Review: Miss Scarlet and the Duke, Season 1, Episode 6: The Case of Henry Scarlet

Well, that was a pretty shocking finale! 

I have to say that I had no idea that the villain was Frank until Duke found that gas mask in his closet (by the way, I had no idea that the Victorians had gas masks. I thought they were invented during World War I. You learn something new everyday)! By the way, that gas mask is terrifying. Watching Frank point the gun at Henry while wearing the mask was absolutely chilling. There's something extra scary about a villain that doesn't show you his face. 

Although I'm glad that Frank is paying for his crimes, I am surprised that he turned out to be the leader of the forgery gang. 

To be honest, I just thought that Frank was too dumb to be the mastermind. It's possible that someone else was using him as a puppet, and there's a larger organization at play. However, it's equally possible that Frank was just playing dumb to deflect suspicion. I suppose we'll find out in the next season. 

Regardless, I thought that it was an excellent plot twist. Sterling and Moses were good red herrings, but I think I would have been disappointed if either of them had been the real villain. Especially Moses. He's like my favorite character on the show aside from Eliza and Duke! (Although Rupert is pretty good too.)

Speaking of Rupert, I was very amused by his plot in this episode. I think his "courtship" with Miss Hildegard is pretty entertaining; I never would have imagined that she would be so determined to catch Rupert as a husband! I imagine we will be seeing more of her in season two, and I for one cannot wait to see how Rupert gets out of marrying her. (Or, perhaps they can have a marriage of convenience after all). I'll be waiting on the edge of my seat to find out. 

I'm hoping that Moses also continues to play an important role in season two. I was pleased that the Duke "apologized" to him (let's be real, it wasn't a real apology),  but they clearly have some work to do on their relationship. Moses and William are two of the best characters on the show, so I would like them to work together at some point. However, their animosity could also be an interesting dynamic to explore from a plot perspective. 

Setting all of this aside, however, I really do think that Eliza and William's developing relationship was the most enjoyable part of this episode. They're really cute together. If they're not in a romantic relationship by the end of season two, I'll be VERY surprised. 

William's concern about her safety was very touching, and it was kind of adorable to see him sleeping in her drawing room with the guards he hired outside. I also thought that their little cooking scene was very amusing. 

I'm no cook myself, but Eliza's attempt at making dinner was particularly bad, and if you can't figure out how to boil eggs, there may be no hope for you. It was so funny to watch William crack that boiled egg and find it all runny in the middle. They definitely need Ivy to come back!

All and all, I thoroughly enjoyed this show. I'm looking forward to season two, and I can't wait to see more of this show!

Rating: 8/10