Frankie Drake Mysteries Review: A Brother in Arms (Season 3 Episode 4)
Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 3 Episode 4, “A Brother in Arms,” uses the arrival of Frankie’s secret half-brother to tell the upsetting story of the 1919 anti-Chinese riots in Halifax and the legacy of racism they left behind.
For Canadian viewers, this bit of history might not seem so shocking. But for Americans, who likely were unaware of both this particular incident, specifically, and the struggles of Chinese immigrants in Canada, generally, “A Brother in Arms” gives the story some shocking immediacy.
Over two days, an unruly and xenophobic mob made their way through the streets of Halifax, damaging Chinese-owned businesses on the city’s most populous streets.
According to an account from the time, the event caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage, and sent over 100 people to the hospital.
The remnants of this tragedy are still seen in this episode – as many characters, including everyone from a police officer to a business owner to a witness in a murder trial display horrifyingly casual racism against Chinese immigrants. It’s difficult, but nonetheless important to watch.
Wendy Quon, having opened a new speakeasy since last season, informs Frankie and Trudy about a man named Li Chang, who’s been sentenced to hang for murder after a trial that lasted all of a day.
But the Chinese community aren’t the only ones interested in this case — so is a man named Jack Drake, who claims to be Frankie’s half brother. And given his skill at breaking and entering, that doesn’t seem like much of a stretch.
The story of the Chang case — and the attached social history that goes along with it — is interesting enough that it’s not entirely clear that Frankie Drake Mysteries really needs to give Frankie a surprising sibling to make the story compelling.
And, it doesn’t help that Jack is fairly uninteresting as a character — the revelation that he’s smuggling food from Frankie’s apartment to needy Chinese families is, well, a nice and necessary thing, but doesn’t do much to tell me who this man really is.
On the plus side, at least the revelation of this secret does allow us to finally see Frankie’s mother Nora again, and Wendy Newsom and Lauren Lee Smith always have fabulous chemistry with one another.
It’s nice that Jack’s presence at least spurs the women to discuss Nora’s general absence from her daughter’s life. That said, other than a truly fantastic final scene, Newsom’s presence is largely wasted, as Nora is regulated to trailing around after Jack, attempting to prove he’s not who he says he is.
(Spoiler alert: He is.)
Thankfully, the actual case of the week this week is fairly compelling in its own right, as it turns out that not only did the original eyewitness misidentify Chang (he seems to think all Chinese men look alike), but that the justice system don’t care.
Thankfully, Mary and Flo are here to save the day, thanks to their smarts and ability to do complex math on the fly. Mary, as amazing as she’s ever been here, figures out the trajectory of the bullet fired from the real murder weapon and finds it lodged in a random block of wood.
We’re only four episodes into Season 3, but Rebecca Liddiard has had so much great material to work with. How satisfying was it watching her inform her racist colleague that Chang was innocent and that the real killer had been brought to justice?
I want nothing but happiness and joy for Mary, always — and for someone to realize how capable she is, and how much she deserves to be recognized by the men she works with.
Yes, Frankie Drake is the face of this show, and a remarkable character in her own right. But, it’s Mary who represents change in the real world — that’s slow and incremental and so darn hard, and it’s why her character is just as important, even if she doesn’t get the motorcycles and the flash outfits.
Stray Thoughts and Observations
- Love the group girls’ trip to Wendy Quon’s new bar! More of everyone hanging out please!
- Frankie and Trudy’s disguise as “efficiency experts” was one of the best versions of the whole thing where the two women lie to gain access somewhere that this show’s ever done. Hilarious!
What did you think of this episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Frankie Drake Mysteries airs Saturdays at 7/6c on Ovation.
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Lacy Baugher
Lacy is a pop culture enthusiast and television critic who loves period dramas, epic fantasy, space adventures, and the female characters everyone says you're supposed to hate. Ninth Doctor enthusiast, Aziraphale girlie, and cat lady, she's a member of the Television Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes-approved. Find her at LacyMB on all platforms.