A Terrible Accident Mars the Fresh Start of 'Grantchester' Season 8

Grantchester is something of an oddity in the British mystery world — a character-focused drama in which the crime is often the least important thing happening in any given episode. Rather than set up elaborate red herrings to surprise viewers with the identity of who committed any given crime, the series spends its time focusing on the relationships and emotional journies of the characters at its center. Supporting figures don't exist to assist in the main investigation; they're given goals and arcs that often exist outside of the orbit of the show's main characters. Grantchester isn't just where the show takes place; it's a fully realized community with a life of its own.

To be fair, this is probably why I — an avowed mystery hater — actually like this show. But the least interesting thing about local vicar Will Davenport is that he helps solve crimes, and that fact is in abundant evidence as the show's eighth season begins. It's an hour that promises significant changes, both of the emotional and the potentially legal variety, but all of which are ultimately grounded in long-established character beats. There's a murder mystery here, sure, but it's not what makes this hour a compelling story.

The premiere spends a lot of time catching us up on everything that's happened during the ~12-ish month gap between seasons 7 and 8: The Davenports are now expecting their first child. Will's still learning to be a stepdad while Bonnie struggles to juggle the myriad public duties that come with being a vicar's wife. Geordie and Cathy appear to have fully reconciled. And Leonard has thankfully sold the (awful) Beatnik cafe and opened a halfway house for the less fortunate because this show is about nothing so much as the fact that there are many ways to minister to others, whether or not the church is involved.