William Gets a Job Offer In Glasgow On the Penultimate Episode of 'Miss Scarlet & the Duke'

Like Season 1, the penultimate episode of Miss Scarlet and the Duke Season 2 feels like the first half of a two-parter, even though it's not labeled as such. But it ends on what is essentially (for this show, at least) a cliffhanger. It leaves several primary plot threads in the air, including William's future at Scotland Yard and how far the London police commissioner is willing to go to shove his well-meaning, if slightly bumbling, son up the nepotism ladder of success.

But, unlike Season 1, there's a strange lack of tension and/or suspense here, despite the Duke being offered a promotion taking him out of London. We know there's no way William's going to move to Scotland. He's spent most of his adult life trying to distance himself from his Glaswegian roots, for one. Moreover, from a behind-the-scenes standpoint, there's no way the show will ditch its male lead like that. Unfortunately, this leaves the back half of Season 2 without the propulsive narrative throughline Season 1 had in Henry Scarlet's murder. It doesn't feel like it's building toward anything of any significance.

There are questions about the Duke's professional future and whether or not poor Detective Fitzroy will ever manage to separate himself from his abusive bully of a father. But these are not the arcs that can (or should?) drive a whole season, primarily since they only indirectly involve the series' other titular lead.