S01.E05: Cell 99

[Door County Cherry]

Aired 4/28/2020

Quote

The final entry in Henry Scarlet's casebook takes Eliza and Duke to a seemingly abandoned prison on the outskirts of London.

 

[HoodlumSheep]

Enjoyable episode imo.

The mystery surrounding her father's death is getting twistier and twistier.

More Moses incoming! Yay!

Was gonna say something last week, but considering he's hanging out with the herr hildegard (? Is that his name?) and his daughter again:

Not sure i like how rupert *seems* to be targetting that old guy's daughter as a possible marriage prospect (or at least that's how i see it). I get he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, but i don't like the idea of him leading the lady on with any false hope, ya know? I just don't want it to go that way, if anything comes from it. So far the old guy and his daughter seem to be there to add a little comedy/light-heartedness, but still...

Pointed out that henry scarlet was Mr. Moselely to my mom tonight after she finally spoke up about Neville Longbottom being in All Creatures Great and Small. Lol. She didn't connect the dots at all concerning kevin doyle. He plays his part well, imo. 

Was wondering if the the Duke's boss could be involved in this fraud stuff but the way he acts throws me off. He's either super incompetent and in no way involved, or he's an evil mastermind. Either way i can't stand him. 😠

[nara]

22 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Was gonna say something last week, but considering he's hanging out with the herr hildegard (? Is that his name?) and his daughter again:

Not sure i like how rupert *seems* to be targetting that old guy's daughter as a possible marriage prospect (or at least that's how i see it). I get he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, but i don't like the idea of him leading the lady on with any false hope, ya know? I just don't want it to go that way, if anything comes from it. So far the old guy and his daughter seem to be there to add a little comedy/light-heartedness, but still...

Was wondering if the the Duke's boss could be involved in this fraud stuff but the way he acts throws me off. He's either super incompetent and in no way involved, or he's an evil mastermind. Either way i can't stand him. 😠

I don't like Rupert marrying for show, but I don't think it's such a big deal.  Marriage in upper classes at the time was less about love than transactional, and he can provide a very comfortable home for Miss Hildegard. She would likely consider it a good bargain as long as he didn't continue his other relationships.

I have a feeling that the Superintendent is very much involved.  A scheme like this would need police protection.  However, I don't see him as the mastermind, but rather, a lackey.

********

I like the episode, but it's not my favorite, and I found the first part without Eliza to be a little slow. And I honestly found the dressing up scene a little gratuitous...

William -- I thought he was a little immature in dealing with his boss.  He doesn't have to kiss up, but he does have to show more respect.  And being invited to the Brownlee was a good thing, IMO.  If you're invited out to drinks with colleagues, you should go a feign enjoyment.

I physically felt William's agony and impatience in the convo with Rupert and the Hildegards...

How like Eliza to taunt WIlliam even when she's been trapped overnight in the cell!  I enjoy the banter, but it might have been better to keep the mood tense...Mixing the moods made me less fearful for their safety. I did think it was interesting that apparently they discuss their kiss quite a bit...And it had to have been 10+ years earlier...

[magdalene]

That was my favorite episode and I found things quite tense and compelling when Eliza and William had to fight for their lives in the abandoned prison.  I liked the different feel and structure of the episode and how the jeopardy  the characters were in really showed their chemistry to full advantage.   I feel this kind of criminal scheme could not exist without police involvement and I won't be shocked if William's obnoxious boss is involved. Though I may be inclined towards that because I dislike the character.

[Door County Cherry]

I somehow missed the dressing up scene because I was looking at something else in the beginning and I just switched to try and catch the rerun and missed it again.  The maid was coming in to tell him about Eliza.

Oh well.

I usually like shows that take place in more than place but this was pretty good.  I don't, however, love when the first season of a show has a two parter at the end, especially when the season is only six episodes long.  

I definitely think there is police participation in this for two reasons.  One, they've built up the "big bad" behind all of this. I don't think it can really be a random person but maybe they'll introduce another possibility in the next episode.  The second reason was that they managed to kill Nathaniel.  Shouldn't he also have police protection?  

