Season 9 discussion

[dargosmydaddy]

Ready for another series of angst and misery? A new vicar for Geordie to take under his wing? And of course, the biggest question of all-- will Dickens get to go with the Davenports, or will he stay at the vicarage?

Discuss.

[EtheltoTillie]

Glad this is back because there’s nothing else to watch right now. PBS Passport has dropped all the episodes already. 
Episode one Will still acting like a jerk with his wife. 

[EtheltoTillie]

Geordie says he needs fingerprints but then he touches the receipt evidence all over. WTF

Edited June 17, 2024 by EtheltoTillie

[EtheltoTillie]

So Feathers just got away with it? Is that a first on this show?  That was a shocker. 

Edited June 17, 2024 by EtheltoTillie

[Hab]

3 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

So Feathers just got away with it? Is that a first on this show?  That was a shocker. 

She wasn’t the murderer & the bag full of money & pawn receipts were phonies. Nana was fine with her leaving the circus. She was selling it off anyway. The murdered guy bought the tickets with the money he got selling drugs. 

[12catcrazy]

2 hours ago, Hab said:

She wasn’t the murderer & the bag full of money & pawn receipts were phonies. Nana was fine with her leaving the circus. She was selling it off anyway. The murdered guy bought the tickets with the money he got selling drugs. 

I still don't really get the phony money and pawn receipts, but when Feathers opened her bag while waiting for the bus, she had a bunch of what I presume was stolen stuff (pearls and other jewelry) in it.  So I am under the impression, that while she wasn't the murderer, she was the thief who followed people home and stole their jewelry.  

[Height-Nonchalance]

8 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

PBS Passport has dropped all the episodes already.

Do you really have the entire season?  On my Passport there are placeholders for all episodes but only content for the first.

[Orcinus orca]

I found this confusing as well.  Did she plant fake jewelry and money for Geordie to find whilst hiding the real stuff?  Seems like that would take a lot of preplanning although she probably knew that Granny was going to sell.

[EtheltoTillie]

48 minutes ago, Height-Nonchalance said:

Do you really have the entire season?  On my Passport there are placeholders for all episodes but only content for the first.

I’ve already watched episode 2. Haven’t checked the others

Well the Feathers plot is way too confusing for my brain. 

[HoodlumSheep]

3 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

I still don't really get the phony money and pawn receipts, but when Feathers opened her bag while waiting for the bus, she had a bunch of what I presume was stolen stuff (pearls and other jewelry) in it.  So I am under the impression, that while she wasn't the murderer, she was the thief who followed people home and stole their jewelry.  

Tbh I thought this was eluding to Nana being the thief. personally I thought Feather's face when she opened the bag and saw the stuff was one of happy surprise but that's just my interpretation? Idk.

9 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

So Feathers just got away with it? Is that a first on this show?  That was a shocker.

Pretty sure there was a lady who got away with the loot a handful of seasons back. Like season 5-7 somewhere.

9x01:

Caught a rare Sidney mention!

I don't really have much to say about this episode tbh. Good to see everyone back. Like Sidney, Will wants to do more and is ready to look for new challenges.

My mom is still Bonnie's number one hater and I find it highly amusing. It all stems from her actress not being on Call the Midwife anymore.

Ngl I was hoping Larry and Miss Scott would maybe become a thing but it looks like that's not gonna work out 😬.

Spoiler

 

*Ignore the random empty spoiler box. I cannot for the life of me delete these or the quote boxes on mobile when I change my mind and don't want to use them. Wish there was an undo button lol.

Edited June 18, 2024 by HoodlumSheep

[JudyObscure]

Has Bonnie ever once said a kind or supportive word to Will? On their first date she was screaming at him for not sleeping with her.  Now she's mocking his sermons, shaming him for growing up rich as though he had a choice, and telling him how  superior she is because she was married before.  All because he didn't ask her  before turning down a job offer.  He needed to ask her before taking a new job, but I don't see why he needed her permission to stay the same. 

The nice people of Grantchester don't deserve a vicar's wife who looks down on them for talking  about Dahlias. 

I was really hoping they were going to move away at the end of this episode and we could start with the new vicar.

