Rejoice, Scarleteers!
PBS has officially confirmed that Miss Scarlet and the Duke is coming back for a second season and we’re jazzed about it. We know that it can always be tricky starting a new show, especially on network television, and especially after a cancellation with a favorite, but for those hesitant, that’s no longer the case with the Victorian era mystery series.
It’s officially, definitely coming back and so should you! We won’t spoil much on here because you should watch then check out our reviews for season one, but it’s one of the good ones—we promise that much. Miss Scarlet and the Duke follows Eliza Scarlet and Scotland Yard detective William Wellington on crime sprees, however hesitantly, and it does so with a plethora of sexual tension and witty banter.
We’ll say it now so you’re prepared, but it is a deliciously slow burn with this one and we would not have it any other way. It works for these two as a (hopefully) eventual couple and it works for them as individuals, for they both need to go through growth. The banter is ridiculously amusing, the characters are all riveting and complex, and the mysteries are engaging. Sunday nights with this show on PBS is something we already miss.
Let’s do it, let’s talk about the slow burn for a second because this can and often is something that causes hesitancy in a lot of viewers, but with a show like Miss Scarlet and the Duke, it is done so gracefully and so thoughtfully, you’ll want it to be dragged on a teeny tiny bit. Trust us on this. Because small spoiler, it doesn’t go without delicately angsty moments where you think something is going to happen, but it does not. However, what that does is, it sets up future seasons beautifully because when it does happen, the payoff will be worth every minute of the build up. We’re not saying there’s a kiss, but we are also not saying there isn’t a lot of conversation about a kiss, and wait what? Well yeah, you’re just going to watch to have to find out what has us so jazzed and why this works so well.
Miss Scarlet and the Duke doesn’t go without moments of genuine vulnerability dealing with mutual grief, heartaches, and conversations about gender expectations. If there’s one thing most of you know about all of us here at Marvelous Geeks, it is that we’re all for ladies getting the opportunity to work and getting stuff done even in societies that don’t permit to them. Simply put, women getting to make their own choices and doing whatever it is they want is our absolute jam. There are realistic measures of the time placed on characters in Miss Scarlet and the Duke, but still, it allows its female characters chances to challenge themselves and achieve goals while giving its males the opportunity to grow.
And it’s only the beginning. Miss Scarlet and the Duke is promising with an intricately smart first season and it’s promising in how it leaves off with its final episode. It gives us the chance to trust where the showrunners will take the series in its second season and that’s not something we can often say with full confidence.
Gear up and get ready because when we first said this show was to be the next period drama obsession, we meant it. It’s one of the good ones.
(Also, you know this means with more content, we’d have more features for the show like character deep dives. Yes please!)
If you’ve seen Miss Scarlet and the Duke, what are you hoping for in season two?