Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Hotel St. Marc
Leaving the cloying surroundings of Victorian London for a snow mountain retreat in France is a surprising change of scenery and where we find Eliza on Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 3 Episode 3, “Hotel St. Marc.”
Eliza competes for money and notoriety at Hotel St. Marc to find a man that’s conned many out of money, including her client. It quickly becomes apparent that she’s not the only one there as she crosses paths with Patrick Nash. She’s entirely convinced that she’s caught the man, Charles Percival.
As the pair are holding competing captive con men, they must find a way to work together to figure out exactly who it is that Charles Percival is.
For editorial use only. Courtesy of Element 8 Entertainment and MASTERPIECE. Photographer: Sergej Radovic.
The investigation, paired with the different setting, makes for a fun hour to watch while building on the existing dynamic between Eliza and Nash. Though she’s still unwilling to join Nash at his agency, they are growing to respect each other.
It may take most of the hour, but it happens as the pair are trapped in the cellar, thanks to another competing private detective on the hunt for Percival. Nash’s moment of vulnerability is entirely unexpected, and we are put in Eliza’s shoes for the scene, unwilling to believe the story he chooses to share.
I appreciate that their olive branch is something as mundane as sharing Nash’s brother’s name paired with the tie pin.
The final reveal of Percival is quite clever and makes sense, considering the history of the infamous con man.
We’ve never seen an hour like this on Miss Scarlet and The Duke. From the setting to the use of just a pair of characters, Eliza and Nash, to the remoteness of it all, it’s clear pretty early that what we are getting is a bottle episode. It feels like it’s been so long since I’ve seen one.
There may have been some development between Eliza and Nash’s dynamic, from the moment in the basement to their little game of predicting what these fellow guests are up to convey how evenly matched their perception skills are. Still, any forward movement in other aspects of the arc is yet to be seen.
Courtesy of Element 8 Entertainment and MASTERPIECE. Photographer: Sergej Radovic.
I am curious how the choice to set a bottle episode in the middle of an eight-episode season came about.
Ultimately, it feels very low-stakes, which makes sense in a bottle episode. I wish that Eliza had been stuck at Hotel St. Marc with different characters, ones that are usually in her orbit on a daily basis. But it makes sense that it’s Nash, as he’s the newest addition, and they must continue building that dynamic.
As for any possible triangle situation, I honestly don’t see it? I can see them becoming great frenemies, but I can’t envision anything beyond that, based on where these characters stand now.
Was it a solid bottle episode? What are your thoughts on Eliza and Patrick Nash? Was anyone else a little thrown off when the opening took us to that snow-covered scene?
What did you think of this episode of Miss Scarlet and The Duke? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Miss Scarlet and The Duke airs Sundays at 8/7c on PBS.
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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.
3 comments
I’m enjoying this series so much! Yes, it was an interesting episode and it fleshed out Nash’s character more. I hope that they become frenemies, its more interesting than any romantic entanglement. Thanks for the review.
Absolutely! It would absolutely make for a more exciting route in terms of Eliza and Nash’s dynamic. Thank you so much for reading!
How can Eliza resist Nash’ propositions? Clearly, he worships the ground she treads, she’s a Goddess, he places her on a pedestal even as he to warps her progress. In “Inferno” while arresting the wronged man at the Conservatory, he emphasizes to her clients that she is “impressive!”. I believe there’s more in Eliza than employee Nash desires. Ms. Scarlett can do rings around her cop friend, the Duke, but Nash had quickly shown the lay of the land when it came to doing rings around whom before she could even blink and she had ended up the in jail. She knows his power and strength and is actually dreading or fearing it, and she’s smart enough to choose him as a valued colleague, friend, than enemy. The chemistry between them is off the charts in my estimation. Duke cut Eliza to the heart too deeply with Arabella because he’s weak and ignorant while Nash could easily sweep her off her senses and at the same time, roll with her bossiness and insults in cheerful stride! She can soar to greater heights in her career while enjoying the total and worship of a man in a superior position. Nash wouldn’t dream of putting out Eliza on domestic duties, wasting her precious talents baking cookies for him. He sees her as his equal, someone who completes him. Hopefully, there will be lots more of Nash in future episodes future episodes.
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