[EtheltoTillie]

12 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Has Bonnie ever once said a kind or supportive word to Will? On their first date she was screaming at him for not sleeping with her.  Now she's mocking his sermons, shaming him for growing up rich as though he had a choice, and telling him how  superior she is because she was married before.  All because he didn't ask her  before turning down a job offer.  He needed to ask her before taking a new job, but I don't see why he needed her permission to stay the same. 

The nice people of Grantchester don't deserve a vicar's wife who looks down on them for talking  about Dahlias. 

I was really hoping they were going to move away at the end of this episode and we could start with the new vicar.

I posted above that Will was acting like a jerk. Now that you mention it she’s a bit of a shrew. They deserve each other. Leonard is the best!  I love Leonard. 

[anniebird]

I just hope the new vicar is more interesting than Will.

[howiveaddict]

I never liked Barbara (Charlotte Ritchie) on Call the Midwife that much. Did cry when she died, though. I preferred Charlotte's character on Ghosts more.

This episode of Grantchester was just ok.  

Finally Geordie is right about his daughter getting a job and his wife is wrong. That doesn't usually happen with them.

 

[Daff]

11 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Has Bonnie ever once said a kind or supportive word to Will? On their first date she was screaming at him for not sleeping with her.  Now she's mocking his sermons, shaming him for growing up rich as though he had a choice, and telling him how  superior she is because she was married before.  All because he didn't ask her  before turning down a job offer.  He needed to ask her before taking a new job, but I don't see why he needed her permission to stay the same. 

The nice people of Grantchester don't deserve a vicar's wife who looks down on them for talking  about Dahlias. 

I was really hoping they were going to move away at the end of this episode and we could start with the new vicar.

She really is negative all around. Just grateful it’s not solely aimed at Will. An equal opportunity nag.

OT: What happened to the DI Ray discussion?? I’ve searched 5x for it-get nothing.

[12catcrazy]

2 hours ago, Daff said:

She really is negative all around. Just grateful it’s not solely aimed at Will. An equal opportunity nag.

OT: What happened to the DI Ray discussion?? I’ve searched 5x for it-get nothing.

Check under D.I. Ray

[sugarbaker design]

13 hours ago, anniebird said:

I just hope the new vicar is more interesting than Will.

A slice of dry toast is more interesting than Will.  He's leaving soon, right?  🤞

[Daff]

20 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

Check under D.I. Ray

Thanks. Pretty sad when the actual letters don’t count for searches. My last attempt was exactly as the print on the DVR icon (as above, but no space between the initials and the last name-best as I could see it in all its neon glory).

[krankydoodle]

On 6/17/2024 at 7:14 PM, Height-Nonchalance said:

Do you really have the entire season?  On my Passport there are placeholders for all episodes but only content for the first.

They're all available on Passport for me. I've already watched episodes 3-6 of the new season. I skipped the first two eps because I'm tired of Will, but I really like the new guy!

[EtheltoTillie]

I like the new guy but it’s a bit jarring how he has almost immediately started going out on meetings with Geordie and questioning people as if he’s an actual member of the police department and people talk to him as if it’s the usual thing to have a vicar along. I know that’s the conceit of the show but it seems odder this time around.

I liked the episode with Esme at the store, it/was a good mystery. 

[anniebird]

I like this new guy so much better than sad sack Will. 

[Sarah 103]

Just a quick reminder to everyone reading this that anything that has not aired yet on PBS should be marked with a spoiler tag. (It's the little eye icon on the menu bar). 

[dancingdreamer]

On 6/17/2024 at 6:41 PM, EtheltoTillie said:

I posted above that Will was acting like a jerk. Now that you mention it she’s a bit of a shrew. They deserve each other. Leonard is the best!  I love Leonard. 

Leonard  for me, is the best character  on this show. He did become  very close with Will, I hope he gets along as well, with the new handsome  vicar.

[peeayebee]

I just watched E1 and E2.

Like others, I'm confused about the Feathers storyline. Who switched/altered the gun? Geordie said at one point that Feathers could have been the intended target OR someone knew that Errol was going to be rehearsing with it, so he could have been the target. However, now that I think about it, the person who changed the gun would probably have thought that Errol would be shooting the gun as usual, not being shot at, so I still think Feathers was the intended victim.

Who wanted her dead? Someone who knew she was stealing? Or were she and Errol stealing together? Or was he stealing alone and then she stole from him?

