A fan favorite is back on Masterpiece Theatre which brings us to this jumble of thoughts on Miss Scarlet and the Duke, series four.
Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Series Four (2024) Masterpiece TV Review
Running a bustling detective agency is a dream Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) determines to see through. As she organizes a newspaper article, she has grand plans that this feature will help her boast cases in her role as lead detective of the Nash and Sons offices, a partnership she entered into with the incorrigible Mr. Nash. Trouble is Eliza’s partnership is indeed in trouble and as such she barely hangs on by a thread. She hires actors when she needs her office to appear bustling and looking to find some real work, Eliza returns to her fallback.
Her fallback is Inspector William “Duke” Wellington (Stuart Martin), the man she’s known since her years as a teenager. While he thinks of her as a friend, she always visits him with premeditated plans, and on this evening, her goal is no different. She’s looking for work and a case to occupy her time. When she gets part of one, involving a shooting at a high-end brothel, she finds that her friendship with William may again need some repairing.
Like anything, some stories we, as viewers, forgive and give leeway too when others we aren’t as kind to. For this viewer, the latter applies to Miss Scarlet and the Duke. Do I enjoy this show? Sure. But I’m also weary of the seasons perpetually spinning their wheels without getting anywhere. They finally do this series. Some find Duke harsh and “mean” to Eliza, but in fairness to him, she does put her career above their friendship many times. The quote in the opening episode says it all when William tells her she “premeditates” and isn’t one prone to stopping by for visits. This is true. Both have agendas, but it’s fair to say William has their friendship more at the center than Eliza does. I also like William best of the two, which is why the actor leaving, at least for a time, disappoints.
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That said, the show is immaculate again with its costuming and the settings. Whether they’re accurate I cannot attest to, but they leave a good first impression for authenticity versus period drama that continues to get renewed. I also like the mysteries our crime solving titular characters become involved in. I don’t love that Stuart is missing from two episodes, which is a common complaint I see from fellow viewers, and I think it’s fair. William should be as much a part of this story as Eliza given the title. If it doesn’t work out with the actor then lessen the episodes or work it so he can appear, even if more limited.
As a result of this, I will say this. Next year’s rebrand minus Stuart is sad, but it weirdly feels “right” given I don’t totally invest in William with Eliza. Sidenote, I do adore their first scene together and how William catches Eliza off guard with his genuine reaction and compliment to her. In the end, while I have quibbles with Miss Scarlet and the Duke, this is still a fun time. It’s just not the fun time I would anticipate.
You can stream Miss Scarlet and the Duke, series four on Masterpiece Theatre.
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Content: there’s not much different in this TV-14 season than prior ones. There’s murder and we usually see a body, though not in graphic detail. There is some minor innuendo here and there, such as in the first episode about the high end brothel.
Photos: Masterpiece PBS
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