Season 9 discussion

[crazy8s]

So relieved Will's angsty whisper talking is done. I couldn't stand that.

[ichbin]

I started really not enjoying the show during season 7 and then quit altogether early during season 8.  I think it was a combination of some of the misery story lines and not much appreciation for the Will character.  I decided to give the new season a try and I'm glad I did.  I've watched all the episodes on Passport and I like it again, both the writing and new characters.

[Irlandesa]

I liked Will when he first got here.  The Sydney drama had gotten to be too much so he was a welcome change.  But then he also got less interesting. 

I like the new vicar but they'll probably ruin him too. 

I have seen the whole season via Passport.  There are 8 episodes compared to the normal 6.  I'll put some vague thoughts about him being spoiler tags since tonight is the first episode airing on PBS. 
 

Spoiler

So far, after 6 episodes, there's no hint of any deep trauma so that's good.  But he is another vicar who jumps into bed with a woman.  I guess it could be assumed he did it because he knew he was being bounced from this patronage but it still felt like they're doing the same thing with him that they did with the past two--although without guilt so that's a change.

I will admit, I was wondering if they were considering making him a gay man who, unlike Leonard, would choose celibacy.  The reason I considered that is because there were three mysteries this season where queer relationships played a part and I'm not even including Leonard & Daniel since Leonard is a regular. 

 

[chitowngirl]

Best exchange of episode 3-Alphy says a quote and says it’s Dickens. Geordie-“The dog?” Alphy-“No, not the dog!!!”

I’ve also been watching on Passport. Got through episode 6 and it seemed an unsatisfying season finale, then I saw there were 2 more episodes! Woot!!

Edited July 1 by chitowngirl

[dargosmydaddy]

I thought the episode (namely the Geordie stuff, but the mystery, too) was pretty predictable, but I'm all for Alphy... a well-adjusted and angst-free vicar! If only we can guarantee he stays that way...

[EtheltoTillie]

I’ve watched the whole thing, so I’ve been holding back. I think I can now safely say

Spoiler

that I found it hard to believe that Daniel would be so taken with this new leader. Very out of character. 

 

Edited July 1 by EtheltoTillie

[HoodlumSheep]

On 6/27/2024 at 9:57 AM, jah1986 said:

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

  Hide contents

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

 

If only. We all know the new vicar being problem-free won't last long.

Just look at the way he told the young lady God doesn't have a lot of mercy for liars (or something like that). That could be alluding to something. kinda intense otherwise imo.

Anyhoo, 9x03:

New vicar! I like his car at least.

Definitely an awkward meeting. Awkward all the way around. The new vicar (Alfie?) and Geordie definitely don't mesh quite yet. Got to give the actor a couple episodes to settle in before i can determine if i like him or not.

the mystery of the week was pretty...meh. not the most riveting.

After that fight with Cathy and Esme i was expecting Mrs. C to show up at the vicarage lol.

Obligatory 'Dickens is old' comment. Aging more and more by the episode.

His and leonard's scenes were nice.

[Irlandesa]

28 minutes ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I’ve watched the whole thing, so I’ve been holding back. I think I can now safely say

  Hide contents

that I found it hard to believe that Daniel would be so taken with this new leader. Very out of character. 

 

I wonder if we should do separate episode threads, especially since there are some of us who have finished the season.  But yes, about that.

Spoiler

I partially agree since Daniel is the one who is normally so level-headed.  Sam is clearly a cult leader and I felt that early on.  It probably would have worked better to see that seduction with Daniel a bit more than we got. His minions also snapped out of their spell pretty quickly.

 

[dancingdreamer]

If Alphy were my vicar, I'd be the first at church and in the first pew. He really  is a beautiful  man, those eyes. I actually  enjoyed  the banter between Alphy and Geordie, and getting  to know that Alphy hasn't  had a bad life . 

I guessed the plot, but did I care, no, not at all! 

[EtheltoTillie]

In response to episode threads suggestion, maybe doesn’t really help for me  as I already watched so many days ago I can’t remember the separate episodes. 

