In "Six Feet Under," Death Is All Around 'Miss Scarlet & The Duke'

If the premiere episode of Miss Scarlet & The Duke Season 4 was a disappointing reset to the mean and a retread that felt like the show was stuck treading water, the good news is the second episode is the hour the season premiere should have been. "Six Feet Under" is an installment that features a much more compelling mystery, involves multiple supporting characters in a way that feels organic and necessary, and treats Eliza's financial straights as a problem to solve rather than another joke about the misogynistic way everyone views her profession. It even shows us how she's working to solve that problem.

Even better, William and Eliza are allowed to work together without hiding anything from each other, and the vibe between them is certainly warmer and, dare I say it, more romantic than anything in the premiere. He genuinely wants to help her find clients! He purposefully touches her shoulder! Their monthly dinners are more regular than just monthly! More importantly, this episode is an excellent example of how great this show can be when Eliza and William are allowed to move freely in and out of each other's orbits as natural parts of the story. He stops by her new office, she's in and out of Scotland Yard for reasons both professional (suspect interrogations) and personal (late night drinks).

Even better, they both also have subplots of their own going on, as Ivy bullies Mr. Potts into hiring Eliza, and William struggles to handle a steadily increasing caseload with what seems like ever-dwindling resources. And its final moments — which include the sort of shocking cliffhanger that by all rights should reorient the show forever afterward — may be telegraphed fairly obviously, but that doesn't make them any less emotionally affecting.