On 'Miss Scarlet & The Duke,' the Hunt for "The Diamond Feather" Brings Seismic Changes for Eliza & William
There's an old saying about being careful what you wish for because there's every possibility that you might get it one day. That's kind of what it feels like watching the fourth episode of Miss Scarlet & The Duke Season 4, an hour that finally upends the show's existing status quo in long-awaited and thrilling new ways. Where the show goes from here is anyone's guess (and if you have already watched ahead on PBS Passport, consider this your warning not to spoil me). Still, it finally feels like it's stepping out into some untouched new territory for the first time in a very long time.
A central question of Season 4 has been how — or even if — the show would deal with the emotional fallout from last season's finale, in which William got dumped by his then-girlfriend Arabella and unceremoniously informed it was because he was so obviously in love with Eliza. But it's only at the season's halfway point that the show acknowledges the foundational shift for his character and the duo's relationship. He tells her he loves her! There's a kiss! It's so much more than I ever expected we'd get this season. Granted, it took William getting shot to confront his recent behavior and general life choices. But romance tropes are so lasting precisely because they work. If the Duke's near-death experience is the necessary narrative catalyst for Miss Scarlet to take a good hard look at the state of its central relationship, who are we to complain? There's even an Arabella flashback! Is this what finally winning feels like?
As episodes go, "The Diamond Feather" is a pretty solid adventure in its own right. It features the return of Felix Scott, as Patrick Nash finally makes his way back to London to deal with the fact that Eliza has essentially driven away all his other employees and is steadily wrecking the financial fortunes of the office he entrusted to her care. To be fair, he makes some solid points — it turns out Eliza had a hand in firing some of the guys who left —and she really probably should have done a more thorough background check into the new client, who has a rather dangerous background in organized crime.