[Orcinus orca]

6 hours ago, dancingdreamer said:

If Alphy were my vicar, I'd be the first at church and in the first pew. He really  is a beautiful  man, those eyes. I actually  enjoyed  the banter between Alphy and Geordie, and getting  to know that Alphy hasn't  had a bad life . 

I guessed the plot, but did I care, no, not at all! 

Ditto on all of that.

Mrs. C will take back over at the vicarage, I predicted that at the first episode.  Geordie et al were at the breaking point with her and we need her to be feeding Alphy the gossip.

Looks like Alphy and Leonard will have a nice relationship which means we will see Leonard a lot as well.  Wahoo!

Looks like Alphy is  used to the racism he's encountering.

[JudyObscure]

7 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

After that fight with Cathy and Esme i was expecting Mrs. C to show up at the vicarage lol.

That whole fight would have made a lot more sense if Cathy hadn't been wearing bright red lipstick, too.  I agree, though, that it was mainly about giving Mrs. C a reason to go back to the vicarage.  I always thought Dickens probably thought Mrs. C was his alpha anyway, he spent the day with her in the kitchen and she fed him.

Leonard being so afraid of the "burglar," didn't make much sense either with Leonard fearlessly living with a whole house full of ex-cons.

I'm just hoping this episode was an awkward transition one and next week they will settle down.  I did like Alfie.

 

[MMEButterfly]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

That whole fight would have made a lot more sense if Cathy hadn't been wearing bright red lipstick, too.  I agree, though, that it was mainly about giving Mrs. C a reason to go back to the vicarage.  I always thought Dickens probably thought Mrs. C was his alpha anyway, he spent the day with her in the kitchen and she fed him.

Leonard being so afraid of the "burglar," didn't make much sense either with Leonard fearlessly living with a whole house full of ex-cons.

I'm just hoping this episode was an awkward transition one and next week they will settle down.  I did like Alfie.

 

Cathy's bright red lipstick was such an odd touch I expected it to mean something. I surely liked looking at Alphy and enjoyed the character better than either former as they developed. But, of course, Aphy is new and yet to irritate me. Mrs. C. is so over the top with her absolute absence of self-reflection and curiosity. Perhaps she will return to the vicarage and Alphy will off her in some legally justified manner. 

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Just look at the way he told the young lady God doesn't have a lot of mercy for liars (or something like that). That could be alluding to something. kinda intense otherwise imo.

I thought that comment of his was strange. It seemed to come from a fire-and-brimstone view of God rather than a loving One. But it got Rachel to confess. Maybe that was the only point.

11 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Obligatory 'Dickens is old' comment. Aging more and more by the episode.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but didn't Dickens have white in his face before, showing his age?

 

5 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

In response to episode threads suggestion, maybe doesn’t really help for me  as I already watched so many days ago I can’t remember the separate episodes. 

I have Passport, but I'm deliberately watching just one a week because otherwise I couldn't really remember details to comment here.

 

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Leonard being so afraid of the "burglar," didn't make much sense either with Leonard fearlessly living with a whole house full of ex-cons.

Well, it WAS a swarthy burglar. I was amused by Leonard's crouch by the door.

I liked the new vicar, Alphy. I felt bad about the way everyone was looking at him and treating him, but he's obviously encountered this prejudice before. I liked how he handled it.

Why did he climb that tree? Did he see the paper from down on the ground? He didn't seem surprised to find it.

The mystery wasn't such a mystery, although I believed the Walker father when he denied killing the other one. Rachel, on the other hand, raised my suspicions right from the start.

Loved a lot of the lines.

Leonard of the House of Finch.

Larry: Me and her were an item for a bit. Never let me call her Jennifer.
(Alpha rightly looked puzzled. How could you be an item and not call each other by first names? LOL.)

 

 

[Dr.OO7]

21 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

liked the new vicar, Alphy. I felt bad about the way everyone was looking at him and treating him, but he's obviously encountered this prejudice before. I liked how he handled it.

