Broadchurch series 2 episode 7 recap: Will justice be served? 

Season 2, episode 7 | Aired Monday, Feb 16 2015 at 21:00 GMT on ITV

If DI Alec Hardy had Spidey Senses™, then tonight they were certainly tingling as he entered the lair of loathsome, and potential child-killer, Ricky Gillespie.

The telling picture featuring bluebells in his office came to the detective\'s attention, but his quarry\'s lies were all too obvious, alerting Hardy\'s suspicion.

Upon leaving his office, his colleague Miller phoned the "unknown" number discovered a couple of weeks ago on Claire Ripley\'s phone (though why they didn\'t simply track the number then is a mystery), leaving it to ring ominously in Gillespie\'s cabin.

Broadchurch poll: Will Joe Miller be found guilty?

Yes - the truth will out!No - I really think he\'ll get away with it

No - I really think he\'ll get away with it0.00%

After last week\'s life or death operation, this episode saw a rejuvenated Alec (David Tennant) - and with it brought him much-needed focus. Claiming to be "reborn" (he certainly did look a tad healthier), he lit the metaphorical fire to smoke out his prey, namely Lee Ashworth (James D\'Arcy) and the aforementioned Claire (Eve Myles).

Like Olivia Colman\'s wonderful scene last week where Ellie angrily took her soon to task, Tennant here gets to shine with some vitriol spat at Ashworth. Their two tête-à-têtes realigned the power switch with Hardy in control, and great to see Tennant in fighting spirit - something his character hasn\'t been afforded much of.

Hardy\'s past, or what we had thought was his past, was also altered. Previous flashbacks suggested that he and Ripley indulged in some bed-based fun times - here, we discover that their bed-sharing was actually his gallantry in assisting Claire with the termination of her pregnancy.

If that relationship was simplified, then so too was hers with Lee. After a rather horrific and brutal fight in the sea (venomously directed), the two split by the end of the episode - but only after discovering that they\'re carrying secrets for one another, and that Ashworth still has someone in France (missing girl Lisa Newberry, perhaps?).

Their parting, however, was far from pleasant. "Thank god you never became a father," Claire coldly commented.

The Sandbrook case was prominent throughout and the lurker on the estate was revealed to be Gary Thorp (

\'s Tom Rosenthal), of Thorp AgriServices. Surprising Miller and Hardy with his youth, his admission that he "used to follow" Lisa "a little bit" was unnerving.

His candour, though, turned to heartbreak as the revelation of his spurned love turned him to attempted suicide. Despite his odd demeanour and stalker-y behaviour, it was hard not to feel for him.

Back in Broadchurch, the original case was coming to end in court, and yet more irresponsible actions from Ellie Miller call the guilt of her husband into question - after shagging (her words) Ellie\'s nephew Olly, junior barrister Abby uncovers the fact that Miller had given her sister Lucy £1,000.

Though this was actually to cover gambling debts, it was positioned in court as a bribe. As a side-note, it was somewhat rewarding to see fellow junior Ben call his opposite number a "truly horrible person" - her juvenile manner throughout this series has been sneery, irksome and cringe-making.

Before the final court scenes unfolded, we were presented with an odd detour. In a tender moment, the suppressed love between senior barrister Jocelyn (Charlotte Rampling) and local newspaper editor Maggie (Carolyn Pickles) was unleashed in a beautiful - but ultimately rather pointless - little scene.

As the defence summed up the Danny Latimer case, it was easy to see the doubt. The 100% certainty of Joe Miller\'s guilt wasn\'t there, thanks to the errors by Hardy, Ellie Miller et al - frustrating for those directly involved to see technicalities possibly get in the way of justice.

After a slight delay (no unanimous decision amongst the jury), the approach to the verdict was predictable, gloriously so - we\'re left hanging until next week to hear it. It was very a much a dramatic and gripping heart-in-mouth ending, with all concerned sat waiting - just like the audience - hoping for justice to be served.

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More: TV, Broadchurch, David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Tom Rosenthal

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