Season 6 Discussion

[AngieBee1]

The first episode has aired on ITV and, thankfully, is still in top form.  Love that they're including Leonard's beau more.

[Daff]

PBS, Sunday, October 3, episode 6-1 scheduled! (After new season of CtM airs). 

[ComeWhatMay]

Merries, the English Kellerman’s 

Dysfunction and murder, no extra charge. 

That photographer is a dirt bag. 

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by ComeWhatMay

[HoodlumSheep]

Enjoyable episode!

Mrs. C is really letting loose now. Showin' her legs off like that lolololol.

Hey! It's that guy who was just on the latest season of Unforgotten! One of the dirty cops! No longer the killer, but the one killed. How the turntables. Jk jk

I hope they don't keep geordie's daughter as a moody teeny bopper all season. 

So leonard's storyline is gonna be blackmail, huh. That photographer is so petty.

Interested to see where this goes tbh. I feel like the leonard/daniel storyline is starting to stagnate at this point tbh bc i feel like we're getting the same thing from them every season now, so i'm wondering what's in store for them (Breaking up (like for good)? Moving away?). I'll be disappointed if this storyline gets wrapped up in a tidy bow by the end of it without any major developments/consequences.

Fingers crossed for another season that's at least as tightly written as the last!

Edited October 4, 2021 by HoodlumSheep

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Merries, the English Kellerman’s 

I had the exact same thought! 

2 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

I hope they don't keep geordie's daughter as a moody teeny bopper all season. 

There's a part of me that wonders what Esme Keating was up to this episode. I don't think there were deleted scenes left on the cutting room floor, but I did wonder what she was doing during the week they were there. It feels like she had her own weeklong adventure offscreen. She looked like she had a crush or at least an attraction to the piano player. 

I was surprised a place like Merries was playing so much rock and roll, and even had a rock and roll band as the house band. I would have thought the house band would have been more an old big band, or a jazz combo, and maybe occasionally the band would play a few rock and roll songs "for the youngsters." 

There is no way Leonard's storyline ends well. The only way out I can see is for Geordie to somehow convince the higher-ups that Leonard and Daniel are actually confidential informants/trusted sources. 

Shallow end of the pool: I loved seeing Will in tank tops, t-shirts and polo shirts for the the entire episode. 

[mjc570]

As soon as I saw Rachael Stirling, I knew it had to be her simply because she is so recognizable.  Speaking of which, wow, she is in everything! Or maybe it seems like that since I watch a lot of British tv.

It was an ok episode, it seemed almost more designed to introduce the various core characters.  Can Geordie really just preempt an investigation like that? I know his rank was higher, but what about jurisdiction?

I think I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would because I am VERY worried about Leonard.  I can only hope that Will can pull off some miracle to protect him.

[Daff]

10 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

She looked like she had a crush or at least an attraction to the piano player. 

I caught that look, too as she sat watching him play. She either didn’t approach him, or she did and found no reciprocal interest, based upon her comments when leaving. This is PBS though, maybe we did miss SOMEthing, however brief. 

[Daff]

On 9/28/2021 at 4:59 AM, Daff said:

PBS, Sunday, October 3, episode 6-1 scheduled! (After new season of CtM airs). 

Grantchester went by too fast and disappointed to see that CtM is just a re-airing of last season! Thought it was a strange time of year for them!

Oops, sorry-found it!!!! Happy both are back. 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Daff

[Cetacean]

Where were the rest of the daughters? Were they mentioned and I missed it?

 

[sugarbaker design]

10 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Where were the rest of the daughters? Were they mentioned and I missed it?

 

They were there.  They were shown in the beginning and at the end when Geordie and wife were arriving and leaving.  I'm assuming they were doing the kids' activities in the meantime.

[dubbel zout]

14 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

Merries, the English Kellerman’s 

I immediately started singing "Tommy's Holiday Camp" and "Welcome" from the rock opera "Tommy." Robson Green would probably enjoy that, heh. (Reference to the cast snippets that were shown after the episode.)

