Grace is deadly effective. Anyone who knows this British crime series knows that every episode title has the word death in it. That is also the case in the fourth season. The fourth season also continues the line in content that was set in the first three seasons. There are a number of essential adjustments that make this season just a little bit better than, for example, the third season.
The most notable change is that the story about Grace's missing wife is completed in this season. The declaration of death of his wife Sandy ensures that Grace gets the space for his relationship with Cloe. As we have seen in the third season, it is clear that this will have a tail.
What is particularly striking in this fourth season is that Grace is much less heavy-handed. His frustration about what happened is still there. Grace is just not (anymore) the traumatized detective you see in many similar television series. His use of alternative solutions has completely disappeared. Even his relationship with his superiors has improved. Without it becoming easy, by the way.
Biggest improvement is that Grace goes back to basics.
The above gives more space to other people in the team. However, those private stories remain more in the background than usual in this type of series. Now solving the crime is central. It makes these stories better developed and gives more space to the (possible) perpetrators.
The approach may seem a bit more one-dimensional. However, it works out well. The story is now easier to follow. It gives a certain peace because there is more focus on the most important storyline of a crime series. By the way, that does not mean that private life no longer plays any role. Old rivals return and they also intervene in the private lives of Grace and Zoe. Furthermore, themes such as illness and life with a family with a varied and busy job are also highlighted.
The biggest improvement is that Grace returns to the basics; crime. By simplifying the story, it is also easier to follow. It gives this season a certain calmness. That is a nice counterpart to an increasingly hectic (seeming) existence. With that, Grace profiles itself more as a beacon of tension and peace. It is therefore an excellent example that less is more. The fact that the series still manages to maintain the quality of acting and atmosphere makes Grace an absolute must for every fan of British crime series to follow.
About the writer, Karzal
Mike (1995) has been a member of MySeries since 2016 and is mainly active on the English version of the site. Since 2018, he has been actively translating news articles, columns, reviews and basically everything that ends up on the Dutch site. The original articles, columns and reviews were actually written by others. During the week Mike can be found at IKEA, where he is a national systems specialist and occasionally also in the classroom to teach an English lesson. In addition, Mike logically enjoys watching series and has actually been spoon-fed this from an early age. The genre doesn't matter, there is a place for everything in the otherwise busy life.
