BWW Recap: GRACEPOINT is Full of Accusations and Revelations

You wanted new suspects, you got new suspects. That seems to be the working motto for GRACEPOINT, since so far, we've been presented with a new "person of interest" every week. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though; it's keeping things fresh, and, more importantly, it's keeping us interested. They're even managing to hold my interest, as a BROADCHURCH viewer, since many characters, despite being revived for this new American version, are portrayed very differently than they were on the UK edition (I'm looking at you, Paul Coates!). We're already half way through the season -

Wait, what? When did we hit the half way mark? Didn't the show just premiere last week? That went by quickly...

Anyway, we're already half way through the season, and we're getting closer to solving this murder, slowly but surely. Five episodes in, the show is finally finding its groove - and I'm finally starting to adjust to hearing David Tennant with an American accent!

This week's main piece of evidence is the burning boat. Carver gets a bit irritated when the local police don't respond as quickly as he would like, but he puts that aside when the CSI team finds hairs - presumably belonging to Danny - on a piece of wood from the boat. It's the small victories that count. Those small victories don't seem to exist for Beth, who can't do anything but watch and re-watch the surveillance videos from the convenience store where Danny was last seen. She's sad and lonely, so she calls the only friend she can count on: Ellie. While they sit outside chatting, they notice Paul Coates standing outside his church...at four in the morning. I don't know about you, but that seems a little bit odd to me.

As predicted, the media is chomping at the bit, itching to get their hands on an exclusive story about the Solanos. Carver wants the family to keep their lips sealed for just a little while longer, until they have more facts. Owen and Renee are anxious, though, and in their research, they find a potentially game-changing nugget about Jack Reinhold: before he came to Gracepoint, he was convicted of statutory rape. This comes just as the police hold a town meeting at the school, where the locals express their anxiety about how the case will impact Gracepoint's tourism and local businesses long-term. As if Carver and Ellie needed something else on their plate, Raymond, everybody's favorite psychic, criticizes them for not following up on his tip about the boat. Carver's not having any of Raymond's nonsense. He wants him to stay out of this. Raymond can't manage to stay away, though, and he visits Beth. Ellie discovers that Raymond has prior convictions (fraud, anyone?) and Carver drags him out of the house, demanding he go far, far away. Raymond leaves, but freaks out; he just wants someone to listen to him.

Don't think that Jack and Raymond are the only ones with a shady past. Gemma lets Cathy, the editor of Gracepoint's newspaper, in on the little nugget that she found, this time about Susan. Susan went to Gemma to apply for a job, and even though her inn has no openings, Gemma ran Susan's social security number and found that at one point, Susan's name was not Susan. It was Ruth Erlick. Quite the jump, changing your name from Ruth to Susan. What's she hiding? That's exactly what Cathy wants to know, so she confronts Susan directly. Susan plays dumb, and Cathy lets the subject go...for now. That night, Cathy does what any good journalist would do: she works late and digs deeper. And that's when Susan scares the living daylights out of Cathy and every single person watching at home by magically appearing in the doorway. She demands Cathy stop asking questions, and leaves with a threat: "I know men who'd rape you." 'Scuse me? Susan just took her game to a whole new level. Maybe people should be keeping an eye on Susan instead of Jack.

Renee thinks Jack is still important, and so do the police. Carver and Ellie question Jack, but he maintains his innocence and claims that the trial, which happened twenty years ago, was anything but fair. The police let him go, and Renee seizes this opportunity and sends Owen to interview him. When Owen mentions the allegations to Jack, he gets physical, and there's a crowd. Owen is forced to leave, empty handed, but still suspicious of the man he's known since he was a child. Why exactly couldn't Renee come with Jack? Maybe she would've handled things more professionally. She was busy visiting the Solano family and convincing them to speak to her for a feature. Despite Carver's plea to keep quiet regarding the media, Renee manipulates her way to the story, and Beth agrees to speak.

Suspects and manipulations aside, Gracepoint is a friendly, close-knit town at heart. And what friendly, close-knit town doesn't like a good tableside gathering? Carver's stoic, rock-solid exterior starts to chip when he goes to dinner at Ellie's house (he arrives complete with flowers, wine, and chocolates), and we learn more about his background. He's got a daughter, and he misses her...a lot. He tries to call her on his way back to the inn, but the call goes right to voicemail. That stress, combined with the stress of the murder case, lands Carver in the hospital with two stitches to his head. He has to start taking care of himself if he wants to make it to the end of the case alive.

Another, more symbolic, tableside gathering occurs at the church the next day. The whole community - including Ellie's whole family and Carver - show up for mass, during which Paul (who is also suspect in the eyes of the detectives) gives a slightly dark sermon condemning those who make suspects out of Gracepoint's citizens. After mass, Vince and Ellie's family go to the Solano house for lunch - like the good ol' days. Except, in the good ol' days, Danny was alive and the tension between Mark and Beth was virtually non-existent. A knock on the door interrupts a touching moment between Tom and Beth - it's Jack, and he's frantic. He says he found something in one of the kayaks that just got back to his dock, and he pulls Danny's phone out of his pocket!!!! If Ellie wasn't suspicious of him before, she is now. She grabs the phone with a cloth and collects it as evidence. Jack breaks down and swears to the Solanos that, regardless of what people will say, he didn't hurt Danny; he's a good man. Jack runs out, followed by Mark, and they find themselves in a sea of paparazzi. I think we all know how that turns out.

To placate the now-disgruntled media, Carver and Ellie hold a press conference. Beth drops a bomb on Mark right before they're set to enter the conference: she knows about him and Gemma. Ellie's got some news for Carver, too: Oregon State police have contacted them regarding an old case of theirs that closely resembles this one, which took place at a campground five miles away from where Jack Reinhold lived at the time. All of that happens while Jack stands on the dock, burning pictures of Danny, crying.

What do you think? Is Jack guilty, or is he just misunderstood? Who's creepier, Paul or Susan? Tell us what you think in the comments below or bounce your theories off of me on Twitter @CourtHenley! And remember, #SuspectEveryone.

Photo credit: FOX

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