In 'Grantchester' Season 8's Second Episode, Will Faces the Consequences of a Reckless Choice

The second episode of Grantchester Season 8 doesn't waste any time on set-up, immediately jumping back into events of last week's dramatic cliffhanger, namely, whether Will Davenport killed a man. And, despite the suspicions of some of us (read: me) that this twist might be some fake-out or trick, it isn't. Will has, albeit entirely accidentally, caused the death of another human being.

The rest of the episode comes up with a somewhat overly convoluted story to explain why the man Will hit — a thirtysomething named John Mitchell — was in a position to randomly dash into the road in front of the vicar's bike and what extenuating circumstances caused him to run without heed for where he was going. However, it's all really just a lot of fancy plot window-dressing. Because while the story of Mitchell's last day (and of a second death that's tangentially connected to his) is the primary mystery plot of the show, it's also not all that important for its own sake.

The truth of the fight between Mitchell, Ray, Paulie, and Milton will keep Will out of jail, but it won't make him feel any better about what he's done. Because, accident or not, a man is still dead because of him, and he'll have to figure out a way to live with that — and to live with his family, friends, and parish knowing what he did — for the rest of his life.