The Gumshoe And The Femme Fatale – As this episode of Whitstable Pearl begins, Zelda St. John (Stephanie Beacham) is shown at home. Natalia (Lizzie Aaryn-Stanton) visits Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman) to talk to her about Zelda. She works for her and says Zelda is a nightmare, but her husband Scott (Leon Ockenden) is even worse. As for the daughter Estella (Lisa Diveney), she is an actress who never works. She married a gardener named Jed who is also her third husband. They hate Natalia and believe she is stealing from Zelda who trusts her because she doesn’t gossip. Natalia reveals Zelda changed her will to give some money to dog and cat charities and the rest to her.

The family is mad about it. Natalia wants to leave the job as soon as she finishes her criminology courses at college. She pleads with Pearl not to let them get away with it if anything happens to her or Zelda. Isla (Bridgitta Roy) talks about her violent husband during a group session. He told her to tell the truth at the funeral, but she didn’t even make a speech. Everyone talks about him like he was a saint even though he wasn’t. DCI Mike McGuire (Howard Charles) listens to her before going down to the water to collect himself. When he gets home, Kat (Emily Head) is looking at old pictures and crying. She reveals she put an offer in for a cottage.

They can always withdraw it if he doesn’t like it, but she thinks he will. Mike tries to talk to her about something serious until she interrupts and reminds him that Pearl invited them to dinner. At the pub, Tom Grant (Robert Webb) tells Pearl that his star pupil had a bottle of vodka in her pencil case. She is captain of the football team and said it wasn’t hers so Tom believes someone set her up. He wants tips from a fellow amateur sleuth since he is going to investigate it. Once Mike arrives, Pearl begins asking him about Zelda. She tells him how Zelda is leaving her fortune to cats, dogs, and the housekeeper. Mike says she sounds like a paranoid nutter, but Pearl doesn’t think so now that the family is looking at her differently.

He complains it is more amateurs playing detective. When Kat asks Tom if they’re arguing already, he jokes it is their way of saying hi. The following day, Scott calls for an ambulance when he finds Zelda on the lawn. Natalia watches as she is taken away in an ambulance. DS Nikki Martel (Sophia Del Pizzo) learns from Mike that Zelda is the actress Pearl warned him about. Nikki reveals someone hit her over the head with a blunt instrument. Estella and Jed were in bed when Scott found her and called an ambulance. As for the housekeeper, she has run away. Although Zelda is still unconscious, the medics think she will be okay. Mike thinks Peal is going to kill him. When he talks to Estella and Jed, Estella tells him that her mother always plays games.

She speculates that Natalia lashed out at her mother when she changed the will back to normal. Scott tells Nikki he doesn’t care about the will because Zelda St. John is a goddess. He also believes Natalia is responsible. Natalia complains to Pearl and says the others are gold diggers. She contemplates where she can go. Pearl warns her that she’ll look guilty if she runs away. Pearl meets with Mike to tell him about the visit from Natalia. He believes she could be guilty since she has done a runner and has a motive. He suggests Natalia told her exactly what she wanted to hear. Pearl says it doesn’t feel right and she likes her, but Mike reminds her that she sees the best in people. In this job, you have to see the worst in people too and she doesn’t.

Mike wants to speak to Natalia, but Pearl insists she doesn’t know where she is hiding. An upset Pearl returns to the pub where Charlie (Rohan Nedd) is talking to his father on the phone. Dolly (Frances Barber) tells her that the papers are calling Natalia Mrs. Danvers. Dolly reveals that Charlie wants to check if his passport is up to date because he is thinking about going to stay with his dad. Pearl tries to talk to Charlie about it only for him to stay busy with work. Pearl visits Zelda’s house where she finds Jed (James Oliver Wheatley) working on a car outside. He tells her she better hope she finds Natalia first because he is very protective of his family. Jed tells her Estella is in Scott’s office which is in the basement.

Pearl approaches Estella to tell her the press is outside hiding in the bushes. She finds a transcript called “Zelda and me, our story”. Estella explains Scott is writing Zelda’s biography and she is proofreading it for him. She thinks her mom hates her for looking just like her when she was younger. When Pearl tells her that she was hired by Natalia because she thinks she was going to kill her, Estella argues she would stay that. Estella offers to pay her doubt if she can find Natalia. She goes on to say Natalia’s boyfriend does seasonal work as a farm laborer and he’d be a good place to start. After Pearl goes outside, Mike complains that this is unprofessional while Nikki says Zelda is awake now.

