Miss Scarlet & the Duke: “Cell 99”

The PBS Masterpiece series Miss Scarlet & The Duke aired its fifth episode this week, and NiceGirls Leah and Rueben discuss the episode below.

But first, here is the synopsis for the episode entitled “Cell 99:”

The final entry in Henry Scarlet’s casebook takes Eliza and Duke to a seemingly abandoned prison on the outskirts of London.

The Good

Rueben: I loved how William was pretty dogged about tracking Eliza down even though he kept putting on the act of not wanting to do so even after he found her locked in that cell. Those men at the prison were pretty scary to say the least – especially the giant one! And, can we guess that Moses was behind the gas mask or could it possible be someone else? This case of all that forged money seems pretty big to be handled by just one man, the giant and that fake doctor, but how many more are involved, and just how dangerous is the “man in charge?” I have a feeling that is all going to come to a head in next week’s episode because with what presumably happened to Nathaniel Caine in the hospital – being smothered under that pillow (and the fact that Eliza asked Moses to find out all he could about Caine for her) – that William and Eliza could very well find themselves in an even more dire place than when they were seemingly (albeit shortly) trapped inside that old prison.

I yelled “Finally!” when William admitted to Superintendent Stirling that Eliza helped him on the forgery/prison case and that she assisted in other cases too. It might be too little, too late – and will obviously be completely overlooked and ignored because of the time period – but it sure felt good for that quite moment. And, I think William kind of delighted in pissing off his boss just a little.

Leah: William hasn’t always been on my good side this season, but this episode pushed him in the win column. Telling his boss Eliza helped was awesome!

I love a good mystery and this counterfeiting seems to tie into the death of Eliza’s father. Something that is personal for her and William. I’m excited to see how that all plays out. 

The best parts for me though – Eliza picking the lock when William was taking too long and her holding up his EMPTY gun and confronting the bad guys like a badass.

The Bad

Rueben: We were worried about Eliza when she first met Moses in the debut, and given the events of the ending of this week’s episode, holy crap!, is Moses behind the death of not only Nathaniel Caine but also Eliza’s dad?! We know that Moses has a shady and quite questionable past, but outright murder of two men – YIKES!! And, he clearly knows Eliza and where she lives. Hell, he’s been inside her home. I can feel the chills up my spine just thinking about what Moses is capable of doing as long as the direction of the story isn’t a set up for something – or more specifically – someone else been the culprit.

Also, William’s boss Superintendent Stirling is a pompous ass, and I can’t wait to see what his reaction will be – if we ever get to see it – when William told him about Eliza helping with those cases especially the forgery case from this week’s episode.

Leah: Here is my issue. They waited until the episode before the finale to get exciting. Sure this season has been good, but to ramp up from about a 3 to a 15 this late in the season, come on. I am really hoping Moses as the big bad is a red herring. I like him. I like that he works with Eliza. I will be really disappointed if he turns out to have been bad all along.

RELATED: Miss Scarlet & The Duke Interview

Comments

Rueben: It is so clear that William and Eliza have deep-seated feelings for each other for which they have both shoved aside and are denying to themselves, but they not only care about each other, but also love each other more than just as friends. They’ve known each other for SO long and despite how much they drive each other crazy, they care so very much for each other. Hopefully that will show itself in next week’s finale.

I’ve really enjoyed this debut season of Miss Scarlet and The Duke, and I hope that we’ll get the chance to see more seasons.

Leah: I’m going to need Eliza and William to get it together. I’m not looking for anything crazy, but an accidental hand holding or a hug that lingers, something. 

Miss Scarlet & The Duke airs in the United States as part of PBS Masterpiece Theater and you can follow along with our coverage here.

The finale episode of the debut season of Miss Scarlet and The Duke is set to air on PBS on Sunday, February 21 at 8/7c.