 

[christie]

On 6/22/2024 at 12:00 AM, peeayebee said:

I just watched E1 and E2.

Like others, I'm confused about the Feathers storyline. Who switched/altered the gun? Geordie said at one point that Feathers could have been the intended target OR someone knew that Errol was going to be rehearsing with it, so he could have been the target. However, now that I think about it, the person who changed the gun would probably have thought that Errol would be shooting the gun as usual, not being shot at, so I still think Feathers was the intended victim.

Who wanted her dead? Someone who knew she was stealing? Or were she and Errol stealing together? Or was he stealing alone and then she stole from him?

 

The clown guy (Jerry?) wanted her dead for some reason I don't remember.

[peeayebee]

Oh right. He had the candy floss guy wear his clown outfit/makeup and said she was a thief. Did she steal from him?

[Orcinus orca]

I can't believe Will and Bonnie waited until the day before the movers were due to break the news.  That was just silly.

And these British shows always push keeping the mother and baby together which is totally insane.  Without any family support and a job, what was the young mom to do?  You can't sit all day looking lovingly at the kid.  Not at all realistic but I suppose they only want happy, sappy endings.

Bye, Will.  You won't be missed in my household.

[HoodlumSheep]

Ep. 9x02:

Ngl I shed some tears

Will's always been so-so but like...that's Geordie's kid! That's his son! That's Will's dad!!!! And Leonard and him calling each other brothers 😭!!!

His goodbye pulled at my heartstrings a lot more than Sidney's did probably bc the cast felt a lot closer than during the Sidney days. Much more a family.

The longer the mystery went on the more I wanted Larry's theory of the guy just taking a tumble down the stairs bc of loose shoelaces to be true.

Dickens is showing his age.

Glad Larry and Miss Scott sorted things out. At least we know they'll stay as friends/friendly coworkers.

I had problems with Geordie's "uplifting" convo with the young mother. Did anyone else find it manipulative? Manipulative just like the headmistress was towards her niece, was it not? Not good imo. The convo needed to be reworked and framed better.

My mom everytime Will or anyone mentioned them leaving:

"You could just visit."

It's not like Will is moving across an entire ocean like Sidney. They or the Grantchester fam could always visit.

At least my mom will be free of Bonnie. Lol.

Ultimately I think Will's best season was the one with the community boxing ring storyline. Still one of the most tightly written seasons this series has had (though the bar has never been set very high in the first place).

 

 

Edited June 24, 2024 by HoodlumSheep

[zoey1996]

44 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

I had problems with Geordie's "uplifting" convo with the young mother. Did anyone else find it manipulative?

i was hearing it more like Geordie realizing he had to let Esme go, take the job, and live her own life.

I for one will miss Will. I thought it a good time for him to move on, however. I am looking forward to the new vicar. Will he get a new "Mrs. C"?

[dancingdreamer]

Will and Leonard,  their  goodbye  felt so real, my eyes filled up. I think  Will in RL, is a great hugger.

I didn't  think  Geordie  was going to be able to say goodbye,  thankfully  he did. Will did see him through  some very rough times, again those hugs. 

I hope we see lots of Leonard,  and lots of Mrs C.

I like this show because  there's  no foul language,  nudity or stabbings every episode, it's  just  nicely paced and relaxing 

[Orcinus orca]

6 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

Will he get a new "Mrs. C"?

I bet all of the remarks about Mrs. C driving the family nuts will result in her taking back the vicarage job.  She will probably quit to the relief of Geordie et al and justify it because a bachelor can't possibly do for himself.

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

My mom everytime Will or anyone mentioned them leaving:

"You could just visit."

That's what I kept saying.

Loved all the goodbyes, particularly with Leonard and Geordie.

I've never been too much of a Will fan, but I didn't mind Bonnie. I'm looking forward to the new vicar.

[wanderingstar]

10 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Ngl I shed some tears

Same. Will and Geordie's goodbye was lovely. So was Will and Leonard's. I was surprised he didn't have more one-on-one time with Mrs. C. 

I mostly liked Will, but it definitely felt like time for someone new to join. 

I enjoyed the mystery with the abandoned baby. It was twisty without being convoluted.

 

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

And Leonard and him calling each other brothers 😭!!!