It cracked me up that the whole gang went on holiday together. How is that a vacation when you're with the same people you see day in and day out? Though I loved seeing the women, especially, be much more relaxed and playful. It seems Geordie has no casual clothes, since he wore that same suit the entire week.

I'm interested to see how Leonard's story plays out. That photographer is a piece of shit to take revenge like that, but it's not unreasonable to think someone would complain to the church. Leonard hasn't been as discreet as he thinks he's been.

[sugarbaker design]

5 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I'm interested to see how Leonard's story plays out. That photographer is a piece of shit to take revenge like that, but it's not unreasonable to think someone would complain to the church. Leonard hasn't been as discreet as he thinks he's been.

This show, while I love it, is doing a disservice by showing a gay romance flourishing in small town England in the 50's with no consequences.  There were huge ramifications for gay behavior back then:  losing one's job, place of residence, jail time, chemical castration.  I'm glad they're going to be exploring this in this season.  It's a situation rich with possibilities.  I know it was set in the early 1900's but it reminds me of Maurice when Maurice asks his doctor what he should do and doctor tells him to move to France.

[Sarah 103]

2 hours ago, Daff said:

I caught that look, too as she sat watching him play. She either didn’t approach him, or she did and found no reciprocal interest, based upon her comments when leaving. This is PBS though, maybe we did miss SOMEthing, however brief. 

I thought cut scenes only happened with Call the Midwife. Has PBS been cutting scenes from Grantchester as well? 

33 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I'm interested to see how Leonard's story plays out. That photographer is a piece of shit to take revenge like that, but it's not unreasonable to think someone would complain to the church. Leonard hasn't been as discreet as he thinks he's been.

I can't begin to count the number of times over the years I have been watching this series that I've said variations of "Leonard, you're not that stupid." Leonard's big mistake was going back to the photographer. When he initially shut down the advance, the photographer was probably thinking he misread the signs and maybe Leonard was actually into women after all. Gaydar isn't perfect. The photographer would have probably left it alone. Leonard's fatal error was going back to the photographer to apologize. After that, the photographer had confirmation that Leonard was gay. The photographer was acting out of anger and desire for revenge. It should make for a tense storyarc this season.  

[JudyObscure]

52 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Leonard hasn't been as discreet as he thinks he's been.

He has always worn his heart on his sleeve and all it would take is for someone  to be watching him when he just looks at the man he loves, much less dabs the ice cream off his mouth.  Remember the time Leonard and Mrs. M were at the police station trying to lie about something and failing hilariously?  He is as transparent  as glass, with his nerves and emotions all over his face.  Leonard has made me cry more often than the Midwives.

[cardigirl]

I dunno, I used to love this series. It's just so uneven.  The subject matter it tries to deal with is so dark, but once the hour is over, ta da, we're back to merry ol' Grantchester and beautiful little English villages and let's not be too bothered by what we saw here. Honestly, I had to force myself to keep watching because all I could keep thinking was "Who goes on holiday with everyone they work with?"  

Considering the show’s willingness to write such a storyline, it rather glossed over quite how horrific this was and by the end, nobody among the cheerfully departing villagers (vicar included) seemed unduly bothered. Such is life in jolly old Grantchester!

Leonard has always been a favorite of mine, but it seems they keep going in circles with his story. Maybe this year is the year he'll have to make a decision about how he's going to live his true life. 

I hope the writing gets better. 

[TVForever]

It feels like Leonard seems determined to court disaster. Knowing what being a gay man would mean in that time ( for any man, let alone a man of the church), WHY do those two seem determined to get caught? They've had so many close calls at this point,  those two should be locking the door whenever they're in a room just reading the newspaper, let alone spending, um, "happy time" together. What are these guys thinking?

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

I thought cut scenes only happened with Call the Midwife. Has PBS been cutting scenes from Grantchester as well? 

I haven't seen any evidence of it at all.  While Esme did gaze longingly at the cute band member, I can't imagine her approaching him.  She was just admiring the scenery.

[dargosmydaddy]

4 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

It cracked me up that the whole gang went on holiday together. How is that a vacation when you're with the same people you see day in and day out?

