Grantchester

Cleric/Artwork by Kate Dorsey

               I’m doing something a little different this time.  Usually when I write a review, I start at the beginning of the series.  In fact, I usually have to start at the beginning of what I watch or read whether I’m going to review it or not.  Not this time.

                The reason I’m doing things differently with Grantchester is because I don’t actually like this show until season four.  Now, having watched seasons four and five, I am eager to see what is going to happen next.  But I will not be going back to any of the earlier seasons.

                To be fair, I did try and watch the first seasons of Grantchester.  Immediately, with the first episode I didn’t care for it.  Yet, I tried again to see if maybe it improved. 

Nope.  Of all the bits and pieces I have seen of the first three seasons, there was only one character I liked: Leonard.  Also, one of the main storylines I hated.  It reminded me too much of the storyline in The Holiday involving the relationship between Iris and Jasper.  Only this time the genders were flipped, with the woman playing with the mind of the man.  That was enough to turn me off to this show right there.  But when I found out there was going to be a cast change, and in essence a storyline change, I decided to give Grantchester another shot.  I found I now like this show a lot better.

                After Reverend Sidney Chambers (James Norton) leaves for America, the village of Grantchester is left without a vicar.  A new one must take Sidney’s place.

                In comes Reverend Will Davenport.  A motorcycle riding vicar, he is the man all the young females want to know.  Even DI Geordie Keating (Robson Green) warms to him somewhat quickly, despite Geordie putting Will in jail when they first met.  Not long after Will arrives in town, he is already helping Geordie with his cases.

                While the community accepts Will early on, the curate of Grantchester, Leonard Finch (Al Weaver), does not.  To be fair, Will does take off a lot at first, leaving Leonard to clean up after him without knowing what is going on.  Also, Leonard is going through a lot of personal things.  He misses Sidney greatly; and his friend Mrs. Chapman, AKA Mrs. C. (Tessa Peake-Jones), who cares for the vicarage, won’t speak to him now she knows Leonard is gay.  These built up feelings create an ugly confrontation between Leonard and Will, but they soon work things out.

                Will has a much harder time working things out with his family.  His father (Nathaniel Parker), was a mean, insulting bully.  Upon his death, Will inherits his father’s estate.  His mother, Amelia (Jemma Redgrave), wants Will to return home, but he refuses.  This causes the start of the rift between them.  It worsens when Amelia announces she is engaged.  The man she plans to marry is just like Will’s father.  Concerned for his mother, Will tells Amelia his feelings, but she refuses to listen.  The relationship becomes so bad between them, Amelia even mails back the letters Will sends her.       

                To help himself cope with everything going on in his mind (especially his history with his father), Will goes to the gym and boxes.  He also helps Geordie solve cases.  They do not always agree with what is going on in a case, but there is respect between them.  There is also often good-natured teasing.

                Geordie is a character I definitely did not like with the little I saw of the first three seasons.  With seasons four and five he seems like a much better man.  He even tries to be understanding when he thinks his wife, Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth), is having an affair (which she most definitely is not).  Now, maybe he would not be so understanding had he not had an affair himself.  However, I am sure, as like me, you have watched and read plenty where that does not matter one bit.

                The situation Geordie believes is an affair turns out to be something else altogether.  He wants to take care of the matter himself, but Cathy tells him not to.  Even though Geordie wants to take action, he respects his wife’s wishes, as much as he hates it.

                Geordie does not follow his wife’s wishes when it comes to her mother, Diana (Paula Wilcox).  Diana battles with her mental health, and Cathy believes it is her responsibility to take care of her.  As Diana is unpredictable, Cathy thinks the best thing will be for her to quit the job she loves and stay home to care for her mother.  Geordie sees that no matter how much Cathy is home, Diana will be too much to handle.  He arranges for Diana to move to a hospital to get the care she needs, lifting the weight of the decision off his wife’s shoulders.

                While I see improvement with Geordie, I have a hard time saying the same thing about Mrs. C.  She’s extremely judgmental; and forces Leonard, a man she claims to care about and support, to hide his relationship with a very sweet man in his very own home.  At first, when Mrs. C. finds out Leonard is gay, she refuses to even speak to him.  She leaves her post at the vicarage and only agrees to come back if she never has to see Leonard’s partner around.  Valuing their friendship, Leonard agrees.

                Mrs. C. isn’t only nasty to Leonard.  She is to others she disapproves of as well.  Which is pretty much everyone and everything.  To make the matter worse, she uses the Bible as justification for her meanness.

                Okay, I will admit there are some moments where Mrs. C. is kind and caring, but they are few.  Maybe as the series goes on that will improve.

                Fortunately, to offset Mrs. C., there is a character I absolutely adore.  Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale) is Leonard’s partner.  He is a kind, patient, and understanding man.  Daniel allows Leonard time to go through what he needs to go through (they do need to keep their relationship mostly secret after all because of Leonard’s position in the church), but he will not let himself get run over either.

                Daniel and Leonard are really sweet together.  It would be nice if they could be out publicly.  Unfortunately, it is the 1950s.  Even if Leonard didn’t work for a religious organization, coming out would not be an easy thing to do.

                I am very curious to see what direction season six is going to go.  At the end of season five, Will was restarting a relationship with a journalist, Ellie Harding (Lauren Carse).  The problem is they want such different things in life.  I’m not sure they would make a good match.

                As for everyone else, all the characters seem to be in a good place at the end of the last episode.  Problems have been resolved, and relationships are repaired.  As with all shows, that doesn’t mean things will stay that way.  Anything could happen at any moment.  I have a feeling problems with Will’s mother will definitely return to the scene.