“The Conference” Finds ‘Professor T’ Solving His Rival’s Murder

The fifth episode of Professor T starts out wanting you to believe Jasper is once again accused of murder, but that’s false. He just won his freedom and cleared his name – legally, if not professionally – and is attempting to reclaim his place at Cambridge. Luckily, that is not what we’re subjected to this week. Instead, we get a fun caper untangling the murder of Erik Haiden, the professor who replaced Jasper.

On the heels of embracing some humility, Jasper is dealt another blow: He won’t be the keynote speaker at the annual criminology conference for the first time in five years. In a messy bit of machinations, the Dean gave Haiden the keynote to make him appealing to another prestigious college, St. Cuthbert’s, setting Haiden up for a transfer and making way for Jasper’s return. Ms. Snares accosts Jasper outside the Dean’s office with a copy of Haiden’s speech; it’s dreadful. She convinces Jasper to go to the conference hotel where Haiden has checked in early to “prepare” – which Ms. Snares reveals is code for entertaining prostitutes. As he arrives, Jasper overhears Haiden arguing with an escort, but Haiden sneers at the offer, declaring Jasper’s career is over.

Jasper hears the escort in the bathroom as Haiden shows him the door; he heads off to join colleague and former student Tina Morley (Jeany Spark) and her husband Alex (Roger Barclay) for dinner. While there, they see Gisele Haiden (Robin Weaver), who Tina reveals asked if she’d seen Haiden with anyone. Tina thinks Gisele is working up her nerve to confront Haiden about his affairs. In a moment that seems like a hallucination, Tina admits she had a crush on Jasper when she was his student and asks for Jasper’s room number when her husband is out of earshot. He uncomfortably declines.