S05.E05: The Enchanted Mirror

[chitowngirl]

Eliza explores the cut-throat world of Victorian theater while finding herself growing ever closer to Inspector Blake.
 

Airs February 9, 2025 on PBS. Available for streaming December 8, 2024 on Passport.

[chitowngirl]

All episodes of season 5 are now available on Passport…possible episode chat below!

[LisaM]

I like how TPTB are slowly allowing Blake and Eliza to work together. Also like the integration of the daughter. 

Now that Eliza has helped Detective Phelps, is he leaving the show to be a DI at another station? 

[chaifan]

38 minutes ago, LisaM said:

Now that Eliza has helped Detective Phelps, is he leaving the show to be a DI at another station? 

I think Phelps has pretty much served his purpose, and I wouldn't miss him if he didn't come back next season.  But, having him go to another station would be a good send off, and would allow for the possibility of having him reappear, maybe crossing paths with Eliza, or needing her help on a case.  It would be nice to have her working with more than one police station.  

[wanderingstar]

Not me feeling bad for Detective Phelps! I loved how kind and compassionate Eliza was to him. And they teamed up well. 

I can definitely see Eliza becoming a mentor to Blake's daughter.

[tootsie]

This episode made me happy. It's been a very cold, very long, very dark winter here in northeastern Ohio, and I was more than ready for a little Valentine's Day warmth and sentiment. Good child actress choice for little Eliza, I thought, and really appreciate the addition of Blake's daughter. In fact, am liking Blake after only a few episodes more than I ever took to the Duke in several seasons. Keep up the good work, show. Please come back next year. 

[taanja]

Now that was a cute episode! It made me smile!

I am really liking Inspector Blake more than I thought I would. I love his very subtle side glances toward Eliza when she says something clever or does something unexpected. I also liked his line -- It seems you under estimated Miss Scarlett. << that seems to be the theme of the show!

That scene with the .. director? -- when he kept pointing out how pretty Eliza is and called out Blake for being attracted to her! ha! and when they were leaving the  office - they were weird and awkward -- too funny!

[blackwing]

I enjoyed this episode, although for some reason, I had the hardest time keeping track of who was who.  The dead guy was Barrett.  His partner was Kapoor.  Barrett's wife was having an affair with Kapoor.  Barrett's brother wanted attention so he stole the manuscript that Barrett had written and was going to pass it off as his own.  Barrett's wife didn't like either her husband or her lover and wanted to be rid of both, and wanted the manuscript so she could "discover" it after husband's death and attain glory for herself.  Kapoor's wife didn't really have anything to do with it.  She was just a self-obsessed red herring.  

I liked the advancement in the relationship between Blake and Eliza.  The daughter likes her too, it seems natural that these two will end up together.  However, I really hope the show avoids this protracted "will they or won't they", assuming it comes back next season.  Show has already done this with William and it dragged on for far too long.

I groaned when Phelps popped up.  I haven't missed him at all.  I do hope he gets that job in the other station, so he can be off the show.  I don't care about his sob story.  Eliza was far more charitable to him than I would have been.  She lied for him so he wouldn't get in trouble, and when Blake said "is this true", I think he full well knows that it was not.

Although I missed Ivy, the best part of this episode was that the absence of the sputtering and irritating Mr. Potts and the absence of the overused Clarence.

[libgirl2]

Just now, blackwing said:

I liked the advancement in the relationship between Blake and Eliza.  The daughter likes her too, it seems natural that these two will end up together.  However, I really hope the show avoids this protracted "will they or won't they", assuming it comes back next season.  Show has already done this with William and it dragged on for far too long.

 

It would be refreshing to have them in some kind of a romantic relationship but still working together (or her working for him). I agree that the will they has been done, lets move past it. Plus in that time period, if people were romantically involved they certainly weren't jumping in bed together, so things could progress much slower. 

[HappyHanna]

Blake and Eliza are new endgame,  I get it,  even if I don't see a romantic chemistry.  He was clearly designed to tick all the boxes- single dad to a precocious daughter who struggles with school (just like Eliza's dad), not so tied to gender roles of the era,  etc etc.  It's just all very "perfect."  Though can't we just not have a romance then? If the show was retooled to focus on her detectiving,  to the point it was renamed, why cram in another romance? 

