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In some mysteries, the murder victim turns out to be the perpetrator, the cause of their fatal injury being circumstances of their own creation.
Blame “Miss Scarlet & The Duke” for that reverie, a six-part throwback to the pre-“Sherlock” -era of “Masterpiece” when Victorian mysteries could rub shoulders with politeness, good tailoring and eloquent conversations about laudanum. Those days ended with opium dens and high collars on the dresses.
I’m keenly aware that “Sherlock” is set in our time, not the late 1800s. Tuning is not the reason the series changed the game; the key lies in the sharp crispness of the writing, the double punch of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman’s performances, and the fearlessness of his villains. “Enola Holmes,” a totally independent creation living on Netflix that centers Sherlock’s teenage sister, even takes some attitude cues from “Sherlock” and is a lot of fun.
Although Enola and this series of Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips, “Peaky Blinders”) are contemporary, the motivations of the former are the adventure and the quest of her radical and wonderful mother as Eliza’s entry into the private detective game is all about survival.
I’ll say this – “Miss Scarlet & The Duke” is a killer title, right up there some of the best sleuth couples, like “The Scarecrow & Mrs King” or “Cagney & Lacey” and that’s good better than “McMillan & Wife”. It also has the unfortunate effect of raising expectations to areas above service that this series does not meet.
Like a Victorian “Veronica Mars” without any of the clever repartees, Eliza’s father Henry (Kevin Doyle) instilled in her an affinity for solving crimes from a young age, but forbids her to act on it when she matures beyond her childhood.
Eliza rebels by sneaking around and trying to gather things in secret, and it’s an almost harmless pastime that earns her a growl or two from her housekeeper and confidante Ivy (Cathy Belton). Sudden misfortune changes however, and soon enough, Eliza confronts her own clients to make ends meet, becoming London’s very first female detective.
However, she does not receive the welcome of a queen; thanks again, patriarchy. At every turn in her effort to gather clues and question suspects, Eliza is faced with an iteration of “This is no place for a lady!” or “A female detective? Snicker-snicker-snort“or” Please move your lady pieces around the block, as murder scenes are the purview of penis owners. “Oh how I wish someone had actually said that third but, no. Bad luck.
Frustrated and blocked, Eliza turns to her friend Detective Inspector William “The Duke” Wellington (Stuart Martin), who obviously wants to look into what’s under that corset but can’t get over how irritated he is. by the insistent intrusion of the Eliza He-Man Woman-Haters Club which is her local police station.
And yet he is also overwhelmed by the unresolved cases that pile up on his desk and reluctantly admits that Eliza is excellent at what she does even though her female brain is constantly being squeezed by one of the very out of the box hats. the fashion of its collection. That’s their thing: she annoys him, he shakes his head and wiggles his fingers and is very pissed off! She is almost assaulted by her fellow cops, he saves her from harm before the situation goes from proper PBS to CBS.
“Are you a woman or a detective?” Wellington asks during, like, his millionth episode of frustration.
“Why should there be a distinction?” Eliza retorts, and this unanswered game continues to spin in circles, with Eliza bogarting for clues and dancing a few steps in front of him at every turn.
The existence of Victorian-era sexism is not in dispute, and I fully understand what designer Rachael New and fellow writer Ben Edwards aim for in developing Eliza into a feminist ahead of her time over the years. first six episodes. The show does a great job of establishing Eliza’s greenery in regards to the more subtle politics involved in this line of work; she always ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and breaks free from scratching the skin of her teeth or emergency efforts of last resort.
Lack of experience is not the crime of this show. The real killer is the series’ complete lack of sparkle, the professional dialogue, and the uninspired performances. Searching for those hours for something memorable to examine on Phillips’ performance, the only distinct quality I could find is how director Declan O’Dwyer brightens up his skin. Seriously, you’ll want his diet. . . and men, don’t think there is nothing for you because Martin works with some really awesome facial hair.
We had a blast with hers, but let me end on an upbeat note and observe that while “Miss Scarlet & The Duke” can be boring and uninspired, so does it. . . pleasant.
A lot of people are hungry for cuteness and cuteness right now, and this show has it by the cart. Phillips and Martin’s jokes are cool, even when he’s trying to be mean. Eliza’s relationship with a neighbor beaten up by a domineering mother is pleasurable. Even his near-death experiences with criminals are going well. You may find yourself rooting for the bad guys just to add pepper to this pot, but it’s pretty and bland Something – that is to say, in addition to the opposite of what the title lets us hope for.
“Miss Scarlet & The Duke” premieres Sunday, January 17 at 8 p.m. on PBS.
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