Miss Scarlet and the Duke is a Victorian era period piece involving our main character miss Scarlet who is a lady detective in a time where that was unheard of. In fact Victorian lady's were preferred to be seen and not heard in general. Miss Eliza Scarlet's father is missing at the beginning of this series and she is left to her own devices. She almost immediately calls upon Scotland Yard's seasoned detective and family friend, William "The Duke" Wellington for help finding her father. This establishes a very contentious relationship between William and Eliza as Eliza is determined to both find her father and become a private investigator.
The period sets and in particular the period costumes are spectacular...right down to the grit and grime. There is a toughness to this film that some of the other Victorian mysteries lack, giving this a more authentic feel overall.
What was truly brilliant about this series wasn't the mysteries themselves, although those were decent, but the fabulously written dialogue and relationship between William and Eliza. They built such a passion between these two that I thought at times the screen was going to burst into flames and it was WONDERFUL! I wish there were more relationships written like this. It is absolutely my favorite troupe.
I don't normally write reviews before a series is over and I have seen the whole thing...but I loved Season one so much and I just watched the first episode of season two tonight when it aired in the U. S. for the first time. I felt compelled to write this because I was disappointed in what they did with the "will-they-or-won't-they". In fact it made their relationship feel very watered down, which made me sad as that is what I truly loved about season one. Now I know they have to keep them apart somehow...but I am really hoping they can get back to their sparky banter, otherwise it will fall into a category where there are plenty of mysteries...even Victorian era ones to be watched and I would hate to see it just be one of a crowd.
Both Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin are fabulous and really made season one such spectacular tv drama. Ansu Kabia made the character of Moses not only delightful, but a must see. Moses collecting money from a little girl...priceless! The character of Eliza's business partner is a fun partnership and I am enjoying the building of Eliza's character into a trustworthy and loyal friend deserving of empathy.
Charm and magic, I can't recommend season one enough. You should watch it...I don't care who you are, romantics, mystery fans, history fans, fans of good storytelling.
Hopefully they will not let us down with season two because I have been so eagerly awaiting it!
"Think back through the mists of time to your criminal past."
