In the latest episode of Ripper Street, a group of young kids stir Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen) from his slumber, alongside the beach. The kids run away and wind up passing Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn), who grabs one of them and questions them. With the new information, Drake proceeds to the beach hut, where he finds Reid, who looks fairly terrible. He informs Reid that no one saw the murder and that Mathilda (Anna Burnett) is alive.

Meanwhile, Mathilda roams the streets, where she runs into a young pimp, Harry Ward (Dean-Charles Chapman), who quickly goes to work, in hopes of recruiting Mathilda to his team of harlots. Of course, Mathilda is fairly out of it and follows him carelessly, since she believes he is going to lead them to her father. Next, Reid storms Susan’s house (MyAnna Buring), but fails to locate anything helpful, as Ronald Capshaw (John Heffernan) makes his escape. He then turns his sights to Homer Jackson (Adam Rothenberg), but doesn’t receive anything substantial. Reid is confronted by Chief Inspector Fred Abberline (Clive Russell) and told not to leave the police station.

Mathilda continues to follow Harry, who feeds her, before leading her to a brothel. Meanwhile, the man, who sold Harry the food, reported the information to Reid. By using the documents in his archive, Reid is able to discover information on Harry and track him down. Reid and Drake grab some shotguns, before telling Abberline to back off. Next, they head to the brothel, where Harry is intent on selling Mathilda’s sex for money. Of course, Mathilda slashes Harry’s face with a piece of her trusty mirror. At this point, Reid and Drake rush in and gain control of the situation, but Mathilda has escaped through the window. Drake is able to locate Mathilda and tell her that he is her father’s friend, but she runs away, after hearing Reid’s name.

Next, Jackson grows suspicious of Susan and tracks down Dr. Amelia Frayn (Louise Brealey). He questions her about her actions, which helped Susan hide Mathilda. Afterwards, the pair show up at the police station and speak with Reid. It is revealed that Mathilda discovered Reid’s files on Jack the Ripper and looked at the gory pictures, which scared her. In order to track down Mathilda’s whereabouts, Reid digs into his old Jack the Ripper case files and scans the map.

Meanwhile, Fred Best (David Dawson) suspects Ronald of having something to do with the train crash. He tails the man and discovers information, which shows that Ronald has been stealing money from Susan’s father. Fred passes the information along to Jackson, who confronts Susan. Of course, Susan claims her innocence and Jackson believes her, as the pair begin to make out.

By using Reid’s map, the police are able to set up roadblocks for Mathilda’s next possible destination. Reid sends Drake to confront her, if she arrives. While they’re gone, Reid convinces Sergeant Donald Artherton (David Wilmot) to let him escape. When he returns home, Reid discovers Mathilda in her room. After the pair reunite, Mathilda slowly begins to remember her father and old life. In the morning, Reid tells her that they’re going to leave.

As Mathilda prepares to leave, Jackson shows up and gives Reid the document, which implicates Capshaw. He also discovers Reid’s plans. Despite wanting to leave his life in White Chapel behind, Reid agrees to handle the Capshaw situation. Next, Reid takes Mathilda to Jane Cobden (Leanne Best) and asks her to watch over Mathilda for an hour. After she agrees, Reid heads to Susan’s to confront Capshaw.

When Reid enters, he squares off with Capshaw, who looks, as if he is going to cry. A shot rings out from behind Capshaw, which makes Reid flinch and fire his shotgun at Capshaw. Both men fall to the ground, before Susan emerges with a gun in her hand. Susan swaps their guns, in order to make it look like Reid and Capshaw shot one another in self defense. When she bends down near Reid, he grabs her arm.

Review


If you were looking for the traditional formula of Ripper Street, you didn’t get it here. Instead, you got a lot more action, which wasn’t bogged down by a crime from the detectives to solve. This formula definitely worked in this episode, as it allowed the viewer to focus on the hunt for Mathilda. Matthew Macfadyen continues to impress, as he showed a range of emotions. It was exhilarating to watch him let loose and throw the police procedures out of the window, as he ruthlessly went after young Harry. Of course, Dean-Charles Chapman should also be credited. He made a fun, little pimp and was quite convincing.

In the end, Reid got his daughter back, but it couldn’t be. Ripper Street wouldn’t be Ripper Street with a happy ending. Instead, we get a potentially dead Edmund Reid, which will certainly leave the viewer gasping for answers. Another fine episode of Ripper Street, which deserves a 9 out of 10.