I like that relationship more than Will/Geordie.

12 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Dickens is showing his age.

I guess Dickens is the parish dog? I hope someone takes care of him in the interim of Will and family leaving and the new guy arriving. 

1 hour ago, wanderingstar said:

I mostly liked Will, but it definitely felt like time for someone new to join. 

Same, but I think the show is running out of steam, creatively. I'm not sure a new vicar will solve that for me.

[Sarah 103]

13 hours ago, zoey1996 said:

i was hearing it more like Geordie realizing he had to let Esme go, take the job, and live her own life.

Geordie was always supportive of Esme taking the job. I thought it was about Geordie realizing he had to let Will leave. 

[peeayebee]

 

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

Same, but I think the show is running out of steam, creatively. I'm not sure a new vicar will solve that for me

How long has Midsomer Murders been around? Of course one difference here is that there are several regular members of the cast, so the writers need to incorporate them in some way in each episode. In MM there are only a few regulars, with lots of guest actors carrying most of the plot. 

Edited June 24, 2024 by peeayebee

[12catcrazy]

Will's last episode was a good one.  I liked the actor and I even liked Bonnie, but once Will got married, it was time for him to go because the writers could no longer make him tortured, or jumping in and out of women's beds.  

I think the showrunners feel that they need a bachelor vicar so the female audience can fantasize over him (which doesn't feel right when you have a happily married family man).  I wonder if the writers would have had Will marry Bonnie if the actor hadn't said he wanted to leave the show?

The goodbyes were kind of over-the-top.  You'd think that Will and Bonnie were going to the moon rather than to another part of England.   Letter writing was a thing in the early 60s, and I'm sure that visits were also possible, so it was kind of eye-rolling. 

The case of the week was a good one.  The young single mother keeping the baby seemed unrealistic unless she had family to go back to.  The aunt was a piece of work and I found it hard to believe that she actually wanted a baby to raise as her own - it would have made more sense if she was going to broker a black-market adoption for a rich couple and that is why she wanted her niece's baby.   On the surface anyway, it worked out in the end.  

[dubbel zout]

46 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

In MM there are only a few regulars, with lots of guest actors carrying most of the plot. 

I don't watch MM, but on Grantchester, the guest actors might carry the crime side of the plot, but they aren't "names" that I, at least, recognize.

As I wrote above, the crimes of Grantchester are mostly to make parallels to what's happening in the main characters' lives. There are also a decent amount of regulars that some drama can be wrung out of their lives.

Edited June 24, 2024 by dubbel zout

[JudyObscure]

I think the show might have resolved too many problems too quickly. 

I loved the early seasons. James Norton as the handsome young vicar with PTSD carrying a torch for another man's wife. Leonard, deeply in the closet, nervously preaching sermons that went over everyone's head, and Mrs. C,  holding everyone and their red lipstick by 1920's standards, needing weekly lessons to help her soft side come out.  

I adored those three and although I wanted them to be happy, they weren't quite as much fun after.  Particularly Mrs. C who just became a nice ordinary, boring married woman.  I wanted her in the vicarage kitchen, alternately casting judgement and making pies, forever.

What would have been the point of Samantha making strange things happen every week if Mrs. Kravitz hadn't been watching out the window?

[DonnaMae]

22 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

I liked the actor and I even liked Bonnie, but once Will got married, it was time for him to go because the writers could no longer make him tortured, or jumping in and out of women's beds.  

This is what I didn't like about Will.  Also, hanging out at the local bar didn't seem something a vicar would do.  

[dubbel zout]

I find the Grantchester vicars running off with Geordie at the drop of a hat to investigate a murder much odder than having a pint at the local pub. But that's the conceit of the show.

[DonnaMae]

Will wasn't just having a pint at the local pub, he was downing one drink after another and sexing it up with that married woman.  I just didn't understand her appeal. He wasn't acting like a 'man of the cloth'.  Of course, he changed when he met and married Bonnie.

[dubbel zout]

Clergy are often held to a higher standard, but they're still men (or women), with all of those faults and weaknesses.

In the church I grew up in, a minister they hired was at that time young and single. He couldn't win—a lot of the congregation wanted him married but were a bit judgey about him dating. He ended up marrying a lovely, accomplished woman whose father was a minister, so she knew the drill, and they were an extremely effective team. The church was pretty devastated when they left, but the reasonable parishioners didn't begrudge him wanting a new challenge in a new city. 

