As this episode of Grantchester begins, Will Davenport (Tom Brittney) talks to Jim (Tom Glenister) at the church. Will’s words convince Jim that something is wrong. Will admits it has been a difficult few weeks with some liaisons he isn’t proud of. He admits it was with a woman engaged to be married and a widow who deserves so much more. Jim questions whether God forgives everything. Will says yes, but it is also up to them to respond to his forgiveness through repentance, atonement, and avoiding the same mistakes. When Will leaves, he visits Bonnie (Charlotte Ritchie) to apologize that she walked into a situation like that. She tells him he doesn’t have to vicar her before Ernie (Isaac Highams) enters to say hello.

Geordie (Robson Green) and Cathy (Kacey Ainsworth) quickly rush in to get rid of Ernie so Will and Bonnie can have a minute. Bonnie wants to know if Will and Maya are back on. Will says no and it was a mistake from the start. Bonnie admits they’re thinking about heading home now that Geordie is back. She isn’t sure there is much for her anyway. Will supposes not. Meanwhile, Daniel Marlowe (Oliver Dimsdale) struggles to keep up at The Cherry Orchard. Outback, Leonard (Al Weaver) talks to a girl who says she’ll be able to save up and pay rent if she gets the job. The factory wants to see her birth certificate which is at her parent’s house.

As Daniel interrupts, Leonard encourages Rosie (Kya Brame) to go to the town hall to get a birth certificate. If that is difficult, he offers to go with her later. Although Leonard says she is only 17, Daniel reminds him that he won’t be able to help them all. At the station, Larry Peters (Bradley Hall) wonders why Maya left Elliott (Michael Xavier) since he is tall and handsome. He insists it isn’t like when Cathy threw Geordie out. When Larry says he won’t be single for long, Geordie asks whether he is going to ask him out. Miss Scott (Melissa Johns) interrupts to inform them that a body has been found and it is another vagrant. Will prays for Sylvia (Tessa Peake-Jones) as she enters her last stage of treatment.

She rattles a bag and ignores his prayers. She quickly stops him by saying amen. Jack (Nick Brimble) doesn’t think Will finished, but Sylvia argues he is wasting his time. She complains she has had two bouts of radiotherapy and been poked and prodded in places you haven’t even got places. Sylvia confesses her faith has been tested to destruction. Will pleads with her to humor him so he doesn’t feel like he is wasting his time. She relents and agrees to pray with him. Geordie and Larry approach the dead body as Geordie learns the shopkeeper saw the victim around there a lot. They called him Smudge because he was already dirty. Geordie says he isn’t anymore and that isn’t what his mother called him.

Geordie instructs Larry to ask around and see if he was always clean shaven since he has a blanket and was found in the doorway. He also has the same marks on his neck. It may have something to do with the vagrant murders even though they put Robin Fellows (Jeremy Ang Jones) in the loony bin for that. Will meets with Leonard to tell him about Sylvia losing her faith. Leonard believes Sylvia will test God back if he is testing her. Geordie arrives to tell them about the vagrant being killed.  He reveals that the victim was washed and shaved. They begin wondering whether Robin might’ve been innocent all along. Although he confessed, Geordie says people confess to things they’ve done all the time.

As they head to the asylum, Will says it doesn’t mean that Robin wasn’t involved. Geordie still believes he has missed something. Will insists anyone can make a mistake and he knows personally. A guard yells for the others to call Dr. Flemming because something has happened. They find Robin hanging in his cell. Geordie talks to Dr. Flemming (Robert Timothy Maskell) who says Robin was doing good and responding to the medication well. Once his body is taken away, Geordie looks at the pictures on the wall in Robin’s room. Will asks one of the workers whether he told Robin about the murder. He did because he thought it’d make him happy since it proved it wasn’t him.

When he told him, Robin started rambling and muttering. Although Robin never said he did it, the worker just couldn’t see it. Robin had a visitor this morning. It was a brainy type of woman. Geordie immediately believes it was Robin’s tutor. They visit Edith Larson (Rowena King) moments later to see why she visited Robin. Edith claims Robin asked her to come. She was interested in finding out what he had to say, but it was predictably banal. He said his victims didn’t deserve to die because they were good people in difficult circumstances. In light of his previous actions, he was speaking like a madman. Geordie explains the recent killing shared characteristics with the others that only Robin would’ve known.

When she asks if they think she is an accomplice, Geordie questions where she was between midnight and six o’clock this morning. Edith claims she was in the Master’s lodge with the Master. They ask whether she knows about Robin’s death and why she isn’t impacted by it. She knows they’re supposed to pretend all lives are precious, but some people are better off dead. Edith says these are men with troubled pasts who can’t or won’t be helped. They can’t relate to other people and society ends up paying the price. When Will asks if they ever change, Edith claims that suits his narrative. She questions who really changes. Edith isn’t saying they deserve to be killed since it is just an argument.

