Grantchester (2014) s08e03

Al Weaver directed this episode, which I think is the first time one of the show’s stars has directed an episode. Weaver’s got a little to do on screen—he’s worried about Tom Brittney, who’s moping after hitting the guy with his motorcycle, but it’s all okay. I mean, okay in the sense Brittney’s not getting charged. The guy’s dead. The season’s A plot is vicar Brittney killed some guy by total accident, but also a complicated total accident.

Brittney feels terrible about it. And he doesn’t want to talk to Weaver or anyone else about it. He wants to talk to God about it. But he’s too busy with the case—and his friends interfering. In addition to Weaver worrying about him, there’s Kacey Ainsworth, whose concern brings Brittney and Robson Green into the mystery plot. Ainsworth takes Brittney out for a nice day at a college museum, with Green tagging along. First, there are some coeds—not at that college, because it’s the men’s college, no girls even on campus if they can help it—who are protesting in various states of undress about double standards regarding the female form in art and actuality.

Their demonstration coincides with the famous painting everyone’s there to see going missing. Then, later on, when Bradley Hall is on the scene investigating, he discovers a body. So now it’s a murder.

The episode then toggles between this far-reaching investigation—it’s all about how men, regardless of class, are shitty to women, but men of higher class can also be shitty to men of lower class. It’s the British way, after all.

Meanwhile, Brittney’s getting sick of the interfering—Tessa Peake-Jones also gets some of his ire, leading to a fun moment between Peake-Jones and Weaver. It’ll all come to a head—multiple times—as he gets angrier and angrier.

Ainsworth and Green have some detached family crisis—he’s probably losing his job, and she just got called in to see her boss, who doesn’t like her. Then Oliver Dimsdale convinces Weaver to hire a maid—Simone Lahbib—to improve conditions around the halfway house.

It’s a balanced episode, though little kid Isaac Highams is missing when he shouldn’t be.

And Melissa Johns gets quite a bit to do with the female protestors. The show tries to acknowledge she’s aware the cops are problematic, but then she still plays the game. “Grantchester”’s really not afraid to make their characters unlikable at times—see Brittney’s loud, angry power mope in this episode.

Thanks to the intricate plotting and Weaver’s solid direction, the episode goes off without a hitch.

Grantchester (2014) s08e01

The mystery in “Grantchester”’s season premiere seems a tad simple. The episode’s got lots of foreshadowing—whether it’s the victim (warning: the episode kills a teenager, which is harsh), the suspects, or the season setup. I’d forgotten “Grantchester” saves the biggest twist for last, and the finale takes the proverbial cake away from the other established season subplots. Until the final scene, it seems like we’re in for a season involving Robson Green’s impending (and forced) retirement, newlyweds Tom Brittney and Charlotte Ritchie expecting a baby while Brittney learns to dad with step-son Isaac Highams, and then Al Weaver’s trying to start-up a halfway house amid NIMBY neighbors.

All of those subplots will doubtlessly continue, but none of them are going to be the main season plotline. It even ties into this episode’s mystery a little: the dangers of motorbiking.

While the people of “Grantchester” aren’t sure about having a bunch of young people, boys, girls, Blacks, whites, in motorcycle clubs, Brittney’s sure it’s a good idea. Local mechanic Shaun Dingwall agrees, turning his garage into a de facto clubhouse where the “gang” can fix up their bikes and hang out. In addition to Dingwall’s son, Elliot Norman, there’s Black (and deaf) orphan Jayden Reid, as well as “girls can bike too” Antonia Rita. Except, we’ll find out as the episode progresses, Rita’s about the only one who thinks girls should be allowed to bike. Especially in competition.

Everyone in “Grantchester” seems vaguely progressive until Rita talks about how Dingwall tells the kids how women competing would “lessen the sport.” More competition leads to less sportsmanship. Wokka wokka.

Brittney’s put together a charity race for the teen biker gangs, and—for a moment—the townspeople embrace the youth and their interests. It all goes wrong after the murder, of course, and the cliffhanger isn’t going to help things; but for a brief moment, Brittney’s convinced everyone to show some grace.

Though he’s having his own problems being graceful at home. Ritchie’s sensible atheism really doesn’t jibe with Brittney’s Anglicanism, especially not when she makes more sense than him.

The show’s gone from having, basically, a cast of four—Green, Weaver, vicarage housekeeper Tessa Peake-Jones (who doesn’t have a season subplot yet), and the hot young vicar (Brittney’s officially put in more time than James Norton at this point)—to twelve-ish. The show infamously doesn’t name Green and Kacey Ainsworth’s kids (other than Skye Lucia Degruttola, who got a subplot a few seasons ago), but they’re still around. With everyone paired off, there are plus ones, there are kids–so, big regular cast.

