As the episode begins, Stanley Obrero (George Hannigan), Howie Bennet (Victor Alli), and his friends get drunk and race their vehicle down the roadway. They open a gate passing a “danger to life” sign before speeding onward. When they stop, they’re approached by a yellow vehicle as a man slowly gets out. A sharply dressed soldier confronts them. Stanley’s friends salute the man while he hurls onto the ground. At the station, Geordie (Robson Green) tells Larry (Bradley Hall) he believes it is going to be a slow night. Miss Scott (Melissa Johns) interrupts to tell them about a trespasser at Tanner’s quarry. Larry complains about the Yanks since they usually mess about out there. Geordie takes that as Larry volunteering and offers to let him go. Tamara (Emily Patrick) is dragged into the station as she proclaims Geordie is her close friend. Geordie realizes he is in for trouble.

Sylvia (Tessa Peake-Jones) finds Leonard Finch (Al Weaver) smoking and complains about the smell. Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) enters just in time to hear Leonard tells Mrs. C to keep her nagging for her husband. Leonard gets upset and tells them he wants peace and quiet before slamming the door in their faces. Sylvia wonders when Leonard became so hateful and where her old Leonard has gone. Will insists it is only the stress of the trial. Will gets a call from Inspector Keating revealing his stepsister has been arrested. Geordie explains she ran off without paying the bill, but Tamara claims her only crime was eating alone when she could’ve had dinner with Geordie. Will tells Leonard where he is going before pleading with him not to be cruel to Sylvia. Geordie learns Miss Scott is going on a date with an insurance broker while he is having drinks alone.

Lieutenant Ellis (Ben Wiggins) enters with his men and refuses to let them answer questions until he talks to the person in charge. Geordie steps forward and wonders if he has seen Ellis somewhere before. Then, Ellis begins explaining he found his men trespassing and was disciplining them when Larry arrived. Geordie apologizes for the inconvenience and Ellis offers to have the Military Police arrest the men as soon as they get back to camp. Since Larry has already had their car impounded, they arrange for a uniformed officer to drive the men back to the base. Ellis is carrying a cane and Geordie learns he ran into a MiG in North Korea. When Will enters, Geordie tells Ellis to give his regards to Colonel Wade (Corey Johnson). Will is surprised Geordie is fawning over an American, but Geordie says there is something about them. Miss Scott believes it is their teeth.

Then, they turn their attention to Tamara who stole a napkin ring and her dinner. They encourage Tamara to let Geordie search her, but she isn’t eager to let that happen. Will tries half-heartedly to convince Geordie to let her go but he says no so Tamara remains. They step out of the room and Will tells Geordie that Leonard is not doing good. Their conversation is quickly ended when Stanley crashes to the ground. Will checks on him and soon tells Ellis that Stanley is indeed dead. The friends are questioned, and they quickly learn Stanley was a short-order cook. Bobby Cooper (Declan Baxter) gets hysterical when talking about Stanley’s Denver sandwich and the British not knowing what that is. Howie tries to calm him. Bobby admits he knew Stanley well and he, Stan, and Mikey were going to buy houses on the same street. Howie explains Mikey is Stan’s brother. Finally, Bobby says they were racing cars out at the quarry.

Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale) visits Leonard and admits Will was right when he said Leonard needed watching. He finds that Leonard has been reading newspapers about other gross indecency arrests. Leonard is eager for Daniel to go, but Marlowe says he isn’t going anywhere with Leonard in this shape. During the search of Stanley’s body, Geordie finds a small vial of pills before they find more pills lodged in the back of Stanley’s throat. Geordie believes he was past the point of being able to swallow and putting the pills in his mouth. Will wonders who did. Tamara asks for something to eat, but Geordie says the chef has left for the night. Next, Airman Howard Bennet and Airman Robert Cooper are questioned.

Howard services machines at the laundromat and Bobby is an orderly. Bobby denies selling prescription medication although he has access to them, and Howard denies taking them. Bobby says Stanley didn’t take drugs, but he takes pain meds sometimes for his stomach pains. They push Bobby while trying to convince him to tell them what actually happened. Outside, Will and Geordie realize the brothers in arms aren’t going to talk and Larry says the pathologist won’t be there until tomorrow. They decide to check Stanley’s body before the Americans get involved and Will immediately finds scratches on the back of his arms. Those marks might be self-inflicted, but the pressure marks and scratches on his neck are not. He might’ve been choked with a different chain than the one he is wearing now. Will learns Stanley was carried into the station but was alive and well at the quarry.

