review of Gracepoint Season 1 finale 

Gracepoint - the American remake of the excellent British Broadchurch - all season, because there frankly were not enough differences between the two series to make the American Gracepoint worth watching.   I mean, well acted, for sure - David Tenant as the lead detective (now named Carver) was strong and sensitive, as he was as Hardy in Broadchurch, and Breaking Bad\'s Anna Gun was top-notch as his second in command Ellie Miller - but other than Carver not actually sleeping with the blonde inn keeper (a change for the worse), I can\'t recall any significant differences between the two series.

Until tonight\'s ending - which I\'ve got to say, was better than the ending of Broadchurch.  Joe Miller as the killer was a stretch in Broadchurch, a wild enough twist, except that it was mostly unmotivated.   The same would have been true in Gracepoint, where we saw even less of Joe through the story than we did of Joe in Broadchurch - so Gracepoint went ahead and pulled out another rabbit from the narrative hat, and one which makes more sense.

Tom, furious at what he saw going on between his father and Danny, swings at his father with a hockey stick and hits Danny.   And then, to protect his son - and feeling guilty because it was his, Joe\'s, lust for Danny that put of all this in motion - Joe takes the rap for Danny when he can\'t keep this all to himself any longer.  That makes more sense.

And it also opens the story up to what happens after, as Carver, the brilliant detective, begins to realize what actually happened, and moves to confront Ellie about it.   And that\'s where

Gracepoint ends - at least, for now.  A good place to end, I think, with Carver\'s brooding face on the screen.

So, I would say that Gracepoint was worth watching, if only for this new, more satisfying and realistic ending, which was effective indeed.  Broadchurch is returning with a second season, which I\'ll definitely watch.  Hey, I\'d be up for a second season of Gracepoint at this point, too.

See also Gracepoint Debuts: Deja Vu with a Vengeance

and see also  Broadchurch: Powerful Viewing ... Broadchurch 1.2: Brooding Excellence ... Broadchurch 1.3: The Spy ... Broadchurch 1.4: The Unusual Suspects ... Broadchurch 1.5: Good Loving and Almost Loving ... Broadchurch 1.6: "A Break from Being Sad" ... Broadchurch 1.7: Missing Links ... Broadchurch Season 1 Finale: "Lying Next to the Murderer"

Labels: Anna Gunn, Broadchurch, David Tenant, Gracepoint, television

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Paul Levinson, PhD, is Professor of Communication & Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City.  His 8 nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997), Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003),  Cellphone (2004), and New New Media (2009, 2nd edition 2012), have been the subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, the Christian Science Monitor, and have been translated into 12 languages. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (1999, ebook 2012), Borrowed Tides (2001), TheConsciousness Plague (2002, 2013), The Pixel Eye (2003), The Plot To SaveSocrates (2006, ebook 2012), and Unburning Alexandria (2013).  His short stories have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards.  Paul Levinson appears on "The O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News,"  “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS),  “Nightline” (ABC), NPR, and numerous national and international TV and radio programs. His 1972 album, Twice Upon a Rhyme, was re-issued in 2009 (CD) and 2010 (remastered vinyl). He reviews the best of television in his InfiniteRegress.tv blog, and was listed in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Top 10 Academic Twitterers” in 2009.

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