Grace series 5: Bruno a chip off the old block as he quickly gets the measure of Cassian
By Dave Golder | Sun Apr 13 2025It looks like Grace newcomer Bruno (Finn Guegan) has inherited his dad Roy’s detective gene judging by that encounter with Cassian.
In episode 2 (of series 5), Bruno meets Roy’s nemesis and boss, Assistant Chief Constable Cassian Pewe (Sam Hoare), for the first time. And it seems Bruno already has the measure of the man.
As for Cassian, he seems to be left unsettled by the meeting.
Nothing is said out loud that sets alarms ringing, but the pregnant pauses, the body language and the furtive glances all suggest that Cassian has something up his sleeve.
And, thanks to Bruno, Roy now has the first, faintest whiff of it.
Read more: Full guest cast Grace series 5 episode 2
Bruno, Cassian and Grandma in the park
There are two relevant scenes in episode 2's Dead At First Sight, when it comes to whatever it is that’s still bubbling away in the background following Sandy’s suicide (if it indeed was suicide).
The first occurs in a park next to a pond (we’re almost certain it’s Queen’s Park in Brighton but don’t quote us on that).
At first we only see Cassian and Sandy’s mother, Margot Balkwill (Margot Leicester) sitting on a bench in conversation.
It’s only later we realise that Margot has bought Bruno to the park too, when the camera reveals him standing half-hidden by a tree.
It seems he’s been listening in. So what did he hear?
Nothing incriminating, for sure. As always, Cassian is the master of bland civility. But the undercurrents are swirling.
“I hope you don’t think I’m intruding, Mrs Balkwill?” Cassian says in words that suggest this meeting is all very informal, but in a manner that suggests he’s actually quite keen to speak to her.
“There’s nothing wrong, is there?” she asks.
“No, no, nothing at all. In fact I’m really only here to tell you that because Sandy’s no longer missing, we’re closing her case file,” says Cassian. “And I just want to offer my condolences in person.”
This sounds very thoughtful, but there’s still that nagging feeling that it’s not really what this conversation’s about.
Mrs Balkwill thanks him for his concern then admits that they still have so many questions about Sandy’s disappearance and death.
“It’s all the questions,” she says. “All the things I wish we knew. Things we wish we could have helped with.”
Then, slightly tentatively, Cassian steers the conversation onto the subject he really wants to probe gently about.
“And you didn’t, um, speak with Sandy before the end?” he asks.
“We wanted to, of course. We called the hospital but… she didn’t want to speak to us,” says Mrs Balkwill.
“I’m so sorry,” says Cassian.
Then it’s almost like he hears Bruno’s BS-detector go ping, as Cassian and Mrs Balkwill finally notice Bruno standing a few yards away, almost hidden by the tree.
Bruno keeps his distance
Mrs Balkwill beckons Bruno over to say hello to Cassian but the boy remains steadfastly where is he, offering a curt “Hello” from a distance.
And there’s a frosty exchange of glances between Cassian and Bruno. Cassian’s face almost forms a scowl.
Then Cassian says, “I must get back,” and bids a hasty retreat, glancing back at Bruno a couple of times, only to see the boy’s eyes following him.
So, it seems what Cassian really wanted to find out was whether Sandy revealed any new secrets to her parents before killing herself.
Maybe the fact that she and Cassian had an affair? Perhaps he’s also wondering if Bruno could be his child. It’s unclear if he knows about the DNA test.
The fact that Sandy also had no communication with her parents when they still had so many questions also suggests, as we’ve speculated before, that there is still more fall-out from her disappearance to come.
At the beach Bruno tells Roy his suspicions
At the end of the episode Bruno, Cleo and Roy are on pebbly old Brighton Beach with the skeletal ruins of the West Pier behind them.
Bruno finds some aquamarine sea glass, and asks what it is. Cleo tells him how sea glass is formed and Roy adds: “There’s lots of different colours if you look.”
At first Bruno looks delighted at the idea. Then his face drops slightly and, after a moment of something clearly crossing his mind, he tosses the sea glass back into the sea.
“You alright?” asks Roy.
“Who’s Cassian?” responds Bruno.
It’s not the question Roy was expecting.
“Cassian? He’s someone I work with. Why?” asks Roy.
“He was at the park with Grandma. He was asking about Mum. He said he was sorry. But he wasn’t… He wasn’t sorry. Not really.”
Bright lad. He wanders off down the beach leaving Roy putting two and two together. If this were an old Looney Tunes cartoon we’d see the cogs spinning in his head.
So now Roy has been alerted that Cassian’s still sniffing around.
But since we don’t actually think Roy would give two hoots now about discovering that Sandy and Cassian had an affair (he’s so over that woman), you have to wonder if there’s something else Cassian knows that he doesn’t want Roy to find out?
