As this episode of Grace begins, we hear the weather forecast while Zack (Amit Shah) and Sophie Bryce (Christina Chong) prepare to leave. Once they leave home, we see someone watching adult cam streams and CCTV videos. Janie Stretton (Kristy Philipps) arrives at her workplace while Zack jumps on the train before it can leave. DSI Roy Grace (John Simm) meets with DS Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell) at the latest crime scene where 49-year-old Claudio Fruselli was killed. The former teacher was economically inactive although he did tea leaves and astrological charts. After he missed a family lunch, his cousin came by and heard music at maximum volume so he called the police.
The neighbor didn’t know about the music because they just got back from Tenerife two hours ago. Glenn points out the GBL, GHB, Meth, and Methadone spread out on the table. Roy confirms upstairs have given him just enough rope now before he asks about the guy who was found cuffed to his bed a couple of weeks ago in Lewis. That was a suspected GBL overdose too. Glenn asks whether they could be connected. Roy thinks it’d be better to find out sooner rather than later. Martin Broom (Michael D. Xavier) talks to Rufus Fletcher (Mitchell Hunt) about his adultery although Rufus says it was just once. When Martin reminds him it was with his wife’s sister, Rufus says it was four years so he is entitled to something.
Zack tells someone on the phone it is too early to talk about insolvency because he has a large order coming from Jarvis. When the call ends, Chris Webb (Alex Price) confirms that he got the computer back up and running. Zack complains about people not paying on time and Sophie spending like there is no tomorrow. He worries it is going to be the death of him. Chris tells him he could always say no, but Zack has already tried that. Moments later, Zack answers another call to Bryce Right Promotional Merchandise. Verity Cantlie (Cassie Clare) asks Janie how it went with Mr. Fletcher. Although they’re acting for him, Janie hopes he doesn’t get a penny out of her.
Verity talks about him being good-looking. When Martin enters, Janie gets permission to leave early to take her cat to the vet, but he wants her in at eight. He wants to finish the case files for Paul Murray. Glenn and Roy talk to ACC Alison Vosper (Rakie Ayola) about the latest victim. Roy says he died of asphyxia because of the way his body was hung. Glenn thinks it is likely that some type of chem-sex drug played a part in his death. While Roy doesn’t think the victim could’ve strung himself up like that, Glenn wouldn’t rule it out. Alison speculates that it could’ve been an accident since he might’ve overdosed and kicked over the stool or something.
Glenn believes someone could’ve cut him down or called an ambulance if they were with him. Roy mentions the GBL overdose in Lewis but admits they didn’t find anything suspicious. He knows several killers who have used this scene as their hunting ground. Before Alison leaves, she tells Glenn that the judge is sending out the jury in the Hussein case. Glenn invites Roy out. His offer is turned down. Roy tells him he doesn’t have to worry about him. Glenn asks who will if he doesn’t. Roy tells him to give Ari his love and say hello to the kids before he leaves. As Zack rides on the train, a man loudly talks on the phone next to him. Reggie (Owen Roberts) asks Zack to move so he can get by.
Once Zack sits back down, he finds a unique USB thumb drive in the seat next to him. He tries to give it back to Reggie, but he can’t before the train leaves. Zack goes home and plays with the kids while his wife drinks alcohol inside by the window. Roy sits down by the water and looks at profiles of women on a dating app. When he gives up and goes inside, Janie arrives. Later that night, Sophie watches a camera feed of Zack reading to their kids. He joins Sophie who admits she had one drink that got her in the mood. Zack asks her to dial it back on Saturday for Jarvis’s drinks-do because he needs to make a good impression.
He is an important client and the business needs a big order. When Zack has some privacy, he decides to check out the content on the USB drive. Once he confirms the address, the screen displays the name Scarab Corporation International. A woman sits down. Her eyes are covered before a man grabs a knife and approaches her. He begins stabbing the woman repeatedly. Sophie interrupts to ask if he checked any of the links she sent. He managed to hide the video. Sophie tells him that Dubai has some good deals. In the morning, a woman searches for her dog Bertie. After the dog returns to her, she is stunned to see that he is carrying a severed hand.