Geordie agrees the boy was likely already dead. They check the wagon since he was likely strangled somewhere between the quarry and station. Will argues he would’ve died at the base in bed if it wasn’t for Miss Scott’s tea. Geordie trusts Ellis who he describes as a war hero, but Will isn’t sure about that. He admits he was played for an idiot before Will finds a chain with the letter OW on it. Leonard tells Daniel he doesn’t want him there and it isn’t the drink talking. Leonard wants to end their relationship and admits he fears having to stand up in court to be exposed for what he is. Leonard argues that Daniel doesn’t know shame. Daniel reminds him he was married and made vows he knew he couldn’t keep. He tells Leonard he doesn’t really know him if he thinks he doesn’t know shame before leaving. At the station, Ellis is interviewed and claims he went to the movies with his girl before seeing lights at the quarry.

They talk about the airman’s death at the quarry not too long ago. Ellis admits they had trouble getting Stanley into the van. He says there was commotion in the van, but it was dark, and he couldn’t see exactly what was going on. He is asked about the chain with OW on it. He claims he doesn’t recognize it. When he says he doesn’t know anyone with the initial OW, Geordie ends the interview for the time being. Before Miss Scott leaves, she is asked to call the airbase to tell them Ellis is locked in their cells. Geordie admits he wants to keep the military at bay although he isn’t sure Ellis is who he says he is. He explains a superior officer always enters and leaves the vehicle last so he wouldn’t have pulled Stanley into the van. Will admits he was exempt from the national service and served in the Cadet Corps at school, so it was deemed he had done his time. Geordie seems distraught, says he didn’t know that was possible and excuses himself.

He tries to find a quiet place, but Tamara is still in his office. He returns and tells Will he needs a minute. Larry enters and shows them the racing results he found in the American vehicle. Larry argues they’ve been at the quarry eight days a week. When he leaves, Will tells Geordie he hopes this isn’t going to be a problem between them. Geordie says not at all although he didn’t know it was an option. Geordie didn’t know you could serve your country in a school playing field instead of a Burmese prison camp. When Miss Scott returns, she confirms Lieutenant Ellis is tucked up in the sickbay with the flu. They go after the pretend Ellis who was been allowed to leave on his own. When they check the bathroom, they hear glass being broken. Will kicks the door in before they find Ellis trying to smash through the window to escape. He is taken to an interview room and they quickly try to find out who he is.

Geordie warns that impersonating an officer is an offense, but Ellis says it is only a military offense and he doesn’t have to explain that to a civilian. Geordie says he served and it wasn’t boozing and racing cars in his day. Instead, it was heat, hunger, and death. He goes on to say they survived before of each other and would’ve died for one another. He asks Ellis who killed Stanley. Once they step into the hallway, Will tells Geordie he doesn’t talk much about the war. Geordie explains he’d know why if he had served. Larry confirms the commander is on his way and should be there in the hour. When Geordie returns to his office, he has enough with Tamara and orders Will to sort it out. Will tells her she is a spoilt brat and the way she spoke to Geordie was embarrassing.

He pleads with her to agree to a search before he is asked about the woman who needed her money. Will begins telling her about Leonard and the fact he is facing a trial for gross indecency. She encourages him to cheer his friend up. He admits he was trying to do that before he was summoned to the station. She asks Will to forgive her and hugs him. She agrees to be searched while Geordie smokes in the American’s vehicle. Will arrives to tell him he’ll have his office back son. Geordie searches through the vehicle once again. Will notices something on the ground and immediately suspects the brakes have been tampered with. As they walk back inside, Will theorizes one of the men was supposed to die in the race but the police showed up and prevented it, so the killer struck in the van. Geordie tells Will he’ll interview this guy on his own leaving Will out.

He checks Howie’s hands and asks him about working on vehicles. Howie complains he is the only man to get ever full marks on the Airman Qualification Exam and ended up working in a laundromat. Will asks if he fought Stanley in the back of the van. Howard says no since fighting isn’t in his game plan. Instead, he wants to stay around until his veteran benefits kick in. He explains the air force will pay him through college and then his life will start. Geordie threatens him with a dishonorable discharge in hopes Howie will tell what happened. Miss Scott arrives to search Tamara as the two bicker back and forth. Geordie returns to Will and confirms he got nothing. He orders another officer to get their uniforms so they can be checked for brake fluid. Will wonders if they’re not talking due to bullying and intimidation. Geordie gets upset with Will and accuses him of using his posh school and privilege to buy his way out of doing his duty.

He admits he thinks Will is a disgrace. Will agrees he should go but not before saying the notebook doesn’t track races. Instead, they’re dates. He explains the words in the middle are in a form of Pig Latin. The notebook is for a black market inventory of drugs. Will leaves. Miss Scott arrives and confirms Tamara did not have the napkin ring on her. She offers to stay to see the handsome commander who Geordie says is married with the picture-perfect family. Meanwhile, Leonard tells Daniel he never talks about her. Daniel reveals he was eight when he was first punched for being a pansy, so he knew he’d need to find himself a wife. It took a few years, but he didn’t have to force himself to like her. He chased her and made her love him. He thought he’d get used to the sex but couldn’t. Then, she found a letter he had written to another man that caused them to separate.

