Death of a Ghost – As the finale of Signora Volpe begins, a man on a scooter seems to pay close attention to Sylvia Fox (Emilia Fox). When she makes it home, she sees the person on the scooter nearby. Sylvia calls to get the license plate number run through the system. Henry Fox (Nicholas Farrell) is outside sketching Sylvia’s house. After the intro, Henry gets a call. He explains to the caller that he told Signora Padovesi she’ll get her money. Henry claims he’s not in Panicale. He tells them not to threaten his family. Sylvia visits Isabel (Tara Fitzgerald) who says she saw their Dad talking to Antonella in Panicale yesterday. They talk about Henry. Isabel says she’s picking up Alice from the airport later.

She’ll be there for a few days to take a break from studying. Giovanni Riva (Giovanni Cirfiera) visits Sylvia at home to ask if anything is wrong. He soon learns it has to do with Sylvia’s father. Someone takes pictures of Isabel from a distance. Sylvia tries to tell Giovanni that this is a good thing, but he thinks she should be careful. He leaves moments later. Sylvia wants Henry to stay around to meet his granddaughter, Alice. Henry wants to leave for Madrid. Later, Sylvia hears a vehicle outside so she decides to investigate. Henry walks outside and sees a white van speeding away from the residence. Henry finds a phone on the ground and suspects something is wrong. He goes to Isabel to tell her Sylvia has been taken. Sylvia calls Riva. Raffaella Tasso (Marianne Leoni) calls Sylvia’s phone and Henry picks up. Once she finds out what’s happened, Raffaella says she can’t talk right now.

She asks Henry to bring her Sylvia’s phone so she can check her messages. Raffaella arranges to meet him later. Henry and Isabel speak to Ravi and Roberta Barzini (Elena Di Cioccio) at the scene of the abduction. Henry ends up giving them Sylvia’s phone even though Ravi doubts their tech guys can open it. Henry says the van was a white Fiat Ducato 10. Its registration was DP507GF. He admits he has a misunderstanding about money with one of his clients. A man rang yesterday and knew he was staying there. Henry doubts that has anything to do with Sylvia though. Ravi asks for a name. Henry mentions Greta Padovesi (Laura Giordani). Roberta learns that the van belongs to a printer in Citta della Pieve, but it was reported stolen an hour ago.

Isabel points out that Sylvia has made some enemies since she’s been there. Ravi mentions that Sylvia helped put away Richelmo Gregori who is a very bad guy. Sylvia is carried inside. She sees Graham Conway and admits she thought he was dead. He locks her inside and leaves. In private, Henry asks Isabel if Ravi knows what Sylvia used to do for a living. Isabel believes he’s worked it out. Henry suspects someone from Sylvia’s past abducted her. He leaves to make some calls. Sylvia remembers walking to the van and finding a man with his head on the horn. The man used the distraction to drug and kidnap her. Henry calls MI6 Headquarters to speak to Felicity Morris. Francis Cho (Chan Woo Lim) doesn’t cooperate with him. He ends up hanging on up Henry. Isabel speaks to Alice (Issy Knopfler).

Thy talk about Sylvia’s disappearance. Alice believes Sylvia can take care of herself. She told Antonella they would meet her at the café around 11. Henry finds a hiding place in the floor and passports. Ravi tells Roberta that Gregori was transferred from Rebibbia five months ago. They’re going to Rome to see if Greta knows anything about Henry Fox. Henry finds a gun hidden in Sylvia’s house. He ends up dropping it while trying to quick draw. Sylvia gets up, looks around, and begins yelling. Henry meets Raffaella. He tells her he gave the phone to the police. Raffaella gives him an ice cream before learning about Sylvia’s abduction. She says Sylvia asked her to trace the registration number of a moped. It belongs to Hotel Sereno since many hotels rent them out to guests. Henry must find out who has been using the moped.

Greta claims not to know Henry, but she knows Michael Priest professionally. She explains that he sold her a painting. Greta has reminded him that his debt must be settled. She reveals that Aldo Cali (Francesco Sechi) made the call to Henry. Sylvia successfully breaks the ties on her wrists. Roberta asks Cali if Greta wrote down what he was had to say to Henry. The script includes Panicale so Greta knew where Henry was staying. Outside, Roberta tells Ravi they know where Aldo was at the time of the abduction. They’re not sure about his brother or hers. They agree to look into them. Ravi also tells her to get taps without authorization. Sylvia tries to use her earring to free her legs, but she’s interrupted when the man returns. Sylvia asks Graham how he found her. He used his contacts. He explains that Graham Conway was killed in a prison fight so he’s someone else now.