At work, Verity tells Martin that she can’t get ahold of Janie. There was a lot of traffic on the one-way so that might be why she is late. At the scene, Roy tells DS Bella Moy (Laura Elphinstone) to see if dog walkers and others noticed anyone suspicious in the area and to check missing persons’ cases. Joe Tindall (William Andrews) tells them it is a female dismembered torso with multiple stab wounds. All four limbs have been severed while the head is absent. One arm and both legs were in the bag with the torso. That was wrapped in a duvet cover. Joe believes the woman is younger than 40, but the pathologist will have to determine that.
As for the missing arm, the possibilities are endless although he suspects an animal carried it away. Roy believes whoever did this wanted the victim to be found. On the train, Zack finds out that his computer won’t turn back on. Verity notices a vehicle that makes her pause. Zack tells Chris he wants to give the USB drive back. He claims he just plugged in the drive and the machine shut down. Chris asks whether he went to any dark websites or bought any gear online. Zack says no since he wouldn’t know how to get on there. Chris warns him that he’ll end up on a watch list if he goes on there. At the station, Roy says they’re checking the DNA of the hand since fingerprints didn’t find any prior arrests.
If she is on the database, they should have a result later today. Bella says they have two missing women who match the description in Brighton. Glenn agrees with Roy that the killer wanted them to find the woman. DC Emma Jane Boutwood (Amaka Okafor) interrupts to tell them about the trainee solicitor who didn’t turn up for work today. The 23-year-old had an important meeting this morning but never showed. She gives them the name of Janie Stretton. Zack calls Chris to thank him for fixing the computer. Chris reveals that his hard drive had been bricked so he had to install a new one. He also installed some weapons-grade AV software.
Zack worries when Chris says he is going to take the memory stick back to base for a full inspection. He tells him to trash it, but Chris wants to know what they’re dealing with. Bella and Emma meet with Martin and Verity to learn more about Janie. Although Martin doesn’t think there was a boyfriend, Verity admits there was someone. She believes they had been together for about a month although Janie never mentioned a name because she is private. Zack tries to access the URL from before, but it won’t load. He attempts to call the police only to hang up when someone answers. Dr. Theobald (Henry Miller) tells Roy and Glenn that they’re likely looking at a woman with blonde hair in her 20s or early 30s.
There were 34 stab wounds caused by a long, thin blade. He shows them some type of beetle that was found in the victim’s esophagus. Theobald believes the killer put it there. At the station, Roy tells DC Nick Nicholl (Brad Morrison) and the others that the press can’t have a word of this. Glenn agrees to see if there are other victims with beetles while Nick says one missing person has been found and another ruled out. Although Janie left early to go to the vet, the receptionist said there was no appointment and she never came.
Bella confirms the letting agent is going to open the flat for them first thing. With that, Roy says he’ll see them at the 8:30 briefing. Alison asks him about the fetish guy and GBL overdose in Lewis. Banking and credit card history confirm they were both members of the same gym chain Pulse Rate but at different times. She recommends letting it ride so he doesn’t spread himself too thin. He learns about a detective chief superintendency coming up in Hampshire. He wonders why she is trying to get rid of him. Alison is just trying to be a friend. She reminds him he nearly caused a mistrial by taking evidence to a medium so the chief is worried. He is instructed to find somewhere else to lay his hat if the jury comes back with a not guilty verdict.
Later, Roy tries to find out more about the beetle found in the woman’s esophagus. He returns to the fetish crime scene and finds out where a laptop had been sitting. Then, he finds a small white beetle that looks like the one found in the victim’s esophagus. Zack watches a haunting video saying he visited the website last night and tried to visit it again today. He is warned that what is about to happen to his computer will happen to his wife Sophie if he tells the police about what he saw. They’ll also harm his son Felix and daughter Jessica. The hacker watches as Zack’s computer is destroyed again. While searching Janie’s flat, Bella and Emma find blood on the bed and a ringing phone under it.
