Jackal – The episode opens with Jeremy (Robin Askwith) and Judith Lloyd James (Sue Holderness) showing up late to open the La Couronne. Their late arrival is explained by Judith’s complaints of a hangover. Panic soon erupts when a distant gunshot rings out. Nearby in his cruiser, Caron (Alex Gaumond) is the first on the scene where he discovers a lifeless lady clutching a Brodeur & White Antiques bag.

Jean White also arrives late at the antique shop to find Dom Hayes (Steve Edge) repairing an Austrian hand-cut crystal chandelier that Charlie Bordeur (Sanchia McCormack) supposedly picked up for a steal. Jean’s late arrival is soon explained when she proudly shows off her recently purchased Himalayan Calendar. Although Dom ignores it, a call from Uncle Patrick (Tony Robinson) interrupts Jean’s background and explanation for purchasing the Calendar.

The shooting has now drawn a crowd outside the La Couronne, including Jeremy, Judith, and Gloria (Sue Vincent). Gloria not only learns about the details of the shooting, but she also learns of Jeremy’s master plan to offer a free crepe with every pub purchase over 5 Euros.

With the chandelier repaired and operative, Charlie and Jean learn all about Dom’s nan, Nancy who loved Charlie Pride’s country/western hit, “Crystal Chandeliers.” He goes on to reveal that she was such a fan of the genre that she bought a camper van and toured the UK teaching line dancing. The nostalgia ends when Jean receives a call from Caron about the gunshot victim.

At the pub, Jeremy’s crepe strategy is working so well that he, Judith, and Gloria are overwhelmed with orders. Dom is returning Patrick’s call when Caron arrives to learn that the victim was in the store to pick up a preordered first edition of a Charles Dickenson novel. Although Dom rejoins them, it is only to announce his plans to meet with Patrick. After receiving Belinda’s address, Caron asks Jean to accompany him on the bereavement notification.

The address leads them to Belinda’s employer, Otis (Fabio Tassone). Both Jean and Caron appear shocked to learn that Belinda was working as a nanny so she could save up to take an MA course next year. According to Otis, Belinda didn’t have any acquaintances or the funds to make lavish purchases. The situation gets even more awkward when the doorbell rings and Otis suspects it is his 11-year-old daughter returning from soccer practice. He rushes them out the backdoor.

Dom meets with Patrick, who apologizes and blames the earlier arrival on Sandra’s work schedule. Dom doesn’t appear to mind and invites him to grab a pint at the pub, where they run into Jean. The pub’s new dartboard appears to be a huge hit and Dom’s explanation of the rules leads Jean to suspect that Belinda might not have been the intended target. Her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Fayette Moreau (Fleur de Wit) was standing beside Belinda at the time of the shooting.

After some reluctance to leave Patrick, Jaen convinces Dom to give her a ride to question Fayette. Patrick doesn’t mind being left and even puts his past experiences of running nightclubs to good use.

Fayette appears on edge from the moment Jean and Dom arrive at her home. The tension only grows when Fayette learns they aren’t with the police. Despite that, she invites them inside where Jean immediately notices her extension collection of first edition novels. Even though Jean is immediately asked to leave after noticing the novels, Jean lures Fayette into revealing the truth about her being a book dealer and the owner of the Charles Dickenson novel. Fayette claims to have dropped her bag at the bus stop and when Belinda bent to retrieve it, she was shot. Before the meeting ends, Fayette also shares several letters with philosophical quotes from famous philosophers that could be construed as threatening. Fayette can’t think of anyone who would send them but agrees to share the information with the police.

Jean not only shares the letters with Caron but she reveals her belief that the letters were written on sheep or goat skin. Caron is quick to dismiss the evidence until Jean retrieves a note from the Dickenson’s novel written on the same type of parchment paper. A call to Charlie reveals that the note is the book dealer’s contact information and address.

A quick visit to Bernard Folle’s (Paul Lacoux) shop lands him in interrogation after he tries to run from Jean’s questions. While being formally questioned at the station, he admits to sending the letters as an attempt to scare Fayette away from his customers. Bernard claims to know nothing about the shooting and appears to become affronted when Caron accuses him of shooting the wrong woman. Later, Caron thanks Jean for her help and explains that Bernard will be held overnight and questioned in the morning. Despite Bernard’s denials, Caron suspects they have enough to charge him.

Jean returns to find things much calmer at the pub thanks to its new manager. place under new management, Patrick. On his way to drop off Gloria’s order, Patrick claims he’s merely helping out for a few weeks.

While dropping off the dish, Patrick and Gloria share their common interest in music. As they do, Belinda’s father Keith Scott (Jeremy Lloyd Thomas) is dropped off at the crime scene. He soon makes his way into the pub where Patrick plies him with drinks and Jean and Dom offer comfort. It isn’t long before he reveals who he is and shares a distressing voicemail from Belinda. Jean appears to have a hunch from the message but is unable to reach Caron due to his attendance at a police function. She leaves him a voice message, informing him that she and Dom are returning to Otis’s house on a hunch.

Otis is extremely hospitable and invites Jean and Dom inside without question. When he leaves the two in the sitting room to make coffee, Jean reveals her hunch that Otis is responsible for Belinda’s shooting. Shortly after Otis returns with the coffee, Jean’s accusations are proven true. Apparently, Otis was madly in love with Belinda and she felt threatened enough by his advances to not only inform his employer but to alert social services as well. The argument eventually draws the attention of Otis’s daughter, who comes to see what’s going on. Dom capitalizes on the opportunity and disarms him. Caron arrives at nearly the same time.

Much later that evening, the episode ends with Jean trying to comfort Dom about how easily it could have been him mourning Claudette Hayes (Alias Lawson).

 

The Madame Blanc Mysteries Review

I’d have to give the episode a 3.8 out of 10. I cannot say that it was completely horrible, but it did feel like a huge waste of time. It honestly feels like they aren’t even trying anymore. I will say I didn’t know 100% for sure that Otis was involved, but it was clear there was something off about him the first time he met with Jean and Caron.

I honestly don’t know what to say about the acting, other than the fact that there wasn’t much required. Except for a few emotional scenes, it was basic scripted back-and-forth chit-chat. My biggest complaint would have to be when Jean and Otis were questioning Fayette. The entire encounter fell wrong. She knew they weren’t cops, but allowed them to come inside, where it’s literally 20 seconds later and she trying to run them back off. Was she supposed to be confused? Was this supposed to convey hysteria?

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