I like him too. Yes, that was very well handled, and painfully familiar.

Mrs. C butting in to lecture someone who isn't even her kid was annoying.

[Orcinus orca]

6 minutes ago, Dr.OO7 said:

Mrs. C butting in to lecture someone who isn't even her kid was annoying.

It was a bit ham-fisted but obviously they needed to find a way to get Mrs. C back at the vicarage.

[EtheltoTillie]

4 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

That whole fight would have made a lot more sense if Cathy hadn't been wearing bright red lipstick, too.  I agree, though, that it was mainly about giving Mrs. C a reason to go back to the vicarage.  I always thought Dickens probably thought Mrs. C was his alpha anyway, he spent the day with her in the kitchen and she fed him.

Leonard being so afraid of the "burglar," didn't make much sense either with Leonard fearlessly living with a whole house full of ex-cons.

I'm just hoping this episode was an awkward transition one and next week they will settle down.  I did like Alfie.

 

Cathy has been wearing some atrocious wigs!

[dubbel zout]

6 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Looks like Alphy and Leonard will have a nice relationship which means we will see Leonard a lot as well.  Wahoo!

I loved all of the scenes Leonard was in. It looks like they might be using Al Weaver more this season, which is only a good thing IMO.

This show is such an odd mix of modern and very dated sensibilities. (It has been for a while, of course.)

[Driad]

Doesn't the church have an administrative person to handle finances, correspondence, etc.?  Someone should have been there to show Alphy where things are, the schedule, etc.

[seacliffsal]

2 hours ago, Driad said:

Doesn't the church have an administrative person to handle finances, correspondence, etc.?  Someone should have been there to show Alphy where things are, the schedule, etc.

And, to welcome him to the parish and rectory.  But then we wouldn't have gotten the awkward 'we thought you were a burglar' scene which, quite frankly, was a justifiable speculation as nobody apparently knew he was arriving that day and it did look like he forced the door (which we later found out 'sticks').

[Hab]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I thought that comment of his was strange. It seemed to come from a fire-and-brimstone view of God rather than a loving One. But it got Rachel to confess. Maybe that was the only point.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but didn't Dickens have white in his face before, showing his age?

 

I have Passport, but I'm deliberately watching just one a week because otherwise I couldn't really remember details to comment here.

 

Well, it WAS a swarthy burglar. I was amused by Leonard's crouch by the door.

I liked the new vicar, Alphy. I felt bad about the way everyone was looking at him and treating him, but he's obviously encountered this prejudice before. I liked how he handled it.

Why did he climb that tree? Did he see the paper from down on the ground? He didn't seem surprised to find it.

The mystery wasn't such a mystery, although I believed the Walker father when he denied killing the other one. Rachel, on the other hand, raised my suspicions right from the start.

Loved a lot of the lines.

Leonard of the House of Finch.

Larry: Me and her were an item for a bit. Never let me call her Jennifer.
(Alpha rightly looked puzzled. How could you be an item and not call each other by first names? LOL.)

 

 

The girl who’s father was killed told Alphy that she & her fiancé passed notes in the tree when in reality she knew the two men were passing the notes. Her father had one of the notes in his hand when he was dying. Alphy went there & looked because he suspected something was amiss when she kissed him. 

[dubbel zout]

I thought the show did a decent job of showing Alpha get drawn into the case and decide to help Geordie solve it. I also chuckled when everyone kept telling Alphy that Geordie has a "thing" for vicars, hee.

[12catcrazy]

Good intro for the new Vicar.  And this old lady has to say that the actor playing him has got to be one of most handsome men I've ever laid eyes on!  It would be so nice to keep him drama-free and without a bunch of bed hopping but this being Grantchester, I doubt if that is going to be the case. 

The scene with Esme, Kathy, and Mrs C was kind of stupid considering that Kathy was wearing more lipstick than her daughter.  I get it that they are setting up Mrs C to return to the vicarage but there could have been other things to get on Esme's case about and it just made the adults look stupid.  

