As the curtain rises on this installment of "Grace," Emily Harton (played by Juliet Oldfield) and Toby Seward (embodied by Ben Cutler) find themselves entangled in a motel room scenario. Emily, with a sense of urgency, informs Toby of her impending departure. Meanwhile, Charlotte Seward (portrayed by Cat Simmons) keeps a wary eye on Emily as she exits the motel premises. Toby glances at his phone, seemingly oblivious to the unfolding drama outside. Emily receives a call and curtly dismisses the caller, hinting at a prior conversation. Intriguingly, she appears to backtrack and re-enter the motel.
Jarvis Brookes (Syrus Lowe), on the receiving end of Toby's affectionate phone call, where he playfully labels Jarvis as "gorgeous," is informed that it's high time they met in person. The anticipation builds as Jarvis expresses hope that Toby has secured their meeting tickets. Elsewhere, Charlotte storms into Hotel Lenore, her fists pounding against a door, her voice echoing through the corridors in a desperate plea for someone to answer. A hotel assistant (Georgia Last) alerts the duty manager (Lexi Austin-Jones) to the commotion outside the Fairmont Suite, where a distressed Charlotte eventually weeps her way out of the motel.
Inside the Fairmont Suite, hotel staff discover the lifeless body of Mr. Simmons. DI Glenn Branson (Richie Campbell) reveals that the room was booked under the alias Travis Simmons, a frequent guest for the past six months, known for his consistent choice of suite and cash payments. Glenn updates DSU Roy Grace (John Simm) about the disturbance outside the room and presents a potential burner phone linked to Simmons. Roy is determined to uncover the true identity and motivations of the deceased.
Elsewhere, Georgina Driver (Sara Matin), tears streaming down her face, reads messages from the same mysterious man. Simmons, in a video message, declares them soul mates, deepening the emotional complexity of the scenario. Roy, dropping off Cleo (Zoe Tapper), informs her of yet another murder victim, prompting her return to work.
At home, Glenn checks in on Ari (Rebecca Scroggs), who appears preoccupied. Ari rushes out, mentioning the perpetual staffing shortage. DS Bella Moy (Laura Elphinstone) observes the new recruit, DC Vee Wilde (Juliette Motamed), parking illegally in a CID-designated spot. Bella politely suggests an alternative parking area, but Vee brusquely dismisses her concern.
Later, Roy welcomes Vee to the team, assigning her to work alongside Bella. The discussion pivots to the women who visited Travis Simmons the previous night, focusing on Emily's return and her probable use of the stairs to avoid detection. Roy and Glenn agree that Emily's actions suggest deliberate stealth. They also deliberate on Charlotte, whose behavior was reported by Mr. and Mrs. Tanner. Glenn speculates that Emily might have exited via the fire escape onto a side street, presenting both women with an opportunity to commit the crime.
DC Nick Nicholl (Brad Morrison) is tasked with expediting digital forensics on the burner phone. Tensions flare between Vee and Bella as they clash over workplace protocols. Cleo receives a reminder about her upcoming maternity leave, adding to the layers of personal and professional stakes.
In a significant breakthrough, Vee reveals to Roy and the team that she found a hotel room key in Simmons's pocket, leading to The Brighton Central Hotel. Georgina Driver, in a bid to erase traces of her involvement, deletes all photos of Travis. Grace confirms that Simmons's real identity is Toby Seward, a manager at Levinson Logistics. Glenn postulates that Toby's duplicitous life may have finally caught up with him, perhaps prompting intervention from an unsuspecting spouse. Adding to the mystery, they discover Toby's vehicle has been vandalized, painting a picture of a life spiraling out of control.
Nick phones Roy to impart that Toby resides in London, sharing his home with two children and a wife named Charlotte. Through the babysitter's revelations to Nick, it transpires that Charlotte is currently visiting Brighton. Meanwhile, Georgina ponders dialing 999 for emergency assistance. At the police station, Nick informs Roy and Glenn that the only contact saved on a disposable phone belongs to Emily Harton, a colleague of Toby's who also finds herself in Brighton. Though a hotel reservation bears her name, she is conspicuously absent. In a dramatic twist, Charlotte extracts a shard of glass from her injured hand. Just as Vee is engrossed in a telephone complaint, ACC Cassian Pewe (played by Sam Hoare) enters the room to address everyone. Cassian announces that the Chief has sanctioned the establishment of a new Organized Crime Group (OCG) task force. In a private conversation with Cassian, Roy expresses concerns about being overstretched, to which Cassian responds by highlighting this mission's top priority status imposed from above. Cassian, displaying solicitude for Roy's welfare, proposes taking a step back if necessary. Roy promptly shares this development with Glenn, who reveals that Toby's wife has been apprehended. Charlotte identifies a distressing sight—a deceased body. Cleo informs Roy of forensic findings: hair samples from two individuals.