That drove me nuts. I get that it was (kind of) necessary for plot purposes, but it seemed very contrived in reality that they all decided to go together. (I did miss the first couple minutes-- was any explanation given?) Leonard's inclusion seemed particularly inexplicable since A) he clearly didn't consider the trip fun at all, so why did he agree to go?, and B) wouldn't it make sense to leave someone behind at the vicarage both for the sake of the congregation and to take care of Dickens? (Seriously, who was watching Dickens???) And really, his subplot could have worked just as well at home, with a different blackmailer, as I could see him being less than discreet if he got the vicarage to himself for five days.

[dubbel zout]

There was no explanation to why the gang was all together on vacation.

[Sarah 103]

3 hours ago, TVForever said:

It feels like Leonard seems determined to court disaster. Knowing what being a gay man would mean in that time ( for any man, let alone a man of the church), WHY do those two seem determined to get caught? They've had so many close calls at this point,  those two should be locking the door whenever they're in a room just reading the newspaper, let alone spending, um, "happy time" together. What are these guys thinking?

To answer your question "what are these guys thinking?" They are not thinking. They are in love and love has made them stupid. 

35 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

B) wouldn't it make sense to leave someone behind at the vicarage both for the sake of the congregation and to take care of Dickens? (Seriously, who was watching Dickens???) And really, his subplot could have worked just as well at home, with a different blackmailer, as I could see him being less than discreet if he got the vicarage to himself for five days.

My guess is that someone in the congregation agreed to bring Dickens into thier home for a week or was visiting the vicarage multiple times a day to take care of Dickens. If anyone in Grantchester found out about Leonard and Daniel it would be all over town and Leonard would be finished. There would be no way out for him.   

 

 

[dargosmydaddy]

3 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

If anyone in Grantchester found out about Leonard and Daniel it would be all over town and Leonard would be finished. There would be no way out for him.  

If it was a member of the congregation, sure. But if it was a Bryan-like person who was more concerned about blackmail fodder than the sin of homosexuality, it could have played out the same way.

[magdalene]

On 10/4/2021 at 2:28 PM, dubbel zout said:

There was no explanation to why the gang was all together on vacation.

It sure seemed contrived. I wonder whether the real reason was Covid filming restrictions.  I know they would have had to film the entire season in a "Covid bubble".

So this piece of crap photographer is going to be blackmailing Will about Leonard going by the preview?  That's going to end well.

I don't want Leonard's story to end like Turing's.  Leonard needs to be more discreet.   Many gay men back then were able to have relationships without being ruined.  While most straight people back then wouldn't have been as forward thinking as Will many were protecting gay men in their midst by just basically pretending to know nothing with the "it's none of my business attitude".  Now that doesn't seem like much but it was the way to "live and let live".  My great-aunt, as conventional as they come, told anybody nosy enough to ask  that the gay couple next door to her in the sixties were "best friends and very sensitive".   And no, she wasn't just very naive, she knew what the deal was.  It  would have never occurred to her "to make trouble" for her neighbors.

[momo]

On 10/4/2021 at 2:28 PM, dubbel zout said:

There was no explanation to why the gang was all together on vacation.

Back when I was working with people I liked, it would've been great to vacation together!  Then you get the fun of hanging out without having to do all that pesky work stuff.

 

On 10/3/2021 at 7:18 PM, HoodlumSheep said:

On 10/3/2021 at 7:18 PM, HoodlumSheep said:

 

Hey! It's that guy who was just on the latest season of Unforgotten! One of the dirty cops! No longer the killer, but the one killed.

😄

Edited October 9, 2021 by momo
technology has defeated me

[MrsRafaelBarba]

On 10/3/2021 at 10:18 PM, HoodlumSheep said:

 

 

 

 

Fingers crossed for another season that's at least as tightly written as the last!

 S7 was commissioned in July.

 Filming began the same month and Tom will direct an episode.

[Cetacean]

Oh, dear, poor Leonard.  Things are definitely not looking good for him.

[ComeWhatMay]

“I told him it’s none of our business unless you were burying them.” Ha! 

