Grantchester - Season 3 - DVD

Content: Grantchester in 1955: young vicar Sidney Chambers (James Norton) has a tough decision to make: He must choose between a life alongside the love of his life Amanda (Morven Christie) or his vocation as a clergyman. He also finds support during this difficult time with his friend, police inspector Geordie Keating (Robson Green), with whom he has some new crimes to solve. But when he accidentally stumbles upon a secret of the policeman, it becomes a severe test for the friendship of the two.

The crime series Grantchester, based on the novel The Shadow of Death: Sidney Chambers Investigates, enters its third round. In the process, the characters are consistently developed, which of course has implications for the friendship between Sidney and Geordie. But the central theme of the season is Sidney's brokenness. He has to make a decision that is actually impossible - because no matter which path he chooses, he will never be 100% happy. Because either he loses the love of his life, or he loses his faith, which has always given him such important support over the years.

But there are also some happy endings, for example for Mrs Maguire (Tessa Peake-Jones), who gets to experience a very special moment in the final episode of the season. It's a bright spot in a finale that sets the stage for big changes in season 4 - changes that will be very difficult for some fans. But even if that's the case, you have to give the creators credit for consistently following the path they took in Season 1 to this point - even if it will have some messy consequences.

Besides the characters' personal developments, though, there are of course the various criminal cases. Here, too, the series offers its usual high quality. Admittedly, this is in places already rather conventional, but always exciting and thrilling implemented. In addition, Daisy Coulam, who has written most of the scripts for the series since the beginning, always manages to surprise the viewers a little. Great actors, an atmospheric set and a balanced mix of suspense, drama, romance and humor make this season again a feast for all lovers of British crime entertainment. Absolutely worth watching!

Picture + Sound: The audiovisual realization of the series is on a similar level as the previous seasons. The picture is also very clean in the new episodes, the overall sharpness is on a good level and real weaknesses are hard to spot even in darker scenes. In addition, the color scheme captures the atmosphere of the series very well. The audio is in a rather restrained Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, but it certainly scores with some good surround moments in places. Good!

Extras: On the second disc there are a few nice extras, consisting of a short making of (approx. 9:58 min.), as well as several interviews with actors and creators of the series (approx. 13:18 min.). Good!

Conclusion: The third season of Grantchester offers the usual good crime entertainment, but is particularly distinguished by the good character development. By taking the relationship between Sidney and Geordie in a new direction as both men's lives become more complicated, the series remains engaging and surprising in its third year. The finale sets up big changes for season four that are sure to break some fans' hearts. In addition to the six episodes, the double DVD also has just under 25 minutes of bonus material to offer. All in all, once again, this one gets a: Absolutely recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp