As the fifth episode begins, Cathy Keating (Kacey Ainsworth) begins writing letters in defense of Leonard Finch (Al Weaver) ahead of his upcoming trial. Sylvia Chapman (Tessa Peake-Jones) is shunned by her friends due to her relationship with the accused. Bishop Aubrey Gray (Stuart Bowman) reads the letter from Cathy before asking Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) if he finds this amusing. He reminds Will that the Archdeacon wanted the matter dealt with discreetly. He complains about Cathy’s letter in the newspaper while Will says Leonard is his friend. Aubrey makes it clear to Will that he shouldn’t go to court and speak on Leonard’s behalf. Leonard joins them and asks for Will to stay. Leonard is told that they’re going to terminate his position regardless of the outcome of the case. Since they’re withdrawing his license, he won’t have the opportunity to move to another parish.
Will says it isn’t fair but Leonard thanks Aubrey for taking the time to tell him in person. Before Leonard leaves, he is told he would’ve made a fine parish priest. Back at home, Will says it is their shame and not his. Leonard reveals he has asked Jack (Nick Brimble) to be his character witness. Sylvia doesn’t like it that Jack has been dragged into it and Will argues he wanted to do it. Leonard says he wants to look after Will for once and prevent him from losing his job before Sylvia wishes they’d never have found out. On the contrary, Leonard says he is glad Sylvia found out because she wouldn’t have known him at all otherwise. Later, Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale) meets Leonard and gives him a necklace with a St. Anthony charm. Will complains to Geordie (Robson Green) who says Leonard has a solid barrister and the judge is fair.
During the last indecency case, the judge gave the defendant a fine and a scolding. He tells Will they have to let justice take its course and that is all they can do. As they step inside, Will argues he wants to punch someone, and Larry Peters (Bradley Hall) gives him his chance by saying they have a bank robbery in process. Once they arrive, they find the bank guard locked in the van outside with his hands tied. Will tries to chase the suspect who has already fled the scene. They find a car crash and an older lady hurt on the ground with her husband nearby. Geordie stays while Will goes after the suspect. Will eventually catches the suspect and fights with him briefly before he gives up and claims he did nothing. At the station, Bill Connor (Sidney Kean) complains he hasn’t spent a day without his wife in years. Now, she is gone. He isn’t the praying time, so they agree to let him sit with his wife for a while.
They return to Wilson Black (Phill Langhorne) who tells them how he was attacked and tied up. He explains the robber took a thousand pounds in five-pound notes. They do a lineup, but Wilson is unable to identify the man Will detained. They search the getaway vehicle and find a bag of bread and a note with several numbers on it. Meanwhile, Jack practices his speech for Leonard at the church while Sylvia listens. Sylvia admits she doesn’t want Jack to speak for Leonard because she is worried what everyone will think of them. Cathy enters and hears Jack tells his wife she might’ve lost all sense of compassion, but he hasn’t. Will and Geordie interview Malcy Smith (Tyger Drew-Honey) who says they’re clutching at straws since the guard didn’t recognize him. He is told about Mary Connor but claims that was an accident. He denies robbing the bank before he is asked about the numbers found in the car.
He won’t tell them what it is or where the money is hidden and asks for his lawyer. As Will and Geordie step out, they find Larry trying to get Miss Scott (Melissa Johns) to go on a date with him. Larry is told to call Malcy’s attorney to get him down there. He leaves and Scott tells them about the robbery call which was received at 10:53 AM and only lasted 12 seconds. It was a woman and she told them about the bank van being robbed while she was leaving the library. Cathy tells Sylvia she had two aunties when she was younger, and nobody seemed to care since it wouldn’t matter in the end. Cathy offers to hold her hand if she’ll come to court. Sylvia finally admits it is humiliating spending your whole life having people look down on you. She mentioned her husband leaving and being childless before saying she doesn’t want that again.
