#broadcurch

A kind YouTuber compiled this music from different episodes and named it "Alec Hardy's Theme" (perhaps because, among the two official soundtracks, there are only "Beth's Theme" and "Ellie's Theme" — anyone wants to reach out to Ólafur about this...)

I looked up the specific moments this piece appears and the scenes it corresponds to, and I found it really interesting. It turns out this music always plays around the 30-minute mark of each episode, and it’s always when Hardy’s heart begins to decline (or perhaps Hardy’s always seems to fall over around the 30-minute mark — is there some narrative editing rhythm at play here)

Moments of Appearance:

[E01]

It doesn’t appear in this episode. Hardy seems to be in good health, and around the 30-minute mark, he's busy with Bloody Twitter. 

[E02]

It starts playing at 29:50 when Hardy returns to the hotel, takes his medication, glances at the painting of the cliff, and falls asleep in the chair. There’s also an intercut of Ellie going to sleep in Tom’s small room.

The music continues as Hardy (presumably waking up early) surveys the area.

[E03]

At 29:10, Hardy has an appointment with the doctor. A simple melody plays briefly before the meeting, and it disappears during their conversation, but when Hardy says the word “Penance” the full piece officially starts.

[E04]

This piece appears intermittently several times throughout the episode. First at 28:42, when Hardy is on his way home after a meal at Miller’s house.

There’s a break in the music during a newspaper scene.

At 31:53 Hardy unable to find his medicine, collapses, and the music reappears, though now in a different key, with only the first two notes of the main theme playing.

At 33:55, when Hardy wakes up and asks Becca Fisher not to tell anyone about him fainting, the music continues.

[E05]

At 38:46, Miller asks about the Sandbrook case. Here, a slightly softer version of the piece plays, directly starting from the main theme.

[E06]

At 31:21, Hardy leaves a voicemail for his daughter, then secretly watches his colleagues at their desks

[E07]

It doesn’t appear in this episode, probably because by the 30-minute mark, they’ve already started finding clues.

At this point, Hardy fails to grab the doorknob, bumps into the door, and becomes the loudest thing in the room.

Later, while talking about past cases with the two reporters, a softer version of the piece seems to play. It’s hard to be sure, but the general feel of the background melody is still there, though with almost no main notes.

[E08]

Chloe: Hihiiiiii!

Miller: Greetings, Humans.

Beth: Three kinds of people.

Mark: I want pudding.

Beth: Four kinds of people.

Hardy: WHAT’S UP FUCKERS?

I see someone in the distance.

Wait... Is that...?

Camera gets closer.

#Throwback Thursday

Miller: Can you keep a secret?

Hardy: Do you know anything about my life?