“People like you deserve to be exposed.” Self-loathing is toxic and in the throes of bitterness like Bryan you vomit it all over the people in your path, especially those you envy. Bryan is the reason he does not have a circle like Leonard. 

Will is a good friend. Leonard will need all his friends.

Tamara is a piece of work, but I see where she came from… 

Parenthood is the ultimate gamble and you have to really want it. Being a parent means loving whoever he/she/they turn out to be. Mr. Asper had the wrong idea about it and the child pays when you go along to get along and have one like Mrs. Asper. Glad this fictional situation got sorted, but too many real ones do not. 

[magdalene]

That nasty little weasel....

Poor Leonard,  even with the support of Will I don't see a way out given what the law was.  As a police officer Geordie has his hands tied.

Maybe Leonard could go abroad?

The whole thing totally overshadowed the case of the week for me.

[sugarbaker design]

11 hours ago, ComeWhatMay said:

“People like you deserve to be exposed.” Self-loathing is toxic and in the throes of bitterness like Bryan you vomit it all over the people in your path, especially those you envy. Bryan is the reason he does not have a circle like Leonard. 

That self-loathing and bitterness didn't come from nowhere.  That's from a lifetime of homophobia and living in the closet.  The closet kills.  Brian's the reality of being gay in 1950's England, Leonard is the fantasy for PBS viewers in 2021.  I'm admiring the way the writers are actually showing what the zeitgeist of the time did to gay people.  Bitterness indeed, but in others it was alcoholism/addiction, and others took the awful route of dragging some poor unsuspecting woman into a charade.  It was  lose/lose, except for the upper class, and apparently, Leonard.

 

8 hours ago, magdalene said:

Maybe Leonard could go abroad?

He could take Maurice's doctor's advice and move to France!

Edited October 11, 2021 by sugarbaker design

[dubbel zout]

Paying off Brian was never going to end well. Leonard is in an impossible situation, though, so I see why he thought it could solve things.

I feel sorry for Brian even as I think he's a complete piece of shit. Self-loathing can make you do terrible things. He's as much a victim of the times as Leonard is.

I thought the baby stuff was resolved a bit too smoothly—a man like Asper is too concerned about his legacy to simply accept being childless. And the show dropped the ball on father's rights after making a big deal out of it earlier.

I've been watching Call the Midwife before this, and when I saw the police secretary who was missing her lower arm/hand, all I could think was, "Ooh, a Thalidomide baby!" I'm colliding my TV worlds, heh.

[Sarah 103]

Will and Leonard didn't get the negatives, which was a huge mistake. 

Will understands that wealth isn't necessarily the best enviornment for a child, especially a child that is viewed as a status symbol more than anything else. For Will, Tamara represents the road not taken.

My prediction:  Tamara will have something that she wants Will to quietly investigate this season, but of course he'll have to bring in Geordie at some point and promise that she can trust him. 

There was something about the Asper storyline that didn't make sense. Mr. Asper wanted to hide the fact that he adopted, but would anyone believe with multiple years of trying that suddenly at her age she would be able to conceive? 

[sugarbaker design]

44 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

Will and Leonard didn't get the negatives, which was a huge mistake. 

Even Mrs. C knew to burn the negatives!

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Sarah 103 said:

There was something about the Asper storyline that didn't make sense. Mr. Asper wanted to hide the fact that he adopted, but would anyone believe with multiple years of trying that suddenly at her age she would be able to conceive? 

Mrs. Asper went through the charade of going away for the length of the pregnancy, so I think everyone would politely ignore the likelihood she's too old. And they could always say it was a miracle baby. 

[TVForever]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

There was something about the Asper storyline that didn't make sense. Mr. Asper wanted to hide the fact that he adopted, but would anyone believe with multiple years of trying that suddenly at her age she would be able to conceive? 

 

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Mrs. Asper went through the charade of going away for the length of the pregnancy, so I think everyone would politely ignore the likelihood she's too old. And they could always say it was a miracle baby. 