Sylvia complains about him stealing from the Mataran people. Graham says she was stealing from the rulers since the people wouldn’t have seen a penny. He asks her about Richard Vaughan. Graham says Vaughan worked for him and he thinks Vaughan was one of Sylvia’s lot. Grahams shipped the goods out to Vaughan in Kondulu and he sold them. Vaughan disappeared while Graham was inside along with ten million dollars. Sylvia insists Vaughan didn’t work for the service although Graham doesn’t believe her. He wants his money. Sylvia says Vaughan didn’t tell her about it. Graham wants Vaughan’s real name and location. He leaves Sylvia again. She begins working to remove the ties around her legs. Henry attempts to track down the moped and its driver. He takes a picture of the moped and Graham. At the Carabinieri Headquarters in Perugia, Ravi tells Roberta that Gregori is in prison in Palermo.

She reveals Greta’s husband was Dino Lombardi who was a crime boss. The doorman was one of Lombardi’s foot soldiers. The phone taps are done. They’re checking CCTV around the area where the van was stolen. Henry meets Alice. They briefly talk before Alice tells him where to find Isabel. Henry tells Isabel that he may have a lead. Alice overhears them talking about the possibility that the guy could kill Sylvia. She interrupts to ask about it. Sylvia looks around to see if there is a way to escape. Henry and Isabel tell Alice more about Sylvia and her abduction. Henry says they’ll have to do this themselves. They need to find out more about the man on the moped. Sylvia uses her bra to grab a lantern outside of her cell. She removes a metal wire from it so she can use it to pick the lock on the gate. Sylvia picks the lock and leaves only to find a bigger door keeping her inside.

Then, she hears water dripping elsewhere. Alice, Isabel, and Henry try to come up with a plan. They invite Henry to stay and he agrees. In private, Henry tells Isabel he won’t let her put herself in danger. He says he has to try even though he isn’t sure he’ll succeed. Isabel will help since she knows Sylvia would do the same for her. Henry must teach her a few things.

Sylvia discovers a potential exit. After locking the cell door, she sharpens a piece of metal to utilize as a screwdriver. In Umbria at the Hotel Sereno, Isabel checks in at a hotel under the alias, Arabella Ford. She asks the receptionist if a scooter rental is available. He says it is scheduled to be returned tomorrow. While the receptionist (Alessandro Solombrino) looks for a copy of La Repubblica, she looks at the hotel computer screen to see who rented the scooter.

Henry calls Greta to assure her that she will get her money. She accuses him of calling the police to her home. He tells her about Sylvia’s disappearance. She demands he get her money. From a remote location, Giovanni and Barzini listen to their telephone call. He doesn’t trust Henry and wants to question him about Sylvia’s disappearance. She receives an alert of the van being located. In Umbria, Isabel tells Henry that Nick Wallis/Graham Conway (Steve Wall) rented the hotel scooter. He informs her of his plan to visit Rome.

At the crime scene, Giovanni learns the van was burnt to destroy evidence. Upset, he orders a helicopter search of the area. In Umbria, Isabel takes a hotel master key from a housekeeping cart. She keeps an eye out for Wallis. A short time later, he and Sabine Durand (Clara Ponsot) emerge from the elevator with their tennis rackets. Isabel races to his room where she installs several bugs. Hearing voices, she hides and waits while Sabine searches for her phone. When she finds it, Wallis suggests they skip their tennis lesson but she insists on going. Isabel waits for a few minutes before leaving.

Rome UK Trade Bureau – Henry informs Mariam Cavendish (Buffy Davis) of Sylvia’s disappearance which he attributes to her connection to MI6. He shows her a photo of Wallis. At an undisclosed location, Sylvia works diligently to sharpen the piece of metal when she hears someone approaching. She sticks it in her pocket and places a zip-tie around her ankles. Wallis offers her some water and food but she declines it. Back in Umbria, Isabel creates a blunder to meet Sabine. Back at the undisclosed location, Sylvia tells Wallis that Richard Vaughan was originally from America but grew up in London. She suggests he was a CIA agent. He threatens her if she doesn’t tell him Vaughan’s real name. She says he was Ryan Erikson. He knocks over the water bottle before locking her in and leaving. She waits until he leaves to gulp down the remaining water in the bottle. Utilizing the sharpened metal piece, she removes a screw from a plank.

