As the 4th episode begins, a man attacks another man with a chain before dragging him by his neck with it. He pulls the man to the side, strangles him, and begins cutting off his face. He claims the skill is not how you remove the skin but how you piece it back together. He holds up the skin and says that is when it becomes an art form. A guard yells at him before he makes a run for it. He goes after the man but finds a girl cowering in a nearby corner. After the intro, Leopold (Harrison Osterfield) goes to the cemetery with Jessie (Darci Shaw) and Bea (Thaddea Graham). Jessie tells Bea that she wants to spend time with her mother even though it might sound stupid. Leopold interrupts and says he has a theory based on the Sherlock grimoire.
He suspects Alice was an Ipsissimus and Sherlock and Watson used her for her powers. He reads from the book and they learn about Alice having to be restrained because delirium and horror had taken her. She had refused to take part in one of their experiments as well, but they were going to perform the bloodletting ceremony regardless. Jessie wonders if Sherlock and Watson were responsible for her death because they pushed her so much. Jessie says they need to speak to Watson, but Bea says they should speak to Sherlock Holmes (Henry Lloyd-Hughes). She explains Watson wants to talk to them about a job later and they can use that opportunity to speak to Holmes.
A bit later, Leo tells Bea she isn’t on her own. He goes on to say she is different than anyone he has ever met because there is something about her. He doesn’t know what it is but he really likes it. She admits she was thinking of kissing him but won’t now. Leo says he’ll have to kiss her then and he does seconds later. Once they stop kissing, Leo says he needs to go because there is a thing he needs to attend. She gets mad because he is going to get up and disappear again but he promises to come back to the bridge at 10 PM. She isn’t happy with that and says it doesn’t matter before going inside. Jessie has another nightmare, but she manages to transport herself to the home of the linen man (Clarke Peters). She is excited that the trick worked and she escaped.
She quickly tells the man about learning she is an Ipsissimus. He is too and he admits it is a lonely path because so many people want to take advantage of their power. He suspects the monsters see something of the rip when they get their power. He thinks they might be able to see the location by diving deeper into their minds. She doesn’t want to do that after her experience with the tooth fairy. She wakes up moments later. She joins Bea and they go visit John Watson (Royce Pierreson). He tells them about the murder that took place in an alleyway next to a public house called the Saggar’s Arms in Harrow. Witnesses claim that the man was David Oliver and he allegedly removed the face of the victim named Paul Cambridge. The police cannot arrest David Oliver because he was found dead ten days ago and his face was cut from his skull too.
Watson explains that the case hasn’t been fully handed over to them because it is being led by Scotland Yard inspector Lestrade (Aidan McArdle). Lestrade has requested Jessie join him in case he needs to use her abilities. Before they leave, they ask to speak to Holmes but he isn’t eager to let that happen. Bea makes a run for it in hopes of talking to Sherlock. Watson tries to stop her but she runs into Sherlock’s room anyway. Sherlock isn’t there so Watson throws her out of his room. She tells Watson she is going to find out everything he has been hiding before Watson threatens to crush them if they go anywhere near Sherlock. They leave. A bit later, Billy (Jojo Macari), Spike (McKell David), and Jessie meet with Lestrade.
He wants to take Jessie only but Spike doesn’t let that happen because he doesn’t like the inspector. When Jessie asks him why she is there, he says someone told him she was warped in a way that might be useful to him. He says he doesn’t like people like her who’ve been touched by dark magic. Billy and the others decide they should look around the crime scene. Jessie pumps into a man and has a vision of a young girl, Clara (Eleanor Worthington-Cox), sitting alone in the pub. She is joined by a group of men and begins drinking with them. Before long, she leaves with several of them and the door is closed behind them. Before long, Clara returns and says she is pregnant.
Clara screams at her before she comes back to reality. The man she touched runs away before Spike checks on Jessie. She tells the others that the guy is actually a girl and she is the murderer. They visit the pub and Jessie explains that three men took her upstairs. She believes the girl is using their faces to become them and get revenge on them. The inspector says a demon walks among them and the girl needs to be found and dealt with. He approaches the bartender and asks him about Dave Oliver and Paul Cambridge. The bartender knows them so the inspector asks if he remembers them taking a girl upstairs with a third man. He claims that type of thing doesn’t happen here, but Jessie suggests otherwise since he was paid for a room.
