Grantchester Season 10 Episode 6 took us on an emotional roller coaster with a soul-stirring letter, an unexpectedly delightful wedding, and a shocking murder investigation. Reverend Alphy's past has been haunting him like never before, and in his conflicting state of mind, he finds himself at a surprise birthday party thrown by Detective Geordie.
Geordie goes to great lengths to give Alphy a lovely evening, including inviting Meg. However, as it would go in Grantchester, things take a shocking turn when the lead of the night’s band ends up dead.
Grantchester’s grand birthday surprise
At the start of the Grantchester episode, we find Alphy still conflicted about his mother’s letter that she had left for him before putting him up for adoption. He struggles to grapple with the significance of the letter, which forms the base for the episode. But his internal battle takes a back seat—temporarily, at least—when Geordie throws him a surprise birthday party.
Alphy’s surprise doesn’t end there, as Geordie had invited Meg to the party as well. He buys her a drink and tells her that he was nervous about the idea of dating her—after all, her father is Bishop Grey. Even though their interaction starts off awkward, Meg gifts Alphy a fedora and agrees to go on one more date with him. In truth, Alphy is dealing with his own emotional baggage.
An evening of fun and frolic turns deadly
It's Grantchester, and of course, there is a murder. As the friends are leaving, Alphy goes inside the club to retrieve his hat. In a shocking turn of events, he discovers that the club’s lead performer, Eric, is dead, with the band’s bassist, Arun, standing next to him. Arun says he had heard the shouts of a man and a woman, and when he approached, there was no one else—just Eric lying with a wound at the back of his head. There is also a bottle of pills next to him.
When Geordie looks through Arun’s guitar case, he ends up finding an ashtray with bloody spots. Arun vehemently denies killing Eric, despite admitting his disregard for his deceased band member. Eric was known for his philandering ways, as he would often engage with his fans. During the investigation, Arun’s parents imply that he was accused of the crime because he is the only non-white member of the band.
As in Grantchester, the investigation takes a new turn when Alphy notices a woman vomiting during Eric’s vigil. The band’s manager, Laurel, will insinuate that she had probably been seeing all the band members. Arun follows the woman as she departs.
Meanwhile, the investigations into the pills reveal that they are used for treating nausea during pregnancy. The police question Arun’s parents, who are pharmacists. Arun accepts that he had taken the pills for Iris, the woman who was pregnant with his child, but also indicates that Eric used to flirt with her.
An unexpected heart-warming wedding ceremony
But not all is grim in this episode of Grantchester, as wedding bells are in order. Mrs. C and Cathy decide to get started on their new venture, which they plan to call CeCe’s Boutique. But they hit a snag when they try to apply for a loan, as bank loans were not allowed without the signature of a male member of their family. However, they manage to get the loan without it, thanks to Jack’s acquaintance.
Miss Scott and Larry decide to get married quietly, but Geordie learns about it and, along with Alphy, reaches the courthouse. After convincing them to have a proper wedding, they go to the vicarage. Mrs. C and Cathy dress Miss Scott, and they all share an emotionally charged wedding ceremony as Alphy marries them.
Grantchester is incomplete without a case being solved in unexpected moments. Just after the wedding, Alphy realizes that Eric’s killer is Iris, as she was pregnant with his child and not Arun’s. The bassist was only protecting her. When Iris had informed Eric that she was pregnant, he attacked her. In self-defense, she hit him with the ashtray. Arun finds Iris and helps her flee and hide the murder weapon.
Alphy finally learns the content of the letter from his mother
During a thought-provoking moment in this episode of Grantchester, Alphy realizes that Iris was trying to protect the child, much like his own mother, who gave him up for adoption for a better future. As he tries to come to terms with the letter, he forgets his date with Meg, but instead of being offended, she sees that he needs to find closure to move forward.
Geordie comes to the vicarage to help Alphy deal with the barrage of emotions that awaits him as the vicar decides to learn the contents of the letter. The letter is heart-warming and poignant. While Alphy half expected his mother to be selfish, the truth was that she loved him, but due to her difficult circumstances, she could not provide him a happy life. She signs off by wishing him a good life. Alphy cries his heart out as Geordie consoles him.
As the Grantchester episode comes to an end, we find Daniel and Leonard finally facing the reality of their relationship. Leonard, who is trying to get sober, reveals that his battle with alcoholism is prompted by his father’s death. He is, however, even more wounded that Daniel refuses to share their relationship with his parents. Seeing Leonard break down, Daniel agrees to reveal the truth.
Watch Grantchester on PBS.
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