I was thinking the same thing. It would be one of those "open secrets", that everyone knew, but no one would ever say out loud. The baby was theirs, and that would be the end of it.

[djsunyc]

my guess is that daniel will feel the major brunt of this.  may almost end in tragedy.

[magdalene]

9 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

He could take Maurice's doctor's advice and move to France!

The problem is one needs an income to become an ex-pat in one of those lovely sunny countries like France, Italy, Greece.  Leonard is poor and he doesn't have one of those occupations  that one can do anywhere like being a published writer, or something.

I have zero sympathy for Brian.  There should be a special circle in hell reserved for blackmailers who go after somebody hapless like Leonard.   Maybe he save everyone the bother and get himself bumped off by someone in his past. This being a murder mystery and all.

[mjc570]

What I like about the show is that it is not TOO realistic about social conditions that existed then - that would make for some grim viewing.  For example, Mr. Asper actually turned out to be decent, which I didn't at all expect, and things looks rosy for the poor young couple who already have several children.  Most importantly,  I want Leonard not to be harmed in any way, although given the times, things don't look good for him.  

[Cetacean]

8 minutes ago, mjc570 said:

Most importantly,  I want Leonard not to be harmed in any way, although given the times, things don't look good for him.  

Yeah, not sure how this can possible turn out OK.  It was one thing when Bryan was threatening but now that stuffy bishop is in the police station so you know it's going to get ugly.

Poor Mrs. Asper - she looked so miserable.  And it must have been a nightmare to pretend she was a happy mom whilst being totally lost around the baby.

[ComeWhatMay]

3 hours ago, TVForever said:

I was thinking the same thing. It would be one of those "open secrets", that everyone knew, but no one would ever say out loud. The baby was theirs, and that would be the end of it.

Especially in those circles. “Many cupboards” in those houses. It reminded me of Will and Meredith, the aborted baby, and Eddie and Meredith still dining and socializing with Will’s parents and Meredith moving on to sleeping with Will’s father. 

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

It was one thing when Bryan was threatening but now that stuffy bishop is in the police station so you know it's going to get ugly.

The various season previews have showed Leonard getting fingerprinted, so it gets a little ugly, at minimum. Ugh, poor Leonard.

I think it would make for an interesting story if Brian is the one who gets killed. 

[sistermagpie]

10 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

There was something about the Asper storyline that didn't make sense. Mr. Asper wanted to hide the fact that he adopted, but would anyone believe with multiple years of trying that suddenly at her age she would be able to conceive? 

 

8 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Mrs. Asper went through the charade of going away for the length of the pregnancy, so I think everyone would politely ignore the likelihood she's too old. And they could always say it was a miracle baby. 

I like imagining them all politely pretending that baby never happened while quietly gossiping about, "Didn't those two have a baby for five minutes? Did they misplace it?"

4 hours ago, magdalene said:

I have zero sympathy for Brian.  There should be a special circle in hell reserved for blackmailers who go after somebody hapless like Leonard.   Maybe he save everyone the bother and get himself bumped off by someone in his past. This being a murder mystery and all.

Seems like he's eventually got to be involved in a case, either as suspect or victim. He's got the obvious motive for both already, so they just have to come up with a twist.

[ichbin]

I'm beginning to think some of the British period shows like Grantchester and Call the Midwife are being produced mainly for the purpose of "you think you have it bad now, you should see how much worse it would have been like living it through the 1950's and 1960's".   

[LGraves65]

21 hours ago, mjc570 said:

For example, Mr. Asper actually turned out to be decent,

He was played by brilliant comedic actor Miles Jupp -- I don't think my heart could have handled him being a baddie. :)

[HoodlumSheep]

A little late to the latest episode discussion, but--

@ leonard and will u dummies, why would you pay Brian the blackmail money then never follow up on whether he destroyed/handed over the supposed (or very real in this case) evidence!!!

The leonard drama definitely overshadowed the murder mystery this week. I didn't have much interest in the case. Overall a kind of blah episode.

On 10/11/2021 at 6:20 PM, djsunyc said:

my guess is that daniel will feel the major brunt of this.

