Miss Scarlet and the Duke: Season One
February 28, 2021 5:21 PM - Season 1 (Full Season) - Subscribe
When her father dies, Eliza Scarlet decides to support herself by taking over her late father's detective agency. She finds an unlikely partner in the unconventional Detective Inspector William Wellington of Scotland Yard, known as "The Duke," and the pair begin to tackle the crimes and mysteries of Victorian London together.
Streaming in the US via PBS.
Streaming in the US via PBS.
I'm on the third episode and I'm wondering if we're supposed to be rooting for the titular characters to get together, because one of them has been absolutely awful to the other one so far and I'm really, really not feeling it. I'm on Team Moses.
posted by confluency at 2:17 PM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by confluency at 2:17 PM on March 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yes, I don't want to be too negative in early comments here, but I did find the demeanours and attitudes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke towards each other extremely grating until about episode 4 or 5. I know "bickering people who obviously have attraction" is a classic romance trope and I'm sure many people enjoy it. It's not my favorite, and this relationship in particular was too contentious/yelly for me until later in the series.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 1:45 PM on March 4, 2021
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 1:45 PM on March 4, 2021
I've started ep. 5 now. Ep. 4 seemed to be a turning point. I found ep. 3 to be particularly jarring (enough to come back here and vent). I felt as if the show was asking me to cheer for a controlling man who repeatedly overrides a woman's choices and uses his power as a police officer to punish and intimidate her when she steps out of line, only to magnanimously "rescue" her later from problems that he himself created.
But it's OK, you guys, it's for her own good! Because he wants to protect her and (probably) secretly loves her!
Yikes.
I mean, there's a scene in ep. 3 where he gets so angry with her that he throws a glass (?) against the wall and smashes it, and she flinches and seems to be genuinely afraid of him for a moment. I wouldn't say that I'm particularly sensitive to / triggered by this kind of dynamic, but I also flinched. I was seriously starting to wonder if the show was building up to a very surprising genre twist.
posted by confluency at 3:43 AM on March 5, 2021
But it's OK, you guys, it's for her own good! Because he wants to protect her and (probably) secretly loves her!
Yikes.
I mean, there's a scene in ep. 3 where he gets so angry with her that he throws a glass (?) against the wall and smashes it, and she flinches and seems to be genuinely afraid of him for a moment. I wouldn't say that I'm particularly sensitive to / triggered by this kind of dynamic, but I also flinched. I was seriously starting to wonder if the show was building up to a very surprising genre twist.
posted by confluency at 3:43 AM on March 5, 2021
Overall I liked the last three episodes much more than the first three... but there were some unresolved threads I really wanted to be resolved. The series has been renewed, though, so maybe next season!
posted by confluency at 12:13 PM on March 5, 2021
posted by confluency at 12:13 PM on March 5, 2021
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posted by rewil at 6:49 PM on March 2, 2021 [1 favorite]