Professor Otto Johansson (Callum Coates) tells Roy that the beetles are mostly identical. He calls it a copris lunaris or a dung beetle. They’re not found here at all outside of a zoo. They were regularly used in funeral rites in antiquity. The beetles were used to ensure eternal resurrection. Glenn interrupts when he calls Roy to say they may have an ID on the field remains. He meets them outside of Janie’s apartment and learns the red car belonged to her. She didn’t drive to meet her killer. Someone mentioned a black car with tinted windows, but nobody saw anything else. When they go inside, Roy says the flat is more like a show home than a student’s digs.
There are no signs of forced entry. The killer covered up the blood on the bed by throwing a fresh duvet over it. There is arterial spray on the wall and the mirror above the bed. They open the chest at the end of the bed and find that it is filled with sex toys. Roy tells them to get the laptop and phone to DS John Rye (Darren Tighe) in digital forensics. There is also a cat somewhere in the flat that they’ll need to look after. Then, Roy asks about the next of kin. They meet with Philip Stretton (Steven Elder) moments later and learn he is letting his house go due to a recession and bad investments. With his wife and Janie away, the house is too big for him anyway. Bella drops the phone and laptop off with DS Rye who lets Joolz (Boo Golding) deal with them.
Sophie is watched when she arrives home. She gets a call from a man who asks whether it is the Bryce residence. She confirms she is Sophie before the call ends. Philip gives the detectives some photographs of Janie, but he’d like them back. He can’t think of anyone who would want to hurt his daughter. He tells them about Justin Remington who was the last boyfriend he met. He was in finance and they met at the university. Although he was a nice boy, Janie didn’t want anything serious while she was building a career. Philip confirms everything there belongs to Janie who was particularly fond of anything with a butterfly on it. They learn that Janie had a tattoo of a butterfly on her left arm.
When Roy asks to take something she would’ve worn recently, Philip recommends the silver ring since she wore it all the time at home. They promise to let him know when he can see his daughter. Two others harass Joolz while she tries to work so she calls them incel scum. The man jokes that Rye might want to pork her. Glenn can’t believe Roy wants to work with Harry Frame (Adrian Rawlins) again although Grace just wants to use it as insurance. Glenn thinks it is an addiction. Roy doesn’t even though he doesn’t want to return the object. Grace reveals that Janie wasn’t the killer’s first since he found a scarab at Claudio’s place on the mousepad.
He thinks they were right about the killer wanting them to find Janie and that is why he left the music blaring in Fruselli’s flat. They believe he is showing off and doesn’t want to be ignored. Roy argues they need to go back to the first GBL overdose in Lewis. Chris returns home to find his place ransacked. Sophie admits to Zack that she was rustled. He doesn’t think the call was a big deal. When Zack takes a shower, he begins worrying and remembering what he saw in the video. At the station, Roy and the others listen to the voicemail messages on Janie’s phone. At 11:30, Claire (Lauren O’Neil) calls to say she has something for her. DS Norman Potting (Craig Parkinson) comes in to help them with the case. Midday yesterday, Janie got another call from Claire saying it was for tonight.
John Rye says the number for Claire was registered to a business called FGX-247. They also got a message from Ant that said tonight at 7:30. Janie replied with two kisses. Norman says he has heard of FGX from the menu of an escort service. He knows all the acronyms from his Vice experience. As for FGX, it is sometimes just called FG and it is an umbrella term used to describe a full girlfriend experience. Zack calls Chris to ask about the laptop, but Chris hasn’t had a chance to fix it yet because the whole place was turned over yesterday. Chris confirms that the memory stick has gone missing. He promises to get the laptop to him as soon as possible, but he wouldn’t hold his breath.
When Grace calls Claire and introduces himself, she quickly hangs up and leaves her house. They’re there to meet her and ask about Anton although she doesn’t know his last name. Claire says they call the girls after 10 minutes on their first date. They have a safe word that they can use if they’re not happy. This was their fourth date together so they didn’t think anything of it. Claire reveals they have about 30 girls and 10 guys on their books. She has never heard of Claudio. As for Anton, he has also met with Janie. She offers to give them Anton’s number before learning Janie was the one who was found dismembered.