Geordie is almost moony about the new Vicar - yeah, he has "a thing" alright.  And another Yay for Leonard, and I'm hoping that he doesn't have a bunch of drama in his life this season (but the teaser for next week seems to hint otherwise).  

[chitowngirl]

Yes, Cathy had on bright lipstick too, but she’s an adult and Esme is only 16.

[howiveaddict]

19 hours ago, dancingdreamer said:

If Alphy were my vicar, I'd be the first at church and in the first pew. He really  is a beautiful  man, those eyes. I actually  enjoyed  the banter between Alphy and Geordie, and getting  to know that Alphy hasn't  had a bad life . 

I guessed the plot, but did I care, no, not at all! 

Love how hot he is.  I'd join that church in a heartbeat.  Especially if he preached wearing only his swim trunks.

[buttersister]

Ha, they didn’t waste any time getting the shirt off the new vicar.

Not a complaint, mind you.

[Sarah 103]

I like Alphy's sense of humor and his car. Does anyone know what kind of car it is?

[Rickster]

10 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I like Alphy's sense of humor and his car. Does anyone know what kind of car it is?

in an interview on the PBS website, Robson Green says the car is a Triumph TR4 or TR5. He wasn't sure which.

Alphy strikes me as a character with a 21st century sensibility injected into an early 1960's period piece.

 

[sugarbaker design]

20 minutes ago, Rickster said:

Alphy strikes me as a character with a 21st century sensibility injected into an early 1960's period piece.

 

All of Grantchester vicars have the same sensibility, there must be something in the seminary water.  They're cool with gay people, don't have a racist bone in their body, don't treat women like second class citizens.  If the priests in my RC church growing up were like Grantchester vicars I'd still be in the church.

[christie]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

All of Grantchester vicars have the same sensibility, there must be something in the seminary water.  They're cool with gay people, don't have a racist bone in their body, don't treat women like second class citizens.  

And they all have premarital sex. Sydney was even living with Amanda, who was legally married at the time, for a while. Forget about a village in the late '50s, early '60s, this would be frowned upon even nowdays.

[sugarbaker design]

45 minutes ago, christie said:

And they all have premarital sex.

To be fair, the jury is still out on Alphy.  I'm sure it won't be long before he's embroiled in some unsavory situation.  It's a shame these writers just can't portray a civil, educated young man with a calling and a penchant for solving crimes without resorting to sleaze.

[christie]

3 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

To be fair, the jury is still out on Alphy.  I'm sure it won't be long before he's embroiled in some unsavory situation.  It's a shame these writers just can't portray a civil, educated young man with a calling and a penchant for solving crimes without resorting to sleaze.

Spoiler

One of the previous posts has a spoiler for the third episode where Alphy sleeps with a woman.

When Alphy showed up, I was hoping that he was either married or in a long-term relationship with no drama so that we can concentrate on the cases and the relationship between Geordie and Alphy but I don't think that that's going to be the case.

[Height-Nonchalance]

On 7/1/2024 at 11:23 AM, EtheltoTillie said:

Cathy has been wearing some atrocious wigs!

Hair and makeup has been really bad this season.  Cathy, like you said, and the otherwise lovely Miss Scott with a less flattering hair color; and they both have a pound-and-a-half of pasty white makeup on their faces.  Even Alphy's hair, natural or not, is fussy and unattractive.  Lastly, Mrs. C got a new wig; it's not really bad, but she doesn't strike me as someone that would change their look.

[EtheltoTillie]

I'm confused.  Has Cathy stopped working?

[sugarbaker design]

5 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

I'm confused.  Has Cathy stopped working?

I'm assuming she's still working at the store since Mrs C is, or was, the housekeeper.

[JudyObscure]

21 hours ago, Rickster said:

a character with a 21st century sensibility injected into an early 1960's period piece.

At least it's an improvement over most PBS dramas where the 21st century sensibility is injected into the 19th century period pieces (Sanditon, Miss Scarlet etc.)

[Daff]

21 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

They're cool with gay people, don't have a racist bone in their body, don't treat women like second class citizens.