He warns Pearl that Natalia is the one who attacked her. Pearl goes to the hospital to speak to Zelda who tells her that her mother fled Poland just after the war. She had a younger sister named Natalia, but she didn’t make it. Zelda suggests that is why she was so fond of Natalia. She worked hard and her boyfriend named Wojciech has been slogging his guts out for minimum wage. Zelda thought they deserved the money more. Pearl tells her how Natalia came to her and thought the will put her at risk. Zelda says she was having her first cigarette of the morning when she saw Natalia out of the corner of her eye racing towards her with a face like fury. She looked at her differently when she told her about the will as if everything she owned was hers.

Pearl now believes she was played by Natalia too. After that, Pearl tries to track down Natalia’s boyfriend. When she tries to visit him, she finds papers written about psychology with Natalia’s name on them. A bag nearby has blood inside. Pearl calls Mike to tell him before stepping outside to confront Natalia. She knows everyone thinks she was responsible for the attack including Pearl. Natalia claims Zelda is lying, but Pearl thinks she was hit by the award she found in the bag. Natalia claims she woke up and found the award in her bag. When the police arrive, Natalia tells Pearl that they’re all Zelda has so she is covering for them.

Pearl goes back to Zelda’s house where she hears Scott and Estella talking nearby. She talks to Mike about it later that night and insists it isn’t right, but he doesn’t have time to deal with it. She tells him what she heard Scott say about being sick of living a lie. Pearl wonders if Zelda is too scared to tell the truth. Nikki arrives when Pearl leaves. Mike tells her that Pearl thinks Scott and Estella are having an affair. She tells him happy birthday after seeing on Facebook that Kat is arranging a surprise party for him. Pearl wants to talk to Charlie about staying with his father. She asks how he got into Zelda’s mansion when he was younger. Mike goes home where Kat is waiting to wish him happy birthday. He worries a lot of people are going to jump out and do the same.

She gives him a card and scratch cards. Kat asks about going to see the house before saying she knew he’d love it. Mike wins a quid. Pearl sneaks into the house and hears Zelda switching the will once again. She checks the biography. At the pub, Tom tells Pearl that he was right and his star pupil was set up by the football captain’s best mate. He thinks it is safe throwing your best friend under the bus for attending. That gives Pearl an idea so she visits Zelda who says they’ve found a publisher for Scott’s book. Pearl believes the book was Scott’s attempt to put Zelda back in the limelight. No one wanted it so she needed a new plan to grab headlines. Pearl suspects she set up Natalia to get attention and find a publisher.

She accuses Zelda of framing Zelda for fame and celebrity, but Zelda claims she did it for her family because she is dying. They don’t know and she only has months. Zelda confesses that the house is mortgaged up to the hilt. Scott’s book was their last chance to make money, but no one wanted it. They do now. When Pearl asks if it matters to send an innocent person to prison, Zelda reminds her Natalia isn’t family. As the police approach, Zelda asks how she looks. Later, Natalia goes to the mansion with the book only to find the gate locked. Mike tells Pearl they have to stop doing this because it is unprofessional.

He says it is too complicated before revealing he is buying a house with Kat. Mike says it needs to stop.

 

Whitstable Pearl Review

This episode of Whitstable Pearl had some good moments even though the investigation wasn’t too exciting. The show seems to be pivoting towards something between Pearl and Mike so there is a possibility that they’ll end up together before the season is over. It is hard to say how effective that will be since the ship has sailed and both are now in new relationships.

Even though some things felt like they were added abruptly, they worked well. For instance, Mike’s group session was interesting, especially the female speaker’s experience. Tom remains a humorous addition to the show although he didn’t get much screen time in this episode.

Once again, the episode confirms that Whitstable Pearl is a flawed drama that still remains entertaining at times. It would be a good weekend binge that doesn’t require much effort from the viewer although they may have to stomach a few hiccups along the way. The episode scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of Whitstable Pearl are available on Reel Mockery here. Want to support us? Find out how to do so here.