Four series in, Grace is still awful
As someone who resides close to Brighton and knows the area well, I was excited for the debut of Grace in 2021, an adaptation of Peter James's popular books on ITV. With Russell Lewis, the creator of Endeavour, working on the script and talented actor John Simm taking on the role of DS Roy Grace, my expectations were high. However, the first three seasons left me feeling let down. Would the fourth season be able to change my opinion of this lackluster police procedural set in Sussex? Unfortunately, based on the initial episode, it seems unlikely.
The episode "Dead Man's Time" started with an old man who collects antiques being tortured by burglars, which was thankfully not shown on screen. Grace has become known for showing violent scenes before the watershed in the past. The man's brother Gavin, who was ready to fight back, showed up after the robbery to see if a valuable watch had been stolen. This watch was somehow linked to their father's disappearance during a robbery at a watchmaker's shop where he worked in London in 1963.
In the blog post, it was mentioned that a news anchor was trying to conceal her bruises and Grace's enemy, the rude gangster Alvin Smallbone, made a comeback. The storylines all pointed back to 60s Stepney, revealing that Gavin's father was not the innocent victim his children thought he was, but actually planned the robbery at his job.
Everything seemed to be connected in some way. Despite this, the main issues with Grace still remained, particularly the lackluster main characters. Simm does a decent job, but his character doesn't have much to do besides the usual police work and dealing with the pain of his missing wife, Sandy (who still haunts Brighton with the results of a mysterious paternity test). Grace does have a new romantic interest, Cleo, the forensic expert portrayed by Zoe Tapper, and his partner, DS Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell), seems to have sorted out his marital problems. However, it's challenging to become emotionally invested in their stories.
When you compare young Morse's quiet love for Joan Thursday in Endeavour to other aspects of the show, you can see that there is a lack of emotional depth. It's clear that the writer, Lewis, has passed on most of his responsibilities to other writers. Additionally, the actor who plays DS Norman Potting, Craig Parkinson, has announced that he will be leaving the show after this series. This is not a promising development.
In the first episode, the most memorable moment was when Grace asked Cleo to marry him while she was pregnant. Just when things were looking up, there was a surprise at the door - a burning pram left by Smallbone, who had previously made some scary comments to Cleo. Readers of the books probably already know what's going on, but the rest of us have to wait until next week's episode to find out.
I must admit, the plot was very elaborate, but Grace's performance felt quite ordinary. Maybe the production should explore Brighton more deeply, as despite the impressive drone shots and filming on location, the show doesn't truly capture the essence of the city. Brighton has a colorful and sometimes dark history, as well as a vibrant but challenging present (with homelessness being a major issue). And most notably, there is the influence of Graham Greene's Brighton Rock looming over everything.
It seems like James intentionally left out any cultural influences in his original novels, but Brighton is portrayed as just a typical everyday city. This might be the reality for many residents, but the connections to Graham Greene don't seem to have been replaced with anything new. It's understandable for a basic police drama, but it feels like a chance to do something different was missed.
The next episode of 'Grace' airs on Sunday at 8pm on ITV1.