He admits it was a big scandal locally and it didn’t help that his wife was pregnant. She eventually had a miscarriage. Daniel confesses he blamed himself and everyone else did as well so he was cut off. He wasn’t even welcome at his mother’s funeral. Leonard apologizes before wishing he could take the suffering of losing a child from Daniel. Leonard is told he has a lot of compassion and should be able to draw on them for himself. Outside the station, Tamara emerges and tries to get Will to go out for a drink with her, but he escapes thanks to Jacobs being there for her. Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) arrives at the station with a package for Geordie who complains she took her sweet time. They step outside where Will is getting ready to leave. Cathy invites him over for tea on Saturday. He makes an excuse not to come.

Before Will can leave, Geordie says he shouldn’t have sounded off like that, but Will admits he was right to. Will admits his father made the arrangements and he had plans for his life that didn’t include two years of square bashing in Germany. He understands more about duty today and wishes he had done his. He also wishes he’d told Geordie the truth from the start but he doubts they would’ve become friends. Then, Geordie says OW is Orson Wade the Third and shows Will a picture of their Christmas card. He is Colonel Wade’s son. Colonel Wade arrives and he isn’t there for pleasantries. Wade wants to take over and get the body removed, but Geordie says it isn’t going anywhere until he knows the truth. Ellis is interviewed and admits he failed the pilot exam twice so putting on the uniform and driving into town allowed him to be the guy he was supposed to be.

He claims his chain broke when he got caught up in a fight. Ellis is told he won’t see his father until he tells the truth. Will questions whether Stanley was going to blow the whistle so Orson killed him. He denies killing anyone. He says if he did anything wrong it was because Stanley forced him to do it. In a private interview room, Orson says people are in their crowd because they didn’t fit anywhere else and weren’t smart, white, or fast enough. He was just happy to have friends even if it meant doing stupid stuff for Stanley. He claims Stanley had them over a barrel because of everything they stole and sold. He admits the guy who died a while back was ordered to jump his car against a ravine by Stanley. Mikey was driving the heaviest car in the fleet so it was never going to fly. He goes on to say Stanley was the greatest bastard to ever lived and that is why Bobby and Howie killed him in the back of the police van. He claims he tried to stop them but wasn’t strong enough.

When they step outside, Geordie confirms Stanley’s uniform was covered in brake fluid, so it fits with him being a psychopath. They agree something stinks though. They realize Mikey was Stanley’s brother and he was forced to drive off the cliff. Will flips over the pendant and says the initials might be MO instead of OW. Stanley was wearing his brother’s chain at the time. Meanwhile, Daniel admits he never told Leonard because he needed to be the strong one. He says he couldn’t start again until he met Leonard who brought him back to life with a kiss. He says Leonard gave him everything including hope and a new family. Leonard knows he stands to lose everything, but he only just realized Daniel stands to lose everything too. Howie and Bobby are interviewed once again.

Geordie accuses Orson of being the one who was controlling everything. Geordie goes on to say Orson doesn’t see friends but only victims. Will asks about Stanley’s scars and suspects the others have them too. They do and were likely punishment for disobeying. In a flashback, we see Stanley attack Orson in the back of the van. We see Bobby grab Stanley by the neck to subdue him until things calm down only to kill him. Bobby begins sobbing while admitting he didn’t want to hurt his friend. Later, Geordie says he wouldn’t want to be the man who has to knock on their mother’s door and Bobby will be tried for manslaughter in military court. Orson destroyed three lives but daddy will make sure he gets away without punishment. Will says he thought his father was master of everything when he was young, but he really had a small reach.

Geordie charges Orson with the murder of Mikey before he can leave the police station. He tells Colonel Wade that his son is a civilian and can’t be prosecuted under military law. Orson will be tried in an English court like any other murderer. Before Will leaves for the night, Geordie tells him to give his best to Leonard. Geordie returns home and looks at his military medals and pictures. When Will makes it home, he finds the expensive napkin ring in his jacket. Then, he notices Daniel and Leonard dancing.

 

Grantchester Review

Although not nearly as dramatic as the last episode of Grantchester, it was good in its own unique way. First, I appreciate that the writers decided to throw some animosity between Will and Geordie. Will’s life has been much different than Geordie’s and Sidney’s as well. However, times have changed too. Geordie might not be ready to accept these changes and remains true to his ways.

As for Leonard, he learned that he isn’t the only person to be punished due to their sexuality. Learning more about Daniel’s past has likely changed his perspective and it might give him more to fight for. The season is starting to wind down so I expect the drama to pick up significantly. The episode was good in its own way because it tested Will and Geordie’s friendship, we learned about Daniel’s past, and the military investigation was interesting.

The episode was solid so I’ll give it a 7.5 out of 10. Previous and future recaps of Grantchester can be found here.