Miss Scarlet and The Duke 2×04 “Angel of Inferno” Spoilers Ahead
Well, well, it certainly has been a weekend for anyone who enjoys watching female private detectives make a splash in the Victorian era. And it certainly has been packed with witty humor and compelling stories. You may have some difficulty separating the two, but luckily, we’re still devoted to our weekly review for Miss Scarlet and The Duke. Last week in “A Pauper’s Grave,” we saw Eliza take a step back, and her friends rallied around to help clear her name. This week in “Angel of Inferno,” Eliza is back in top form and running circles around the boys. Let’s dive in!
It’s clear from Miss Scarlet and The Duke 2×04 “Angel of Inferno” that the tides are starting to shift for Eliza in her professional life. We don’t see her out and about sniffing for potential cases, as the clients have slowly been coming to her. She’s no longer desperate enough for work that she initially turns away “Doctor” Flint after being addressed as a “young lady.” That quickly changes when his assistant, Mr. Doyle, presents a wad of cash, so rest assured, Eliza is as quick to forgive and overlooks the slight.
But it’s not just clients seeking out Eliza; she’s captured the attention of Patrick Nash (Felix Scott) and his rival private detective agency, Nash & Sons (naturally, the pompous pinhead named it after himself, but he has no sons). Throughout the episode, Nash attempts to undermine Eliza as her lower costs are causing him to lose business, and he is forced to match Eliza’s rate as they both try to solve who is ransoming Dr. Flint and threatening to poison his elixir. At first, Nash uses petty attempts to prevent Eliza from solving the case, like having her thrown in jail for supposedly stealing a woman’s purse. However, it quickly becomes evident that Eliza is the better-skilled of the two. As such, Nash dispatches the ever so dramatic and dreadful Mr. Sinclair to fish out information from Eliza. Nash underestimates Eliza, who is all too aware of Nash’s intentions, and feeds Nash false information. The nincompoop buys it — oh wait, sorry, wrong female detective.
Despite my name-calling, Nash doesn’t seem entirely too bad. He is quite charming, in a sense, and he does come by to concede his defeat. Impressed by her skill, he even asks Eliza to work for him. Obviously, she’s not interested, but I doubt this is the last we’ve seen of Nash.
Elsewhere, we see William’s very small, nearly undetectable soft spot unwind just a bit more for Eliza and Fitzroy. Despite placing Fitzroy on administrative duty per his request, his father, Commissioner Fitzroy, does not take kindly to it and berates and slaps his son around. While William does come to young Fitzroy’s defense by suggesting Fitzroy should learn his way up, Superintendent Monro reassigns Fitzroy to Detective Phelps. William also pulls Fitzroy from a dangerous raid with Phelps under the guise of requiring Fitzroy’s “encyclopedic” knowledge of botany. Here, you see the difference between the two accomplished Scottish police officers — on the whole, they appear the same. Both men are from Glasgow and worked their way up Scotland Yard to earn their current positions. Nevertheless, Monro cares only for his position and reputation, while William genuinely cares for Fitzroy’s safety and well-being.
And, of course, we already know how much of a soft spot William has for Eliza. For most of Miss Scarlet and The Duke 2×04, William was pressed that Eliza didn’t bring the ransom and poisoning to his attention when she got the case.
On the bright side, we get to see him chasing after her for her case files, which lands him crashing a date night between Ivy and Mr. Potts. The poor twosome are just trying to enjoy a meal and each other’s company, and here’s William inviting himself to dinner and ranting about Eliza. You would think that a Detective Inspector from Scotland Yard wouldn’t be so oblivious as to when he’s not wanted, but nope. It’s also great to see Eliza and Mr. Potts tip-toe around each other and try to be on their best behavior for Ivy, who wholeheartedly deserves it.
When William eventually catches up to Eliza, she unleashes her own rant about Nash, being stalled in the case, and being disappointed that William would think she wasn’t doing a good job. It’s enough to twist William’s arm and let Eliza join him during the police investigation of the case. What did I tell you? Total softy.
Not to our surprise, Eliza solves the case! But more importantly, it was a very heartfelt episode. Even with all the not-off-to-a-great-start introductions and relationships, Miss Scarlet and The Duke 2×04 “Angel of Inferno” showcased how far the relationships have developed. Even Eliza and Mr. Potts are slowly coming around, for heaven’s sake! I’m certain eventually, they’ll reach an instance that doesn’t involve Mr. Potts pointing out Eliza’s un-Christian. Hopefully, that day will arrive soon. It could even be the next episode.
Now streaming on PBS: What are your thoughts on Miss Scarlet and The Duke 2×04 “Angel of Inferno?” Let us know in the comments below.