Later, Roy asks Norman to check CCTV of likely date spots in Brighton on Tuesday. He tells everyone about Anton and the dates. He asks some of them to go to restaurants, bars, and pubs in Brighton and Hove to show people the pictures of Janie. John was asked to look at Claudio’s mobile phone. He reveals that Claudio was active on a number of hook-up sites used by the gay community. Claudio agreed to meet someone calling themselves Lancer on the previous Friday. The last activity from him was just after seven on that evening. Emma found a tropical insect breeder in Reigate that sounds interesting. He had a request to provide a scarab beetle just over ten days ago. They meet with Erridge (Nicholas Khan) who tells them about cockroaches.
He shows them the beetle. When asked about the buyer, he says it was a funny bloke who might’ve been Aussie. He calls about a month ago and asked for 50 of them. The buyer sent a minicab and paid cash so Erridge never met him. Bella calls to say she just talked to Janie’s ex. They were only together for 15 months while at the university. He has an alibi for the day in question. When asked why they split up, he said Janie got into stuff that he couldn’t deal with. Thanks to Joolz, they learn that Janie was working as a webcam girl.
Grace tells Alison that she got into it at uni to supplement her income and pay off her student loan. They haven’t been able to track Anton yet. The scarab is the same at Claudio’s and Roy is also convinced a laptop was stolen from Claudio’s place. Alison isn’t sure that the two cases are connected, but Roy is. He doesn’t think the case in Lewis is connected though. He promises he’ll take the Hampshire job into mind. Andy and Dave follow Joolz outside the workplace to harass her again. Someone nearby watches them. Zack thinks he hears the same guy on the train again, but it turns out to be someone else. He panics when he sees Janie’s picture on the newspaper someone is holding.
Grace visits Harry to see if he can find anything, but he says they’re not coming through today. Roy agrees to leave it with him before they begin talking about the bosses wanting Grace to move to Hampshire. He met Sandy in Brighton, they fell in love here, they got married here, and he lost her here. Moving to Hampshire feels like giving up and he isn’t ready to do that. If he knew for certain that she was gone, he’d walk away and close the door. He keeps thinking Sandy won’t be able to find her way home if he moves. At the crime scene, he caught her perfume in the air as if she had just stepped out of the room. Harry says it was a violent death.
He also knows that she had blue, purple hair and there was something on her left arm. It was a small tattoo and she wore a bracelet. The guy has it. Harry says something about a blue room. Roy is told to be very careful because there is death close at hand and it ends by water. That night, Sophie realizes that something is going on with Zack. At the station, the detectives confirm they haven’t been able to find anything at bars, clubs, or restaurants. Norman reveals Janie was registered with another escort agency. Emma has checked with every minicab firm in the Reigate area, but there is no sign of anyone who picked up a beetle. Glenn arrives to tell them about Zack who just called.
Roy talks to him on the phone while trying to get him to meet. However, Zack is worried that they’ll find out and harm his family. Roy agrees to meet him anywhere he feels safe. When they meet up, Zack says he took a screengrab because it didn’t seem real. Roy insists he did the right thing and the worst is over. Zack knows he should’ve talked to them sooner, but he was afraid. Grace tells him to go about his normal life because they’re going to handle everything. Zack is asked whether he’d recognize the guy from the train if he saw him again. They go to the station to watch CCTV footage to find the man. He identifies the man who is Reginald Morris D’Eath. He is a convicted sex offender and pimp.
Recently, he has been the producer of violent pornography. Reggie left the thumb drive before Zack got it and plugged it into his computer. Then, it installed a bespoke, anonymous, private network on Zack’s computer. It located and gained entry to the correct address. They tried the URL on the screenshot, but that won’t work because the software roots the chain through different computers and encrypts the data in the process. Without the other stuff on the thumb drive, they cannot access the site in question. Grace says it is a snuff channel called Scarab Corporation International. The beetles are used to prove his authorship. Alison wonders if Reggie has moved from torture porn to actual murder.