Also,  small aside.  Wouldn't Sophia's (is that her name) schoolmates know at least in general who Eliza is? She's been in the papers. Or do they think that Sophia is making up that she knows her,  though her did works at Scotland yard.  

[taanja]

59 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

It would be refreshing to have them in some kind of a romantic relationship but still working together (or her working for him). I agree that the will they has been done, lets move past it. Plus in that time period, if people were romantically involved they certainly weren't jumping in bed together, so things could progress much slower. 

I watch this show FOR the romance -- the mystery is just icing on the cake. Half the time I can't keep up on who did what to who!

I just hope they don't write this Blake character into a hole. The will they won't they! UGH! I start not to care. 

I reserve my opinion on the little girl. (I don't really like kids on TV shows < so there is that)

I didn't mind seeing Phelps and I like that Eliza helped him. Though I think the Blake guy kind of knew Eliza was "embellishing"

Will there be a season 6? I ask because it seems the actress either just had a kid or will have one soon. Will she be like some of the other actors -- she won't want to shoot on location?

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I enjoyed this episode, although for some reason, I had the hardest time keeping track of who was who.

I'm glad I wasn't the only one.  I was perplexed most of the time.

44 minutes ago, HappyHanna said:

I get it,  even if I don't see a romantic chemistry. 

It's missing for me as well.

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I groaned when Phelps popped up.  I haven't missed him at all.

Ditto.  I could not stand him.

[laredhead]

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

I enjoyed this episode, although for some reason, I had the hardest time keeping track of who was who

So glad that I was not the only person who kept getting confused about who was who.  I had recorded the episode and actually reversed the recording a couple of times to make sure I was keeping up with the characters.  

[libgirl2]

7 hours ago, laredhead said:

So glad that I was not the only person who kept getting confused about who was who.  I had recorded the episode and actually reversed the recording a couple of times to make sure I was keeping up with the characters.  

I had no problem with the characters. There were basically 4 main, the wives, the Indian gentleman and the murder victims brother. 

[Orcinus orca]

Nice continuity making young Eliza left-handed like adult Eliza.

[taanja]

2 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Nice continuity making young Eliza left-handed like adult Eliza.

The nuns would have beat that out of her. Literally.

Left handed was 'of the devil' She would never have been allowed to continue to write with her left hand.

[chaifan]

11 minutes ago, taanja said:

Left handed was 'of the devil' She would never have been allowed to continue to write with her left hand.

Good catch.  My mother was born in 1934.  She's a natural lefty, but was made to write with her right hand because, as you say, left handedness was a sign of the devil.

Curiously enough, my father, also born in 1934, was also left handed.  And he was not forced to write with his right hand.  Apparently, the devil is sexist and only targets women.  Go figure.

(Mom went to public schools, dad went to Catholic schools.)

 

[Orcinus orca]

23 minutes ago, taanja said:

The nuns would have beat that out of her. Literally.

Left handed was 'of the devil' She would never have been allowed to continue to write with her left hand.

Yep, and that lasted well into the 20th century.  The Latin for left is sinistra which the root of sinister.

Damn, those nuns were pure evil considering they were supposed to be brides of Christ. I hated Catholic school because they were so awful.  Luckily I had a Presbyterian mother who let me bail out in middle school.

[HoodlumSheep]

good ep.

hopefully phelps gets that new job bc i don't care for him and would love to see him gone. give his screentime to fitzroy.

i'm liking blake and eliza together.

[tv echo]

I like Blake and can see how he would be a better fit for Eliza. But I have to say, I still prefer the Duke. 

Edited February 12 by tv echo

[libgirl2]

14 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:

Yep, and that lasted well into the 20th century.  The Latin for left is sinistra which the root of sinister.

Damn, those nuns were pure evil considering they were supposed to be brides of Christ. I hated Catholic school because they were so awful.  Luckily I had a Presbyterian mother who let me bail out in middle school.