[peeayebee]

I'm a lapsed Catholic, but I still do a double-take when I see a married vicar or other clergyman.

[sugarbaker design]

16 hours ago, DonnaMae said:

Will wasn't just having a pint at the local pub, he was downing one drink after another and sexing it up with that married woman. 

Even worse, he was going into town, the local jazz club, picking up women and bringing them back to the vicarage for anonymous sex.  And this guy is supposed to counsel his parishioners on relationships?  I'm not even going to bring up the pill addiction, and constantly letting down his stepson.  I'm so glad he's gone.  So looking forward to next Sunday.

[Calvada]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

Even worse, he was going into town, the local jazz club, picking up women and bringing them back to the vicarage for anonymous sex.  And this guy is supposed to counsel his parishioners on relationships?  I'm not even going to bring up the pill addiction, and constantly letting down his stepson.  I'm so glad he's gone.  So looking forward to next Sunday.

Isn't Grantchester supposed to be a small place - how could it not be known what Will was doing?  No wonder attendance was dwindling at church. 

I found it amusing that Mrs. C interrupted Will's sermon with her concern about Leonard's absence.  Does a Church of England service begin with the sermon?  Isn't there some setup, an opening prayer or hymn?  Was it only at the point of the sermon that she noticed Leonard wasn't there?  And she feels she can express her concern to Will right at that moment?  Anyone else would think gosh, I hope Leonard's not coming down with a cold, instead of panicking and assuming some sort of crisis.  

Everyone was a little over the top with their farewells.  It's not like it was with Sidney, who was going overseas to create a new life, instead it was as if someone in Milwaukee moved to Minneapolis. 

Poor Dickens.  I hope someone is taking care of him until the new vicar arrives.  Who presumably will love dogs!  

[eelpout]

On 6/17/2024 at 1:38 PM, 12catcrazy said:

I still don't really get the phony money and pawn receipts, but when Feathers opened her bag..  So I am under the impression, that while she wasn't the murderer, she was the thief who followed people home and stole their jewelry.  

Either Feathers was the thief, or Nanna Carson, who was often "never around" was.

Edited June 26, 2024 by eelpout

[christie]

On 6/24/2024 at 5:39 PM, wanderingstar said:

Same. Will and Geordie's goodbye was lovely. 

See different strokes for different folks; I found their goodbye to be quite soppy and filmed like a love scene (them walking down the lane, coming in from opposite directions reminded me of those scenes in romances where the lovers are running towards each other and hug; even their parting with them walking in opposite directions was like lovers who had split up and are going their separate ways). I did like Will and Leonard's goodbye though and, I too, kept on thinking that they could always visit each other, it's not like Will and Bonnie were going to Australia.

[surfgirl]

2 hours ago, christie said:

See different strokes for different folks; I found their goodbye to be quite soppy and filmed like a love scene (them walking down the lane, coming in from opposite directions reminded me of those scenes in romances where the lovers are running towards each other and hug; even their parting with them walking in opposite directions was like lovers who had split up and are going their separate ways). I did like Will and Leonard's goodbye though and, I too, kept on thinking that they could always visit each other, it's not like Will and Bonnie were going to Australia.

Yeah I get the same about that last scene. It was Jane Austen meets a bromance novel. And I too liked the farewell with Leonard, and Mrs. C. But they act like he's moving ti another country 🙄! I mean, can't they visit both ways?

15 hours ago, Calvada said:

Poor Dickens.  I hope someone is taking care of him until the new vicar arrives.  Who presumably will love dogs! 

This qas the most disturbing and saddest part of this episode. I guess the dog xomes with the vicarage???

[jah1986]

So glad to be rid of the Will angst. Just finished watching episode 3 and

Spoiler

I really like the new Vicar. Of course he'll face things the other two didn't by being "swarthy". But I really love that he was like "no I don't want to do police work with you" and telling Geordie he does indeed have "a thing" for vicars.  Nice to see that Dickens does indeed come with the house. I knew Mrs. C was going to go to far and she did. I guess that clears the way for her to return to the vicarage.  

I really hope they keep the new guy damage free. Right now he's a breath of fresh air.