Cathy reminds her that people are going to judge them no matter what. Geordie tells Will that Jack will do Leonard proud, and he might do better than Will would’ve. They stop in the library to talk to Lily Bradley (Chelsea Halfpenny) who phoned the police about the bank robbery. They do another police lineup and Lily picks Malcy this time. Malcy is taken to the interview room again and he quickly confessed while claiming the money was thrown out the window. Will doesn’t believe it since Wilson and Malcy have contradicting stories. They have to convince Bill to leave. Will tells Geordie the robbery couldn’t have lasted long since the call was only 12 seconds. He also finds it suspicious how Wilson was tied. Geordie admits the knots weren’t done in a hurry, so they confront Wilson. Will ties him up while Geordie reads the call transcript. They realize it would’ve taken much longer to tie Wilson up the way he was so he is likely lying about something.
He asks for a lawyer which happens to be the same guy Malcy is using. Will suspects they’re in on it together while Geordie believes there is someone higher up than them. Larry enters with the lawyer Johnny Richards (Shaun Dooley). Will reminds Geordie they have to go to court. Geordie and Jonny know one another and hug. Leonard goes to the courthouse where protestors carry signs outside. Inside, Cathy is there with Leonard’s will supporters. Geordie talks to Johnny who says he has represented Wilson and Malcy on and off for many years. They catch up and Will learns they weren’t in the same regiment. Will asks if someone else might be paying for Johnny’s services. Richards admits he doesn’t normally do this, but he agrees to show them all the correspondences and invoices he has from them. He is asked about the number they found in the car but doesn’t know. He doesn’t think his client will say either.
They finally head to the courthouse while Leonard is taken to the courtroom. After Judge Newport (Nigel Betts) enters and the charge is read, Leonard pleads guilty. Leonard is questioned by the prosecuting attorney and admits he hopes God loves him. The barrister, Jeremy, doesn’t believe God could love someone who did what Leonard did. Leonard is called a hypocrite, sodomite, and sinner before admitting he always doubted that God could love him. Will angrily confronts the attorney outside and gives him a piece of his mind. However, Jeremy (Paul Bradley) tells him that Leonard’s life is likely ruined whatever of what he said. Geordie encourages him to calm down and let this play out. Will asks where Jack is and contemplates speaking for Leonard. Geordie warns him that he could lose his job for speaking out. Back in the courtroom, Will takes Jack’s place and Leonard warns him not to do so.
Will tells them he wasn’t always a religious man, but love drew him to the church. He tells the judge everything Leonard has done while working for the church including comforting the dying and those in despair. He says to punish Leonard would be far worse and not justice. He says they would be punishing Leonard’s friends and the congregation. He goes on to say Leonard wasn’t worried for himself today and was instead worried for him. He says that is the kind of man Leonard is and he is the man he considers his brother. He says Leonard deserves more than this. The judge adjourns and they’ll rule tomorrow. Cathy, Geordie, and the others talk about how well Will did after they leave the courtroom. Will tells Leonard he always has a brother while Leonard says he feels relieved to have finally said he is guilty. Then, Geordie changes the conversation to Malcy who quickly changed his story when he saw Bradley.
Geordie says he has only seen a man turn that quickly when a woman was involved. She is taken to Wilson’s cell and asked if she recognizes the man. She remembers him from the robbery. When they ask about beyond that, she puts on her glasses and Johnny says she doesn’t have to answer. She says she doesn’t know him. When Lily is sent away, Wilson says he’d like to tell what happened now. At home, Leonard tells Sylvia there were times when he’d rather die than be found out. He says she was fearless and that made him feel fearless too. She says that is nonsense since she is always afraid of what people think. She admits she is afraid for Leonard and wants him to be happy, but he says he is happy. Leonard says he has been happy with her even when she was cross with him. Next, Wilson confesses to conspiring with Malcy to steal 1000 pounds. Geordie wants to know who is running the show, but Wilson isn’t willing to say anything else.
