Frankie Drake Mysteries Review: A History of Violins (Season 3 Episode 9)

Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 3 Episode 9, “A History of Violins,” is, like many of its predecessors this season, an hour in which the central mystery may not be very exciting, but its side plots ultimately make it worth your time. 

The main story revolves around a stolen, very rare violin, which may have belonged to the famous composer Claude Debussy. Now, the rare instrument black market doesn’t exactly make riveting television in my book, and it seems the show itself is aware of this; otherwise, it wouldn’t have forced Frankie’s mother, Nora, into this story.

Unfortunately, the episode uses Nora — a literal firecracker in human form — in the most humdrum way possible. Did anyone actually think that her new boyfriend wasn’t going to turn out to be a criminal in the end? Yawn. 

At least it does give us the truly great moment where she definitively chooses Frankie over a love interest promising her a life of riches and leisure. That’s growth, lady. 

The secret twist of this week’s mystery — that the missing violin isn’t really the item of interest here, priceless though it may be. Rather it’s a lost Debussy concerto hidden inside it that everyone is looking for. 

Admittedly, this mystery is much more intriguing, or at least it is once the cartoonish, bickering couple searching for the concerto are out of the way. (Worst bad guys in Season 3? They’re the most annoying, at the very least.)

There is something strangely comforting in the fact that this week’s true “villain” really isn’t one at all, just a woman trying to hang on to a memory of her mother. (Even though Simone does pull a gun multiple times on our girls and betrays Mary, which will all know I cannot get behind.)

That said, I’m not sure how we’re supposed to believe that Simone’s mother was in such a state of mental decline that she went around hiding important objects, such as what is essentially her only memento of her child’s father, but somehow also managed to craft a complex path to it that involved his former instrument? Ummm….

It’s fairly apparent throughout “A History of Violins ” that there’s more to Simone than meets the eye, and it’s honestly a bit annoying that Mary can’t seem to tell that there’s something off about it.

That said, Mary’s overprepared glee at finally being given a case to solve all on her own is pretty much worth the price of admission here, as is her decision to stand up for herself to the colleague that continually berates and looks down on her. 

Go, Mary, go!! If this series doesn’t end with Mary actually making it onto the force as a real officer — and not the literal morality police — I’m going to be so upset!!

I often wonder, to be honest, how many times Frankie Drake Mysteries can go to the well of Mary’s interoffice struggles. Yes, it’s deeply important for us to see her fighting for change and recognition within this patriarchal system. But far too often it feels like one step forward and about fifteen steps back. 

Season 3’s third episode, “School Ties” even showed us Mary dressing up like a man to prove her worth and ability to the men that mock her — and beating them flat in the process! Yet, there doesn’t seem to be any real progress or change from this moment. 

It’s six episodes later and one of Mary’s coworkers still can’t even be bothered to remember her name. At what point does she — and the show — just cut her losses and go work for Drake Detective Agency full time?

Stray Thoughts and Observations

• The use of Debussy’s actual music in this episode was really well done.
• Mary has become my absolute favorite character on this show and it’s not close.
• Frankie Drake Mysteries Season 3 has struggled with how best to use Flo this season — and this episode is not one of its best efforts. Sometimes, I wonder the problem is that four leads is one too many, or if it’s that Mary’s quest to become a police officer in the face of misogyny is just a more direct, understandable plot than Flo’s work in the morgue.
• To its credit, however, the show really has done a great job of letting Frankie step back as a character this year, and it’s something I hope continues. This show is at its best when its a true ensemble.

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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