Miss Scarlett and the Duke

     In March of 2020, PBS Masterpiece Mystery! began a six-part crime drama taking place in Victorian London in 1882. The main character is a young woman by the name of Eliza Scarlett. She is in her early thirties, unmarried and when her father- Henry- dies unexpectedly, she is faced with a difficult choice – either marry and have a husband provide for her or take on the challenge of running her late father’s detective agency- unthinkable to imagine a Victorian young lady becoming a female private detective in 1882 London!

Although there are several cast members in Season 1- the main characters are as follows:

Eliza Scarlett– brilliantly played by Kate Phillips- Kate plays Eliza superbly- the incomparable heroine of the series. In Victorian London, a female detective is unthinkable, but Eliza isn’t one to take no for an answer- she is smart, relentless and resourceful. Due to her father’s influence, she has been raised to keep an eye out for every kind of clue, and when her father suddenly passes, she must  use those skills to keep his business going — and keep herself afloat (with a little assistance, albeit grudgingly, from her friend, the Duke).Miss Phillips ‘A British actress, previous credits include- her roles in Peaky Blinders, Wolf Hall and the 2016 BBC adaptation of War & Peace, as well as the 2018 series the Alienist.

Detective Inspector William Wellington- aka “The Duke”- Stuart Martin plays William “The Duke” Wellington, a rugged and no-nonsense Scotland Yard Inspector who is totally dedicated to his work — and believes that only a man can do the work of a detective properly. However, his old friend Eliza Scarlet is doggedly trying to prove him wrong, and he is equally determined not to admit that maybe she does have some sleuthing skills, after all.

Henry Scarlett-*Kevin Doyle plays Henry Scarlet, a retired police officer, Eliza’s father and the original Scarlet detective in the family. Before his unexpected death, Mr. Scarlet, due to his drinking, ran his business into some trouble — leaving Eliza to pick up the pieces after his death. Eliza must be successful as a detective if she wants a way to survive without having to get married. Though his death marks the start of Eliza’s journey, his memory often guides her as she navigates London’s crimes. Of note- Mr. Doyle portrayed Mr. Moseley in the long running Downton Abbey as well as reprising his role in the Downton Abbey feature films.

Rupert Parker– Andrew Gower plays Rupert Parker, an eccentric and nervous oddball from a very well to do family, who, despite his domineering mother’s best efforts, hasn’t found himself a wife — and perhaps may not want to (I’ll leave it at that).  It turns out, Rupert may have a few things in common with Eliza Scarlet, and the two independent thinkers strike up a unique friendship along the way with Rupert financially assisting Eliza during some very difficult times as she endeavors to make her late father’s detective agency successful.

Ivy Woods– Cathy Belton plays Ivy, the Scarlet family’s housekeeper and somewhat of a mother figure to Eliza. We learn that after Eliza’s mother died when she was only five years old, Ms. Woods was hired by Henry Scarlett to oversee the house and be a mother figure to little Eliza.  Ivy is a loyal and caring housekeeper but realizes how serious the financial situation is for Eliza after Mr. Scarlett dies. Eliza wants to be able to keep the house and maintain Ivy’s position in the household.  Ivy does what she can to be part housekeeper, part parent to Eliza after the death of her father, but headstrong Eliza doesn’t always listen to Ivy’s well-meaning advice.

Moses–: Ansu Kabia plays Moses, a very shady crook that causes some trouble for Eliza when she first starts out. However, Moses and Eliza come to have mutual respect for one another, and Eliza calls on Moses to provide assistance in situations that need his expertise in handing some very bad people. If you recognize Kabia – it’s likely because you remember him for his roles in films such as Murder on the Orient Express and Last Christmas.

    In Season 1- we learn that Eliza and The Duke have been friends since childhood. Henry Scarlet, in his capacity of a police office- was a mentor to Detective Wellington. When Mr Scarlett dies- The Duke feels a responsibility to protect Eliza. He is well aware of the dangers that lurk on the London Streets. Additionally, he still is not fully convinced that young Victorian ladies should choose to be female detectives. Detective Wellington is a very imposing police officer who does his best to put the criminals in jail. He is totally dedicated to his job. He also tends to drink too much, gamble too much and womanize too much. Overall, he is an excellent police officer with some habits that should be held in check. He is the perfect man to keep Eliza from getting into some very dangerous and possibly fatal situations. He often is frustrated and angry over some of the issues that befall Eliza- especially when he has warned her repeatedly to stay out of trouble.

      Eliza Scarlett is the heroine of this series. She possesses many skills that would help to make her a very good detective. She knows how to pick locks, collect important evidence and is relentless in trying to find out the truth. Eliza is also extremely intelligent and is tenacious as a dog with a bone. There is one problem however- she’s a woman in primarily man’s world.  It’s 1882 and women don’t even have the right to vote. The choice of jobs women could get included work either in factories, family businesses or in domestic service. Or they could get   married. The only career that appealed to Eliza since she was a young child- was being a detective like her father.

