One overused crime drama trope is the detective that continually mourns the loss of his wife. That paradigm killed the series "Grace." In this episode the filmmakers use it as a means to tie the plot together. Gently, a normally rational man, goes to pieces and foolishly confronts his wife's killer unarmed and without back up.
One thing that was never fully answered is why Gently's wife was killed in the first place.
During this episode John Bacchus demonstrates a newfound maturity when he stops questioning Mr Donnelly and walks away, taking Rachel with him. Refreshing if not a bit too late.
This two-pronged plot was pretty good. There are plenty of red-herrings before we discover Leslie's real killer. Several plot twists before we uncover why Mark Hogg was killed. And the dynamic underneath that.
I agree with some the reviewers who raised the point: why didn't the controllers behind the scenes just kill Michael Clements? The speculative answer is they knew Gently would never quit. Whereas, they knew eventually they would find a way to compromise Clements.
I disagree with those who had hoped Gently would die from MS. Far better for him to go out with a bang, albeit a painful one. From a practical standpoint, Gently was killed to signal this was TRULY the end of the series and not just another cliffhanger.
It was a disappointing but nevertheless poetic finish.
One thing that was never fully answered is why Gently's wife was killed in the first place.
During this episode John Bacchus demonstrates a newfound maturity when he stops questioning Mr Donnelly and walks away, taking Rachel with him. Refreshing if not a bit too late.
This two-pronged plot was pretty good. There are plenty of red-herrings before we discover Leslie's real killer. Several plot twists before we uncover why Mark Hogg was killed. And the dynamic underneath that.
I agree with some the reviewers who raised the point: why didn't the controllers behind the scenes just kill Michael Clements? The speculative answer is they knew Gently would never quit. Whereas, they knew eventually they would find a way to compromise Clements.
I disagree with those who had hoped Gently would die from MS. Far better for him to go out with a bang, albeit a painful one. From a practical standpoint, Gently was killed to signal this was TRULY the end of the series and not just another cliffhanger.
It was a disappointing but nevertheless poetic finish.