Dead Man’s Grip – As this episode of Grace begins, DSI Roy Grace (John Simm) looks through Sandy’s old vehicle. After remembering happier times, he goes inside to find that Glenn (Richie Campbell) is already gone. Glenn watches the kids for Ari (Rebecca Scoggs) who is busy getting ready. He tells Ari that he is ready to talk and make a plan to move back in. Glenn doesn’t know why he is being pushed out when he didn’t cheat, but quickly apologizes for saying it. Ari says it is just something she needs before leaving. Tony Robinson (Darryl Dale) gets ready to leave even though Laura (Stephanie Hyam) wants him to stay a bit longer.

She gives him a bag to take to Wesley that he left when he came over the other night. As he rides away on his bike, Tony stops to see what is in the bag. He calls Laura and leaves a message asking her about her secret with Wesley. He rides away before we hear a crash. Carly Chase (Ayesha Antoine) wakes up in her vehicle after the accident. She calls someone to tell them what happened while Tony’s backpack is searched by an officer. PC Dan Paxton (Nathan Clarke) gets a breath specimen from Carly and quickly realizes she has been drinking. Since she failed, she is arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol. Kevin Spinella (Alexander Cobb) tells Grace about a blue pickup truck that fled the scene.

Roy approaches Nick Nicholl (Brad Morrison) who confirms it might be deliberate. Grace asks for CCTV footage from nearby shops. They also have a piece that might belong to the pickup truck. Bella (Laura Elphinstone) and Norman (Craig Parkinson) join them. Nick shows them that drugs were found in the Bleak House book. The lorry driver, Roger Ferguson, speaks to police nearby. Later, Roy tells Glenn that it is uncanny how Spinella beat them to the scene today. Since he has done it before, Roy wonders if he has an inside man. They speak to Laura who says she has sort of driven all of her mates away because she and Tony lived in each other’s pocket. She says they met in New York. Tony had just done his first year at Harvard, but he dropped out to come there.

Although his parents went nuts, it was hard to persuade Tony once his mind was made up. When Roy mentions needing someone to identify the body, Laura argues that Tony’s parents should do it. They ask her about the ecstasy found in Tony’s backpack. Roy insists he’d only be interested in the drugs if they had a bearing on Tony’s death. She learns it could be murder since the pickup truck fled the scene. In the car, Roy questions Glenn about his relationship. Glenn admits he can only wonder what the problem is right now. Roy reassures him that they’ll work through this before asking what he thought of Laura. Meanwhile, Laura listens to the recording from Tony.

Carly is arrested again on suspicion of causing death while driving under the influence of alcohol. She argues the cyclist was on the wrong side of the road before her solicitor, James Acott (Nick Harris), arrives. Roy tells the team that the investigation is being named Operation Violin and Glenn will be serving as Deputy Senior Investigating Officer. Nick says Tony seemed to turn onto the street on the wrong side of the road causing the Golf to swerve into the taxi office. He was hit by the blue pickup which had just run through a red light. Tony was flipped across the road under the wheels of the artic. Carly was driving the Golf and she is in jail. Roy thinks the pickup driver likely fled for obvious reasons.

Glenn mentions that Tony was carrying drugs so he could’ve been dealing and ticked someone off. Nick is asked to go to the school to see if he has been dealing. Norman called the NYPD who informed Tony’s parents, Pat and Fernanda Robinson. Pat is a Wall Street accountant who runs one of the city’s biggest firms. As for the lorry driver, he was well over his hours. Witnesses and CCTV video agree he didn’t have time to brake though. Roy argues their priority should be to find the driver of the pickup because they’re at least facing a manslaughter charge. They get a picture of the truck. Then, Roy and Glenn meet Cleo (Zoe Taper) and Nadiuska (Carolina Valdes) to discuss the postmortem.

There was blue paint transfer on the shoulder of his jacket. He also had an abrasion to the right shoulder. Nadiuska confirms the cause of death before Cleo says she sent off samples for drug testing. Tony also has a bullet wound although it healed a long time ago. It happened 10 years ago at the minimum. Later, Roy gets rid of Sandy’s vehicle. He gets a call from Norman who tells him that the prints from the wing mirror belong to Jason Charles. He has convictions for a car crime and was recently released from Eastville prison. Norman suspects he knows the driver. Jason’s parole sheet says he is working at Charles Mechanics so he might’ve fitted the mirror. They go to the mechanic and speak to Malcolm Charles (Leon Herbert) who asks what Jason has done now.

Jason tries to run from Norman and Bella. Once he gets away, they decide to speak to Malcolm. He told Jason he didn’t want him doing any work on his mate’s car. On Monday or Tuesday, Jason told him he’d lock up because he had to finish a job. Norman notices a camera so they decide to check the feed. They see Ewan Preece with the blue pickup truck. Norman calls Roy to tell him Ewan is on day release from Eastville Prison. He was supposed to be on a construction site, but he didn’t show up. Roy wants to know if he doesn’t show up on time. Norman confesses that he tried to help Preece and even got him a job at his uncle’s lumberyard.

