Critically acclaimed Broadchurch has returned for its third and final series. This time Hardy and Millar are on the search for a serial rapist. If you haven’t seen or heard much about Broadchurch, please stop now and go watch all of it on whatever available device you find because I am about to do a run down of the series 3 suspects and if you haven’t caught up then I might as well be talking to you in Latin.

One thing that needs to be kept in mind with this crime is that there may be more than one person involved. In fact, Trish Winterman’s recollection suggests there is at least two.

It’s also possible that there is a gang or even a network of men and women involved. You can’t rule out an Orient Express conclusion although it’s unlikely. Perhaps, most importantly, it is possible that her initial violent assault and then the sexual assault were two separate crimes committed by different antagonists with no connection.

Here are my prime suspects:

The ageing golden girl of Broadchurch has two personnas, happy socialite and despotic wife. Without a seconds thought she threw suspicion on her husband at a critical time in the investigation. She has access to the twine used in the assault (but then, who doesn’t), she has a strong vengeance motive and she could find plenty of sycophants to assist her in the crime.

These three boys have been strutting around Broadchurch like they own it and seem to be fearless of authority figures. With the crime being likely perpetrated by more than one individual, this group have to be suspect. Why has one of their members suddenly shied away from pornography? He may have been sickened by the actions of the others. What precisely do they want with DCI Hardy’s daughter Daisy? I hope she is not a victim of a porn ring.

Arthur has come across as good natured if a little bumbling so far. Many would write him off as a simple red herring, there to give exposition on the geography of the crime scene. I see the accidental movement of evidence by him as anything but.

Down by the waterfall, under the tree, that was my place, I’d sit and no one would notice me.

Disgusted by the partying peoples treatment of his birthright, Arthur could have extracted a truly repugnant revenge on Trish.

We will see much more of Leo in episode 5. I don’t think his alibi will stand under scrutiny. We’ve already seen him conspiring with Ian to place malicious software on Trish’s laptop. Just how much illegality is this man involved in? Mind you, I don’t see why he’d bother getting involved in any alternative money making schemes, his award winning twine business seems to sell to everyone in Broadchurch.

The Lucas family has been expanded upon more than any other family this season. Something feels very off with their home life and whilst Clive seems like the broken cog in the system, I think Lindsay is the biggest threat. She wears her christian cross in plain sight yet stands by as her husband cheats on her. Could Lindsay have taken quiet revenge against one of Clive’s objects of desire?

Just what is up with Jim and his buddies that would have his wife believe him capable of rape? Is he perhaps part of some swing ring? What gives this man his thrills other than the odd bit of fishing and his membership of the “fuck penne pasta” fan club? Having sex with Trish previously absolutely does not rule him out. As Ellie said, “rape is about power”.

Ed Burnett has some serious hots for Trish and clearly doesn’t mind crossing boundaries with people as seen in his confrontation with Beth Latimer. He seems ready to fight with Jim Atwood at the flip of a hat. He probably knows about Jim and Trish’s affair. Perhaps he saw her drifting beyond his grasp and made his move on the unsuspecting Trish. I don’t trust him when he said he wasn’t boozing it up. It’s easy to put some vodka in a soft drink.

In Trish’s flashback she described the scene with the catering staff very differently from what happened. What else did she miss? Little suspicion has fallen on Chas but I smell a rat, and it isn’t the one lurking at the back of his kitchen. Several guests seemed drunker than they should have been. Could an attempt at spiking Trish have gone awry leaving dopey Ian drugged?

Michael is not in a healthy frame of mind. In episode 1 he was happily sharing porn with Miller’s son but by episode 4 he can’t stomach it anymore. What has he seen or done that has changed his opinions so quickly?

I don’t know what it is about this guy but he sets off every danger alarm in my head. Perhaps it’s the Zodiac Killer eyes and the Voldemort shaped head. There is nothing connecting him to the rape of Trish and yet I still list him as a possible suspect because of the veritable aura of evil that floats around him. I don’t know where Nige was on the night of Trish’s rape but I also don’t know where he was on September the 11th and I can’t rule out anything.

Ian is constantly putting himself in a position to look as guilty as possible yet he comes across as a moronic ass rather than pure evil. He has put software on Trish’s laptop (possibly monitoring software) and will inevitably get himself caught breaking into her house. He has opportunity and motive to attack her but I’m not convinced he could catch a cold after a few sherries, never mind sneak up on Trish.

Clive has no alibi and couldn’t tell the truth to save his life. He obviously has a roving eye and quite liked the look of Trish. Could his frustrations have boiled over? The cabbie also has a trove of goodies belonging various people including Trish’s keys. There could be other clues in there though. Perhaps the mystery man who took his taxi left something behind.

By all rights, Aaron should have a higher threat level but he feels like too much of an obvious villain. Would someone who had just committed a crime come out threatening cops? And yet he does have past form.

Things to keep in mind:

Trish had her hands bound behind her back with blue fishing twine. Her rapist believed she may recognise him/her and covered her eyes.

Before the rape she was knocked out by a blow to the back of the head. She had bruising on her back and feet as well as a cut on her lower face.

The rapist had vodka breath.

The weapon used to knock Trish unconscious has not been found.

Questions you should be asking:

Who else has the owner told about the secluded spot?

Was the food or drink at the party spiked? Several people had severe reactions to the alcohol? An attempting drugging may have gone wrong.

Why has the taxi driver’s son’s attitude changed? What has he seen/done?

If Clive is telling the truth about picking an unknown man up nearby, then who was it?

Did Ed tell Cath Atwood that her husband was sleeping with her best friend?

Are Ed and Jim actually fighting? It seems a bit over the top at times.

Will we see more of Alex “the muso” and his band?

Why didn’t Clive tell his wife about his son being expelled for porn? Why does he prefer the name Lucas?

Are there going to be any more links between the series 3 crime and the series 1 characters?

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