[NeenerNeener]

So "Duke" is actually a nickname, not his title. I've been wondering for 2 or 3 episodes now why a Duke would be worried about getting promoted at Scotland Yard and I finally went to the PBS site and read the promo material. D'oh! I must have been multitasking when this was explained in one of the previous episodes. I blame Bridgerton for making me see dukes where there were none.

[nara]

1 hour ago, NeenerNeener said:

So "Duke" is actually a nickname, not his title. I've been wondering for 2 or 3 episodes now why a Duke would be worried about getting promoted at Scotland Yard and I finally went to the PBS site and read the promo material. D'oh! I must have been multitasking when this was explained in one of the previous episodes. I blame Bridgerton for making me see dukes where there were none.

In all fairness, IMO they have not been using that nickname enough to justify it being in the title.

[Nolefan]

I love this show more and more with each episode! There is a lot to unpack in this episode, but a few of the highlights for me where:

Duke’s conversation with Henry. It got me right.in.the.feels. When Henry called Duke his dearest, dearest boy and Duke teared up (I’m not crying, you’re crying).  For all his bravado, Duke has been shown to be an emotionally sensitive person. I really felt at that moment the loss Duke has suffered with Henry’s death. Kudos to both actors.

Loved how Eliza and Duke’s relationship was teased out even more. So, Henry gave Duke the pocket watch as a gift for becoming a detective and Duke knew Henry put Eliza’s dog down, but Eliza didn’t? Eliza’s low key jealously toward Duke might have just become even more complicated — maybe intensifying her anger that Duke became the son Henry might have always wanted?

The formal attire changing scene was HOT — LOL. On a more serious note, I actually think it added a lot to the narrative.  Duke seems like he takes great pride in his appearance— he likes to look nice — and the episode showed his great dislike for dirt and grime.  We know he lived on the streets as a boy, and  seems happy to have escaped that life. The whole storyline of him dressing himself up in the tuxedo (which cost him a whole week’s wages), just to have the tuxedo ruined was almost a metaphor for his life at this point — he so wants to overcome his past, but he keeps getting knocked back down into the dirt.

Loved how Duke and Eliza took another step forward in their working relationship, and Duke openly admitting to his boss Eliza’s worth. Despite all their conflict, they do make an excellent team.

I hate Duke’s boss. I hope he is the bad guy. I would love to see him get arrested and publicly marched out of his office in handcuffs.

[Nolefan]

16 hours ago, nara said:

William -- I thought he was a little immature in dealing with his boss.  He doesn't have to kiss up, but he does have to show more respect.  And being invited to the Brownlee was a good thing, IMO.  If you're invited out to drinks with colleagues, you should go a feign enjoyment.

I would agree if I didn’t see how William’s boss treated him in Episode 4 — assuring William that if William put his bosses name in the paper, then William would get the promotion, then finding out that he already gave the promotion to someone else. I felt the “report” scene was along the same lines. No matter what William did, the boss would not be pleased — a thorough report was a long waste of time whereas if William started with a short report he would have been criticized as not “putting his shoulder to the wheel,” as the boss described him in a prior episode. It seems perfectly clear to me that no matter what, William is not getting promoted because he does not come from the right background. In regard to the drinks with his colleagues, I was a little concerned that his boss was setting him up for some type of public humiliation with the formal dress instructions — it appeared that the event was to take place in the afternoon, and William had a tuxedo with tails and a top hat. I was afraid he was going to show up overdressed for the occasion and be made fun of. 

[nara]

5 hours ago, Nolefan said:

Duke’s conversation with Henry. It got me right.in.the.feels. When Henry called Duke his dearest, dearest boy and Duke teared up (I’m not crying, you’re crying).  For all his bravado, Duke has been shown to be an emotionally sensitive person. I really felt at that moment the loss Duke has suffered with Henry’s death. Kudos to both actors.

Loved how Eliza and Duke’s relationship was teased out even more. So, Henry gave Duke the pocket watch as a gift for becoming a detective and Duke knew Henry put Eliza’s dog down, but Eliza didn’t? Eliza’s low key jealously toward Duke might have just become even more complicated — maybe intensifying her anger that Duke became the son Henry might have always wanted?

