'Miss Scarlet & The Duke' Season 4 Ends By Ignoring Its Most Crucial Plot
In a season where William finally told Eliza he loved her, you might expect the Miss Scarlet & The Duke finale to address that major shift, or at least mention it in passing, or explore Eliza's behavior from the season's penultimate installment, where she was a total pill to everyone who dared to mention William had left for unexplained reasons. What one wouldn't expect — or have wanted — is a final hour where the plot revolves around a secondary supporting character suddenly accused of murder and which only mentions William in connection with the state of Fitzroy's job.
Unfortunately, that is what we get with "The Fugitive," where Nash becomes the prime suspect in a murder case after the kidnapping and torture of a guy he blames for his brother's death. The finale also spends a great deal of time on the professional rivalry between Detectives Phelps and Detective Fitzroy because the show has decided it's more important to pay more attention to young Fitzroy's career aspirations than its titular heroine's heart. I love Fitzroy, but I now know more about why he doesn't particularly want to be a lead detective than I do Eliza's reaction to William saying the L-word. I deeply resent that.
The worst part is that this hour would have been a decent mid-season episode. However, it does not work as a finale to everything we've watched this season. (Largely because it refuses to acknowledge most of the season's most significant moments.) I'm glad Eliza's writing to William, but didn't we — and this story — deserve more than this?
