[Saving Grace.] 1x04-06. (spoilers)

[delga]

 So, in three weeks a lot has happened to Grace, but in the unfortunate pattern of serial dramas, after a couple weeks of rain, you get some sun. That is to say: 1x06 was emotionally tame, but we'll get to that in a minute.

I don't remember the case for 1x04, but Grace's story was concerned with (a) Earl's engagement with her nephew and (b) trying to work with the criminal she 'killed' in the pilot to see what God has in store for both of them. The episode takes the long way round to saying that no matter what, Grace is not ready to cross the threshold into being a believer. The killer leads her to a purple door which Loretta (the best friend! I know some names!) decodes as being the threshold to acceptance of God. Whatever it is that haunts Grace, she doesn't open that door.

1x05 is an emotional ride for Grace. The case, for once, takes the role of the humorous b-side whilst Grace's family relationships move to the fore. We find out that her father died in the Okahoma City bombings, that he and her older brother are both firefighters, that she has four brothers in total and two sisters, one of whom is dead. We also meet Grace's mother and Grace's aunt, who is apparently clairvoyant. Grace has a lovely relationship with her aunt which is shattered when it's revealed that the aunt had a long-term affair with Grace's father (the aunt also has cancer and is going to die in 2 months). Cue Grace as an emotional wreck; she cuts the aunt off, and skips her father's memorial by getting drunk and sleeping with the coroner whose cat has recently died.

The cat, by the way, is a recurring subject, much like Ham's fear of small birds which has played out across 1x05-06. It's a nice character touch, obviously there for the laughs (just like Pervy Neighbour who has the misfortune of seeing Ham butt naked this week). I like these signs of continuity; they're what separate Saving Grace from most of the procedurals on TV right now.

This week Earl wants Grace to stop lying; his aim is to get her to confess to Ham's wife that she and Ham are having an affair, but Grace goes for a trial run on Loretta. Loretta and her husband (played by the wonderful Jose Zuniga) are havng financial difficulties which, according to Grace, puts their farm at risk at least once a year. Loretta is offered the chance to give forensic testimony in a trial which would pay her $2000 but she finds out that Grace lied about how the evidence was collected, and can't perjure herself. This leads to the girls falling out. In the meantime, Grace sees Ham's wife who comes to confrtn her about the affair, but Grace denies it completely.

The case was horrific: a gang-rape of a reporter leads back to a case of prostitute and incestual abuse, and the whole team is mortified. We meet Grace's Vice friend (I think the woman's actually a prostitute, and Grace knew her from when she worked Vice) again, which was another nice touch of continuity, and we got some nice dynamics between the team, not least Ham's bird-fear gag.

It's not so much that Grace is on a downward spiral, more that she's at the bottom, and that she's circling there, one step forward, two steps back. Earl can be underhanded in his approach (such as interfering with Grace's nephew, who she is banned from seeing after a while because her overprotectiveness leads to the boy having a nightmare, and her carelessness has him in the car whilst she pulls over a bus) but he's also remorseful and sensitive, making friends with Grace's aunt and helping Grace make amends with Loretta. He also buys a cow from Loretta's husband which helps their financial hardship. It's a touching scene because Loretta doesn't know who he is, but has been eager to meet Grace's angel.

Apparently there's only one episode left which is a damn shame because the show hasn't had time to pick up a pace of any sort; it keeps bouncing between its humorous and tragic turns, and it plays both very well. Here's to next week.