Miss Scarlet & The Duke: “The Case of Henry Scarlet”

The PBS Masterpiece series Miss Scarlet & The Duke came to a conclusion on Sunday night, ending its debut season this week, and NiceGirls Leah and Rueben discuss the episode below.

But first, here is the synopsis for the episode entitled “The Case of Henry Scarlet:”

Forgery, murder, and false accusation strain Eliza’s forensic skills as she gets to the bottom of her father’s death, aided by the Duke and her underworld friend Moses.

The Good

Rueben: We both didn’t like Frank, and for good reason. What a dirty double crossing slimeball! He was the bastard behind the gas mask facing down Eliza and William at the prison AND he was the one who killed Eliza’s dad Henry. What a horrible human being! At least we both knew there was something bad about him.

I loved the little moments between Eliza and William – especially over the boiled eggs and that final scene of them going out to dinner. Their banter is delightful to watch play out. Also, William had some of the best lines in the episode especially this one: “If we wait, we’ll no doubt have a disagreement about something irrelevant and we’ll have to postpone (dinner) again.”

It felt great to know that Moses was innocent, as I really ended up liking his character. He looked out for Eliza as much as William did; and obviously cares about her just as much given that he said, “I like you even less than you like me, but for her sake…” as he reached out a hand to William.

I can’t get over that niece of the German businessman proposing to Mr. Parker after only three days. She must be really desperate not to go back to Germany; but her being there was more to set up the clue to Eliza about Frank. And, speaking of that reveal scene, I just knew that Moses was going to show up at the end. I couldn’t imagine it going any other way.

Eliza really had a way of showing up where she shouldn’t throughout the season, and especially in this episode, but thank God for that personal quirk of hers. It saved the day and William, that’s for sure.

Leah: Frank was such a mean little anger ball. He killed Eliza’s Dad, some other thieves, framed Moses and set fire to the police office and was perfectly unfazed about killing William. What a…..jerk. Let’s just keep it PG and go with jerk. 

The banter between Eliza and William is always great. Thank goodness we FINALLY got to see a few scenes between them that could be considered actual progress. Dinner – that’s a good first step. I do also appreciate that William thinks he knows what is best because, well because he is a man and a cop, he does admit when he is wrong. 

Moses saving the day made me pretty happy. I’m a fan of someone doing the right thing even when not everyone thinks you are the good guy.

Photo Cred: Masterpiece

The Bad

Rueben: I don’t have any big complaints or anything bad to point out for this episode except that I actually felt a little bad about Superintendent Stirling losing his life. He was a pain in the ass and quite pompous, but he didn’t deserve to lose his life at the hands of Frank, but the dirty cop had to have his patsy, right?

The other “complaint” I have is that there were only 6 episodes in the debut season. I would have loved to have a few more episodes; and I would have loved to see more about William and Eliza when they were younger. Maybe some flashbacks to their growing up, and maybe even a chance to see that kiss that they both talked about.

Leah: Only six episodes? Come on. We. Need. More. I am 100% with Rueben – some flashbacks, since William and Eliza grew up together would have been cool. 

Can we talk to Rupert? Is he truly that gutless that he has to continue to tell the women in his life that Eliza told him what to say? He needs to knock that off right now. For someone who has a secret he doesn’t want exposed, he sure upsets the person who knows that secret a lot.

Photo Cred: Masterpiece

RELATED: Miss Scarlet & The Duke Roundtable Discussions & Interview with Series Creator Rachael New

Comments

Rueben: This show has been so much fun to watch, and I really hope that the powers that be give the show a second season order. We know from the interview with series creator Rachael New that she’s writing more episodes, but it would be great to know that there will definitely be another season.

Leah: I was skeptical at first and I still have a few issues, but as the creator has said, she didn’t want to put a wig on Sherlock and call it a show. I apparently have to work on my patience and let the show play out as she envisioned.

A second season of Miss Scarlet and The Duke has not been officially announced as yet, but series creator Rachael New is writing it now. If you find yourself missing the show and want to check out our past coverage click here. You can also watch past episodes on the PBS website here.