Grantchester Recap: Alphy Plays Hide and Seek — And We Find We’re Loving the New Vicar

It’s officially the beginning of a beautiful friendship. In his second episode of PBS‘ Grantchester, Rev. Alphy Kottaram willingly helped Geordie solve another murder and gave the detective a ride in his red Triumph convertible. The village’s new vicar also got propositioned by another suspect, which should happen every week.

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At the top of the hour, we learned that Alphy has inherited more than a dwindling congregation from Will Davenport. Grantchester’s centuries-old church is in need of repairs for rising damp and black mold, which Mrs. C warned would take out half of the parishioners if Alphy didn’t secure funds from Lord and Lady Marwood at the couple’s latest dinner and game night. No pressure! While Alphy is the blue-collar son of an accountant and housewife, he looked rather comfortable mulling about Marwood Manor with a glass of champagne in his hand. Lady Marwood took an instant liking to him, and was jealous when her highly entertaining sister, Beatrice — a fashion designer with 27 pairs of scissors — seated herself next to Alphy. Actor Rishi Nair told TVLine that the vicar chooses to confront racism with his “killing them with kindness” charm, and he did so when Lord Marwood asked him, “Where are you from?” and belittled Alphy’s vision for his church to be a peaceful place, welcoming all walks of life.

Lady Marwood agreed to fund the repairs… right before she announced a game of Hide and Seek seemingly designed to have her end up in the dark alone with Alphy. Instead, Alphy was the one who found a man — a dead one — in a basement closet. Gardener Dennis had multiple stab wounds to the chest and a blackmail note in his pocket. Larry made the briefest of appearances before Alphy got sucked into the mystery and ultimately solved it, inspired twice by Mrs. C. The loud shears she used to trim roses at the vicarage reminded him of Beatrice’s collection. Bloody scissors had been returned to Beatrice’s shelf in a clear effort to frame her. Later, when Mrs. C explained to Alphy that his predecessors didn’t see her as a housekeeper — but “a friend, listening ear, someone who cherishes you and you cherish in return, mainly someone with a hot meal at the end of a rotten day” — she drew his attention to her locket. Sidney had replaced it for her; it wasn’t worth a thing, but it meant the world to her. Alphy remembered the gold bracelet that Lady Marwood’s longtime maid Leah wore.

He suspected it was a lover’s token, and he was correct: Jealous Leah had killed Dennis, who’d begun an affair with Lady Marwood. Leah had framed Beatrice, who’d been sleeping with Lord Marwood. Beatrice not only confessed that tryst to Geordie and Alphy but also produced photos — one of which Dennis had stolen to blackmail Lord Marwood. Mrs. C had warned Alphy to steer clear of Beatrice, but we genuinely hope to see her again someday and hear more about Frank Sinatra, the ghost cat haunting the manor halls.

In the end, the case served several purposes. It was a respite for Geordie, who couldn’t handle the increasingly heated bickering between his wife and eldest daughter. As Geordie told Alphy when he popped by the vicarage to examine some evidence over a beer, “World War III is kickin’ up between Cathy and Esme. Solving a gruesome murder is honestly preferable.” It was also a chance for Alphy to prove he’s worthy of Geordie’s respect. Lady Marwood cut the vicar a check and suggested she’d donate even more if he became her next lover; Alphy returned the check. Forfeiting the funds meant Alphy forfeited his bet with Geordie on whether he’d actually ever see the money. Hence Alphy giving Geordie that ride in his Triumph (“Christ on a bike!”).

Other noteworthy developments in the episode:

• Esme moved out. As infuriating as it was to see her refer to her mother as a “silly woman,” it was more shocking to hear Cathy shout “I hate you! I hate you!” at her daughter.

• Daniel is ready to open up about his past. He showed a photo of his parents to Sam, who encouraged him to hold on to the love he felt for them and not the pain he’d caused them (and vice versa). We’re all for Daniel getting more screen time, but do we trust Sam?

• Alphy received a second Bible quote from an anonymous sender. I guess when you keep getting lured into murder investigations, solving that little mystery isn’t high on your list — even if someone has now tried to break into the vicarage. (Guard dog Dickens sleeps with Alphy. Awww!)

• Geordie gave Alphy a book called Ancient Buildings: Maintenance, Repairs and Controlling Rising Damp. So perhaps we’ll get to see the vicar in street clothes again when he gets his hands dirty.

• Geordie is done pining for Will! Twice we got a shot of him looking proud of Alphy’s emerging interest in playing sleuth. Plus, Geordie ate food off of Alphy’s plate. This friendship is happening!

Join the congregation below to share your thoughts on Alphy’s potential, Esme’s drama and Daniel’s choice of confidant.