Rome – Mariam and Henry learn the photo is of a man named Nicholas Jacob Wallis from South Africa. Wallis is actually a former MI6 agent, Graham Arthur Conway. He died while serving time for smuggling minerals and potentially killed two miners. She leaves to collect some items from the supply room. Back in Umbria, Sabine tells Isabel that their trip was extended from 10 days to three days for Wallis’ work and will be leaving tomorrow. Isabel claims to have recently divorced when she receives a call from Henry urging her to leave the hotel without delay. Seeing Wallis approaching, Isabel abruptly ends the call and walks away. Back at the undisclosed location, Sylvia continues to work on the screws.

Giovanni tells Henry that Sylvia’s abduction may be linked to his business dealings. Henry refuses to share his intel with him. Elsewhere, Henry tells Isabel about Graham. She pleads with him to tell Giovanni. He says Graham has till tomorrow to finish what he started and Sylvia is being held somewhere near the hotel. She breaks down weeping. He assures her that Sylvia will be okay. At the undisclosed location, Sylvia’s escape plan is thwarted.

Henry and Isabel arrive at Hotel Sereno in a red van. She installs a GPS tracker on the hotel scooter. Listening to the bugs in Graham’s room, Henry hears Graham tell Sabine that he is going for a hike in the morning. At dawn, Graham emerges from the hotel with a bag but quickly goes back in. Isabel goes to get a better look. A delivery van is parked outside the hotel. While the driver is inside the hotel, Graham steals the van. Isabel can do nothing but watch Henry pursue Graham. She notifies Alice and Matteo Vitale (Matteo Carlomagno).

Graham sees Henry’s red van in his side-view mirror. The pursuit continues. Elsewhere, Matteo scolds Isabel for not telling him about Sylvia’s disappearance. She tells him that she is tracking him. Henry continues to pursue Graham who has arrived at the location where Sylvia is being held hostage. When he enters, Sylvia tries to flee but he stops her and threatens to shoot her. After losing Graham, Henry utilizes a drone to search for the stolen van. At the undisclosed location, Graham tells Sylvia that Erikson has been dead for three years. She denies knowing anything about it. Holding up Isabel’s necklace, he demands to know Vaughan’s real name. To save Isabel’s life, Sylvia claims Vaughan was an MI6 agent, Adam Haines, her former husband. She denies any knowledge of the money. As he prepares to shove her into a hole, she pushes him and runs. He shoots her in the arm. She cuts his leg and races up a flight of steps, holding her arm. He pursues her through a vineyard and fires several shots but misses. Henry approaches from behind and shoots him dead. Sylvia breaks down sobbing in Henry’s arms. Matteo, Alice, and Isabel arrive. Matteo offers to take the blame but Henry refuses. He embraces Isabel and Sylvia before leaving with the gun. Later, Sylvia refuses to tell Giovanni what she knows about Graham. He holds her hand.

Sylvia leaves Adam a voicemail, informing him of what happened. She asks what he did with Graham’s $10 million. She removes a box hidden in the fireplace. It contains Henry’s passport and a sketch of drawings from different locations, including her house. The episode ends with Giovanni paying her a visit.

 

Signora Volpe Review

The finale of Signora Volpe left a lot to be desired with a tedious story and an implausible escape. Sylvia put Graham Conway away for stealing from the Mataran people. Now, he’s back for revenge and he wants the money that was stolen from him. To get it, he’s going to abduct Sylvia and force her to give him the answers he needs.

The episode had many scenes that added very little to the overall story. Raffaella’s role was pointless when it came down to it. Francis Cho was also there just to waste time so the story could be unnecessarily prolonged. On top of that, Greta and that whole side story was an obvious red herring and another waste of time.

Sylvia’s escape attempt was dumb enough to make MacGyver look authentic. First, she managed to break the zip ties on her hands using brute force. That never caused any pain or bruising by the way. She didn’t break the ones on her legs the same way though. Instead, she had to use an earring since they were somehow stronger and trickier.

Not to mention, it’s dumb for Graham to leave her alone for eternity and to leave a lantern right in front of the locked gate. The writers must think very little of our intelligence. Matteo is easily the least likable character with his random outbursts which were worse in this episode. The episode was watchable even if the outcome was predictable.

All these minor issues would be much easier to overlook if the series didn’t drag on for an eternity. The finale scores a 5.5 out of 10. Get more Signora Volpe recaps here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising with us here. See what others are saying here.