I'm leaning toward this too bc as i see it there are only a handful of ways to tackle this storyline (with varying results):

1) daniel has to go (probably forever)

2) leonard has to go

3) they both go

4) the town and church and leonard all hold hands, sing kumbaya and decide to turn a blind eye to everything (watch my faith in this show vanish instantly if this issue is wrapped up neatly in a bow)

5) leonard (and possibly daniel) actually serve jail time, eventually get released but then have to deal with the town, etc. Knowing.

I'm not sure taking an extended vacation will enough at this point. Same with leonard and/or will possibly breaking thru to brian and him retracting his accusation. Like, if the previews are anything to go by, the damage has been done (or is going to be done).

If i'm forgetting a possible end scenario please feel free to chime in. :P

Edited October 14, 2021 by HoodlumSheep

[ComeWhatMay]

I’m with Geordie. Dammit, Leonard. 

And, yes, there is no realistic way this ends well in ‘50s England. 

[HoodlumSheep]

So leonard is arrested...and is immediately shown to be out of jail the next episode? So does this mean he only gets a short sentence or did they somehow wrangle a house arrest situation for him? Time skip? Is he out of a job then?

???

So far the mysteries have been lukewarm this season. Not too interesting.

Proud of leonard tho. No more hiding. It's a necessary step forward imo.

Edited October 18, 2021 by HoodlumSheep

[dargosmydaddy]

Geez, Leonard...

I really don't get where this is going... If Al Weaver wanted off the show, there were easier/ nicer ways to do it. Leonard could move on to another church, or leave the church altogether and move away with Daniel. The fact that they're drawing out the subplot for so many episodes points to the fact that it's not about Weaver wanting out, so, like I said, I just don't get it. There's no believable/ historically accurate way this ends OK at this point, and it just seems like a sh*tty way to treat the character, and for what? The mysteries are playing second fiddle at this point. I mean, I love Al Weaver, and good for him getting the meaty storyline, but the show has already shown us time and again how awful it was to be gay back then. It just seems overly torturous to keep going back to that particular well when there are other characters and storylines they could mine instead. And if everything does somehow miraculously turn out OK for Leonard, it's going to be extremely unbelievable.

I will say this storyline is finally making me warm to Will, though. All I could think during this episode was that Sidney would have given Leonard an alibi with few qualms, but he also would have been far less supportive. Not that I think Sidney had any real issue with Leonard being gay, but he could be very dismissive of Leonard and didn't treat him like a true friend most of the time. After a rough start, I rather like the Will/ Leonard friendship that's developed.

[sistermagpie]

1 hour ago, ComeWhatMay said:

I’m with Geordie. Dammit, Leonard. 

And, yes, there is no realistic way this ends well in ‘50s England. 

Yes, I thought it was funny when Will said, "Does anybody really care anymore?" andI thought...isn't it the 50s? Did they ever care more than they do right now?

[magdalene]

The only way this can realistically play out is exile and Leonard is no Oscar Wilde. Or prison and chemical castration and that's just awful to contemplate. Are they writing the actor off the show? How are they going to stick the landing on this story line without it all feeling like a gigantic cop-out?

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

So far the mysteries have been lukewarm this season. Not too interesting.

I agree. As soon as the writer was introduced, I knew he'd be involved in the mystery.

11 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

I thought it was funny when Will said, "Does anybody really care anymore?" andI thought...isn't it the 50s? Did they ever care more than they do right now?

I thought, "If they don't care, they also don't care enough to want to change the law." Someone upthread remarked that the show is kind of how you wish things had been back then (badly paraphrased, sorry!), and that's true. What frustrates me about this story is that even if Will is okay with Leonard being gay, the Church and the law aren't, and Will should be more sensitive to that for Leonard's sake if nothing else. Will's moral struggle over whether to lie to the police was a big fat nothing, too.

[sugarbaker design]

10 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

So far the mysteries have been lukewarm this season. Not too interesting.

Seriously!  When the writer entered her living room, Rebecca Front might as well have said "Geordie, Will, this is this week's murderer."