The formal attire changing scene was HOT — LOL. On a more serious note, I actually think it added a lot to the narrative.  Duke seems like he takes great pride in his appearance— he likes to look nice — and the episode showed his great dislike for dirt and grime.  We know he lived on the streets as a boy, and  seems happy to have escaped that life. The whole storyline of him dressing himself up in the tuxedo (which cost him a whole week’s wages), just to have the tuxedo ruined was almost a metaphor for his life at this point — he so wants to overcome his past, but he keeps getting knocked back down into the dirt.

 

I did like the Henry-William conversation a lot. We have been told about the relationship many times, but this is the first time we’ve shown how loving it was. 

Really good insight on the potential jealousy that Eliza feels about William being the son Henry never had. It never even occurred to me!

Ok, you won me over on the dressing up scene. I thought it was just an excuse to show the actor shirtless and I hate feeling like any actor or actress is exploited. Your points about showing his personality and background are right on target.

1 hour ago, Nolefan said:

I would agree if I didn’t see how William’s boss treated him in Episode 4 — assuring William that if William put his bosses name in the paper, then William would get the promotion, then finding out that he already gave the promotion to someone else. I felt the “report” scene was along the same lines. No matter what William did, the boss would not be pleased — a thorough report was a long waste of time whereas if William started with a short report he would have been criticized as not “putting his shoulder to the wheel,” as the boss described him in a prior episode. It seems perfectly clear to me that no matter what, William is not getting promoted because he does not come from the right background. In regard to the drinks with his colleagues, I was a little concerned that his boss was setting him up for some type of public humiliation with the formal dress instructions — it appeared that the event was to take place in the afternoon, and William had a tuxedo with tails and a top hat. I was afraid he was going to show up overdressed for the occasion and be made fun of. 

I agree that the superintendent is awful, but I still think there is nothing to gain by showing your resentment in that situation. Maybe that’s because I had  trouble hiding my feelings in my early career and it hurt me.

It occurred to me that William might be snubbed for not being an actual member of the Brownlee Club, but I really hope the dress formality was not a setup. I got the impression that it was pre-dinner drinks, not afternoon drinks, though.  Striling is a jerk, so you are probably right. 😞

[statsgirl]

I spent most of the episode worrying that William was going to be late for the club because he changed to early. I guess that it was to emphasize how dirty he got later but it seemed strange.

The superintendent is an ass but not unrealistic given England's class system. Not surprising that he would promote people from the Guards over experienced detectives, 20 years later there will be a lot of trouble during The Great War because command positions are given to incompetent upper class twits.

The actors, especially the one playing Eliza, are trying too hard to make the love/hate sparks work.

[tennisgurl]

I thought this episode was great, its probably my favorite episode of the show so far. The best part of the show is the chemistry between Eliza and William, and this episode was a real showcase for their relationship and the great dynamic between the two of them. It also broke with the formula a bit by having the first twenty minutes or so be from Williams point of view as he goes about his day and then goes off to find Eliza, who really needs to start telling people where she's going when she goes off investigating. The episode being mostly inside the prison, with Eliza and William trying to figure out what is going on and where they are going like they're stuck in a maze, also made for a lot of tension and a chance to see how well Eliza and William work together, even while they drive each other nuts. They push each other but that also brings out the best in each other as well, and like I said, their chemistry is a real highlight of the show. I especially loved when they both separately screamed in frustration with each other, that was hilarious. We also got more into their relationships history, and I really liked seeing more of Williams relationship between him and her father, with William even getting a visit from ghost dad. 

Also, Kilts are formal attire, Superintendent Dickhead. 

[nara]

5 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Also, Kilts are formal attire, Superintendent Dickhead. 

I guess being Scottish is one more thing that Stirling can hold against William.

[Nolefan]

7 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Eliza, who really needs to start telling people where she's going when she goes off investigating.

This.right.here. “For Christ’s sake, Eliza!” as William would say.

[libgirl2]

On 2/14/2021 at 9:27 PM, HoodlumSheep said:

Was gonna say something last week, but considering he's hanging out with the herr hildegard (? Is that his name?) and his daughter again:

Not sure i like how rupert *seems* to be targetting that old guy's daughter as a possible marriage prospect (or at least that's how i see it). I get he's stuck between a rock and a hard place, but i don't like the idea of him leading the lady on with any false hope, ya know? I just don't want it to go that way, if anything comes from it. So far the old guy and his daughter seem to be there to add a little comedy/light-heartedness, but still...