He was already stealing stuff within days. Roy suspects he has moved on to harder crimes after spending time in Eastville. Roy and Glenn confront Laura to tell her about Ewan Preece. Glenn says Tony’s tutor was surprised to hear he was involved in drugs. Laura doesn’t recognize Ewan. Roy gives her his card so she can call when she feels scared or just wants to talk. Outside, Roy and Glenn argue about whether she is hiding something. Norman calls to say Ewan didn’t make it back for lock-in. Carly asks Ethan (Ethan Smith) to remind her to book him a taxi for school tomorrow. When she says she’s had a bad day, Ethan says not as bad as the cyclist. Carly drinks wine. At the station, Norman tells Roy and Glenn that Ewan’s old place is being watched.

He also shared a cell with Warren Tucker who is doing life for double murder. Tucker has a reputation for extreme violence and teaching his younger employees the art of conducting business. Malcolm leaves Jason a message asking him to forget his loyalty to Preece. If he doesn’t turn himself in, Malcolm will come over there. Someone shoots Malcolm after the call. Roy tells Cleo that the parents are flying in to view the body. Cleo is still waiting on the toxicology for Tony. They celebrate their anniversary as Cleo suggests there is no going back now. She wants Roy to move in with her for a bit. Roy offers to move in tomorrow because he doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice. Glenn calls to tell Roy to check the Argus website. Roy checks the site and sees that Kevin has pictures of Bella and Norman chasing Jason.

Roy meets Glenn and admits the Spinella thing is getting to him. They don’t know how he got to the mechanics when the detectives were still there. They see someone dressed like Ewan. When they take them down, it turns out to be Evie Preece (Hebe Beardsall). Someone in the distance watches and walks away. Evie insists she doesn’t know where Ewan is. Bella tells the others that local police were called to a scene in Kemptown. It is Malcolm. At the scene, they learn that the shooting was up-close and personal. The shooter must’ve dug out the bullet and taken it with him. The salt nearby leads them to believe Malcolm was tortured. They discuss the possibility that Preece was after Jason. To find Jason, Norman thinks they should start with Warren Tucker.

Ethan finds Carly drinking. He tells her that he doesn’t want to make another memory box and she might not be so lucky next time. She insists he will never get rid of her. Carly instructs him to keep his tracking app on when he goes out. Pat (Mark Griffin) and Fernanda (Sara Stewart) arrive at the coroner’s office to see their son’s body. Cleo tries to prepare them to see their son’s body. After they look at Tony’s body, they ask about the accident. Bella admits that the pickup driver hasn’t been found, but their efforts are ongoing. Ethan looks at Kes’s passport. After turning on his watch, Carly yells that he has to go to the dentist on Thursday. She worries that someone could be outside.

Someone watches her although she doesn’t see them. Norman visits Warren (Frank Jakeman) to speak to him about Ewan. Warren thinks Ewan is a sunk cost because he got drunk when he should’ve been on a site in Arundel. He goes on to say Preece is beyond help. Evie is questioned about her brother and Warren. Evie doesn’t believe Ewan killed Malcolm nor does she know where he is. She says Tucker’s son was a junkie who killed himself. Evie tells them how Ewan was afraid of Tucker after he took the company-use-only truck. Jason fixed the mirror. Evie thinks that is the end of it until Roy tells her about Tony. He let himself in this afternoon and she only saw him in the park. He gave her his clothes and wanted to know if it was safe to stay at her place.

Ewan wouldn’t tell her where he was going because it was better if she didn’t know. Ari catches Glenn outside her house later that night. He apologizes before she apologizes for giving him vague answers. She is just trying to get her head straight. They kiss before Ari goes back inside. Roy tells Glenn that they have to be ready because there will be panic once the press gets word of Malcolm’s murder. Roy also tells him he is moving in with Cleo tomorrow. Glenn can stay as long as he continues feeding Marlon. The lorry driver is attacked that night and his vehicle is stolen. In the morning, Spinella asks Roy if he has any leads on Preece. Roy tries to figure out how he knows what he knows. Then, he tells Spinella that his piece got Malcolm killed.

Kevin says his man at Eastville said Ewan and Jason were cellmates. On Jason’s parole sheet, it mentions the mechanics shop as his place of work. Roy suspects he is getting help from somewhere. He warns Kevin not to mention Preece’s name anywhere. Kevin walks away and meets with Pat Robinson. Carly is told she might lose her driver’s license for a year. At the station, Roy tells everyone how important it is to find Ewan. Norman admits that Warren isn’t going to help them. Roy warns them to keep looking over their shoulders because Spinella was with Tony’s father. A man finds the lorry. He opens the back and finds dead bodies inside. When the detectives arrive, they find the lorry driver and Jason in the back.

