'Miss Scarlet & the Duke's Season 3 Finale Is a 'Jewel' of an Hour

After a third season that was fairly uneven over the course of its run, Miss Scarlet & the Duke sticks the landing in its Season 3 finale, offering up an episode that's fun to watch, genuinely suspenseful, and full of the sort of great character moments that have been largely absent in recent installments. Plus, it certainly doesn't hurt that this episode finally puts its focus squarely back on Eliza and William's relationship, offering us multiple moments where it's clear how much they mean to one another (even if neither of them can seem to manage to come anywhere close to verbalizing those feelings out loud).

Most importantly, "The Jewel of the North's" central mystery actually manages to bring all of our major characters together in its primary plot. (Well, almost. Sorry, Ivy!!)  The result gives Eliza, William, Nash, and Moses a believable reason to work together, playing to each of their strengths as characters and even allowing us to get to know each of them a little better. (It's even the first episode where Nash comes across as genuinely likable.)

Having a common enemy makes the episode's disparate plots feel like part of a larger cohesive whole. In this case, there are actually two: the Mail Bomber sending packages to their various places of employment and the awful nepotism hire from the Season 3 premiere, Arthur St. John Hudson, who now runs the Irish division investigating the crimes. They help tie together everything from the gang's investigation into a railway theft to Moses' mysterious past in Jamaica. Even William's relationship with Arabella comes into play, damaged by his constant inability to chose her over his work (or to stop talking about Eliza).