It is just her job. Will notices a picture on her wall that says, “What harms often teaches”. As they leave, Will wonders if Edith is right and he can’t change. Geordie recommends telling Bonnie how he feels and seeing what she says. Will says she is gone anyway and it might be for the best. Geordie says they should go back to the station and work through this. Will believes he should listen to Elliot and stay out of it. Geordie insists it wasn’t all his fault since they couldn’t even survive the engagement. Ernie complains to Bonnie about having to leave. Bonnie says they have to go because sometimes people don’t want what you want. Or they’re too posh and big-headed to admit that they do. She insists she is not talking about Will. Ernie questions whether she wants to go.

When Leonard closes the café, Daniel tells him they’ve made almost three pounds profit. Leonard finds it odd what people will pay for hot water and milk while Rosie is homeless and the vagrant men are dying. Although Leonard believes he is ungrateful, he can’t do this anymore because he’d like to help and do more. Geordie returns to the station where he tells Elliott about Robin’s suicide. While he might’ve been responsible for the first three, he could’ve killed himself because he was wrongfully imprisoned. Elliott reminds Geordie that he confessed and a judge agreed so he thinks Geordie did everything he could. He asks them to look through the files to see if they can find anything they might’ve missed.

When Miss Scott gives Geordie the victim’s personal items, Geordie finds a note written in Latin. He repeats the phrase, “what harms often teaches”. Will gets a visit from Jim who says he spoke to Professor Larson. Jim wonders why Robin would’ve killed himself before saying Robin could have committed the most recent murder. Will suggests it might’ve been guilty because Robin felt like he started something. He asks whether Edith said anything else. Jim asks why. Meanwhile, Larry and Geordie return to Edith’s office where they find her on the ground. She says he attacked her but doesn’t say who. Jim asks Will if he has ever done anything that has resulted in unintended consequences.

Will believes they all have. Jim argues that Robin didn’t deserve to die, but he is in a better place now. When Jim asks if it matters that he committed suicide, Will suggests God can forgive. Jim says it was never his intention for Robin to die or his idea for him to take the blame. He admits that Robin confessed to things he did. Once Will asks if Jim killed those men, Jim says Edith claimed those men couldn’t be helped. He thinks they might be helped in the next life and that is why he helped them on their way. Will argues that isn’t his decision to make. Jim wonders if he should just let them die in their own squalor rather than with dignity. He thinks he is doing God’s work. Will talks and talks about saving souls but does nothing.

Jim claims he is like Robin who lost his nerve when it came to really saving them. Will believes that is why Robin has a breakdown and turned himself in to get Jim to stop. Jim confesses he tried to stop once Robin turned himself in, but he couldn’t let them continue suffering. Jim says Robin killed himself because he was weak just like Will. Jim calls Will pathetic for letting people down. Will agrees and says they can all do better. Jim stabs him in the side. Will asks him to call for an ambulance before falling to the ground. When Will asks Jim to help him, Jim claims he already has. Sylvia learns they’ll take her in about five minutes although she doesn’t want to go without Will.

After Sylvia says she is scared, Leonard admits that is understandable and promises to pray for her. She begins worrying about there being no God and where she’ll go. Leonard believes there is and he cares about her. Jack isn’t much of a Christian, but he’ll be praying for her as well. They tell each other they love one another before Sylvia says she is proud of what Leonard has built with that café. Whatever happens, Sylvia wants to make sure Leonard doesn’t give up. Edith admits Robin told her he was innocent and Jim was guilty of the murders. She didn’t believe him because he was incoherent. They know she confronted him herself. Geordie asks whether Jim could’ve been influenced by her ideas.

Edith denies that they’re her ideas. Larry leaves to put out a manhunt order for Jim. She hopes Geordie won’t misrepresent her views when he writes this up since it is her job to provoke. She claims they barely agreed on anything and Jim was religious from the start. Geordie sees the Bible and cross nearby as he begins worrying. Jim tells Will that there is a moment when there is relief just before death. He claims the guilt, weakness, and desires of the flesh are over. After Will says that isn’t what life is, Jim asks whether it is love and family. He has never had any of those things. When Bonnie knocks on the door, Jim warns Will to be quiet. Jim threatens to kill her if he says a word. Bonnie knows he is embarrassed but it is just sex and everyone does it.