They visit Reggie’s house to see what he can tell them about the thumb drive. Since the backdoor is open, they go inside and begin looking around. They find a dead body in a bathtub with a scarab next to him. Zack tells Sophie what they said and how they should carry on as normal. He can’t afford to bail on Jarvis now so Sophie agrees that they’ll go. Outside Reggie’s house, Bella and Emma say a neighbor saw a blue four-by-four outside the house and got its plates. It is registered to a company called Bornholt International Limited and has a Brighton PO Box.
Norman says his dad used to spray the potato crop with sulfuric acid and kill the shoots to make harvesting much easier. They need to find someone with enough sulfuric acid to fill a bathtub. Norman will go talk to silos to see who uses that much. Glenn confirms that the Bryce couple is out and the babysitter doesn’t know when they’ll be back. Nick says a bar manager he talked to yesterday believes he has footage of Janie. They visit the bar where Ricky (Louis Boyer) shows them a video of Janie dancing with a man wearing sunglasses. They also notice he has his back to the CCTV cameras in every shot because he doesn’t want to be recognized. When they return home, Sophie offers to take the babysitter home since Zack had a few too many drinks.
He is happy that he got the deal with Jarvis and tells Sophie he loves her before she leaves with the babysitter. When Zack wakes up on the couch, he finds it is 4:13 in the morning. He calls Sophie’s phone only to discover it sitting on the counter nearby. He calls the babysitter’s family and asks whether Mandy (Robyn Ashwood) made it home. Then, he calls the police to ask about road accidents involving Sophie, but they haven’t heard anything. Eventually, the police find his car burning on the side of the road. Glenn and Roy tell him that the car was burned out and nobody was in it. Zack begins complaining about Roy saying it’d be okay before he learns about Reggie being dead.
He is introduced to two family liaison officers. The hacker watches using the webcam as the officers agree to stay and offer protection around the clock. Zack gives Roy a piece of jewelry that Sophie wears all the time and again reminds him that he said nothing would happen. Normal talks to Carl Smith (James Barriscale) about his sulfuric acid. They agree to look around. Alison asks what happens since the Bryce family should’ve been protected. Roy had them covered, but the patrol car got called out to an RTA and missed the car leaving. He believes the person behind the films is likely involved and don’t care that the police are investigating. Reggie was dumped in a bath of acid after losing the thumb drive.
Zack was warned not to talk to the police and his wife was taken while she was driving his car. Roy suggests they like the thrill of being chased by police, but it worries him that they won’t want to keep Sophie for long. Alison agrees to give him whatever resources he might need. Zack sees a report about Reggie’s death on television. He didn’t know he was murdered. Norman finishes with Carl. Glenn gets the monthly standing order on Reggie’s bank account to a company called SCI Cinema. They believe SCI stands for Scarab Corporation International and they’ve been making a grand a month. They discuss the service that lives out your fantasy of being a serial killer without the risk.
Zack gets a video of Sophie asking him to do exactly what they tell him and not talk to the police. Adam Davies calls Emma and puts through Mr. Seiler (Sidney Kean) who thinks the blue car is dealing drugs outside his house. Emma catches up with Nick so they can chase down the vehicle. Meanwhile, the family liaison officer finds that Zack has gone missing. Zack follows the instructions of the man on the phone while driving. Roy gets a call from Nick about the blue four-by-four. The car is still there by the time they arrive. Emma gets out and flashes her badge only to be run down. Nick begins checking on her while notifying Roy about what happened. Nick says he’ll be there in two, but he is sideswiped.
Zack pulls in and turns off the engine as instructed as a car pulls up next to him. Roy checks on the passengers of the blue vehicle and finds a laptop on the floor. At the station, they watch a video of the bathtub being filled with sulfuric acid. At the end of the video, they find a message asking them to log on tomorrow at 21:15 for the next big attraction. It will be a double killing of a wife and husband. Alison learns they believe the couple is Sophie and Zack. The video was taken from the laptop retrieved from the 4×4 that hit Roy.
The driver piggybacked onto an unprotected router to send out the video to Scarab International’s customers. The laptop matches the indention on Claudio’s table so it was likely used to record his murder. It was used to record Janie’s murder too. The driver of the 4×4 has a brain injury and they can’t ID him, but he has a tattoo in Cyrillic. It is the motto of the Spetznaz or Russian special forces. Grace encourages them to get the photos of the Bryces out there and talk to their informants. Alison believes Roy should step down, but he doesn’t think so. He believes the killers will want to deliver a live murder so they have until 9:15. Nick arrives to say Emma is out of theater although they’re keeping her in an induced coma for now.