It wasn't unusual in those times  for someone like Rupert to marry and have children  for the sake of appearances. He can quiet any rumors, have children and she gets a respectable home and security. Women didn't have that many options. People rarely married for love. Marriage was a business. 

Edited February 16, 2021 by libgirl2

[mammaM]

I hate two parters. That is all😎

[ShelleySue]

On 2/14/2021 at 10:27 PM, HoodlumSheep said:

 

Was wondering if the the Duke's boss could be involved in this fraud stuff but the way he acts throws me off. He's either super incompetent and in no way involved, or he's an evil mastermind. Either way i can't stand him. 😠

Actually the person who makes me suspicious (I'm putting this in spoilers even though it's pure conjecture on my part)

Spoiler

is William's scruffy partner.  I think his first name is Frank or his last name is Franks.  He came in and said that the forger in the hospital, the one who was then killed, implicated Moses.  Eliza trusts Moses and she may be foolhardy, but she her instincts wouldn't have been that far off to have trusted him when he was involved in her father's death and would want to kill her too.

 

[Nolefan]

2 hours ago, ShelleySue said:

Actually the person who makes me suspicious (I'm putting this in spoilers even though it's pure conjecture on my part)

  Reveal spoiler

is William's scruffy partner.  I think his first name is Frank or his last name is Franks.  He came in and said that the forger in the hospital, the one who was then killed, implicated Moses.  Eliza trusts Moses and she may be foolhardy, but she her instincts wouldn't have been that far off to have trusted him when he was involved in her father's death and would want to kill her too.

 

I could see that happening. 

Spoiler

Frank is also the one who reported to Duke that Caine mentioned Moses’ name, maybe to deflect suspicion onto a known criminal and away from himself. Frank has also been shown as lazy — like he would rather steal than work hard for a living. He also fits the build of the person in the mask with the gun, and would explain why the gunman didn’t just outright shoot Duke (they are friends).  But, I would think that Frank would only be a low man in such a sophisticated crime operation. Maybe Frank is working on the inside with a bunch of corrupt cops, with Stirling at the top?

 

[taanja]

On 2/15/2021 at 5:24 AM, NeenerNeener said:

So "Duke" is actually a nickname, not his title. I've been wondering for 2 or 3 episodes now why a Duke would be worried about getting promoted at Scotland Yard and I finally went to the PBS site and read the promo material. D'oh! I must have been multitasking when this was explained in one of the previous episodes. I blame Bridgerton for making me see dukes where there were none.

Ummm.. until I read it here -- I  thought Duke was a duke! If the show explained otherwise I missed it! 

[pezgirl7]

This was my favorite episode so far! And not just because of the undressing scene, although that didn't hurt. William looked great in, and out, of that tux.  😍 

My favorite line was "Stop being nice, it's confusing". It sums up their relation pretty well. They're attracted to each other, but find each other frustrating at times, so they don't know what to think. I liked that William opened up to Eliza, pretty much out of nowhere, about how he's frustrated at work and tries to fit in, but doesn't think he's successful. And I liked that she reassured him that he has nothing to prove.

[Nolefan]

14 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

My favorite line was "Stop being nice, it's confusing". It sums up their relation pretty well. They're attracted to each other, but find each other frustrating at times, so they don't know what to think. I liked that William opened up to Eliza, pretty much out of nowhere, about how he's frustrated at work and tries to fit in, but doesn't think he's successful. And I liked that she reassured him that he has nothing to prove.

I loved this, too! I also thought William, letting his guard down this way, seemed much younger. Like maybe up until this episode, he had been working hard to portray an image of himself as in control and experienced, but the situation sorta stripped it away. The more insecure street kid kinda come out — he was forced to operate mainly on his instincts. Throughout this series I have been trying to figure out how old Eliza and William are supposed to be. Episode 1 confirmed that William is 3 years older than Eliza. After this episode, I figure maybe Eliza is 25 and William is 28?