During an intensive interrogation, Charlotte confesses to trailing Toby, hoping to confront him and make him aware of his predicament. She waited for Emily to depart before approaching Toby's room, pounding on the door and shouting. Charlotte admits to cutting her hand but disputes Roy's suggestion that it occurred on broken glass from a coffee table, instead blaming a vehicle. She also confesses to vandalizing Toby's car but insists she harbored no intent to kill him. Bella updates Roy and Glenn that Emily is being brought in for questioning, prompting Vee to request participation, which Roy politely defers to another occasion.
Ari is summoned to consult with the medical director (Emma Dears) and the head of surgery (Emily Swain) regarding her treatment of Beth Dankworth. Ari relates how she administered an initial IV infusion of 500mg of amoxicillin for sepsis, unaware of the patient's subsequent adverse reaction. Confronted with evidence that Beth was allergic to penicillin, clearly documented in the system, Ari maintains ignorance of the allergy and attributes the incident to misfortune. Authorities push for her to acknowledge some level of culpability to facilitate collaboration, but Ari stands firm. A full investigation is announced, leading to her suspension pending its outcome, with strict instructions against altering her story.
Emily recounts her relationship with Toby to Roy and Glenn, emphasizing his normal demeanor, albeit slightly agitated upon her departure for a video conference. She emphatically denies returning to Toby's motel. Upon scrutinizing security footage with Bella and others, Roy notices discrepancies, realizing that the figure wasn't Emily but an impersonator. He deduces that three women visited Toby that fateful night. Elsewhere, Cleo and a colleague grapple with a harrowing scenario—a woman who has taken her own life. Meanwhile, Jarvis prepares a welcoming gesture with flowers and a sign for Hans's return. Glenn confirms that the third woman spent several hours in a local pub the previous evening.
Her moniker is Georgina Driver, and Glenn imparted to Roy that she was suspected of taking her own life. Jarvis, upon glimpsing a photograph of the deceased gentleman in the newspaper, marched to the offices of The Argus, accusing them of fabricating tales. Glenn further enlightened Roy about Georgina's profession as an investment banker. Her DNA was an exact match to the hair and skin samples sourced from Toby Seward.
Roy and Glenn scoured her automobile, uncovering the disguise she had employed. Roy harbored hope that her laptop might contain vital clues. Indeed, they stumbled upon a plausible suicide note. Bella apprised Roy of the arrival of Georgina's brother, Tom Driver (played by Hasan Dixon), who vehemently denied the possibility of his sister's actions, stating that she abstained from alcohol entirely. Tom was oblivious to Toby's existence.
Subsequently, Roy and Glenn engaged in a conversation with Georgina's personal assistant, Aisha (portrayed by Briony Scarlett). Aisha revealed that Georgina had committed errors leading to her dismissal. She speculated that Georgina's attentions had been diverted by her boyfriend, Arran, whom she believed was stationed overseas in the military. However, about a month prior, things had gone awry, and Georgina had confessed that Arran was not who he seemed. Aisha affirmed that the image of Toby was indeed Arran.
Returning to his abode, Jarvis retrieved his mail, only to find a final notice from his energy provider. He attempted to communicate with Hans within a video game but received no response. Glenn imparted to Roy that Georgina had recently initiated numerous bank transfers, hinting at financial woes. Bella apprised Roy of Jarvis's plight. Roy and Glenn visited him at his residence, only to find him deceased, a victim of an overdose.
Dan (played by Rob Compton) conversed with Sam Fordwater (Holli Dempsey) over the phone, while she was engrossed in cooking beside her father, Johnny (Mark Noble). Dan shared that he had been working in rural clinics in Morocco. Louise Fordwater (Amy Trigger) joined them shortly afterward, and the conversation veered towards the fallout due to Hans. Jarvis, too, had been grappling with monetary issues.
Glenn found it peculiar that the gaming console was still operational. Roy tasked Vee with conducting a reverse image search using Toby's photograph. Vee embarked on her task, pedaling to work on a folding bike. A gym staff member (Bobby Lockwood) insisted that Jarvis was incapable of such an act.