I went to Catholic school in the late 70s and for the most part, I liked our nuns. Sure they had their quirks, like making us eat the hot lunches (I still can't eat pickled beets or sweet potatoes), but overall they were pretty nice. WE had one elderly nun who was a real throwback and luckily retired pretty quickly. 

[taanja]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I went to Catholic school in the late 70s and for the most part, I liked our nuns. Sure they had their quirks, like making us eat the hot lunches (I still can't eat pickled beets or sweet potatoes), but overall they were pretty nice. WE had one elderly nun who was a real throwback and luckily retired pretty quickly. 

I come from a large catholic family. Great grandparents, grandparents, parents and myself and siblings all went to Catholics grade school/high school/college.

Some of the stories would make your hair curl! My own experience with nuns was not pleasant. Left handedness runs in my family and the nuns were always quick to end that!

 

[magdalene]

This episode gave me evil nun flash backs. When I was a young one I had to attend Catholic school for a couple of grades because of tedious reasons even though I was Lutheran. Those nuns called me "heathen child" and rapped my knuckles with rulers on a few occasions. Not fun.

If this show manages to get renewed for another season I want Eliza to end up with Blake. I think they have chemistry. No more of this will they or won't they crap that drove the previous ship into the ground.

[taanja]

17 hours ago, magdalene said:

This episode gave me evil nun flash backs. When I was a young one I had to attend Catholic school for a couple of grades because of tedious reasons even though I was Lutheran. Those nuns called me "heathen child" and rapped my knuckles with rulers on a few occasions. Not fun.

If this show manages to get renewed for another season I want Eliza to end up with Blake. I think they have chemistry. No more of this will they or won't they crap that drove the previous ship into the ground.

You are preaching to the choir here! PLEASE! no more will they won't they.

I re-watched the ep last night and once again found it cute.  I like that Blake is trying to be all business like and professional with Eliza but he is clearly attracted to her.

 

[magdalene]

On 2/12/2025 at 7:20 AM, taanja said:

I come from a large catholic family. Great grandparents, grandparents, parents and myself and siblings all went to Catholics grade school/high school/college.

Some of the stories would make your hair curl! My own experience with nuns was not pleasant. Left handedness runs in my family and the nuns were always quick to end that!

 

You have my sympathy! When I was a first and second grader we lived in a small town in Bavaria which is a very Catholic area of Germany. So the only school choice was Catholic school.  I was terrified there. Whenever I watch Father Brown and Sister Boniface now I always wonder where was that lovely Catholic clergy when I encountered it.

[kaygeeret]

My mother was a child at a Catholic school in the 1920's.  She was left handed and the nuns definitely tried to get her to change.

Family lore has it that my grandfather went to the school and convinced them to let her be.

I only knew her as a left hander and have no idea how my grandfather succeeded.

I had one brother who was also left handed and in primary school in the 1950's.

He also was left alone to write left handed.

Makes me wish I had asked a few more questions for sure.

[libgirl2]

21 hours ago, taanja said:

You are preaching to the choir here! PLEASE! no more will they won't they.

I re-watched the ep last night and once again found it cute.  I like that Blake is trying to be all business like and professional with Eliza but he is clearly attracted to her.

 

He is for sure and I think vice versa. I always felt the Duke was somewhat angry at her because he was attracted to and loved her. 

[Calvada]

On 2/10/2025 at 3:54 PM, HappyHanna said:

Also,  small aside.  Wouldn't Sophia's (is that her name) schoolmates know at least in general who Eliza is? She's been in the papers. Or do they think that Sophia is making up that she knows her,  though her did works at Scotland yard.  

Did young girls read newspapers at that time?  I think they would have been sheltered from real life.

[Johannah]

Yeah, I would think that maybe their parents might have heard of Eliza, but not the kids.  Certainly, kids knew a lot less of the world before social media.  Well, maybe they knew more of the world - the big picture - but not as much who's who in the local social setting.

[surfgirl]

Wrong thread

Edited Monday at 06:59 AM by surfgirl

[HappyHanna]

I mean sure kids didn't have social media back in the day,  but they lived in the city,  their parents talked, there were newspapers around,  to say they were entirely sheltered from pop culture, as it would have been,  seems unlikely. It wasn't like sex or something else beyond the pale.