For nearly a year, fans of Grantchester have known that star Tom Brittney is leaving the PBS Masterpiece Mystery!, but we’ll have to wait a little longer to see how Geordie takes the news. At the end of the Season 9 premiere, Will accepted a job in Newcastle, where the boat-rocker will be able to focus full-time on helping people in need rather than moonlight as a detective because his dwindling congregation requires little more than bake sales and prayer meetings. He’ll tell Geordie about his change of heart in Brittney’s final hour, airing June 23; then we’ll meet Will’s successor, Rev. Alphy Kotteram (Rishi Nair), in the June 30 episode. Let’s get into it.
Following last season’s dark ending, the premiere’s light opening was a welcome one: The gang headed to Carson’s traveling circus, where Will made an inappropriate joke about “a woman with a ping pong ball” and Geordie complimented trapeze artist-turned-magician’s assistant Feathers (Cora Kirk) on her handcuffs: “Very nice,” he quipped from the front row. After reluctant Geordie was volunteered for a trick, we saw the real showstopper: Illusionist Errol Macabre fired an arrow through Feathers into a bullseye. You expected her to be Geordie’s latest murder victim. She wasn’t. The next day, Geordie and Will returned to the circus because Errol was found dead with an arrow in this chest.
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Grantchester Circus
We’d eventually learn that Jerry, aka the ringmaster and head clown Pogo, had tampered with the trick rifle — hoping to kill Feathers. He’d found out that she and Errol were planning to leave the circus, which Nanna Carson was selling for parts when their tour ended. Jerry would no longer have a job, nor his access to the opium that Errol supplied him for a chronic back injury. Jerry was bitter about his past — the once elite gymnast settled for coasting as a clown — and resentful of Feathers’ bright future, which he felt the nepo baby (and burglar) didn’t deserve. He gave himself the perfect alibi, having local concession worker Nick audition for a clown job by entertaining the troupe’s children dressed as Jerry’s Pogo, and snuck away to sabotage the gun. He never expected Errol to ask Nick to help him practice the trick, with Errol standing in as Feathers.
When we last saw Feathers, she was waiting for the bus for London with a bag of stolen jewels (props to her for planting a fake pawn shop receipt and stash of counterfeit money to throw off the police). She’ll presumably get the chance to headline her own big-time act, just as Will hopes to. This case reminded him how much collateral damage regrets and bitterness can do. A heart-to-heart with Leonard, whose halfway house now welcomes speakers like street preacher Sam, proved pivotal as well. Leonard didn’t settle. If he’d stayed at the church, he’d have been resentful of living only half a life.
Leonard understands that stability isn’t always happiness or fulfillment. But that’s not how Geordie sees it now. He couldn’t understand why Will would even entertain the Newcastle offer, which Will initially turned down. Why make your life more difficult when you can have the best summer ever with friends turned family? It won’t be pretty when Geordie hears Will accepted the position after all. Still, there’s hope for him to come around. Geordie was annoyed, but ultimately proud when his teen daughter Esme applied for an office job at an import company behind his back. He talked wife Cathy out of forging a letter to Esme’s new employer declining the position. Geordie thinks it’s better for Esme to take the leap while they’re still there to guide her.
Grantchester Miss Scott Larry
As for other developments in town… MISS SCOTT AND LARRY SLEPT TOGETHER. Like great TV procedurals before it, Grantchester used an undercover mission — watching Feathers’ back during a performance, posing as a couple on a date — to have them do the deed off-screen. Geordie sniffed it out the next day when Miss Scott and Larry couldn’t look at each other in the office.
“Whole world’s gone topsy,” Geordie said.
“He’s sweet, but it was a mistake. He’ll understand. Please say nothing,” Miss Scott begged Geordie. Are you ‘shipping Miss Scott and Larry, or did his redemption arc not work its magic on you? (I still need to be convinced that he’s the guy for her.)
Other questions: How long will Mrs. C continue to work for the Keating household and be ironing Geordie’s boxers? And how long will it take Geordie to forgive Will when he learns about Newcastle? To quote Bonnie, “He survived Burma, he’d get through us leaving.”
Grade the premiere below, then join the congregation in the comments to share your thoughts.
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