Roy thinks something is off. Evie is questioned again. They believe there was a strain on her relationship with Ewan since she hadn’t visited as much. Evie says they had a falling out. They were supposed to live together when he got out, but Tucker sorted him a place near the harbor. Roy and Glenn step out to try to find out more about that place. There was a blue pick-up nearby. Roy wants the next sonar sweep brought forward. The blue pick-up is found and pulled out of the water. Ewan is still in the driver’s seat with his hands on the steering wheel. They soon discover that his hands have been glued to the wheel. Cleo thinks he was tortured for personal reasons.

She doesn’t believe Malcolm and Jason are primary victims. Roy questions who killed everyone now that they know it wasn’t Preece. ACC Cassian Pewe (Sam Hoare) confronts Roy to tell him that Tony’s parents are offering money for information leading to the identity of the suspect. Roy blames Spinella and suggests he has someone in East Sussex Police. Grace tells him how hard they’ve been working before saying Cassian’s loyalty would be appreciated. Cassian reveals the National Crime Agency just called to offer their help. He thanks them sincerely and said they had the job in hand. After that, Roy asks Norman to trawl all known associates of tucker. He also mentions that Hampshire spent a lot of money on facial recognition software.

Norman agrees to call them. In the morning, Carly tells Ethan that a taxi will get him early to take him to the dentist. He recommends telling them about dad or giving them something to show them that she means she is sorry. Norman uses the facial recognition software to identify the man leaving the harbor as John Nash. Roy wonders if there is a link between Nash and the Robinsons since they’re all Americans. He points out that they were only trying to get the identity of the suspect. Pat would have the time of wealth to buy power and influence. Roy and Glenn visit Laura who lets them listen to Tony’s last message about Wesley. She admits they were her drugs. Roy argues she risked derailing their entire investigation by letting them believe the drugs belonged to Tony.

Laura says the real name of Tony’s mother is Giordino and her father is Sal Giordino. He is the head of the most powerful crime family on the East Coast. Tony was ten when he got shot riding in a car with his grandfather. Roy and Glenn believe it is revenge and the reward they put up was just a distraction. Once they leave, Glenn says that Carly is the only one who hasn’t been killed. She visits Tony’s family to say she is sorry. She shows them her son’s memory box that he made for his father Kes. Carly says Ethan wanted them to have something from his box. They agree to walk out with her. Roy and Glenn are outside. Glenn takes Carly away. Roy pleads with them to call him off before someone else gets hurt.

He says they’re only as strong as their weakest link and he will find that link between them and Nash. He tells Fernanda that she will die in prison. After they leave, Roy talks to Carly and says they need to get her and Ethan somewhere safe. John Nash (James Corrigan) goes to the school to pick up Ethan. Once they leave, Ethan realizes they’re not going to the dentist. John stops and uses pepper spray on the boy. Roy and the team try to figure out how to stop John. Carly mentions that he has a tracking app, but his phone is left in the car. Ethan is locked in the boot. He turns on the watch so it can be tracked. Bella tells Roy that the boy may be in Shoreham Harbour.

Roy and Glenn look around for John and Ethan. Norman tells them that John is an ex-Navy Seal who goes by the name Tooth. They see John try to throw Ethan into the water, but Ethan grabs on and hangs on. Roy tries to help him while Glenn goes after Nash. John attacks Glenn and begins choking him. Glenn struggles and managed to break free. John kicks him in the face and runs. Glenn runs back and helps Roy pulls Ethan to safety. Carly is glad to have him back. Glenn thinks he should’ve gone in since he let John get away, but Roy is glad he helped save Ethan. Bella says divers haven’t found any sign of the man. Later, Roy tells Carly that Nash called the Robinsons’ home number in his haste to get away.

Fernanda lost her temper. Her actions are considered compromising and actionable. An arrest is imminent. Nash got as far as Paris before he disappeared. Carly says they’re going to take their chances. They’ll install new locks, alarms, and cameras. Glenn receives a message from Ari while Roy hangs out with Cleo. Sandy (Clare Calbraith) watches them from a distance. She calls Annette and asks her to put Bruno (Marko Curteanu) on. He calls her mom and learns she is going to be away for a bit longer. Sandy tells him she is looking for an old friend.

 

Grace Review

Dead Man’s Grip felt like a step back compared to the series opener. The episode had its usual moments when it felt like things were really going to pick up, but it lacked substance when all was said and done. The soundtrack and some of the camera work are becoming too much. At the crash scene, the camera was circling around nonstop which was a bit annoying.

The story was abruptly cut off at the end because it didn’t fully shut the door on any of the side stories. Carly’s driving offense was swept under the rug while Pat and Fernanda were possibly arrested off-screen. John Nash also escaped and nothing was done about Laura for having the drugs.

The episode had too many twists, turns, and murders to the point that it got dull midway through and I became indifferent to the story. It is also hard to be fully invested in the Sandy storyline, but there is still time for that to develop. I’d rather see the Spinella storyline unfold.

With such a long runtime, some episodes of Grace are going to have to take too many twists to fill that runtime. Unfortunately, this was one of them. It scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Grace are available on Reel Mockery here. Learn more about supporting our independent site at this link. Find out how to advertise on Reel Mockery here.