     When her father dies, she initially pretends he is still alive. Eliza believes that she won’t get a case since she is female. In Episode One- an old man arrives to meet with her father, a man named Alfred Winters, arrives at the Scarlett house to meet with Henry Scarlett, unaware that he has passed. Eliza takes down the details of the case, apparently Mr. Winters is sick and dying and is trying to locate his niece named Clara as he wants to be reunited with her before he dies. Eliza tells the man that she will take down all the information and pass it along to her father. Eliza is very resourceful and soon finds out where Clara is working. As Eliza continues to investigate she encounters Moses. This is a very good episode, and it is an excellent example of    what Agatha Christie often says, “People are not always what they seem” and also “never trust anyone when money is involved’.

      Each subsequent episode in Season 1 is well written and well-acted. Episode 2 finds Eliza taking on what appears to be a seemingly impossible case- she must prove the innocence of a man found at a murder scene holding a bloody knife and has already pleaded guilty. As Eliza soons find out – there is much more to this story than meets the eye. With Eliza’s keen power of observation, she notes two important clues- the direction of the knife wound as well as a tattoo on the dead man’s arm. Eliza finds out the symbolism of this tattoo. A most intriguing storyline with Eliza saving the day.

     Episode 3 deals with Eliza being asked by Inspector Wellington to infiltrate a potentially disruptive gang.  Eliza is initially grateful to The Duke. However, when Eliza shows up to the first meeting… she finds out that she will be spying on a group of Suffragettes that are campaigning for the vote. Eliza is conflicted as truth be told she believes in their cause. It is in this episode that we learn that Ivy, the housekeeper can neither read nor write. Rest assured, in the end , Eliza will not only solve the case but she also starts to teach Ivy how to read and write.

     Episode 4 is truly spooky. This will make the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Eliza is hired by a Death Photographer- yes- that’s correct- Memento Mori – or postmortem photography is the practice of photographing the recently deceased. Apparently this was a common practice in Victorian England. Anyway- this Death Photographer hires Eliza to find out who is sending him bizarre and threatening messages from beyond the grave and later in the episode makes a surprising discovery about her father. And yes- there even is a science just to add another layer of scary !

     Episodes 5 and 6 are titled Cell 99. Oh boy.. these two episodes had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Episode 5 begins with Inspector Detective William Wellington, just after being criticized and belittled by Superintendent Monroe for his report on crime on the streets of London, being ordered – not asked politely- to attend an event later that night where drinks will be served and where he can offer his ‘little facts and figures” to other officers on behalf of the superintendent. Just after William puts on his coat and tails- Ivy comes and asks for his help. Eliza has gone missing. William attempts to reconstruct and retrace Eliza’s movements prior to her disappearance. He tries to find her before he has to appear at the event in the evening. Where is she? William finds her friend Rupert Parker and asks if he has seen her recently- Rupert replies that she postponed a meeting with him and asked for a cab to the Morgue. William goes to the Morgue- asks the mortician about smallpox ..why? Then William goes to Eliza’s office – and as he has a spare key (given to him a while back by Henry Scarlett) . He finds a casebook on the desk with a page ripped out, and with the help of a pencil, shades the page beneath to decode the pen marks: “Woolwich Prison Cell 99”.

     Of course, William goes to this prison and finds Eliza. This is an abandoned prison – something is very wrong.. as the story unfolds we find out that Henry Scarlet’s death that was originally thought to be due to a heart attack, might have been caused by something much more sinister. The story line was compelling and what Eliza and William eventually discover is extremely disturbing. In all honestly, I had no idea what the ending was going to be and what truth was eventually found out was surprising.

     As a fan of Miss Scarlet and The Duke- I waited with bated breath to find out if there was going to be a Season 2 and if there was a second season, when was it going to be aired. I was delighted to find out that there was indeed going to be a second season. The first episode premiered on PBS on Sunday, October 16, 2022. This season – will again be a six-parter. I have watched four of the episodes and was very pleased with the excellent story lines as well as the interaction between Eliza and the Duke- there is mutual respect, but they are both very strong-willed people- he can irate he and she can be a thorn in his side. However, there is no denying the chemistry between the two. Edgy, intelligent and with a dab of humor, I will give Ms. Scarlet and the Duke 4.5 out of 5 stars. I encourage all of you mystery buffs to check this series out.

      My next review will be on the movie- Knives Out- this movie was at the theaters in 2019. I enjoyed this movie so much- I asked for it for Christmas and I was pleasantly surprised when I tore open the wrapping paper and there it was – Knives Out!! A murder mystery with humor. Just let you mystery buffs know- there will be a sequel- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – will be premiering at your local theaters over the Thanksgiving Weekend. And yes- I am planning to see it in the theater – with a bag of popcorn. Until next time- Susan B.