payoff is when they inform Beth.
We are never going to get the same performance we got with Olivia Colman. That simply isn’t going to happen.
Chris Chibnall said in an interview that this show contains an alternate ending he wrote for Broadchurch in case the other got spoiled… to me that says different killer. Also, to me, the theme has been different here. Where before it was “how could you not have known?”, here it is the kids not getting what they need from the parents… even Carver’s dream suggests that. I say the killer is one of the kids.
Or Ellie…. lol
Urghh – it’s so frustrating. I finally thought that they were breaking free of Broadchurch as promised and now we find out that the new twists and characters were just filling to pad out the extra two episodes including a daughter for Carver we see for around five minutes and about whom he is supposed to care yet who only lives a bus ride away, a creepy hiker who was a complete red herring and the stupid plot line about Tom trying to solve the crime. So pretty clear that the killer will be the same – always likely to be the case if Anna Gunn wanted to come on board to take a big meaty role.
This whole exercise has been so very very disappointing – full of Fox’s misdirection, stupid decisions about the plot lines and really poor acting and writing all around. Anna Gunn did pick up a bit in this one but David Tennant continues to be a big black hole where there should be a lead actor. I guess it has proven once and for all that he doesn’t have the acting chops to lead an American television show, let alone the accent. I imagine he will be hunkering down now until Broadchurch 2 comes out as his career has really hit the skids.
With a bit more effort this could have been a decent mini-series, as it is, it is a total disaster on every level. I won’t be bothering tuning in again and will check back here in a couple of week’s time to have my suspicions about the so-called different ending confirmed.
your hate about David Tennant is something almost pathological. You keep checking on every article about or related to him and act as a stalker, offending, bashing, insulting a talented, humble, decent man that doesn’t ever set eyes on you. You do it rely on being anonymous, using different nicknames depending if you comment on the Guardian, digital spy, Daily Telegraph, etc…your overpraising other actors are as false as your nicknames, you couldn’t care less for any of them. You are only obsessed on trying to denigrate DT saying every critic hates him, he can’t act, his career is at the end (The younger member of RSC Committee that just won a Scottish Bafta last week and he’s up for a People’s choice award (and yes, for GRACEPOINT), among others, people just have to google his name or check on Wikipedia to know who he is ). Don’t you really have nothing to do in your life to be so pathologically obsessed by someone who doesn’t go to social and doesn’t know your existence? What’s your real problem Eileen?
You’re obviously one of those ad Matt Smith fans out to damage David at every turn using different names on every site. Your syntax gives you away. I bet you’re in the samecadre that wished David’s baby would be stillborn on twitter.
Helen Woodful aka EileenJR. (aka LenaR,Abbey Mabel,Greetl,Margot,PeterJH., Grace, AlisonC. etc. ) is something worse,maniacal and creepier.If you don’t like an actor, you just ignore him, don’t watch him on tv, don’t pay for watching him on movies or theatre, don’t read articles about him. She instead looks on Internet for every article or blog related in some way to David Tennant, watch him on tv, probably she went to theatre to watch him too. She’s more than obsessed by him than by MS who she claims to be a fan. Her behaviour more similar to a stalker.
People like that scare me for celebrities. I wonder if she’s being watched by security? I hope so! I can’t help thinking of John Lennon where celebrity stalkers are concerned.
No they didn’t say that. How could anyone say such a disgusting thing about a baby. God, people need to get a life because that’s beyond despicable.
I wish they hadn’t because it really tainted my view of fandom. Unfortunately what has been seen cannot be unseen.
They are not fans or members of fandom…
They are trolls causing trouble…
just because they like to….
maybe we should just ignore them…
without the attention maybe they’ll go away….
I purposely have not watched Broadchuch yet. David Tennant is a huge talent with great range, but this role calls for his darker range so I’ll go with that. The key to all of this, as was made clear in the first episode, is Tom’s computer. Tom knows exactly what happened. Why doesn’t he spill the beans?
First of all let me say that as a total Broadhurch nerd who has watched Broadchurch at least once a month since I bought it, I’ve enjoyed Gracepoint immensely. The show has a different feel to it. It’s darker, much darker. From episode one there have been differences: cause of death means the killer could be anyone, even a child. In Broadchurch we are told right away the killer is a man.And there have been many more changes since then. I love the new characters and especially love that the characters are more in-depth than in Broadchurch. Carver is more volatile, darker, funnier, more socially inept and yes even sexier. I had doubts about Anna Gunn, but she has given us her own Ellie and now love her. Nick Nolte turned in a fine performance. He made me care more about his Jack than the one in Broadchurch. The forensics in Gracepoint are more realistic by far. And then come the big departures. Tom’s chacter is far more complex and a much stronger character than in Broadchurch. But best of all is the way all the actors took existing characters and made them their own. The way they play them is fresh and lends a new eye to a story I love and a m very familiar wih. The ending, according to Chibinall and Tennant themselves is so different that if there is a season 2 Gracepoint will break off completely from Broadchurch. I hope to God there is a season 2! I’m enjoying Gracepoint every bit as much as I did Broadchurch. It’s like Chibnall had twins and I fell in love with both! Now I would like to addess the behavior of some Broachurch fans.At the Gracpoint page from day 1 they have posted such mature things as “Joe Miller is the killer HA HA.” I’ve read counless posts from people who tried to watch Broadchurch but didn’t enjoy it because these jerks posted spoilers. They tried to ruin Gracepoint. All they did was ruin Broadchurch for new viewers. So much for Broadchurch fans being classy. Thanks, jerks, for making ALL us Broadchurch fans look bad.
I love Gracepoint every bit as much as Broadchurch for the same reason: superb acting and great story telling. Carver is angrier than his counterpoint and bitter, Poor Ellie is believably stunned by the secrets hiding in her idyllic town. I think she is about to go over a cliff because I think Tom did it and Chloe’s boyfriend covered it up. I also think that Tom belted Danny at summer camp because e made advances toward him destroying their friendship and leaving Danny alone with feelings he didn’t understand.
just noticed..our nicknames’ lover and DT stalker Helen Woodful changed again in the last few hours her name in her post…now she’s a male named Edward Delingford…:-)