Broadchurch on BBC America

Jessy Randall

Are you watching it? What do you think about it? What is up with that skateboard in the closet, huh?

It's no Top of the Lake, of course, but I am enjoying the new BBC America mystery series Broadchurch. Like Top of the Lake, it takes place in a beautiful location and has a lush look to it. It's less off-the-wall than Top of the Lake (no commune of women living in shipping containers, alas), but to make up for that it has my Doctor Who boyfriend David Tennant and gorgeous seaside views. (Broadchurch isn't a real place -- those views are really in West Bay, Dorset).

I know I'm not the only one having a really hard time understanding the dialogue -- I don't know if it's the Welsh Dorset / West Country / Mummerset accents or the show's sound quality, or both -- the music is so loud, it sometimes drowns out the difficult-enough-to-understand dialogue. BBC America, please get on that -- maybe we need subtitles.

I'm rather alarmed to see that if you go to the Wikipedia entry you can read synopses of all the upcoming episodes. It is going to be hard not to look up whether or not that guy who claims he's getting messages from the dead is actually, in the story, doing so. If he is actually getting messages from the dead, I will throw up my hands. Or maybe I will just throw up.

Comments

[Steve Oerkfitz]

So far I like it better than Top of the Lake(couldn't stand the lead actress after hearing talking about her believe in Scientology). Although the lead actress should fire her hairdresser.

[Jessy Randall]

Did you know that Elisabeth Moss was married, briefly, to Fred Armisen? That almost balances out the Scientology thing, except then it doesn't, because she said mean stuff about him: http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2013/03/20/1740751/top-of-the-lake-mad-men-and-how-elisabeth-moss-embodies-female-anger/. I know what you mean about Olivia Colman's non-glamorous look, but I actually think the show is better for not being all pretty people. I wish the parents of the murdered boy weren't so good looking -- when everyone looks like an actor, well, it reminds you the show is a show.

[Endres]

You don't need subtitles just turn on the closed captioning on your TV, DUH!

[Jessy Randall]

Duh indeed -- you're right, and I should have thought of that. I only would need the subtitles occasionally, though, and I'm not sure I want to watch the whole show with closed captioning. Still, this is a great solution for mumbled important dialog.

[Lynne Patrick]

Saw it when it aired over here, and loved it - unmissable! But those accents aren't Welsh, Jessy! West Bay (and Broadchurch) is in Dorset, which is firmly in England. Some of the accents aren't even Dorset - David Tennant uses a rougher version of his native Scots (though he does gabble and is often unclear), and Olivia Colman's is pretty neutral. And the music - don't get me started!
Bet you can't guess whodunit!

[Jessy Randall]

Gah, I'm dumb. I got two conversations mixed up -- both with the same friend -- one about Welsh accents and one about Broadchurch. I've corrected my mistake, above, and in researching the right way to describe the accent(s) I learned a new term: "Mummerset"! Which is the perfect word, since it sounds like "mumbling." I definitely don't know who did it. For now I'll just be silly and say: the sister! (Just picking an unlikely option.)

[Lynne Patrick]

Mummerset works!It's a BBC invention which covers just about any 'country' accent south of Birmingham!
When you find out whodunit, you may wonder if the sister what such an unlikely option after all...