He denies it and says he is a family man. He claims the girl was likely a prostitute but Jessie doesn’t believe that. She explains that the girl had needle marks on her hands so she might’ve been a weaver or seamstress. Then, the man in charge explains there is a good down the way like that and she comes in here. He explains that the girl’s dad owns the taxidermy shop on the corner. Meanwhile, Bea visits Mrs. Hudson (Denise Black) who is surprised to see her. She asks if Bea is there to pay her back rent. Bea gives her the money and says she thought she might help her. She wants to know more about Sherlock Holmes. They go back and forth before Hudson says all she needs to know is that Sherlock is a drug addict and bum.
Bea shows her the picture of Alice and Hudson remembers her. She admits she received a lot of complaints from other tenants about screaming and crying. She says only god knows what happened to her in there. Bea asks where she can find him before she is told that Sherlock’s usual haunt is the Phoenix in Limehouse. Hudson encourages her to stay away from it. Meanwhile, Leopold is told that his weekly breakfast with his mother has been canceled. Daimler (Edward Hogg) tells him how he has been protecting him by lying to his mother. He looks inside the room nearby and sees the children of Lord and Lady Yorke. Although Leo isn’t of age, Daimler took it upon himself to get him permission to attend the night’s event. Next, Jessie and the others visit the taxidermist (Henry Miller).
Mr. Dixon is asked about his daughter Clara. He says he isn’t her dad and she sleeps downstairs. He confesses they don’t go down there anymore but Billy isn’t going to let that stop him. They find a bunch of stuffed animals before Jessie discovers several faces. One of the men is the guy she bumped into outside. Daimler helps Leopold get dressed and tells him that his time leaving the palace is over. When Leo enters the party, Louise (Nell Hudson) asks why he gets to debut at 17 and she had to wait until 18. He wishes her a happy birthday before she says there will be lots of fun now that he is older. Leo isn’t interested in partying and is eager to leave to join Bea.
Eleanor Margot (Imogen Waterhouse) approaches and introduces herself. She says they’ve been told he is sickly and frail but she doesn’t believe that. He goes with her while Bea tries to learn more about Sherlock. She enters the drug den and finds John Watson inside. Bea yells and warns everyone that John is with the police so he has to run away. They don’t like Bea asking questions either so she has to hide with Watson. While they hide, Watson tells her why he thinks he can beat her. Dixon tells the others that the girl has always been unusual and they took her in because she had no family and nowhere to go. She is talented because she has a way with the skin. Spike and Billy talk about the girl in private and that she could be using anyone’s face.
Jessie finds the young girl and is quickly threatened with a knife. Jessie doesn’t think she’ll do anything and she knows what the men did to her. Clara says they took everything from her. Someone upstairs calls Jessie’s name so Clara makes a run for it. When Spike and Billy arrive, Jessie tells them to go after Clara. They chase her but she gets away. The inspector accuses Jessie of letting her go because they’re both monstrosities and abominations. He goes on to say people like her would be eradicated if he had his way. Leo continues hanging out at the party and watching the clock. He excuses himself and tries to escape. Eleanor catches up with him and says he seems a little on edge. She offers him pills and promises to look after him.
Bea leaves her hiding place before a man approaches and tells her he knows where Sherlock is. He tells her that everyone down there is trying to numb their pain for one reason or another. Then, he suggests Sherlock would be at Nooks Keep which is a hostel in Southwark. She thanks him and leaves in a hurry. Jessie thinks about what the inspector has said. She tells Spike that Lestrade is right and she isn’t normal. He tries to cheer her up, but it doesn’t go well. He tells her she is special and that is why he is protective of her. Lestrade returns and tells them he left word at 221B that they let the demon escape. Jessie goes off on him and tells him why he isn’t a good detective. She says she might be able to change her appearance but she can’t change who she is. She claims she knows who the girl is now.