Perhaps because they all seem to be younger. In contrast, their older supervisors seem to all retain more bias.

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Daff said:

Perhaps because they all seem to be younger. In contrast, their older supervisors seem to all retain more bias.

Nope, the vicars are unicorns.  A total fabrication by the writers depicting a vicar with a 2020's sensibility into a 1960's English village. Homophobia, sexism and racism were common and totally acceptable back in the 50s and 60s, so much so in fact, they sparked the civil rights movement, the women's rights movement and the LGBT rights movement of the 60s and 70s.

[Quilt Fairy]

Just watched the new vicar's first episode.

Now THAT is a handsome man. 

[12catcrazy]

On 7/2/2024 at 12:19 PM, sugarbaker design said:

To be fair, the jury is still out on Alphy.  I'm sure it won't be long before he's embroiled in some unsavory situation.  It's a shame these writers just can't portray a civil, educated young man with a calling and a penchant for solving crimes without resorting to sleaze.

Unfortunately, they write for what they perceive the audience wants, and in this case they must think that the audience doesn't want "Father Brown".  

It seems that more and more of these PBS imported shows are sexing it up with as much as they can get away with on American PBS stations.  The shows seem to be popular enough to keep renewing them, so I guess they're giving the audience what it wants (in this case, young handsome Vicars who hop into plenty of ladies' beds with no thought to their church teachings in that time period). 

[JudyObscure]

5 hours ago, 12catcrazy said:

young handsome Vicars who hop into plenty of ladies' beds with no thought to their church teachings in that time period). 

Neither can any of them pass a body of water without stripping down and jumping in.  That is always so forced and obvious with some young woman always happening  by at that moment.  Even, "All Creatures Great and Small," stooped that low.

[MMEButterfly]

On 7/3/2024 at 8:41 AM, sugarbaker design said:

Nope, the vicars are unicorns.  A total fabrication by the writers depicting a vicar with a 2020's sensibility into a 1960's English village. Homophobia, sexism and racism were common and totally acceptable back in the 50s and 60s, so much so in fact, they sparked the civil rights movement, the women's rights movement and the LGBT rights movement of the 60s and 70s.

It is simply that sort of fiction--fun for some, irritating for others. 

[dargosmydaddy]

I used to wish for an actual subplot for a Keating child other than Esme. Now I wish they'd even just remember there are 3 other Keating children... Like, I get they're not major characters, but if there's going to be major drama in the household, they could at least make an appearance? Get a mention? Something?

Alphy continues to delight, and Dickens sleeping on top of him was too cute. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but we never saw him in the bed with Sidney or Will, did we? Was he waiting all these years for a soft touch?)

[NoThyme]

I hope that Leonard doesn't lose his boyfriend.  

[HoodlumSheep]

9x04 discussion:

the drama with Cathy and Esme has really really escalated. Too fast imo. I know it's the teenage drama years many parents have to face but Cathy's whole deal is what i can't figure out. Is it bc Esme was a stable constant in her life that she really leaned on up until now? Is it pent up resentment of some sort bc she's jealous of the freedom esme has compared to back when she was that age? Is something possibly happening with her like it did with her own mother a couple seasons back? I feel like the "I hate you!" line usually comes from the teenager not the parent. What is going on Cathy????

Also, Geordie needs to stop bailing on dealing with the drama by ditching house. man up, Geordie! Talk with your wife! Figure out what's going on! Or at least send in Miss Scott or something.

Hmmmm...Leonard and Daniel heading for a break up? Also, just noticed Daniel has a new haircut. It's shorter.

Sensing a theme this season with the murder cases. Lots of...secret lovers.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 8 by HoodlumSheep

[dargosmydaddy]

6 minutes ago, NoThyme said:

I hope that Leonard doesn't lose his boyfriend.  

When Sam was first introduced, I thought Leonard seemed a bit taken by him, so the sudden connection with Daniel in this episode surprised me. I assume there will be drama, but by the finale they will be fine and Sam will be gone. (I don't have Passport/ haven't seen beyond this episode, but eliminating angst and ending happily is just how Grantchester finales always go...)

