Dalgliesh Series 2 Episode 6 Recap

The Murder Room Part 2 – The episode opens with Miles Kynaston (David Pearse) determining the time of death no later than 48 hours ago. DCI Adam Dalgliesh (Bertie Carvel) questions if the time of death is nearly the same for the victim and Dr. Neville Dupayne (James Esler). Miles tells him that the assailant strangled the woman with gloved hands. He adds the suspect was right-handed. Dalgliesh asks if the suspect could be female. Miles assures him that it wouldn’t take “remarkable strength” to strangle the young girl.

DS Daniel Tarrant (Alistair Brammer) and DS Kate Miskin (Carlyss Peer) interrogate Ryan Archer (Nathaniel Christian). Ryan asks if Major Rupert Arkwright (Robin Soans) is all right. Daniel assures him that Rupert will be fine. Outside the interrogation room, Daniel suggests Rupert talking to Ryan.

Dupayne Museum – Dalgliesh tells Muriel Godby (Sylvestra Le Touzel), Marcus Dupayne (Nicholas Banks), and Caroline Dupayne (Michelle Duncan) that the victim is in her early 20s. They all deny seeing the girl at the museum. Marie Strickland (Anastasia Hille) suggests the basement would make the perfect hiding place. Marcus believes the girl’s death is a reenactment of “The Brighton Trunk Murder.” Strickland reminds him that the prostitute’s name was Violette Kaye. Caroline assures them it is a “crank.” She describes the flat as a “refuge” from running the school. She claims Marcus lost one of the duplicate keys years ago. He utilizes the door to access the “Murder Room.”

Ryan tells them when he stayed behind Friday to speak with Neville, he saw him talking to Strickland. He claims Neville demanded she “stop lying.” Strickland tried to give him a paper but he refused it. He says she saw him. Rupert adds that Strickland frightens Ryan. Ryan says Strickland convinced him to get inside the trunk before closing the lid.

Roger Denholm (Nick Dunning) informs Dalgliesh that she was in Special Ops. He says a 48-hour interrogation by Gestapo, she never blew her cover. Dalgliesh questions if Gestapo successfully turned her which would explain why she walked away. Felix Dupayne was her boss.

Strickland validates Ryan’s claim of her speaking with Neville Friday at 7:15pm. She claims to have told Neville that she and Felix are his biological parents. She tells Dalgliesh that their relationship lasted until his death but Neville was a “mistake.” Felix and his wife adopted him before giving him Neville’s birth certificate. She admits to believing Neville would support the museum if he knew his father was a Dupayne. She assures him if Ryan is connected to Neville’s murder, he lacks the intelligence and nerve to act alone.

Dalgliesh informs Kate of the victim’s pregnancy. The coroner discovered African Violet petals stuffed into her bra on the side of her heart. She serves Tallulah “Tally” Clutton (Sorcha Cusack) with a search warrant for her cottage. A potted African Violet is taken as evidence. She claims to have the only African Violet in the museum. Daniel and Kate probe Tally about Neville’s murder. After denying having anything to do with his murder, she assures them that she would have found another place to live. She tells them there was never a reason to obtain a passport since her son never invited her to visit him in Australia. Upon leaving, Dalgliesh gives her a bit of encouragement.

Swathling’s Academy – A girl discovers a photo of two girls in a purchase donated to the school Jumble Sale. Kate tells Dalgliesh that one of the girls is the girl found in the trunk at the museum. Caroline identifies the students as Victoria Mellock (Rose Galbraith) and her sister, Celia Mellock. She says Victoria and Celia’s father is living in the United States. Kate informs Victoria of her sister’s death. Sobbing, Victoria speaks to her father on the phone. She claims Celia felt Swathling’s Academy was a “waste of time” before their father pulled her out. Dalgliesh tells her that Celia’s body was discovered at the Dupayne Museum. She says Victoria claimed to know something about Caroline.

Caroline tells Dalgliesh that Celia and another student saw her being intimate with a school governor. He asks if Celia ever met Marcus or Neville. She reminds him of Celia being 17 when she attended the academy. Scotland Yard matched Tally’s African Violet with the petals found in Celia’s shirt. Partial prints from the stairwell side of the door in the museum belong to Celia. Kate suggests she was aware of the flat. Dalgliesh orders Victoria to be kept in a safe location away from Caroline.

