David Tennant, meanwhile, is just as cynical as he was on the British series, although his gruff sensibility is not translating to as much dark humor as he did on Broadchurch. “I hope you’re happy,” Ellie tells him, sarcastically, after a botched meeting at the Solanos, where they show surveillance footage of Danny in a convenience store with Dean at the time he bought a packet of cocaine. “I’m never happy,” he says. Although his American accent does slip at a couple of points during a tense interrogation scene, Tennant remains a fierce presence.
Gracepoint is not short of dramatic irony. We see quite clearly how the various townspeople are connected in loose ways, but Ellie and Carver are still a while away from catching up with these angles. There are several clipped scenes in this episode that seem to end just as they take an interesting turn – many are conveniently before the commercial break. Vince shuts the door when Tom comes to visit him. Susan buys a live chicken and swiftly decapitates its head with her bare hands. Lars, with a burly green backpack, huffs down the road to an anonymous destination. A boat blazes in the water, like a leftover prop from a battle on Game of Thrones. These brief moments create interest but don’t distract from the main plots of the episode. The detectives – and the show – will get around to these leads someday.
If this episode lags anywhere, it is in what could be its contractual obligations. Anyone who followed my coverage of Modern Family last year likely remembers my complaining about how the show’s need to shoehorn all of the actors into 21 minutes resulted in some cramped storylines. While Gracepoint does not feel rushed, the moments with secondary characters – Gemma, Owen, Renee – seem to eat up more time than needed. Another character that has been under-the-radar, especially considering the hefty star playing him, is Jack Reinhold (Nick Nolte). Besides helping to confirm the new lead – one that the detectives hardly get a clear answer on by the day’s end – Jack has had almost no part in the series so far.
Gracepoint’s score is also a bit too overbearing. When Paul lays out an enlarged photograph of Danny for a memorial tribute outside the church and places his hand on the boy’s forehead, foreboding music howls above him. If it does turn out Paul is the murderer, then the foreshadowing has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Thankfully, the handsome production design is starting to feel lived in – small touches like the Solano label on their front door knocker or the grimy details in Susan’s trailer create a palpable small-town feel.
There is a lot of doubt lingering in the air, as questions are going unanswered. Even if we are still a long way from finding the murderer’s identity, Gracepoint remains a puzzle so engaging that even a devoted Broadchurch fan is eager to partake in its solving. The tension is boiling, the acting is devastating and the plotting is masterful at explaining the two-sided nature of the small town while also presenting enough possibilities to keep seasoned mystery lovers in the blue.