Also, the kiss came up again! I know people want a flashback of the kiss, but I hope that never happens! I think the kiss is bigger somehow because it is left to our imaginations (we get to imagine whether it was actually just chaste or something more without knowing for sure) and a bigger deal for Eliza and William because it is a private memory that they share that has probably grown (and morphed) a bit over time for both them. Anyway, if there is going to be another Eliza and William kiss, I want it to be between them as adults (and not some actors playing a younger version of them).

Edited February 18, 2021 by Nolefan

[ShelleySue]

20 hours ago, Nolefan said:

I could see that happening. 

  Hide contents

Frank is also the one who reported to Duke that Caine mentioned Moses’ name, maybe to deflect suspicion onto a known criminal and away from himself. Frank has also been shown as lazy — like he would rather steal than work hard for a living. He also fits the build of the person in the mask with the gun, and would explain why the gunman didn’t just outright shoot Duke (they are friends).  But, I would think that Frank would only be a low man in such a sophisticated crime operation. Maybe Frank is working on the inside with a bunch of corrupt cops, with Stirling at the top?

 

Yes, I agree.  That makes a lot of sense.

[nora1992]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:01 AM, ShelleySue said:

Yes, I agree.  That makes a lot of sense.

Spoiler

I think Rupert is involved.  The pants the murderer wore seemed of high quality material.

 

[Nolefan]

4 hours ago, nora1992 said:

  Reveal spoiler

I think Rupert is involved.  The pants the murderer wore seemed of high quality material.

 

What if??

Spoiler

What if Rupert’s doctor friend were involved?? Now, that would be a twist.

 

[dargosmydaddy]

I sort of gave up on this show after episode two... it was all right, but didn't really pull me in... I missed episode three altogether, but then watched four and five on the PBS website in the last few days, and WOW, this episode was one of the most gripping hours of TV I've watched in awhile. It really had me on the edge of my seat, I fell in love with the Duke after previously being pretty "meh" about his character, and I was convinced he was going to keel over from blood loss several times. Can't wait to see what the finale brings!

[Door County Cherry]

Spec shouldn't be spoiler tagged.   

Only spoiler tag things you know happen but haven't yet happened. 

Thank you. 

 

[Scarlett45]

On 2/15/2021 at 10:19 AM, Nolefan said:

The formal attire changing scene was HOT — LOL. On a more serious note, I actually think it added a lot to the narrative.  Duke seems like he takes great pride in his appearance— he likes to look nice — and the episode showed his great dislike for dirt and grime.  We know he lived on the streets as a boy, and  seems happy to have escaped that life. The whole storyline of him dressing himself up in the tuxedo (which cost him a whole week’s wages), just to have the tuxedo ruined was almost a metaphor for his life at this point — he so wants to overcome his past, but he keeps getting knocked back down into the dirt.

Stuart Martin is one fine specimen of manhood, and if you want to see him with fewer clothes on a more regular basis- JAMESTOWN (also on PBS!!) Yes, the tuxedo was a very good metaphor. 
 

We also learned that Mr Scarlet was a detective but lost his job- I think he may have gone into a deep depression after his wife died, started drinking too much and messed up something really big at work and got fired. He turned to the PI business to support himself and Eliza, but something had him drinking again near the end of his life. 

[RedbirdNelly]

I missed part of this because I'm easily scared and had trouble actually watching all of the prison stuff--kept wanting them to hurry up and get out!

I enjoyed this a lot though. Strong episode. Also I liked the beginning because we got to see the Duke putting things together which we've not really seen before. It was fun to go along with him as he figured out where Eliza was.

[WerWerWer]

I would have enjoyed this episode a lot more without all the blatantly anachronistic references to a smallpox "virus" and its viability outside the body. (Viruses weren't even discovered until the very end of the nineteenth century.)

I know, I know, we've already established this show isn't aiming for historical accuracy. But this just seemed gratuitous and it really did distract me from the rest of the episode!

[Nolefan]

40 minutes ago, WerWerWer said:

I would have enjoyed this episode a lot more without all the blatantly anachronistic references to a smallpox "virus" and its viability outside the body. (Viruses weren't even discovered until the very end of the nineteenth century.)

I know, I know, we've already established this show isn't aiming for historical accuracy. But this just seemed gratuitous and it really did distract me from the rest of the episode!

