Grantchester Season 3 Episode 4 Recap

Sidney Chambers (James Norton) delivers a sermon about sin and temptation at the beginning of the episode. After the sermon ends, Leonard Finch (Al Weaver) catches Sidney and Amanda (Morven Christie) kissing backstage. Leonard excuses himself and Sidney gives chase. Leonard tells Sidney that he may be the one who is lying. Seconds later, Geordie (Robson Green) and Phil (Lorne MacFadyen) arrive at a factory. They’re escorted to the crime scene. There, they discover Josephine Sutton on the ground. Her boss, Ezra Garston (Christopher Fulford), suggests the woman got drunk and fell to her death. His son, Gideon (Joe Jameson), explains that the women sneak in at night and use the location for liaisons. The man who found Josephine, Ricky Masters (George Somner), is called over.

Ricky explains that the woman’s body was nowhere to be found when he did his rounds at midnight. Her body was found two hours later. Geordie bends down to get a closer look at the girl’s watch. When he does, she gasps. Sidney and Geordie visit Josephine at the hospital seconds later. During the visit, Josephine reaches out and touches Sidney’s hand. Then, she takes her last breath. Sidney speaks with the girl’s mother, Maud (Penny Layden). Maud insists her daughter was a good girl, who went to work and came home. She explains that Josephine did everything for her son. She also reveals that Ricky got abusive, so Josephine moved back in with her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Maguire (Tessa Peake-Jones) gets a shock when she runs into her husband, Ronnie (Charlie Higson). Sidney returns home and learns about the encounter.

Geordie inspects Josephine’s watch. He discovers that it stopped working a little before midnight. This gives Geordie and Phil enough evidence to interrogate Ricky. Despite the new evidence, the boy sticks with his original story. Mrs. Maguire catches Leonard and Sidney talking about her husband. Sidney agrees to take Mrs. Maguire to see her husband. Ronnie comments about his wife’s necklace, before he is asked what he wants. He apologizes, before revealing that he is suffering from carcinoma and will likely die soon. Mrs. Maguire admits he has been dead to her for 10 years, before making a hasty exit. At the station, Margaret Ward (Seline Hizli) gives Geordie the tickets to the policeman’s ball. In return, he gives her a fancy new necklace. Geordie is surprised by the arrival of Superintendent John Baldwin (Adrian Lukis).

The superintendent asks Geordie about the Sergeant position and whether or not it would be a good fit for Phil. Geordie expresses his reservations about Phil becoming Sergeant. Geordie and Sidney take a closer look at Josephine’s body. They agree the body appears to have been slung from a moving vehicle. They promptly pay another visit to Maud and ask her about Josephine’s most recent relationship. She reveals that her daughter’s most recent boyfriend drove a motorbike. Maud also admits she could probably recognize the man. Sidney and Geordie return to the factory to speak with Ezra. The man denies having a motorbike riding employee. Gideon’s office is searched. Geordie finds the man keeps a set of clothes in his desk. Afterwards, Geordie and Sidney head to the pub. Geordie quickly identifies Sidney’s guilt and realizes his friend has done the deed with Amanda. Sidney admits he is having trouble juggling his actions with his religious beliefs. Sidney heads to the church and asks God for answers.

Maud is led to the station. She is allowed to view potential suspects in a lineup format. She acts cautiously in front of Gideon, but points out someone else. Meanwhile, Sidney gets a visit from Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale). Daniel reveals he has arrived to photograph Sidney and his fiancé. He seems surprised to learn that Leonard is the one getting married. Leonard is equally shocked by the encounter. Mrs. Maguire digs through old pictures of herself and her husband. She also finds a souvenir from their past. She meets with Ronnie and shows him the items. Geordie tells Sidney he believes someone got to Maud at the station and forced her to change her mind. Shortly thereafter, the couples head to the ball. Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) pulls Geordie into a dark alleyway and tries to up the romance. Once they arrive at the ball, they speak with Phil and his wife, Ann (Natalie Klamar). Sidney and his group make a hasty retreat.

