Family Feuds + Greed = Murder in 'Madame Blanc's “Inheritance”

This week’s episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries begins as Charlie Brodeur (Sanchia McCormack), co-owner of antique store Brodeur & White, is shutting up shop for the day, looking forward to an evening out with her partner, Simone (Djinda Kane). Her Aunt Fifi (Marcella Teuma) is now alone in the store, unaware that an intruder has tampered with her cleaning supplies. Scrubbing away at the toilet, Fifi finds she is now locked in and collapses as she breathes in lethal fumes. Brodeur & White’s other owner, antique expert/police assistant Jean White, is enjoying an evening with her friends Dom and Gloria in Patrick’s bar. 

Patrick is off reliving his youth at a Bruce Springsteen concert, and Dom keeps the two women entertained with a repertoire of groan-inducing dad jokes. We’re spared soon enough by Gloria falling over a bucket, leading Dom and Jean to prepare to take her to hospital. But what about her dog, Douglas? Jeremy and Judith Lloyd-James, owners of the bar, who are responsible for leaving the bucket out, grudgingly agree to dog-sit. Judith complains that Douglas does not meet her impeccably pedigreed canine standards, and what’s worse, is making himself at home on their bed – and on a Thursday night too! Their special night! Douglas takes the hint and leaves the house through an open door.

The next morning, Jean and Dom continue to explore their compatibility with the discovery that they both like tomato sauce on their bacon rolls. (It’s a British thing.) Meanwhile, Charlie and Simone arrive back at the shop to find that Fifi is dead. Police Chief Inspector André Caron discovers that she inhaled a lethal dose of combined bleach and ammonia (Never mix household cleaners!). Charlie, shocked and in tears, arrives at Jean’s with Simone, and Jean explains that Dom is there to unblock the kitchen sink, while he gamely waves around a plunger. So far, their plan to keep their relationship secret has been successful.

André and Gendarme Richard (Jaqueline Berces) accompany Jean and Simone to Fifi’s house. Her friendly neighbor Pierre (Charlie Condou) is shocked to hear of her death. As André talks to Pierre and Simone, Jean roams around and finds an antique Chinese bowl worth €50,000, the first of many treasures hidden in plain sight. Fifi’s husband Brian died some years before, her only family a half-sister Ines (Anabelle Williams) married to Alan (Simon Green), also in the antiques business. They’ve been estranged for years, with Alan accusing Brian of stealing from his warehouse, and even searching Fifi and Brian’s house for stolen items. Both Ines and Alan claim they were at home at the time of Fifi’s death. 

While Andre and Gendarme Richard interview Ines and Alan, Pierre invites Jean and Charlie to his house next door for refreshments, where they talk about Fifi. Jean admires a collection of glass jars his grandmother used for pickles. Charlie and Jean return to Fifi’s house, where Jean continues her treasure hunt. Charlie receives a call from Fifi’s solicitor and learns she has inherited everything. When the doorbell rings, Charlie, expecting Simone to pick her up, is attacked by a masked man who attempts to throttle her. Simone arrives seconds later and fights him off. 

It’s Alan, not the sharpest criminal knife in the drawer, who the three women easily overpower. He gets taken to the police station for questioning. He’s furious that Ines was written out of Fifi’s will, but insists he didn’t kill her. His alibi was that he and Ines were at the post office cashing a check at the time of her murder. However, the check was from the late Brian’s pension, and he’d been cashing them for a decade; he’ll be looking at imprisonment for fraud. 

It turns out Fifi didn’t know the pension even existed. So even though most of her antiques were probably stolen from Alan and company, it's not like they didn't get it back with interest. As they leave the police station, Dom arrives, concerned about Jean, and drives her back to Fifi’s house.

The adventures of Douglas the Dog continue as he roams around the town. Embarrassed at having lost his, the Lloyd-Jameses claim they’re taking him for a walk when Gloria texts, looking forward to his return. They manage to capture Douglas, who promptly escapes from the open-top car when they stop for traffic. Neither Jeremy nor Judith, busy planning a hot bath and a visit to the hairdresser after her hot, dusty morning, notices. Back at Fifi’s house, Dom sees Douglas in the back yard that serves both houses, busily digging. It turns out that in addition to his skills as an escape artist, he is a truffle connoisseur. 

Jean urges Dom to take Douglas the Dog home, and as she makes her way back to the house, she remembers Pierre’s distinctive green glass jars and recognizes them now as truffle jars. At the back of Pierre’s home is a shabby shed, his truffle factory, just as he walks up carrying a menacingly large pitchfork, and reveals that Fifi had asked for 60% of his business. He had no intention of sharing his wealth, and when she threatened to evict him, he decided to get rid of her. He also disapproved of her environmentally unfriendly cleaning materials, and he’s decided to kill Jean the same way he killed Fifi. 

As lethal smoke swirls around the enclosed space, Pierre fumbles for his keys but can’t find them. Jean smashes a window and shouts for help, and Dom, who’s come back to investigate the truffles himself, rescues her. He comments that it’s been a “bit of a day,” and Jean agrees.

Gloria is delighted to have Douglas back home, and taking note of the Lloyd-Jameses’ effusive praise of him, announces that her dog-sitter is moving away and they’ll be able to enjoy his company quite frequently in the future. Neither of them looks very thrilled. 

Note to Jean: Please update the security in your shop!

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Season 4 continues with new episodes every Monday through August 4, 2025, on Acorn TV. Seasons 1 through 3 are available to stream on Acorn TV. You can also watch Seasons 1 and 2 on select PBS Passports. As always, check your local streaming services.