The Beast Of Wedlock – As this episode of Father Brown begins, a man, Gabriel, disrobes in front of the Duchess (Anna Wilson-Jones) who throws his clothes to the side so he can’t find them. She hears a scream before finding Sylvia Garcia (Celine Arden) on the ground Sylvia claims she was attacked by a beast that looked like a big white tiger. Brenda Palmer (Ruby-May Martinwood) makes coffee for Father Brown (Mark Williams). She notices that a stray cat has been hanging around for several days. Mrs. Devine (Claudie Blakley) asks if he has heard about the big cat attack.

She reads that Sylvia said it resembled a white tiger or snow leopard. It happened in the village of Wedlock. Father Brown remembers reading an article a few years ago about a mythical white beast that haunted the village. Reverend Duncan (Scott Handy) and Sam Wadey (Clifford Barry) speak for Gabriel. They find his ripped clothes and what looks like white animal fur. Sylvia tells Professor Garcia (Alex Waldmann) that the police didn’t take her encounter seriously. They weren’t impressed that they had gone to the press before them. The professor is almost done so he suspects he’ll be gone by next week.

Sylvia isn’t thrilled about having her ex-husband around for that long. The Duchess approaches to tell Sylvia she was lucky she wasn’t killed. Sylvia says it was startled so it clawed at her and ran back into the woods. The Duchess says her grandfather was supposedly killed while being chased by the beast when he fell to his death down a well. That was during the day when her family owned the manor house. The Duchess is convinced the place is cursed. Father Brown, Devine, and Brenda decide to investigate the beast. Brown tells Brenda that Father Duncan is an old friend and wants his help.

Brenda suggests going to the butchers to get some big cat bait. The Duchess thinks Duncan is avoiding her now. She accuses Sam of spreading vicious rumors about her. Sam says he was just spending too much time with a divorcee who has a reputation. The Duchess says he has poisoned him against her ever since he moved into the vicarage. Before she walks away, she warns Sam to watch his back. Devine nearly runs over the Duchess as she leaves. Duncan comes out to greet them. Father Brown asks if there is any news about the church warden’s son. He tells them about the white fur they found near Gabriel’s clothes. When Brown is introduced to Sam, he remembers Corporal Wadey from his time in the military.

Sam was captured by the Germans and spent the end of the war as a prisoner. After his wife died, he needed a new start so he settled in the village of Wedlock. Duncan shows them where they found Gabriel’s clothes. Brenda knows about the legend of the big cat being a ghost. Sam explains that a Buddhist monk supposedly gave a white cat to the Duchess’s ancestors. The cat was a huge beast called the Byakko. Since it died of neglect, it allegedly returns every hundred years to attack the sinful. They learn more about the alleged attack on Sylvia before Duncan leaves. Sylvia doesn’t like her ex-husband touching her anymore. She says she is in love with Gabriel.

He says they both know where Gabriel is and he isn’t coming back. When Brown approaches Sylvia, she says she’d like to forget about the cat. Her ex-husband chases her and insists he didn’t mean to upset her. Then, they find a painting of the Byakko beast. The Duchess throws a bottle at them and yells not to touch it because it is still drying. She refuses to answer any questions and says Sam can rot in hell. Sam tries to get Reverend Duncan to open the church since it is time for the service. They hear a big cat growling so Father Brown runs around to investigate. They find Duncan in a pool of blood. They agree to call the police. Chief Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) arrives to investigate the latest murder.

They find more white fur near the door. Professor Garcia tells Sylvia not to look at him. Duncan has scratches on his neck and a gash on the back of his head. The Duchess comes in and begins sobbing. Outside, Sam and Brown talk about the white fur. Sam wonders if he has to accept that his son is dead too. Brown isn’t sure since there was no blood on Gabriel’s clothes. He suggests the big cat just found and mauled his clothes. The Duchess tells Sullivan that she used to be close to the Reverend. They both loved animals and Duncan was some type of amateur zoologist. The Duchess doesn’t think an animal killed him since she saw Sam Wadey attack him yesterday in the churchyard.

They were arguing and he hit him in the face. Father Brown tries to talk to Professor Garcia. When the professor is asked about the cat, he says he is open to all possibilities. Father Brown thinks he seemed surprised that white fur was found by Duncan’s body. The Professor says he converted to the church of England so there would be no more priests sticking their noses into other people’s business. Once he leaves, Devine and Brown agree that he is hiding something. Sam tells Inspector Sullivan that he and Gabriel moved in with the Reverend about five months ago. He came there to be the new church warden. They find Gabriel’s diary. The last entry says his dad would kill him if he found out.