She says everything is about family. In a flashback, Clara tells her friend that she thinks he is pregnant and that she wants to keep it. However, her friend says she isn’t and won’t ever be because she has syphilis. Jessie explains that the men gave her syphilis and took away her ability to have a family of her own. She suspects that Clara wants to steal one of their families. Lestrade says the men don’t have families so Jessie says there must be someone she blames who does. They immediately think of the landlord. The landlord (Simon Ludders) turns around and gets a shock when he sees John (Craig Conway) behind him. They talk about the murders and the weird girl from the taxidermist’s building. John says she wanted a family of her own and they took it from her.
He blames the landlord because he let men taken women upstairs every night. When the landlord tries to get up, John pulls a knife on him and tells him to sit down. After accusing him of being just as involved, John lunges at the landlord. Bea goes to the hotel and receives a note from Watson telling her that the arrangement is over and the drug addict lied to her. She sits down and apologizes to her mother for failing. Clara finishes with the landlord and says goodbye to herself. She drops to the ground and puts on the landlord’s face. Later, she returns home to his family. His wife notices he is nicer than normal. As for Leo, he is high on drugs and still with Eleanor. She sits him down and begins kissing him before saying she wants him to take her someone private. Bea waits for Leo but he doesn’t show up.
Leo offers to help a sick woman nearby but Eleanor says she is only seeking attention. He tells Eleanor he doesn’t want this and she doesn’t have what she has. Daimler is surprised when Eleanor returns without Leo. The Inspector smashes the landlord’s window and tells him to come out. Leo gets caught trying to escape. Daimler tells him he pushed back against his superiors to give him the most normal life possible. Leo is told that he is not normal and can’t have a normal life. Leo jumps for it and crashes to the ground. Daimler calls for the guards but Leo has already escaped. Jessie and the others arrive and learn about the landlord’s death. The inspector freaks out so Billy and the others have to go after her ahead of him.
He tells them she ran into the trees. Jessie agrees to slow Lestrade so they can find her before he does. Jessie gets suspicious of Lestrade and fakes a trip to grab his handgun. She knows it is Clara because the inspector would never be that nice to her. Clara agrees to show herself once again so she removes the inspector’s face. Clara admits she hates herself but she is stuck that way. They discuss finding a way to become friends with yourself even though you’re a freak. Clara says she didn’t want to kill the policeman but he was going to hurt her. Clara is asked if she would kill again but she says there is no one else to kill.
As the others call Jess’s name, she tells Clara she needs to see how she got her powers. Clara agrees to let her so Jessie grabs her arm. Jessie watches Clara pray before receiving her powers from a mysterious being. Then, Jess tells Clara she should try to overpower her now. Clara gets the gun, thanks her, and runs away. Billy and Jessie discuss Clara and her escape. He says someone is going to get into hot water over this so they need to get their story straight. Spike finds Leo injured on the ground and he says Bea’s trait is compassion. Hudson tells Bea she is better off without a druggie like Sherlock Holmes. Bea doesn’t agree and says they’re just people who are trying to forget something. Bea asks about her mom and Sherlock going off the rails.
Hudson says the woman left and Sherlock went off the rails soon after. Bea notices the ring Alice was wearing in the picture and says they were together. Jessie returns to the linen man and tells him she saw the dark thing from her nightmares. She wonders if the key to unlocking the rip can be found in her dreams. He touches her and shows her where he really is. He is on a ship heading to London so they can meet and figure it out together. Bea runs to the graveyard and finds Sherlock sleeping next to Alice Cook’s grave.
The Irregulars Review
I can’t lie. I could see why people wouldn’t like The Irregulars. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of people gave up before they made it this far. Nevertheless, it is starting to grow on me. I am finally starting to feel for the characters.
I like some of the characters better than others. I also enjoy that the show at least tries to blend comedy, mystery, and drama. The investigations are usually interesting and I like that they end with sad, meaningful stories. I’ll stick with it until the end but I doubt the show will get another season.
I could be wrong. Who knows? Either way, the show is getting with each episode. Excuse any small errors and/or mistakes above. Getting close to 3 AM and need to get this posted as soon as possible so I can move on. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Previous and future recaps of The Irregulars can be found on Reel Mockery here.
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.
