The Kembleston Players – As this episode of Father Brown begins, Father Brown (Mark Williams) arrives at Hambleston Theatre. Mrs. Devine (Claudie Blakley) has no idea why Teddy wants to meet. She’s heard that the Hambleston Amateur Dramatic Society is withering ever since Teddy Sadwick (Gerard Horan) took over. They see Emerald Baptiste (Wendy Mae Brown) before going inside. Teddy greets Isabel Devine and Father Brown. He calls the setting on stage Kembleston Manor. Teddy explains it’s time to unite. Isabel admits it’d be thrilling to perform in an actual theatre. The play is called “The Most Perfect Murder”. It was written by Father Osmond Lindsey (Kieran Hodgson) who is thrilled to see Father Brown. He passes out. Teddy asks Isabel if she’s ready to make some magic. The next day, Father Lindsey apologizes to Father Brown. He admits he hasn’t figured out how the killer did it yet.
They’re introduced to Herman Jolly (Christopher Fairbank) who makes the sets. Emerald speaks to Teddy about the cost of hiring the Royal Theatre. She thinks they should continue using amateurs because the company was meant to enrich the lives of locals. Bonnie Codling (Jordan Baker) joins them seconds later. Teddy thinks it’s time for the auditions. Chief Inspector Edgar Sullivan (Tom Chambers) arrives with Sergeant Goodfellow (John Burton). Brenda (Ruby-May Martinwood) doesn’t think she’ll audition. Lindsey urges Father Brown to audition since the priest was written with him in mind. Lindsey is thrilled with Brown’s audition. Teddy says Isabel will play his wife, Lady Ursula Etherington. Brenda will play their daughter Tabitha. Goodfellow will be Inspector Crabtree. Father Brown will be the victim, Horace. Edgar will play Father Greene. Isabel forces Edgar to do it. Herman Jolly doesn’t want Bonnie to help with set design. Father Lindsey is confident he’ll finish the script in time.
The rehearsals begin. Herman and Bonnie argue all the while. Before long, Herman is satisfied with his work. Teddy asks him to stop being such a braggart. Emerald receives a birthday gift from everyone. She isn’t happy with the card and rips it up. Father Lindsey arrives after finally finishing his work. Although the others are impressed, Herman calls it far-fetched tripe. During a rehearsal, everyone realizes that no one has seen Herman. When the hidden door is opened, Herman is found dead. Father Brown and Father Lindsey give Edgar advice while he investigates. Later, Emerald suggests it might be for the best since they don’t have to go through with the troubled production. Teddy argues they should honor Herman’s work and forge ahead. He promotes Bonnie to the stage manager. Father Lindsey shows Brown the evidence he took. The team runs into a problem during rehearsals because Goodfellow is busy with a murder investigation.
Edgar and Goodfellow ask who used the wrench since they found blood and a fingerprint on it. Bonnie says it’s her spanner but she didn’t hit Herman. Edgar quickly arrests her on suspicion of the murder of Herman Jolly. In a cell, Bonnie tells Father Brown what Edgar thinks. She points out that Teddy and Emerald have keys too. Herman reminded her of her father who was a sadist and bully too. Father Brown shows her the cost of materials list found in Herman’s pocket. She insists it couldn’t have cost this much because Teddy would’ve been furious. Brown says that was very helpful. Brown returns and tells Teddy that Bonnie is still in custody. Father Lindsey takes over as stage manager. It doesn’t go well. Teddy gets upset and leaves. Father Brown follows him to say he knew what Herman was up to. Teddy says he trusted him, but he cleaned out the society account. The society had so much money because Teddy sold his butcher shop.
Teddy confronted him on the day he died and he groveled. He tells Brown why this is so important to him. He managed to lure an agent to see the opening night. Brown speaks to the others about Emerald and how she looks at Herman when she opened the letter. Goodfellow tells Edgars there’s something he’ll want to hear. Father Lindsey joins Brown who is searching for something in the bins. They find the card to Emerald and realize it mentions “Sandy”. Brown realizes the handwriting is the same as Herman’s notebook. Father Brown goes inside to speak to Emerald. Before he can, Edgar says Bonnie will be released this evening. The fingerprint they found on the spanner was Emerald’s. Emerald apologizes for ruining everything before asking Edgar if they can go. Teddy continues complaining all the while. Isabel has an idea. Next, she tells Brown and Brenda that she can play the maid.
