Ever since I became a published author, I began not only reading but also watching shows and movies with a much more critical eye. Not to find flaws, but to learn and identify both what worked and what didn’t so I could hopefully apply it or not to my own writing.

I’ve been a fan of the British series Grantchester since day one and loved each of the three vicars the series paired Geordie, the detective, with. The writing is always fabulous, the mysteries interesting, the found family tropes (one of my personal favorites) evident in almost every episode and the way the show tackled some not-so-comfortable cultural and societal issues such as it concerns women, the LGBT community, racial problems (normally done with grace and insight while staying truth to the historical times the show is set in) make this show one well worth watching.

But, like everyone else, they made a terrible mistake toward the end of season 9, after they introduced the new, handsome vicar, Alphy. And it didn’t have anything to do with race, religion, or whatever other prejudice, but with a serious plot hole.

**Warning** spoilers ahead. Don’t read if you haven’t watched and hope to do so in the future.

Episode 8 of season 9 is the culmination of a mystery that has been deliciously breadcrumbed throughout the season, starting with the arrival of Alphy in the vicarage, a very different type of man the village is used to. As expected, the appointment of a man of color as a vicar causes quite a stir in that provincial vicarage and Alphy has to deal with the unfairness and cruelty of discrimination even as he is quickly “adopted” by the Grantchester main cast of characters.

At a point in the season, a preacher (not associated with any organized religion) called Sam enters the scene. At first, his message of tolerance and love for oneself hits a nerve with everyone, especially with Lenard’s halfway house residents, who are seeking to forgive themselves and be forgiven by society. However, as time (and episodes) progresses, Sam becomes more and more radical under the guise of a benefactor and eventually creates a cult, with followers who are willing to do whatever he asks them to, including giving him all they material possessions, giving up on family and friends, and even kill for him.

Daniel is among his followers, getting so involved in this man’s cultish philosophy that he ends up forsaking the love of his life, Lenard and putting his own house for sale to finance Sam’s preaching. Just like in so many cults, those who want to leave find that it’s not that simple and two of them meet their deaths trying.

So far, other than Daniel’s flip as a character–which I personally thought it was too extreme–nothing is out of whack. We all know terrifying stories of cult leaders who convinced their followers to commit heinous actions against others and even themselves.

It’s not until we reach the last episode of the season that the inconsistency happens.

Things have taken a turn to the worse and the cult members now all live in a type of commune, including Daniel who blindly believes everything Sam tells him and has left his lover behind.

But our friend Geordie and the new vicar are on to him, knowing he is to blame–directly or indirectly–for two murders they’ve been investigating. They both come to the commune and so does Lenard who is trying to rescue his lover from this cult. Lenard is taken prisoner and locked in a room to be “dealt with later” while Geordie arrives at the scene with his deputy, only to be fired at by Sam who also shoots Lenard through a window.

Nobody witnesses this scene and Sam goes back inside and begins locking all the doors and shuttering all the windows, ordering every one to hide inside the house. Which of course, as brain-washed cult members, they all do without question. However, Daniel hears Lenard calling for help and finds him bleeding inside the room. Here, Daniel does another flip: he still doesn’t quite believe Sam is doing anything wrong, but the love he has for Lenard resurfaces.

In comes Sam himself, holding Alphy at the end of a rifle and the truth about what the preacher has done is revealed in front of Lenard and Daniel. While he is boasting and trying to justify the horrible things he has done, Geordie sneaks through the door and manages to unarm him.

Here comes the inconsistency or plot hole. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, in come a couple of members of this cult rushing through the door, looking totally disgusted at their leader, and turning their backs on him, not a word exchanged.

Why?

They weren’t witnesses to the conversation–at least that we know of. A couple of them come rushing around the corner as he is being handcuffed. All they see is their beloved leader being accused of murder by a policeman. It stands to reason that being such faithful followers, they would at least try to defend Sam. Maybe the writers had them overhearing the conversation, but the viewer doesn’t know that. If they were in the hallway, why didn’t they try to stop Geordie who was unarmed?

Not sure if the film makers were rushed, but there was something important missing there. People who blindly follow cult leaders will not just casually decide to not follow them anymore. There has to be a very strong valid reason. In fact, earlier in the series, two cult members were murdered because they had discovered that their leader was stealing and lying to them.

This of course reminded me as a writer to always make sure my content makes sense. It’s important for the reader to know why things happened in any genre. Even though Grantchester is still one of my favorite shows, this episode left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. We, the viewers, deserve a more satisfying resolution, not just a casual “by your leave” with no rhyme or reason.

Have you read or watched something that made zero sense and left you wanting some kind of explanation? I’d love to hear it.