It’s never great when someone who thinks they have important information to share with a detective gets murdered. But it’s definitely worse when that person has romantic history with said detective’s boss, and that’s the situation we’re faced with here at the start of episode 4.

After last week, it really seems like the case is starting to come together: the tech team found the bullet, they’re interviewing some very solid suspects, and two different people made phone calls that imply deep knowledge of the case (one from inside a prison, so we can only hope that information makes its way over to our friends). On the other hand, everyone’s personal life is in shambles. You win some, you lose some.

This week’s episode begins with a party scene right out of an 80s movie, complete with a dude wearing a white suit. A wild choice, and one that really shows the blood when he gets stabbed with a full on sword (a sword he was clearly intending to acquire from someone in a creepy basement hallway). What’s up with the sword? And why was everyone congratulating the victim at the party? We’ll get some answers, but not all, when our detective squad arrives on the scene.

So far this season, we’ve identified the victim (Precious Falade), connected with her next of kin, (Manager) and determined cause of death (gunshot wound). Unfortunately, interpersonal matters haven’t progressed nearly as well: Sunny and Sal are processing an unplanned pregnancy, New Cassie still hasn’t updated her phone contact for Dirtbag Husband, and the entire squad have gone from wary to openly hostile. Not great!

Last week on Van Der Valk, we started investigating the death of a young freerunning champion who got himself involved in some shady, as yet unidentified business to save his girlfriend, who herself got kidnapped from the hospital at the end of the hour. We also met our two new team members, Citra and Eddie, and watched our hero completely lose it when confronted with his doctor ex Lena. What’s on tap this week?

Last week, in the season premiere, we met New Cassie. Jury’s still out on her, IMHO, but what is clear is that her cheating spouse Dirtbag Husband is the actual worst. We also got a new case, which New Cassie tried to prematurely close until DS Beanpole saved the day by dating the body to the 2010s, rather than the 1950s. Who’s our victim? No clue.

What do you get when you mix a bunch of stone cold weirdo detectives, seedy crimes, and the stunning backdrop of Amsterdam? Van Der Valk, of course!

Well well well. We’re back. Season five kicks off with a crew renovating a house who are attempting to clean out an old fireplace. They think some poor critter fell down the chimney and got stuck, because they don’t know they’re characters on Unforgotten, and are thus pretty horrified when they instead discover a full on mummified human leg.

MASTERPIECE aired the penultimate episode and the season finale of Grantchester Season 8 together for maximum emotional impact. Will’s struggle with the aftermath of the car accident comes to a head and he is forced to confront his acute stress disorder. Bonnie is in the late stages of pregnancy and is unsure if Will can be the man she married again. Leonard is also struggling with the impact of the murder on the future of the halfway house. Let’s discuss everything that happened in the doubleheader.

This week on Grantchester, the halfway house is at the center of the investigation and the focal point of the personal life plots as well. One of the residents has died in suspicious circumstances. Both Leonard and Will blame themselves for what happened and Geordie is under pressure from residents and higher-ups about the house's existence. Let’s discuss what happened but first note that this episode discusses suicide and suicidal ideation.