So big the initial season setup doesn’t even have time for a mystery.

The episode starts sturdy, a little predictable, sure, but in a victory lap sort of way. Then, the cliffhanger writes a big dramatic check for things going forward. This season’s not just going to be Green bucking against dipshit boss Michael D. Xavier and Brittney taking forever to listen to advice.

Can’t wait.

Though I’m sure Brittney will also take forever to listen to anyone else.

Grantchester (2014) s07e05

“Grantchester” is rarely as subtle when focused on character development than in this episode. Credited to Richard Cookson, the script weaves leads Robson Green and Tom Brittney’s romantic woes underneath the mystery A-plot, which isn’t a surprise. The surprise is just what the episode will do with the result; the episode goes from being a relatively traditional outing to Brittney’s most significant episode of the season in terms of character development.

Since there’s been no mention of his family—specifically his inappropriately amorous step-sister—this season at all, and with this episode resolving Green and Kacey Ainsworth’s two seasons-long troubled marriage arc, it feels like “Grantchester” has settled all business from before this season.

After an amusing introduction to the eventual murder scene, the episode begins with Green and Brittney getting together a picnic for Green and his kids. Charlotte Ritchie brings the kids over, and she and Brittney have a little talk about their encounter last episode. He’s after friendship, she’s after romance, they’re going to go with the former.

Only then his latest ex-girlfriend, the very engaged Ellora Torchia, appears and tells him she’s left fiancé Michael D. Xavier (who’s also Green’s new boss). Does Brittney want to run away with her?

Before Brittney can process this new information—Torchia and Xavier have been missing from “Grantchester” the last couple episodes, with Green usually just missing Xavier at the office—there is, of course, a murder. And the suspects are Brittney’s pals from the old folks’ home, Bruce Alexander and Anna Calder-Marshall. They’ve done a runner, making them the (very unlikely) prime suspects.

The episode juxtaposes Alexander and Calder-Marshall’s almost entirely offscreen adventuring with Green and Ainsworth, and Brittney and Torchia. There are some comparisons so obvious even the characters remark on them, but it’s usually understated. Green and Brittney have a friendship arc—Torchia’s return makes things awkward for Green at work—but they’ve also got a class one separate from any romantic partner quibbles. Green and Ainsworth’s plot will have some of those class issues running under it as well; it’s an incredibly well-thought-out plot.

No wonder there’s no time for Tessa Peake-Jones and Al Weaver. Weaver doesn’t even appear in the episode, and Peake-Jones only gets a couple short scenes, including a fantastic one opposite Green. They rarely get enough time together, so it’s very nice when they do. There’s a quick check-in on her ongoing season plot, which at least comments on Brittney’s character development arc (if not directly affecting it). Weaver’s presumably just off at the cafe. “Grantchester” seems to have forgotten how to do six-episode seasons after getting eight last time. They’re out of room here.

This season started with Brittney maybe prematurely acting like a “real Grantchester vicar” (meaning jazz, booze, and man-slutting), and it turns out he might not actually know how to lead that life. But thanks to the major changes to the characters’ situations in the last season or three, his inadequacies might run even deeper.

There’s one episode to go, and the show’s operating with a mostly clean slate now, so it’ll be fascinating to see where they go. Especially since they’ll be setting up the prospective eighth season.

Some outstanding acting this episode from Green, Ainsworth, and Ritchie. Great guest spots from Alexander and Calder-Marshall. And Torchia and Xavier, who presumably won’t be in town much longer, both have their best episode here.

It’s such a good episode the omissions don’t matter. Well, as long as they don’t bungle the finale, I suppose. But they’re going into it far stronger than I’d have expected.

Grantchester (2014) s07e03

Since Tom Brittney directs this episode, I sort of expected him not to be in it very much. And he’s not; instead, it’s an Al Weaver plays detective episode, which is more delightful than the last time he had such an episode (he was in prison investigating). This time the case is weighty—someone is murdering unhoused men—but Weaver at least gets to be enthusiastic in the investigatory pursuit for a while.

Plus, he’s teamed up with Robson Green, which is fun.

Because otherwise, Green’s just getting drunk and sad about his marital problems. Brittney’s also drunk and sad about his relationship problems. Neither of their respective partners show up in the episode (it’s a minimal cast)—though Brittney’s smaller arc is all about bonding with potential love interest Charlotte Ritchie. Ritchie’s Green’s niece (his wife’s niece) and is in town to help out with his kids. However, in this episode, she’s around because son Isaac Highams carves his initials in the church pews, and Tessa Peake-Jones loses her shit about it.

Of course, Peake-Jones is particularly touchy because she just got a cancer diagnosis (in 1960), and the only person she’s told about it is Weaver.