[dancingdreamer]

I loved Dickens  lying with Alphy, the bed looked very small though. We have a big dog  you adapt..lol.

Has Cathy left? Or is Geordie not bothered  to talk with her? Maybe I missed something.

Lord Harwood  was a PITA, and that's  being nice. Alphy is the best vicar so far, I love how he can put someone  like Harwood  in their  place  without  being  nasty.

I'm very worried  for our Leonard 

[Sarah 103]

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I used to wish for an actual subplot for a Keating child other than Esme. Now I wish they'd even just remember there are 3 other Keating children... Like, I get they're not major characters, but if there's going to be major drama in the household, they could at least make an appearance? Get a mention? Something?

I could picture them them watching the argument from a distance or listening in from another room.

1 hour ago, dargosmydaddy said:

Alphy continues to delight, and Dickens sleeping on top of him was too cute. (Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but we never saw him in the bed with Sidney or Will, did we? Was he waiting all these years for a soft touch?)

In the past, if we saw the vicar's bed there was usually someone else in there with him and the dog would not have been welcome. I like that Dickens realized the need to protect Alphy and alert him to intruders/danger. 

18 minutes ago, dancingdreamer said:

Has Cathy left? Or is Geordie not bothered  to talk with her? Maybe I missed something.

I don't think she's left for good.

I was surprised Esme was wearing pants when she was planning to meet her friends. That was quite a daring fashion choice in that era. I didn't realize they had roller rinks in England. I thought that was strictly in the U.S.

I think part of Geordie's problem is that he actually respects and admires Esme for deciding to get a job and work for a living. I understand that Cathy's worried for her daughter and knows what is out there, but Cathy also knows how important work is and for a woman to be valued beyond her role as wife and mother.

[JudyObscure]

I love Alphy and his calm confidence.  I noticed last week that Dickens was already leaning against his leg the way big dogs do when they adore someone.  He may be the truest dog lover among the actors.  I also notice that Alphy is more of a forensic detective than the others were.

I'm glad Mrs. C "just showed up" in the vicarage kitchen.  I hope he lets her stay.

Cathy scared me.  She's either going through the worst menopause ever or she's in the beginning of a real mental illness.

[Orcinus orca]

Random thoughts.

How old is Esme?  I forget – did she drop out of school to work?  Or has she graduated from the equivalent of high school at that time in England? Was college an expectation back then or did most girls just head out to work?

Mrs. C just turning up at the vicarage.  Heh.  Poor Alphy.

Who is this Sam character who, in a few words, managed to coax Daniel into revealing something he’s obviously kept from Leonard throughout their relationship. I find him kind of a smarmy character.  Dear Leonard encouraging Daniel was so sweet but sad. Can he see Daniel slipping away.

Those ripe tomatoes looked yummy, all I could think of was how they were going to rot if they weren't all picked pronto.

I looked askance at Alphy declaring that bad money for a good cause was OK.  So money from drug deals is fine as long as it fixes the church roof?  Glad he decided differently.

What the heck are deviled kidneys?  Yuck!

I found Beatrice hilarious.

Kathy’s wigs are so awful I have trouble paying attention to what she is saying.

I wonder why Geordie avoided talking to Alphy about his family problems.

Dickens in bed with Alphy was adorable.

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

Cathy scared me.  She's either going through the worst menopause ever or she's in the beginning of a real mental illness.

It really was over the top under the circumstances.  

8 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

I feel like the "I hate you!" line usually comes from the teenager not the parent.

Exactly what I thought when I heard it.  

8 hours ago, dancingdreamer said:

Has Cathy left? Or is Geordie not bothered  to talk with her? Maybe I missed something.

I was trying to figure out the significance of the empty dining table.  I kind of doubt she has left since he didn't seem too upset, just headed to the vicarage for a beer. Of course he quickly bailed out when he heard the fracas earlier to avoid stepping up to defuse things.