Today MASTERPIECE announced that Miss Scarlet has been renewed for Season 6 . GBH Drama took a look back at all the best parts of Season 5, and what we hope to see in future episodes.
Jackie: So, another fun season of Miss Scarlet has come to an end. What did you think?
Amanda-Rae: Overall, I liked the whodunits this season. I was pleased that the show toyed with a Jack the Ripper 99 pence ripoff case but didn’t lean all the way in. It’s in line with recent historical research trying to restore the dignity of the victims. In addition, I think going all the way there wouldn’t fit the tone of the series either.
J: Completely agree! Ever since the show was announced I’ve actually been wondering how they’d handle the Jack the Ripper question; it seemed pretty likely that we’d get enough seasons for the timelines to overlap, but that case would be a real challenge for the show to handle for a lot of reasons. Like you said, the tone would be a massive problem, as would the fact that so far Miss Scarlet hasn’t directly included any historical figures that I can remember (and there are a lot of fairly well known characters in that story). Also it’s hard to have such a great detective character and not let her solve such a big mystery, but of course we don’t know the actual answer, ya know? All in all, I’ve been hoping we’d do an alternative timeline, and the Thames Reaper was a fun stand in without, as you say, contributing to the really gross way the victims of the Whitechapel murders have been discussed over the years.
A: To your point about historical figures, this season mentioned the Queen. It would be cool to see a history shout out next season.
J: Absolutely. I’d personally also really enjoy a Sherlock Holmes/Arthur Conan Doyle cameo. This show thrives on bold world-building so more weird details will always be a win in my book.
A: I’m intrigued by the development of the Private Detectives Guild and am shocked they didn’t use this group earlier on as a source of conflict.
J: I know, such a bummer to just have them for one episode! They have a lot of potential as antagonists, or future allies, perhaps — maybe they’ll be back in a future season. But I will say, one thing that I like about this show is that they aren’t shy about going all in on a story line for one episode and then moving on entirely. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the Guild never returns.
A: This is very true. I don’t think Eliza’s attention span can last that long.
J: HA. You’re not wrong! I really enjoyed the mix of secondary character features this season. I of course miss some of our previous regulars (Moses, especially), but it was nice to have a little more time with some of the others who have previously been somewhat one note. I’m particularly thinking of Phelps, Mrs. Parker, and Barnabus. One thing I really like about this show is that the writers really let their characters be unpleasant in realistic ways, but it was nice to get some depth to each of those people.
A: I’m glad we had a deeper dive into Mrs. Parker, Phelps, and Barnabus as well. I really miss Moses and I’m glad that he is now confirmed to return for Season 6. I’ve always believed that Miss Scarlet was best when it was truly reflective of how diverse Victorian London was.
J: Hear hear! Absolutely delighted by the news that Moses will finally be back; he’s a fan favorite for a reason and it’s great that they were able to get Ansu Kabia again! And I totally agree with you — those Victorian Era historical details really make Miss Scarlet special. Nice to see some glimmers of that again this season, and I’m hoping next time we get even more.
Honestly, given the setup going into this season (I never work with Private Detectives!) I was anticipating a lot more of Eliza trying to thwart Blake. So it was refreshing to have so many cases where that wasn’t as much of a factor. And speaking of Blake: why is this man a Disney Dad? I know he’s got a kid to make him more relatable, and to make it easier for him to relate to Eliza specifically, but I am begging shows to stop killing off people’s wives.
A: Disney Dad is the most hilarious way to explain Blake’s tropey and depressing situation.
J: I do really like that he’s never questioned Eliza’s skill, and this is at least a different reason to keep her at an arm’s length. That was always my main critique of William; I thought they had great chemistry and conflict, but the way he treated Eliza drove me nuts. She was always obviously so much better at the job than he was, and the fact that he couldn’t acknowledge it was infuriating. I actually kind of like that Blake is just as good if not better than Eliza but even from the beginning he’s like “oh yeah, you’re very competent. I just prefer people who work within the system.” And that is ALSO something I’d like the show to explore more.
A: I never bought William and Eliza together because he was incredibly patronizing at times. Eliza needs someone to support her career goals and not want her to put their goals above hers.
J: I mean, agree! We had a lot to say about this at the end of last season . But one factor we didn’t really discuss is the ScarNash part of all this — what do you think about where that relationship went?
A: Going into this season, I wasn’t convinced that Nash was going to stay around in Eliza’s life, and by the end I came to believe that sending him to Australia was likely a wasted opportunity to give Eliza a platonic or romantic dynamic where her career would be more supported. I hope Felix Scott comes back next season because Nash is a really interesting character with potentially more to do.
J: The SECOND that that rich guy mentioned a ticket to Australia I just knew Nash was getting on the boat. Hate that! I’m not sure I 100% ship it, but I love his character so much and I am deeply disappointed about him leaving. He’s a unique addition to the show in that most of the other people Eliza interacts with are not her peers; they’re either employees (who we love), or doing the same job as her but in an official/sanctioned capacity. Nash is a true equal, and always treated Eliza that way. Maybe I am talking myself into fully shipping this? Regardless, yes, Felix Scott is so much fun to watch — I really really hope he comes back next season!
Total aside: what did you think of the season finale? I really liked the dueling spies as a backdrop, and especially hope we get more of The Governess, if only because I’d like Eliza to interact with more female characters. Also pleased to be rid of Oliver’s odious father, although I’m slightly concerned that he’ll be replaced by someone worse.
A: Agreed, I want the spies to come back as potential antagonists in future cases. Maybe Eliza may realize assisting the spies with investigations is better than getting crumbs from Scotland Yard. I really enjoyed Ivy and Barnabus’ wedding. A second (or delayed first chance) at love is one of my fave romance tropes.
J: I really liked it too! I had some doubts earlier in the season solely because Ivy seemed conflicted, but frankly I thought it was super cool that we got to see that conflict too! I would imagine that a lot of women would enter marriage with some ambivalence in that era, given what that meant for their freedom and prospects, and it was interesting to see Ivy process some of that after insisting to Eliza that marriage was the answer for so many of the earlier episodes.
A: Speaking of relationships, I wasn’t a complete fan of the end of the season teasing something happening with Blake and Eliza. Eliza has too much to lose if Blake wants her to become a caregiver for his child full-time. I like the idea of a platonic relationship but not a romantic one if the end goal is a loss of independence or an attempt to appease Duke/Eliza shippers.
J: I’m right there with you. I know folks really want her to find love, and I get that, but I’m not sure I can suspend my disbelief that her being with either of these men wouldn’t lead to the loss of her career, independence, and more. TBH it’s another point in favor of the ScarNash people; definitely easier for her to keep doing her job if she isn’t married to a police detective.
The main difference I see this season (other than Blake just being much more aware of — and willing to call out — Eliza’s talent) is that Eliza seems more open to wanting a romantic relationship, which she never seemed AS keen on in previous seasons. So I’m provisionally interested to see where a romance could go simply because the character seems newly interested in that. But it’s harder to root for a full on marriage simply because I have a hard time believing that ends well for her!
A: I was initially skeptical of the idea of ScarNash but now seeing that Blake this season keeps stonewalling her attempts to help with cases, it’s growing on me. I’m also interested in seeing where that goes, but remain skeptical because my main hope is that Eliza puts her career first.
J: Agreed — it’s her show, after all! The best news is that we’ll get another season to see how all of this might shake out. Can’t wait!
Season 5 of Miss Scarlet is streaming now.