The play has to be a success or she’ll be the shortest serving president in history. Brenda thinks Father Lindsey is the murderer since he had the key last night. Father Brown storms out. He finds Father Lindsey with Emerald. Brown learns that Sandy is dead. He was an orphan who lived in the abandoned barn on Chipping Way. Emerald says she lost her son and husband before she came there. HADS gave Sandy a purpose. During a HADS meeting last year, they all heard a gunshot. They found Sandy on the ground in the barn. Lindsey excuses himself. Emerald says she went to confront Herman. He told her to leave HADS or she might end up like Sandy. Herman said he knew who murdered Sandy and he was glad he was dead. Emerald admits she saw red and hit him. She didn’t close the compartment. Emerald was going to tell the police after the play. Father Brown isn’t sure this was her crime.
Next, Father Lindsey claims everything is his fault. Brown and Lindsey realize that Herman Jolly killed Sandy with a pre-set mechanism. Brown points out that he found stage makeup near the jammed door. Greasepaint was used to seal the air vent. Herman must’ve been asphyxiated after the assault. Brown reads that Sandy was from Oxford. Then, the play begins. Father Lindsey asks Bonnie if it all made sense to her when she read the final page. Father Brown tells Lindsey he wishes he hadn’t said anything before running to get Bonnie. Lindsey takes over as stage manager. He finds her at the barn and suggests Bonnie had to come to say goodbye to her son. Brown asks if Sandy was taken as a baby and she followed him from Oxford. She joined HADS to get to know his son. Bonnie tells him how she found the gun and knew Herman had killed Sandy. Herman told her that Sandy spied on him and saw him with his hand in the till at Teddy’s.
Bonnie locked him and smothered him by blocking the vent with grease paint. Sandy never knew that he was Bonnie’s son. Father Brown asks her to go to the police and confess to what she did. Meanwhile, the play continues. Eventually, Edgar returns and reveals how the murder was pulled off. After the play, Teddy believes his whole life is about to change forever. He learns what the agent said about the play and his performance. Bonnie tells everyone that Sandy was her son and she has to go. Emerald returns to Teddy moments later. She tells Teddy that the show is sold out every night this week. Teddy asks Emerald to take HADS back. She wants to work together. Father Lindsey goes to confession and tells Father Brown about the murder and incarceration. He realizes that murder should never be taken lightly. Lindsey reveals his uncle used to tread the boards in the Footlights. Father Brown asks if it is Canon Fox. Brown learns he’ll be checking in on him very soon.
Father Brown Review
This episode of Father Brown was a bit too much like the last one and several others before that. The series has been far too formulaic through two episodes. Father Brown and the gang are involved in some type of comical event, a battle reenactment and a play. At some point, someone is killed and an arrest is made in haste.
The investigation and ultimate conclusion were a bit ridiculous here. There were probably too many twists that just made the whole thing outlandish. The series also no longer has the fun aspect of being able to follow along and try to guess the murderer based on whatever evidence is found.
Truthfully, no evidence is found because it’s all told through conversations with the characters and Father Brown. In this episode, there was a past murder thrown in midway through just to try to tie everything together. We also cannot ignore the fact that a woman who bashed a man in the head with a wrench was actually freed just because.
In reality, Emerald and Bonnie would likely be in prison together for however long. We’re also getting the same boring monologue from Father Brown after identifying the murderer. There are no valuable lessons besides encouraging the culprit to repent. That’s going to get old quickly. Some viewers may enjoy the play aspect of the episode, but it can easily be considered very annoying with the over-the-top acting and general screaming from much of the cast.
It’s also a bit odd that Teddy knew about Herman being a thief so all of this could’ve been avoided in the first place. Overall, the episode was just bland. Viewers who like the comical aspects of the play will enjoy the episode more than others. This one scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Father Brown can be found here.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.