Miss Scarlet and The Duke 3×04 “Bloodline” Spoilers Ahead
Welcome, readers! We’re more than halfway through Season 3 of Miss Scarlet and The Duke, but we’ve still got a lot to cover. Like last week’s episode, “Hotel St. Marc,” we don’t get much of Detective Inspector Wellington but rest assured, we get to delve a little more into the personal lives of other characters. And, of course, Rachael New and Co. have managed to provide a fresh mystery for Eliza to solve. Let’s begin dissecting “Bloodline,” shall we?
With William departing to the north for a case, Detective Phelps (Tim Chipping) is left in charge. As you can imagine, it doesn’t look like it will bode well for dear old Fitzroy, who finally laid a nice right hook on Phelps’ face the night before. (He had it coming!) Sure enough, Phelps is enjoying his little reign of power, from preventing Eliza from assisting on a case to making Fitzroy do menial tasks.
The case in Miss Scarlet and The Duke 3×03 “Bloodline” involves a string of robberies in Bloomsbury. Phelps has Fitzroy accompany him to a possible suspect for the thefts, Michael Galanis (Alex Bhat), who is the nephew of the head of the Galanis crime family, Nikos (Stavros Demetraki). Phelps plants a stolen watch on Michael Galanis and arrests him for the robberies. Feeling stuck, Fitzroy turns to Eliza to help prove Galanis’ innocence. With the aid of Moses and Fitzroy, Eliza uncovers the involvement of Phelps’ cousin, Logan Cooper (Matt Concannon), and, ultimately, the truth of the robberies. However, Michael’s innocence may cost him his life; should he be freed, he’d be forced to take Cooper’s life. Michael’s grandfather Andreas (Svetozar Cvetkovic) pleads with Eliza to ensure his grandson remains in prison, as he argues that Michael does not belong in their life of crime. Luckily, Eliza figures out an arrangement to free Michael and send Logan to prison.
And all the while, Eliza and her associates were suspicious of Phelps being a bent cop; it turns out he accepted money for the first time from Michael’s grandfather to keep him safe with the intention to use the funds to provide a gymnasium and get kids off the street. It turns out Phelps has some decency after all. He even plays nice with Eliza and Fitzroy and lets Fitzroy know that he was impressed by Fitzroy’s punch, and his treatment of Fitzroy is mostly a show for the rest of the detectives.
On the personal side, Ivy and Mr. Potts are hitting some bumps in their courtship. Ivy appears to be in a mood and refuses to discuss the topic with Eliza, despite Eliza’s persistence. After Ivy has been blowing off Mr. Potts for various reasons, Eliza suggests he try to vary their activities. Mr. Potts seems so enthused about the idea that he even considers rethinking his “no women in the mortuary” rule. However, Mr. Potts decides to take Eliza’s advice as a suggestion he should propose to Ivy. In public. With a bunch of people. And she said no. Yikes, Mr. Potts.
Ivy eventually reveals to Eliza why she is hesitant to progress her relationship with Mr. Potts — she would miss being with Eliza in their home, and Eliza has inspired her that life for a woman isn’t just about getting married and raising a family. In a tender moment, Eliza encourages Ivy to do what is best for herself and informs her that she will support Ivy no matter what. Ultimately, all is well, as Ivy announces her “long engagement” to Mr. Potts (and given the look he had when she stated that it’s new to him — poor guy can’t catch a break).
Despite Eliza and William’s dynamic and chemistry being riveting as it is, especially with their back-and-forth and balanced partnership, it was refreshing to expand more on the other characters in the series and see some growth and development. We got to see Eliza interact more with her associates in not just a professional capacity but in a personal one as well. And it looks like, slowly but surely, Mr. Potts and Eliza will grow a particular fondness for one another (really small steps toward that, though).
And now, to the topic, I’m sure you’re all here for in Miss Scarlet and The Duke 3×04 “Bloodline”: Phelps comes by Eliza’s office to notify her of William’s arrival. But William’s not alone, and he’s got someone by his side. We cut to the next scene to see William exiting Arabella’s restaurant with the titular woman herself by his side before kissing her. And guess who’s there to witness all this from across the street? Yup, it’s a heartbroken Eliza watching as the most important person in her life walks side-by-side with the person who’s caused her a lot of pain and hurt in the past. I can’t say I’m surprised, unfortunately. Throughout the season, William has been making comments about wanting a family and indirectly asking Eliza about her feelings on the subject, and each time, she’s shot down the idea.
Undoubtedly, the discovery of William’s relationship with Arabella and Eliza’s knowledge of it and its aftermath will be covered in next week’s episode. What will happen to the relationship between Eliza and William? We can only wait and see with only two episodes left in the season.
Now streaming on PBS: What are your thoughts on Miss Scarlet and The Duke 3×04 “Bloodline?” Let us know in the comments below.