Back at home, Maguire asks Ronnie whether there was another woman. He insists there was not. She doesn’t believe it. Hilary (Emily Bevan) and Leonard care for the kids. Hilary reveals she has been thinking about having children someday. She also admits she is a virgin. Leonard becomes frightened at the thought of having intercourse with Hilary. At the ball, the superintendent takes to the stage. He announces that Phil has been selected as the new sergeant, despite Geordie’s concerns. Geordie watches intently as Phil takes to the stage and shakes the superintendent’s hand. He notices the superintendent’s ring and quickly identifies him as a mason. He tells Sidney about his suspicions immediately. Geordie quickly calls out Phil for trying to derail the investigation into Josephine’s death. Meanwhile, Hilary tries to get to the bottom of Leonard’s problem. When asked, he refuses to swear that he wants to be married.

After telling Leonard something is off about him, Hilary takes off her ring and leaves. Sidney and Geordie meet with Maud again. They take her to the manufacturing plant and she identifies Gideon as her daughter’s boyfriend. Back at the ball, Phil tells Cathy about Geordie’s affair with Margaret. Gideon is interviewed at the station. Geordie suggests he wrecked the bike and injured Josephine, while showing off. Gideon eventually breaks. He admits he didn’t mean to hurt Josephine. Geordie and Sidney set their sights on finding the bike, since they know the masons will intervene once again. When they return to the ball, Amanda tells Geordie about Cathy. Geordie confronts Phil and socks him in the face. Back at home, Mrs. Maguire sends Ronnie home, after he tries to kiss her. Geordie finds Cathy sobbing. She complains that he bought her a food mixer and got Margaret an expensive necklace.

Cathy asks Geordie if he loves Margaret. She doesn’t get an answer. Amanda ridicules Sidney for keeping Geordie’s affair a secret. She also implies that he is nothing, but a hypocrite. Leonard writes a letter to Sidney and heads upstairs. He enters the bathroom and grabs a razor. Sidney arrives home and immediately knows something is wrong when he spots the letter. He finds a distraught Leonard in the bathroom. While Sidney tries to calm Leonard, Mrs. Maguire discovers all of her belongings have gone missing. Sidney tries to convince Leonard that he is a wonderful man. Leonard admits his troubles started with the arrival of the Archdeacon. Sidney tells Leonard that he can only be who he is. Phil speaks with Geordie in the morning. He reveals that Gideon has been released. Then, Geordie is ridiculed by the superintendent. Geordie is told to stand down and leave the Garstons alone.

Once the superintendent leaves, Phil returns with evidence confirming Gideon had a motorcycle. Phil explains that he loves his job and wants to do right. Using the evidence and a map, Geordie manages to find the motorbike. It has a piece of Josephine’s clothing in the wheel. During a search of Ezra’s office, Josephine’s ring is found. Ezra is belittled, before he agrees to continue paying Josephine’s wages, so her child will be taken care of. When Sidney returns home, he speaks with Leonard. Leonard says very little, but insists he is fine. Then, Sidney tells Maguire that he had Geordie dig into Ronnie’s background. Ronnie has been lying all along. He isn’t sick at all. Maguire admits she has been thinking about divorcing him, but will not since she made her vows. Sidney watches from a distance as Mrs. Maguire tells Leonard about Ronnie’s thievery.

An enraged Sidney takes his frustrations to the Archdeacon (Gary Beadle). He explains that they’re hypocrites, since they constantly tell everyone to be perfect. Yet, they’re not perfect themselves. They also discuss the other leaders referring to Gabriel as an Uncle Tom. Sidney admits he doesn’t understand how he can respect such an institution. Gabriel tells Sidney he needs to pray. Chambers admits he has, but God didn’t answer. Sidney returns to the church and takes off his religious clothing. He writes a letter to Leonard and walks away.

 

Grantchester Review

This episode of Grantchester was incredibly deep. Our main characters were forced to their breaking points and nobody came out unscathed. Geordie’s affair with Margaret was finally exposed to Cathy. This could have serious repercussions for the entire Keating family. Geordie will need a miracle to rectify the problem he has created. Mrs. Maguire received a visit from her husband, who turned out to be nothing more than a thief. Despite her desire to break free of him, her commitment to God will not allow her to do so.

Leonard’s encounter with Daniel confirmed what Sidney told him. Leonard was simply lying to himself. In return, he hurt himself and Hilary. Leonard attempted to escape his troubles in the worst possible way. As for Sidney, he decided leaving his troubles behind would be best. What will reunite the characters and help them overcome their current problems? The episode was great. An 8.5 out of 10 is deserved. Catch up with previous recaps of Grantchester right now!