The A-plot’s the mystery, the B-plot’s Weaver and Peake-Jones, the C-plot’s Brittney, Highams, and Ritchie.

There’s some great stuff in the B-plot. There are crowd-pleasing moments—like Peake-Jones telling off a hoity-toity waiter—but it’s a rough, excellent arc for Peake-Jones and Weaver, who’ve always had “Grantchester”’s most sincere relationship, with lots of ups and downs. The episode also examines how Weaver’s coping with losing the church from his life after last season, something his café owner-arc has obscured this season.

The mystery has Green and Weaver investigating at a local university, where Green gets into it over universities as “places for debate” with professor Rowena King. She proudly drove a student to mental collapse. It’s a very current issue for the show (especially “Grantchester,” which is usually historical), and they do a fine job with it.

There’s also a young instructor at the university, Tom Glenister, who figures in. He and the main suspect used to do outreach to a nearby unhoused community. Some of that arc—mainly how the good samaritans in town can’t run soup kitchens because homeowners complain about property values—is still too relevant.

Green’s got a mini-arc with initial suspect Steven Blake, who Green knows from somewhere but lost track of him, and now Blake’s lost everything. It’s nice to see Green get to character develop without Brittney (and his representative religiosity) around.

Though this episode does finally have Brittney back giving services in the church. Although the episode starts with Weaver explaining it’s wedding season, which probably gives Brittney the sads (since his girlfriend is engaged to someone else), it doesn’t end up being important. When they finally do get back to church, it’s for something else entirely, and it’s a great “Grantchester” service sequence. Very limited—it’s Brittney and three other cast members, not the town—but excellent.

It’s a good, way too relevant mystery, the Peake-Jones, and Weaver arc is outstanding and beautifully acted, and Brittney and Ritchie are charming together. Are they too lovely together? We’ll see. It helps Ritchie’s also really funny.

This very quiet, very limited episode is the best of the season so far.

Grantchester (2014) s07e02

The episode begins with Tom Brittney drunk, talking to God about his engaged-to-another-man girlfriend (Ellora Torchia), and Brittney has finally become the vicar of “Grantchester.” Even if there still aren’t any scenes with him doing any services. Brittney’s also running low on consoling excuses to explain his presence at the police station to new boss copper Michael D. Xavier.

Xavier’s a stickler for the rules.

And apparently, a wet noodle with the ladies because Torchia’s his fiancée, and she’s trying to get Brittney to keep their affair going indefinitely. Brittney’s trying to get her to leave Xavier, then the episode’s murder investigation gets him reconsidering the liaison. Well, the murder investigation and their inability to keep their hands off one another even in inopportune locations.

Like I said, he’s finally a real Grantchester vicar.

The episode establishes its other big subplot—Robson Green (still living with Brittney in the vicarage and listening to the bedposts bumping in the next room) is again failing to show estranged wife, Kacey Ainsworth, he can take care of the kids. Ainsworth has gotten so busy at work she’s brought in her niece, Charlotte Ritchie, to help out. Ritchie’s a widow with an adorable tyke of her own and a far more appropriate love interest for Brittney; they become fast friends in the episode, both being fans of Green (on his better days), but it’s unclear if there’s any actual chemistry.

Ainsworth’s work subplot—which involves an attentive male coworker (Ryan Early) who Green can’t stand—introduces the murder A-plot. Local cleaning supply maven Kirsty Besterman is telling the salesgirls at Ainsworth’s department store how to best promote the product and then has to leave suddenly. Something’s happened to her husband, Rob Pomfret.

Pomfret soon is calling the police—Green takes the call, even though it’s his day with the kids, and Brittney tags along. Turns out Pomfret got hurt while over at the local madam’s establishment, which introduces said madam, Rebecca Lacey, and one of her girls, Boadicea Ricketts, as suspects.

In addition to wife Besterman.

There’s a lot of back and forth about marriage from the female perspective, which gets both Brittney and Green thinking about their current romantic troubles. Lots of good acting from the guest stars. Besterman and Lacey in particular.

Meanwhile, the C plot involves Nick Brimble being convinced wife Tessa Peake-Jones is having an affair. He confides in Al Weaver, who takes it upon himself to investigate, discovering a far different but still profoundly consequential truth. Lots of good acting on that plot; Weaver and Peake-Jones get some fantastic scenes together.

And then Ainsworth, despite getting to start the A-plot, has a good arc of her own, including making a new friend in capable police secretary Melissa Johns.

It’s a very full episode; Daisy Coulam gets the script credit, and she packs in a whole bunch, including introducing presumably recurring Early and Ritchie. In addition, Ricketts has her own son, adorable tyke Ace Gill, who helps make her an analog to the other mothers on the show.

So very full, very affecting episode. Lots of deep feels and not just on the soapier subplot.