Loveday Writing

Grace and Kirk briefly meet at the hospital, where they acknowledge their kiss in the previous episode but don’t discuss it any further. Grace informs Kirk that she is tracking Rohan down, which angers Kirk, telling Grace that Sophia is his daughter, and he walks away.

Later at the hospital, Laney asks Grace if she is trying to track Rohan down as a tactic to stop Sophia going through with the adoption. Grace admits that she is, as she feels she has no other options.

While Grace is working, Sophia and Kirk are looking after Eady. Kirk informs Sophia that Grace is trying to track down her biological father, but Sophia tells him it doesn’t change anything and reassures Kirk that he, and he alone, is her father. While Eady is sleeping, Sophia calls a young man, Connor, and they meet up, where it’s revealed that he is Eady’s father. During their meeting, it’s revealed that they had a one-night stand and Sophia tells him about Eady, emphasising that she’s not asking for anything from him but she felt he had the right to know about her.

Later, Connor comes over to Diane’s house to see Eady, and Kirk is clearly not happy. Sophia tells Kirk that she and Connor are not a couple and they’re not going to become an instant family. When Connor leaves, Kirk asks him if he cares at all about Eady and the adoption situation. Connor tells him that it’s Sophia’s decision and he respects it, and that Kirk is the only person who doesn’t get this.

Later that evening, Grace calls Kirk, he apologises for yelling at her earlier and informs her that he is not going to fight Sophia on the adoption anymore and is going to support her. Grace accepts this and asks if she can be there with him and Sophia, when Sophia hands Eady over. Grace also calls Rohan and leaves him a message.

After her hectic night at the Birthing Centre, Grace goes with Kirk and Sophia to Family Services to hand Eady over. When they get out of the car, Grace tearfully tells Sophia that she loves her and Eady, and their life together. Sophia apologises to Grace and walks towards the Family Services Centre with Eady in the stroller. As she gets the door, she stops and looks down into the pram at Eady.

In the final moments of the episode, it’s revealed that Sophia has chosen to keep Eady, when she is at a picnic with Grace, Kirk, Omar and Diane in Diane’s backyard. The episode and the season ends with Grace answering her phone when Rohan calls.

Grace and Max – It’s Max’s last day of his clinical placement at the Birthing Centre. His day revolved around assisting with the births at the Centre, specifically the stillbirth of a baby girl to Grace’s client, Bianca and her husband, Gallagher. This marks the first time that the series addresses stillbirth and the performances of Jenkinson, O’Toole, Sara West (Bianca) and Andrew Cutcliffe (Gallagher) were spectacular.

During their night, Grace gives Max his placement paperwork and he tells her that he’d like to stay on at the Birthing Centre. Their kiss earlier in the season wasn’t mentioned again.

Laney – The focus on Laney was mainly on her being Christina’s midwife. Christina reveals to Laney that she has kicked Paul out and plans to divorce him. Later he comes in with their son, Byron, to see her. Christina tells him that it was cheap of him to bring Byron in to make her feel guilty, and he in turn lashes out at her, accusing her of testing him and Laney by having Laney be her midwife. Laney kicks him out of the room.

During the birth, Christina asks Laney if she’s still in love with Paul. Laney tells her that she was never in love with him. Christina then asks her if she still has feelings for Paul. Laney doesn’t answer her nor deny it, implying that she does. Christina gives birth to her baby.

Later, Laney goes into the room to check on Christina to find her and Paul cuddling their baby. Earlier in the episode, Laney tells Grace she’s pregnant and that it makes sense that Paul is the father but she doesn’t seem to know for sure. She also didn’t inform Paul of her pregnancy.

Sasha – Sasha only appeared briefly throughout the episode, bringing in a cake to celebrate Max’s final day of his clinical placement and trying to sneak a piece of it, only to be caught by Max and Grace, later in the day. She cuts slices for herself, Grace and Max, before rushing off to her clients. Tiffany didn’t appear in this episode nor did Sasha mention her.

Diane – Diane first appears in the episode when she gives Bianca an ultrasound and confirms that her baby has died. Later in the episode, she comes to see Grace whilst she is completing paperwork. She tells Grace that she needs to accept that Sophia is giving Eady up, she also tells Grace that she thought Rohan was taking her down a dark path and she wanted her to have choices in her life. She admits that she made a dreadful mistake and apologises to Grace. Grace thanks her but tells her that doesn’t fix it. Grace also tells her that she doesn’t think she can forgive her but she doesn’t want to hurt her over the past anymore.

At the end of the episode, Grace moves in with Diane after hers and Jim’s house sale goes through.

Jim – Like Sasha, Jim only makes brief appearances in the episode. At the beginning of the episode, he comes to see Grace at the house to grab the last of his stuff before the new owners move in. He asks her about Sophia, the adoption, and where Grace plans on living.

At the end of the episode, Jim comes to see Grace at the house again as she is digging up the lemon tree they buried in Henry’s memory. She confides in Jim that she only wants Sophia to be happy and have the life she wants. She also asks him how Bonnie and the new baby are, he says they’re good, and she tells him that she’s happy for him.

My thoughts on the finale – The job of a season finale is to conclude the season’s story arcs and subplots and establish the next season’s story arcs and subplots (if there is another season). Overall I thought this finale did a good job in leaving enough loose ends for another season.

The adoption story arc came to a close with Sophia deciding to keep Eady. I was simultaneously surprised but not surprised by this outcome – I was surprised as Sophia has been strong-willed the entire season right up to the final moments of the episode about putting Eady up for adoption, with her motivations for doing so understandable and realistic. I felt that Sophia changing her mind at the last moment to be cliché and forced. My lack of surprise came from the simple fact that the viewers would want a happy ending to this story arc, on one hand, Sophia giving Eady up for adoption would have made for an interesting season 2 but on the other hand, if she did, where would Sophia and her relationship with Grace go from there? It will be interesting to see either way where Sophia and Grace go from here if there is another season.

The Sophia-Grace story arc is still open, especially as Grace managed to track Rohan down and the viewers were essentially left on a cliff hanger as we weren’t shown the outcome of the phone call and Rohan wasn’t shown onscreen.

The Laney pregnancy subplot is unresolved as she hasn’t told Paul she’s pregnant nor has she confirmed if he is actually the father.

The Max story arc came to a close with his decision to stay at the Birthing Centre.

In terms of a love interest for Grace, it seems like this subplot has come to a close as she didn’t end up with Max or Kirk.

On a smaller note, the montages of women giving birth during the “full moon” shift broke up the episode perfectly. I also appreciated that the finale was set over the course of a single day as it prevented story arcs and subplots from being dragged out, and raised the stakes of the adoption story arc. I also think that Sasha could have made more of an appearance in the episode.

Overall I felt that Amazing Grace’s first season was solid, although there are some areas where the writing was a little bumpy (Kirk and Max as love interests for Grace, Sophia’s change of heart on the adoption, Sasha’s relationship with Tiffany, lack of character development with Sasha), the premise was interesting and played out well, and the performances by the cast were spectacular.

I hope that Amazing Grace is renewed for another season.

Best one liners:

• “Alright team, tonight is a full moon and we’re expecting a full house. We have protein bars and energy drinks at the ready, stay hydrated, but don’t overdo it, because we’re not going to have any chance to go to the loo.” (Grace briefing the Birthing Centre staff)
• “Tonight we are the wicked and there is no rest for us.” (Grace to the Birthing Centre staff on their full moon shift)