He reveals that Hans and Jarvis crossed paths through an online video game, with Hans presumably hailing from Germany. They proceed to inspect Jarvis's locker. At the precinct, Vee informs everyone that Toby is, in fact, the face behind all the male personas. Roy counters, suggesting that Toby might not have been involved at all. Bella speculates that someone was using Toby's visage as bait. It transpires that an individual had been exploiting Toby's identity and photographs to extract money from the unsuspecting victims. Glenn elucidates that Toby was never Georgina's intended target. Vee mentions a charity hotline where victims of such frauds can seek assistance.
Roy and Glenn converse with Angela (Nicola Wright), who enlightens them on how they support the victims of such deceit. Rupert Thomas (Michael Shea), who handles most of the online operations, educates Roy, Glenn, and Nick about the mechanics of romance fraud. Intriguingly, neither Georgina nor Jarvis had contacted the hotline. Rupert asserts that such schemes are typically orchestrated by teams of scammers.
Cleo informs Roy that Jarvis's overdose was peculiar, akin to the pills being pulverized before ingestion. Driven by suspicion, Roy wishes to inspect Georgina's apartment. After taking some measurements, he concludes that Georgina couldn't have committed suicide. He decides to scrutinize the victims' gadgets for any signs of spyware or tracking software, convinced that a killer lurks in Brighton.
Back at the station, Nick reveals that two sets of files were deleted from Georgina's laptop. Bobby hypothesizes that Georgina might have deleted the photos of Toby, while another person likely erased the messages and emails, possibly after her demise. Meanwhile, Sam Fordwater approaches Dan with an offer of financial support. Dan insists that their ordeal will soon conclude, allowing them to be together. Unbeknownst to her, someone monitors her through her webcam.
Roy informs his team that the victims were murdered, noting that Georgina had the exact same opioid concentration in her system as Jarvis. Glenn adds that there is no evidence of surveillance software on any of their devices. Glenn puzzles over why the perpetrator would bother with Jarvis, who wasn't as wealthy as the other victims. Roy recalls Georgina's brother mentioning her wild teenage years and wonders if she ever frequented a club called Under the Arches.
They interview Jarvis's former boss, Colin (Russell Barnett), at the club where he once worked as a bouncer. Colin mentions a legal dispute that prompted Jarvis to leave the industry. Cassian speaks with Margot Balkwill (Margot Leicester) while Bruno (Finn Guegan) stands nearby. Cassian informs her that they are closing Sandy's case and wishes to express his condolences personally. Margot reveals that Sandy had become reluctant to engage with them. Bruno greets Cassian warmly.
Roy shares with his team that Georgina once visited the club where Jarvis worked as a bouncer. A court case involving a dealer named Ben Close at the club comes to light. On one fateful night, Ben allegedly spiked a girl's drink, leading her to wander into traffic.
She was struck by a delivery van, her life forever altered as she found herself confined to a wheelchair. Ben faced the consequences, sentenced to six years behind bars, with four witnesses stepping forward to recount their accounts against him. Jarvis's testimony painted a picture of Ben's repeated dealings, while the other three—friends of the victim, their identities concealed by redaction—added crucial pieces to the puzzle. Georgina was among those brave souls who dared to speak truth to power.
Vee procured a picture of Ben, prompting Roy and Glenn to recognize him instantly from their charity encounters and rush to his location. Alarmingly, all their computers had been cleansed of data, and Rupert had vanished without a trace. Johnny Fordwater, ever the matchmaker, suggested to Louise that she venture into the world of online dating, oblivious to the turmoil swirling around them. Meanwhile, Ben persisted in weaving lies to Sam, who yearned for his prompt departure.
At the precinct, Roy disclosed a shocking revelation: Louise Fordwater, the very girl who ended up in a wheelchair, was the central figure in Ben's case. Her sister, Sam, had stood as a witness, alongside Lena Cartwright and others who testified to witnessing Ben slip a powdery substance into Louise's drink. Once lovers, their relationship had soured, leaving Ben irate and seeking confrontation. Roy feared that Lena, Sam, and Louise remained on Ben's hit list.
Roy and Glenn paid a visit to Ben's father, Ronnie Close (Liam Smith), who claimed ignorance of his son's whereabouts since his release. Tragedy had struck Ben's family too; his mother had taken her own life shortly after his incarceration. Outside, Glenn confided in Roy that Georgina's suicide note was, in reality, Ben's chilling branding of her. Bella's call brought news that Lena Cartwright might have fled abroad, prompting Roy and Glenn to seek Sam out, who was instructed to disconnect her phone entirely.