I don’t know anything about the history of viruses, so this didn’t bother more. My reaction to Eliza going on and on about the smallpox virus was more along the lines of — Duke had already been beaten to a pulp and still bleeding, his prized watch was destroyed, his suit wreaked, and was within an inch of being attacked by a freak show reject. And they were still stuck in the spooky abandoned prison. At this point Eliza thought it would be a good idea to bring up the possibility of been infected with smallpox?? Really, Eliza?? LOL

[Driad]

Half a century earlier, my ancestors in rural Maine had been vaccinated against smallpox.  Eliza and William presumably had the opportunity.

[WerWerWer]

5 hours ago, Driad said:

Half a century earlier, my ancestors in rural Maine had been vaccinated against smallpox.  Eliza and William presumably had the opportunity.

It's really interesting historically: they were vaccinating against smallpox for a good century before they actually knew it was caused by a virus. (They got the vaccine material from cowpox pustules, at least early on.) They knew it worked, but they didn't understand the mechanism.

Back to the show....this is exactly why the references in this episode seemed so gratuitous to me, first when the coroner mentioned it and then later when Eliza brought it up in the prison. Given that it played like no role in the actual plot, why bother?

[pezgirl7]

37 minutes ago, WerWerWer said:

 first when the coroner mentioned it and then later when Eliza brought it up in the prison. Given that it played like no role in the actual plot, why bother?

It played a bit of a role. The prison was chosen as a hideout because people didn't want to come near it because of the previous outbreak, and the fumigation mask helped conceal the shooter. Also, Eliza's visit to the coroner was part of the trail that William had to follow. 

[WerWerWer]

41 minutes ago, pezgirl7 said:

It played a bit of a role. The prison was chosen as a hideout because people didn't want to come near it because of the previous outbreak, and the fumigation mask helped conceal the shooter. Also, Eliza's visit to the coroner was part of the trail that William had to follow. 

Fair enough, it played a little role--but, point being, the role it played didn't require the script to get into details about the smallpox "virus" and such. The simple fact that there had been a smallpox outbreak at the prison--well known at the time to be contagious--would have sufficed. And Eliza could likewise have visited the coroner and asked questions about smallpox and how contagious it is in a more general way.

OK, done nitpicking this point. I just found it jarring, was all.

[peacheslatour]

On 2/14/2021 at 10:32 PM, magdalene said:

That was my favorite episode and I found things quite tense and compelling when Eliza and William had to fight for their lives in the abandoned prison.  I liked the different feel and structure of the episode and how the jeopardy  the characters were in really showed their chemistry to full advantage.   I feel this kind of criminal scheme could not exist without police involvement and I won't be shocked if William's obnoxious boss is involved. Though I may be inclined towards that because I dislike the character.

She was so badass with that empty gun.

[blackwing]

On 2/16/2021 at 8:53 AM, libgirl2 said:

It wasn't unusual in those times  for someone like Rupert to marry and have children  for the sake of appearances. He can quiet any rumors, have children and she gets a respectable home and security. Women didn't have that many options. People rarely married for love. Marriage was a business. 

I don't think it's such a bad prospect for Fraulein Hildegarde either.  His overbearing mother is demanding that he marry and have a child to carry on the family name.  He was engaged to Eliza, who rejected him even prior to finding out he is gay.  He asks again, and points out that she is an independent woman with some kind of unusual circumstances (i.e., being a feminist in 1890s London, she doesn't want to be tied down to a man even though society expects it).  And this way, she can get married for appearances and not have the obligations of marriage.  Maybe they can get together once and she can have a kid to satisfy Rupert and his mom and hand the kid off to a governess.

She laughs and rejects him again.  I think obviously because they want to keep alive the hope on the show that she and Wellington will end up together.  But then seemed kind of apprehensive/jealous that Rupert was turning his sights onto Fraulein Hildegarde.

A Rupert/Fraulein marriage would not be that unusual I would think.  I mean, even today, it seems to happen.  I'm thinking of the well-known matter of a very famous actor who reportedly had his team make young women audition to be his girlfriend and eventual wife and spit out a one-time kid to try and prove to everyone that he is in fact interested in women.  I am not naming names as this is all speculation of course.