Tally prunes a rose bush when a news report announces Lord Martlesham’s (Richard Goulding) new initiative. His voice triggers a flashback from the night she was knocked off her bike by a speeding motorist.

Lord Martlesham admits to knocking Tally off her bike after seeing what he describes as a potential “bonfire.” Dalgliesh informs him of Celia’s murder. Shocked, he claims they were having an affair and would meet in the museum’s car park. She didn’t keep their Friday night arrangement. Dalgliesh asks about his mask. Lord Martlesham stresses the importance of hiding his identity when he and Celia were together. Dalgliesh tells him that Celia’s body was found in a truck in the “Murder Room.” Frustrated, Lord Martlesham prepares to leave when Dalgliesh says Celia was pregnant. He says Caroline gave them each a key to the museum flat before assuring him that he is a good person.

After stressing the importance of heeding the rules of the “98 Club,” Lord Martlesham admits his affair with Celia broke them. Daniel escorts Caroline out of the museum. She explains how the private club utilizes PO boxes. Members are allotted one invitation that can be given to anyone. She denies knowing Celia belonged to the club. Dalgliesh informs her of Lord Martlesham’s affair with Celia. He suggests she was killed after witnessing Neville’s murder. She questions what Lord Martlesham is capable of. He reminds her that only she and Marcus have keys to all the museum facilities.

Muriel invites Tally to stay at her house. Tally tells her that she refuses to be pushed out of her home. Caroline claims to have got the idea for the “98 Club” from her father, Felix, and Strickland’s affair. Kate questions who helps clean up after the meetings. While discussing the body in the trunk, Muriel mentions African Violet petals. Tally denies knowing anything about the violets. Muriel says Dalgliesh told her about it before suggesting it is a “crank.” While Dalgliesh describes how the killer set Neville’s body on fire, Caroline demands he shut up. He says Neville’s parents are Felix and Strickland. She assures him that they loved Neville. Dalgliesh admits to being tired of dealing with people like her before arresting her for Neville and Celia’s murders.

Someone cuts Tally’s landline. She tries to utilize the phone to discover the line dead. Someone removes a hammer from an exhibit in the “Murder Room.” Tally is hit in the head with the hammer while utilizing the museum phone. Caroline tells Dalgliesh that Muriel is the founder of the “98 Club.” Muriel tosses down the hammer before stepping over Tally’s body on the floor. Caroline explains how she was 14 when she met Muriel while she was working at Swathling’s Academy.

Dalgliesh administers CPR to revive Tally. Daniel arrests Muriel for Celia and Neville’s murders. She contributes the man’s sex drive to his weakness. She assures them that she would never commit murder to protect her club. Daniel reminds her of her husband’s infidelity. She admits to marrying her husband to get away from home. After pointing out large deposits into her bank account from offshore accounts, he suggests she was running an extortion scheme. When Dalgliesh informs her of Tally surviving the attack, she pretends to be shocked by his revelation. She says Neville and Celia deserved what they got. She warns his superiors will not be too keen to put her on the stand because she is very knowledgeable.

Daniel shows Kate a newspaper article announcing Dalgliesh’s nomination for his poetry. Dalgliesh dons his uniform before meeting the commissioner. He threatened to resign if Muriel isn’t prosecuted. She asks if he is leaving. After informing her of his promotion to Commander, he says she is being offered the Detective Inspector position. Before she leaves, he says she should be happy. She assures him that she will be as the episode ends.

 

Dalgliesh Series 2 Finale Recap

In a recent announcement, Acorn Media Enterprises announced its plan to commission a third series of Dalgliesh. The two-part murder investigation is a bit drawn out. One 50-minute episode would be sufficient if they did away with the fluff.

In series one, Dalgliesh takes the stage to apply his expertise to solve complex murders. Recently losing his wife and unborn child, his overwhelming grief was to be expected. Following the premiere of series two, it was obvious nothing was going to change. It is well past time to drop the melancholic disposition.

Some viewers probably had their fingers crossed for a romantic connection between Dalgliesh and Kate. Other than their sullen demeanor, they have nothing in common. The investigations are intriguing but it is difficult to ignore the miserable, despondent Detective Chief Inspector, now Commander.

The finale deserves a 6. Get more Dalgliesh recaps here. Support Reel Mockery by clicking the link. Our onsite advertising is a great way to affordably build online awareness.