Once they step outside, Geordie blames Lily and Will wonders if she gave them a signal by putting on her glasses. They show her a picture of the van and asks if that is the one. She says yes without putting on her glasses or hesitating. Geordie accuses her of using her glasses to send a signal to her accomplices. She tries to leave the police station but is stopped. In the morning, Will finds Leonard packing his stuff and says Geordie thinks the judge will give him a fine and he’d like to help pay it. Leonard thanks him for everything before saying he is going to spend some time in Cambridge. Then, he and Daniel are thinking about moving to someplace where nobody knows them. Will notices Leonard’s book has numbers on them like the one found in Smith’s car. Geordie interviews Lily and finds out she has clear lenses so the glasses are only a prop, but she accuses him of having an extraordinary imagination.
She is adamant that she was telling the truth about the robbery and finds it funny that they haven’t found the money. When the interview ends, Miss Scott finds out she didn’t say where the money was. Will comes in and they head to the library to check the books. They use the numbers found in the car and the Dewey Decimal system to find the book which contains the stolen money, but 50 pounds are missing. They return to Lily and question her. She claims anyone could’ve put the money there since it is a public building. Geordie believes her fingerprints will be all over the book. They return to the courtroom for Leonard’s sentencing. The judge surprisingly sentences Leonard to six months because he is a member of the clergy. Everyone is stunned by the sentence. Leonard drops the necklace Daniel gave him as he is taken away. He is taken outside where Cathy yells for him to keep his chin up and that he’ll be home before he knows it.
Sylvia walks by and looks at him as the police vehicle takes him away. Will meets with Aubrey and suggests he is likely pleased regarding the sentence. Will says it can be tucked away and hidden, but Aubrey says that isn’t possible since Will stood up in court and spoke out. Aubrey claims he was trying to protect Will and warns him he won’t defend him anymore. Will says Leonard won’t survive in prison. Aubrey says he’ll pay for both of them. Geordie learns from Larry that the library book did not have Lily’s fingerprints on it. There is no evidence linking Lily to the robbery, so they have to let her go. Geordie stops her in the hallway and asks how much she paid Wilson and Malcy. He complains that a woman died before questioning whether she has a conscience at all. She says she doesn’t know what he is talking about and is only a librarian before leaving.
Outside, Geordie tells Bill that they got the people responsible. He says nothing about Lily. Johnny Richards joins Geordie at the pub and they talk about Lily’s involvement in the robbery. Richards says he can’t say. Geordie reveals he is questioning what he does because a good man has gone to jail and a criminal walks away after a woman is killed. He knows Malcy and Wilson will get lesser sentences because they have Johnny defending them. Geordie is asked why he decided to become a cooper after everything they put them through. When Geordie says it is about doing what is right, Johnny calls that a fairy tale. Then, he says he has to go home to the four kids before Johnny hands him 50 pounds and tells him to buy a new suit.
Geordie knows it is the missing 50 quid and throws it on the ground. Will returns home and finds a letter from Leonard who suspected he would be going away after the trial. He gives a sermon while talking about friends, family, and moving out of the darkness. He looks over where Leonard would normally be while finishing.
Grantchester Review
Despite everything that Grantchester has gone through over the past seasons, the show’s quality has remained consistent. It is always a pleasure to return to Grantchester and join Will and Geordie as they investigate another grisly murder. You can always count on Grantchester bringing high-quality drama and devastating turmoil. The season has been excellent despite a slow opener.
Leonard Finch’s plight has dominated the spotlight while sucking in viewers who hope for the best. Al Weaver deserves recognition because he has been phenomenal this year. Grantchester has perfectly meshed humor with suspense and drama making each episode entertaining from start to finish. The season has followed the proven formula exceptionally well while using Al Weaver’s Leonard Finch to give viewers something to fight for.
The episode was devastatingly powerful because it pushed Geordie, Sylvia, Will, and the other important characters to their limits once more. It scores an 8 out of 10. All recaps of Grantchester can be found on Reel Mockery here.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
