ITV thriller Grace has returned to our screens in dramatic style, with the first episode of season 2 delving into the disturbing world of snuff films.
The story saw innocent couple Zack and Sophie Bryce roped into the shocking story, after Zack found a mysterious USB stick on a train.
The episode was also notable for its introduction of Craig Parkinson‘s Norman Potting, while Grace, Branson as Vosper all returned from last year’s Dead Simple.
With the episode taking many twists and turns, including some which are set to have long lasting impacts on Roy and Glenn, read on for everything you need to know about the ending of Grace: Looking Good Dead.
*Warning – this article contains full spoilers for the Grace: Looking Good Dead*
Grace: Looking Good Dead ending explained
How were the deaths in the episode linked, and who was involved?
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In Looking Good Dead, Grace suspects the sudden death of a former schoolteacher may not be a drugs overdose as first assumed, and links it with the discovery of human remains in a Sussex field. Grace believes they are both the work of a serial killer. Meanwhile a member of the public, Zack Bryce, gets him and his wife Sophie wrapped up in the case after finding a thumb drive on a train.
Grace’s instincts prove to be right, as the murders throughout the episode were found to have been committed by the Scarab Corporation, a shadowy organisation which was headed up by Carl Nash (going by the name Carl Smith). Norman Potting had visited Carl earlier in the episode when looking into wholesalers of sulphuric acid, but at the time hadn’t uncovered anything.
The Scarab Corporation International was said to have members worldwide who paid to have access to a page of the dark web through exclusive thumb drives. There they could watch snuff films and live out their twisted fantasies, as murders were carried out for their entertainment. Zack Bryce angered the group by going to the police about what he found on one such drive, and he and his wife were kidnapped for a planned live-streamed execution.
Other members of the Scarab included sex offender and pornographer Reginald D’Eath and Anton, a former member of the South African special forces. The big surprise was the involvement of Andy Gilney, a civilian and tech-head working with the police.
How did Grace and the squad track them down?
In the end it was Andy’s involvement, along with the discovery of Carl’s role in Scarab, that led to the team finding Zack and Sophie. They managed to save them both, in a shootout that saw Carl’s gang, including Anton, taken down. Carl made a run for it, but was caught by Grace before boarding his boat out of there.
However, the operation wasn’t without a cost, as Glenn took a bullet during the raid.
What happened to Glenn and how quickly will he recover?
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Glenn was shot in the arm and at the end of the episode was taken away in an ambulance. He appeared to be physically OK, but at an event for the show attended by RadioTimes.com and other press, John Simm revealed that the shooting is set to have long-lasting repercussions.
He said: “There’s also huge repercussions with Glen getting shot, because that triggers off something inside him and suddenly his marriage is in trouble and he feels invincible.”
Is EJ dead?
Earlier in the episode, after following up on a lead and finding a vehicle related to the case, DC Emma Jane Boutwood, otherwise known as EJ, got out of her police car and approached, with her badge in the air. The driver then immediately sped into her, sending her over the windscreen.
Her partner DC Nick Nicholl called an ambulance, and while Grace was on his way to help his car was also smashed into by the same driver.
However, EJ didn’t die, and the last we heard she was out of theatre and being kept in an induced coma. Vosper told Grace that “she’s a fighter” and was holding on.
At an event for the show, John Simm said that “the EJ thing affects everybody. She’s still in a coma for quite a while throughout the three episodes that we filmed.” So it seems like her attack will be hanging over the team for a long while to come.
Grace continues on ITV and ITV Hub on Sunday 1st May at 8pm. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
If you want to start reading Peter James’ Roy Grace series, you can purchase the first three novels on Amazon.
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