'Grantchester' Season 6, Episode 7 Recap: Prison of the Mind

Grantchester began this season with one of its heaviest storylines to date, Leonard's sexuality coming out in public. This being 1958, being gay is illegal, and it led to him being put in prison two episodes ago. Last week spent time focused on Will and the parish moving on, Will trying to find the nerve to visit, Henry Jones hired as the new curate. But this week, the series stops sidelining Leonard and treating his and Daniel's trauma like a fulcrum for other people's growth, with an opening that focuses directly on Leonard's ongoing experience in prison as Daniel dives into the bottom of a bottle.

Henry: Your Freudian nightmare of a sibling is disrobing in the parlor.

Leonard, as one can imagine, is not having an easy time. His cellmate, Joe Davies (Bobby Lockwood), is a violent bully who amuses himself by beating up his gentle companion. He's befriended by another gay man, Elroy Hastings (James Bailey), an upper-class guy who cheerfully treats his time inside as a laugh and claims that Joe (who beats him up regularly) isn't such a nasty guy. But Leonard's real comfort is retreating to the church that rejected him, visiting with the Chaplin, Rev. Nick Byatt (Paul Ryan), who relentlessly pushes him back into the closet.

Daniel's not the only one who's been drinking. Johnny has been taking Geordie out all night, keeping him at the pub until closing time. Will is too, though at least he has the excuse he's been saddled with Tamara, who Amelia chucked out for misbehaving. (Henry is as appalled as Mrs. C., though not for the same reasons.) But at least he's keeping up the visits with Leonard and meeting those who have loved ones on the inside, including Joe's father Arthur (Ian Burfield) and Elroy's mother Sophie (Gabrielle Glaister). Despite it being Joe who acts out on the inside, Elroy acts out at visiting time.