Sam isn’t sure what it is about, but he is arrested anyway. Father Brown isn’t convinced so he wants to find out more about Sam’s alleged assault. He approaches the Duchess to say they were friends too. She claims the abrasion on Duncan’s forehead is where Sam hit him. The Duchess says they would’ve been together if it wasn’t for Sam. Father Brown urges her to tell the police the truth. When she refuses, he says he will. She reminds him that it’ll be his words against hers. Brenda and Devine find a dead animal in the woods. Father Brown goes to the church. He notices a strange odor before being knocked out. Devine and Brenda overhear Sylvia and the professor talking about Sam.

He says he just needs to keep the interest going a little longer. They find Father Brown and wake him up. Inspector Sullivan approaches the Garcia couple because he heard that Gabriel spent a lot of time doing odd jobs at the manor. Father Brown arrives and tells them about the attack. When they’re confronted about their earlier conversation, Sylvia admits she thinks she knows what happened to Gabriel. They claim he said he was moving to London to become a gigolo. He told Sylvia the night before last after breaking up with her. She would’ve said something sooner, but her ex-husband begged her not to. Brown suspects the professor was surprised that they found white fur in the church since he didn’t put it there.

Once he is confronted about putting the white fur in the woods, the professor runs away and yells that he is innocent. They catch up with him. The professor says he ripped Gabriel’s clothes when he found them in the bush. Then, he took some of the fur from Sylvia’s old coat and planted it there. He put the carcass there too as part of a publicity stunt. He is writing a book about the beast and even got Sylvia to stage the attack. They insist that they had nothing to do with the Reverend’s murder. Father Brown and the others confront the Duchess who is busy burning her paintings. They notice the ring on her finger. Brown wonders if she was at the church to steal a keepsake of the Reverend.

Devine tells her that she can’t let this destroy her. She knows what it is like since she lost her husband. The Duchess admits to scratching his face because he said people were talking and he wanted her to stay away from him. Brown thinks Duncan would want her to show the same kindness now that he showed to her. Sam has a nightmare about Gabriel being attacked by the beast. The Duchess enters the station to talk to someone about Sam. Father Brown talks to Devine and Brenda about the possibility of a cat attack. Once Sam is released, Brown offers to give him a lift back to Wedlock. The police don’t think Gabriel went to London since his belongings are still at the vicarage.

Father Brown promises to find Gabriel. Once they drop him off, Brenda says she has been thinking about whether anyone has seen the Byakko Beast. Father Brown discovers something after learning that Duncan was a zoologist. He goes into the mausoleum and finds a tape recorder playing a growling noise. He goes back inside and finds white fur and Gabriel. Brenda and Devine have to break the news to Sam when they use the telephone. When Sam meets with Father Brown, he is accused of killing his son and Reverend Duncan. Brown remembers he left the scene of the crime once they discovered the body. He thinks Sam hid the recorder in the mausoleum since he had the keys as church warden.

Brown suggests he confronted him and snapped when he learned Gabriel was going to London to be a gigolo. A flashback shows them get into a fight about Gabriel’s decision and his dad’s afraid. Eventually, Gabriel is thrown over the rail. Sam insists he never meant to hurt his boy. Father Brown believes him. Sam admits he told Duncan because he hoped he’d understand and help him find peace. Another flashback shows how Sam killed Duncan. Sam says he is no believer because no God would allow the stuff in the trenches to happen. He pleads with Brown to stay quiet about it, but Father Brown refuses. He encourages Sam to turn to God and repent.

Sam says he can save his life like he saved his. Father Brown hands him over to the Chief Inspector. Mrs. Devine and Sullivan discuss whether Sam could’ve hurt Father Brown. Brenda thinks it would’ve been hard to snitch on an old mate. Devine thinks so although he did the right thing. Later, Devin tells Brown that the professor had been cleared. Father Brown confesses that he never knew the real Sam Wadey since he only knew a myth and a war hero. Brown takes the cat to the Duchess who quickly takes it in.

 

Father Brown Review

The Beast of Wedlock was a pretty straightforward episode of Father Brown without many unexpected moments. Most of the characters are charming with Mrs. Devine standing out. Viewers will get what they expect from Father Brown who leads the way. The story was okay since it touched on Brown’s military past and forced him to decide whether he should help a friend who once saved him.

The basics are good making Father Brown an easy show to watch and it doesn’t require a lot of thought from the viewer. The season obviously isn’t peak Father Brown, but it is still watchable and mostly enjoyable. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of Father Brown are available on Reel Mockery here.

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