Medics aren’t hopeful. Sophie tries to wake Zack before a man enters and tells them to clean themselves up because they need to look their best. Rye tells his team he needs their help since two lives are at stake. Glenn and Roy watch CCTV footage of Zack from the night before. They focus on a car that follows him. On the back of the car, they find a sticker for the Pulse Rate gym. Nick is tasked with calling the gyms to see if they have someone named Anton or that car registration number. Andy deletes the files belonging to the case. Then, he grabs John’s laptop to take care of the original and leaves. Nick tells Roy the gym has a guy named Anton Coff who is South African. The car is registered to Bornholt International Limited.
Norman says uniform spotted the car entering Civil Square car park. Roy wants it closed down. John learns that the laptop is gone. Joe helps collect prints from the car at the car park. Then, Roy learns about Andy going missing after he was asked to work on the case. All the clone files have been deleted and the laptop is missing. Carl belittles Andy for coming here since he told him to never do that. Anton (Austin Hardiman) enters to tell them about the cops at the car park. When asked about the laptop, Andy confirms he has it in a safe place and will be using it as insurance. He has done everything they’ve asked. Now, he needs to get off the grid and disappear.
They’re not going to let him go that easily though. Roy learns more about Anton whose real name is Hans van der Vjeet. He is a former Recce or South African Special Forces. When Bella ran him, she came across Carl Nash who is ex-army and ended up with intelligence in Bosnia. He eventually got court-martialed for filming the execution of prisoners and selling those videos. When Norman sees his picture, he recognizes him as Carl Smith from Port Slade. Nick reveals that Andy’s phone was headed toward Port Slade. Anton is worried that the police as on to them because Andy left his phone in the car. Carl tells Roman to warn the boys they’re wrapping up UK operations.
Anton and Carl argue about going after the Bryce couple. Zack and Sophie are removed from the storage container and prepared for death. However, police officers storm the building and begin shooting at Carl and his friends first. Glenn gets shot. The Bryce couple is fine. Carl is the last one to flee. Roy chases him to the dock where he is shot at. Then, an officer nearby shoots Carl causing him to drop to the ground. Roy approaches and tells him not to shoot. Roy asks whether they’re using death for entertainment now, but Carl says they always have. Carl says blood in the sand and pulls the trigger. The gun is out of bullets. Roy tells him he is going to live and spend the rest of his life inside.
When they take Carl away, Roy finds a butterfly bracelet where Carl had been. As Glenn is taken to an ambulance, he asks Roy to tell Ari he is fine. Roy tells Alison that they found Andy’s body in an acid drum. They also found a skull and an arm in formaldehyde. Both were boxed up ready to go to a customer in the far east. It was likely Janie’s since it had the butterfly tattoo. They found the remaining 50 scarab beetles so the group was just getting started. As for Emma, she is holding on. Roy wonders if the chief was right about Hampshire after all this horror. Alison doesn’t think so since he is Brighton all the way through.
She tells him that the jury came back with a guilty verdict on the Hussein case.
Grace Review
Grace is a typical crime drama with one twist which is Roy Grace getting help from a psychic. Besides the addition of Harry Frame and an hour and a half runtime, Grace doesn’t do a lot to set itself apart from other shows in this genre. The cast is pretty good although a bit bloated, so we never really get to develop any type of relationship with any of the many characters.
Many of the things that happened with the hacking in this episode were obviously unrealistic, but they were still fun and creepy. Some things were too convenient such as the 4×4 running into Roy. My biggest complaint is the runtime though because I don’t think it adds anything to the series. I’d prefer to have three-hour long episodes instead of turning each episode into a mini-movie.
Grace isn’t bad but there is plenty of room for improvement. With the next season being released in a few days, we’ll have to see what type of adjustments they’ve made. The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Grace are available on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support us at this link.