Roy broke the news to Sam that she was being scammed by Dan. Johnny pondered the motive behind targeting both his children. As Roy laid out their suspicions about Ben Close, he emphasized the urgency of examining Sam's phone. They cautioned her against contacting Dan, but Sam, obstinate and defensive, refused to part with her phone, insisting the warnings were nonsense before dashing off. Roy exhorted Johnny to prevent Sam from handing over any more money and to inform them if Dan made contact.
Nick's call revealed that Lena had indeed been abroad, in Italy, but had returned to pass away peacefully in a hospice. Sam's desperation led her to ask Louise for money to give to Dan. Skeptical, Louise wondered if Sam had already parted with a substantial sum. Sam admitted to giving Dan 10,000 pounds, which he had returned with interest, fueling Louise's disbelief at her sister's gullibility.
Roy delved deeper into Lena Cartwright's background, while Nick shared that Australian authorities had provided a recent photograph of Ben, matching the passport used to enter the UK eighteen months prior under the alias Edward Stower. Roy proposed that the software on their phones might lead to a physical location and speculated that Ben had been monitoring Toby. Extracting information from Toby's phone could be crucial.
Johnny grilled Sam about the money she had given Dan. Just as the conversation heated up, Dan contacted Sam, announcing his presence in Britain and promising to refund her money with interest soon. He inquired about the 20,000 pounds, explaining that he needed the funds to pay lawyers for the release of his assets. Sam suggested using her father's money, having accessed his account without hesitation.
They conspire to convene this evening at a quaint cottage, with Sam consenting to bring along the funds. Roy entrusts Bella with a mission to visit the hospice Lena once called home, seeking clarification on whether she had any interactions with Ben Close. He confesses his bafflement to Glenn, wondering why Ben abruptly awoke one day driven by a thirst for vengeance. Nick asserts their readiness, while Sam secretly appropriates his father's money. Bobby verifies that Toby Seward's phone is laden with spyware, capable of revealing their target's whereabouts, albeit at the risk of alerting Ben to their pursuit. Ignoring the peril, Roy instructs Bobby to proceed. Ben remains oblivious as Toby's phone powers on.
Roy and Glenn dash to the designated spot in pursuit of Ben, only to find his lair deserted, save for an array of computer gear. Bobby渗透进Ben的电脑系统, uncovering his communications with Sam and, fortuitously, the coordinates of their upcoming rendezvous. Glenn warns Roy of their impending tardiness, but Roy's attempts to reach her fall on deaf ears. Meanwhile, Johnny orchestrates an ambush on Ben, who retaliates by revealing that Johnny knows but a fraction of the truth. The police eventually intervene, halting Johnny's assault.
Nick uncovers a discrepancy in Ben's digital footprint—messages timestamped during a period when Ben was purportedly executing Georgina's murder. Additionally, remote access software pervades all his devices, hinting at a accomplice's involvement. Intrigued, they quiz the nurse, Kate Kelly Flood, about Lena's dying wish for confession. The nurse reveals that Lena's turmoil was resolved after a visit from a wheelchair-bound woman.
Roy learns that Lena had confided in Louise Fordwater on her deathbed. At Louise's beckoning, Sam partakes in a drink, only to be confronted with a vial of pills by Louise, who presents a stark ultimatum: embrace an easy exit or face public exposure of Sam's sins against her and Ben. Louise's threat looms large, wielding Lena's filmed confession as leverage.
In a dramatic twist, the video depicts Sam spiking the drink, amidst her vehement denials of malice. Louise lambasts their collective deceit, emphasizing the tragic suicide of Ben's mother stemming from their lies. As the tension mounts, Sam reaches for the pills, only to be interrupted by the arrival of the police. Glenn and Roy witness the incriminating footage, leading to their arrest alongside Sam.
Elsewhere, Bella commends Vee's impressive accomplishments, suggesting they attend to basics first and presenting her with a parking permit as a token of appreciation. Glenn discovers Ari in distress, facing negligence allegations. He urges her to seek certainty, but Ari, overwhelmed, storms off. Bruno shares with Cleo and Roy a piece of sea glass he discovered, casually inquiring about Cassian and his curious inquiries about Sandy, expressing doubts about Cassian's sincerity in regretting Sandy's plight.