She doesn’t like being ignored and told how she should or shouldn’t feel. When Will doesn’t respond, Bonnie says it is his loss before leaving. Jim says it doesn’t matter how Bonnie feels because he is still going to die. Bonnie runs into Geordie and realizes something is wrong. Geordie sees what is going on through the window so he tells Bonnie to stay there. Jim begins praying to God and slapping Will in the face while telling him to look at him. Will says amen to distract him. Jim grabs the knife, but Will manages to hold him off until Geordie knocks him out. Geordie calls for Bonnie who runs in and tries to take care of Will. They try to keep Will awake while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

When Bonnie goes to phone the ambulance again, Will asks Geordie to tell her something. Geordie insists he can tell her himself since he is going to make it. He thinks she likes him and can’t lose another fella. Geordie says she needs him, Ernie needs him, and he needs him. He struggles to keep Will awake. Jack, Leonard, and Daniel are there when Sylvia wakes up. The church bell tolls while the others begin noticing the absence of Will. Bonnie packs her bags and says goodbye to Cathy. When Will wakes up in the hospital, Sylvia thanks God and says she should’ve never doubted him.

She was so wrapped up in herself that she lost sight of him. When she asked him to save Will, he listened. Leonard believes there were easier ways to get Sylvia to rediscover her faith. He reveals he just gave blood because Will needed so much. Jack goes to The Cherry Orchard to order two Chelsea buns for Sylvia and Will. He learns that Leonard is out back with some homeless people he has been helping. Daniel admits they might need to look for new management now that Leonard has found his calling. When Leonard joins them, Jack reveals he prayed and said he’d give up every penny he owns for Sylvia to be okay. She was. Jack tells Leonard that he can do whatever he wants with this place. He just wants him to do something good with his money.

Geordie goes to the hospital to get a witness statement from Will now that he is awake. He confirms they got Jim although they don’t have a name for the last victim yet. Will doesn’t remember much that happened, but he feels like Bonnie was there. Sylvia says she felt like Will, Leonard, Daniel, Sidney, and Jack were there when she was under. She says Bonnie sat there until she knew Will was stable. She is off today unless Will has other plans. He pulls himself out of bed with the intention of stopping her. At the train station, Bonnie tries to get Ernie to cheer up by reminding him Cathy said they can visit at any time. When Will arrives, he tells her he doesn’t want her to go. Geordie tries to get Ernie to go with him for ice cream. Once Ernie goes, Will explains he wants her to know how he feels.

He wants her to stay more than anything although he isn’t sure what for. Will doesn’t know how to be with her or what a good relationship looks like, but he wants to try. Bonnie says they’re different because she isn’t sure she believes in God. Will insists he doesn’t mind and God doesn’t either. Will knows she is so much more than a widow and a mother to be pitied. He knows and that is why he loves her. After he asks if it was too soon, she leans in for a kiss. After that, we skip forward to Will and Bonnie’s wedding. Once Bonnie walks down the aisle, Bishop Aubrey Gray (Stuart Bowman) performs the service. Will says he has heard this before. He does and Bonnie does too. Daniel takes pictures of them outside. Tamara (Emily Patrick) tells Will he has taken the wedding pressure off her.

Tamara is looking to bag a policeman or vicar as she begins eyeballing the Bishop. While Will goes to deal with it, Amelia (Jemma Redgrave) and St. John (Dominic Mafham) talk to Bonnie. Sylvia catches the bouquet before giving it to Daniel. Then, Geordie talks about having Will as a friend and a part of his family. He hopes they can make each other as happy as Cathy makes him. Leonard welcomes the man of the hour Mr. Bonnie Davenport. Will says he wants to talk about regret. He thought he was going to die at the moment he realized he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bonnie. He realized that the things he regretted in life were the things he hadn’t done.

He was scared he wouldn’t know how to love, be a father, or himself without a cause to fight for. When he looks around him, he sees beautiful examples of love, fathers, and people who can only be themselves. He thanks them all for showing him the way. Then, he thanks Bonnie and Ernie for giving him the chance to try. They share a toast to Bonnie and Earnie before dancing. Later, Geordie tells Will that it’ll be kids next since Ernie needs company. Will says he was right about telling them how you feel. When Will says he wants to tell him how he feels, Geordie insists it only works on women. They tell each other they love one another and hug.

 

Grantchester Review

I had a feeling the case with the vagrants would come back up since it felt like a finale several episodes back. Once the episode started, I think it was easy to see that Jim was going to be responsible for the vagrant murders. Despite that aspect of the series being predictable, the episode had a lot of unpredictable events, especially Will and Bonnie’s marriage.

The episode has some humorous and emotional scenes as well. In particular, the bromance scenes with Geordie and Will were very emotional and effective. Tom Glenister did well as the psychotic killer. Leonard has found a new calling while Sylvia rediscovered God after a health scare and nearly losing Will. Overall, the finale had everything you could hope for.

Besides being humorous and emotional, the episode closed enough doors while opening more for future episodes. I’d give the finale a 7.5 out of 10. Recaps of Grantchester can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support Reel Mockery by following this link.