All’s well that ends well.
At the end of the penultimate episode of Grantchester season 8, Will had gone AWOL as his mental health continued to decline following the collision in which he’d accidentally killed someone.
“I know I haven’t been the man you need me to be,” he wrote in a letter to his family and friends. “I’ve let you all down. I’ve tried to be better, but it’s just too hard.
“And the guilt I carry won’t go away, so I’ve done the only thing I can, the only thing that makes sense. Everything will be better now I’m gone.”
On a mission to punish himself, Will “picked a fight with a squaddie” at a pub and was struck a number of times, before being found on the ground by a concerned police officer, who took him into a local station to get cleaned up.
On waking the next morning, his mood was unchanged as salvation continued to evade him, however hard he willed it to come, with Will once again turning to his bottle of pills for comfort.
But following an encounter with a young boy, who blamed himself for the murder of his aunt at his uncle’s hands, something shifted within him.
“You did everything you could,” said Will. “You did everything within your power. It’s all anyone can ever do. It’s all we can ever do.”
“I couldn’t stop him,” responded Jacob. “I wish I could make it all go away.”
“I know,” added Will, before repeating his words, as much for himself as for the young lad sat next to him.
“You did everything you could, you did everything you could.”
Driving back to Grantchester, Will announced that he was finished with his pills and handed Geordie the bottle. The detective then offered him a reassuring hand, with Will responding in kind.
Thankfully, the vicar made it to Bonnie before she’d given birth – although he was cutting it fine.
Following a much-needed heart-to-heart, in which Will promised that he would never leave her again, they rushed to the hospital, where James George Davenport was born – and without a hitch.
He had also made his peace with God, and was once again dressed in his religious garb as he oversaw his newborn son’s christening.
Following an exceptionally challenging few weeks, Will Davenport has returned to us once more ahead of the character’s final season.
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And things are also looking up for Geordie, who’s had his own hurdles to contend with of late.
After being reported to the commander for excessive force regarding his treatment of Leonard, we’ve seen the last of Elliot, who is being transferred to another force – a moment we’ve all been waiting for.
And in ever better news, Geordie’s retirement has been refused, which means it’ll be back to business in the next instalment.
Speaking about the future of the show beyond season 9, Robson Green, who plays Geordie, said: “At the beginning we knew we had something special and that would float the audience’s boat, but we never realised how popular it would turn out to be and how well it would be received around the world.
“We’re all still enjoying it, long may it continue.”
Grantchester is available to watch on ITV and ITVX. You can order the Grantchester Mysteries books by James Runcie from Amazon.
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