The Marlow Murder Club Season 1 Episode 3 Review

The Marlow Murder Club Season 1 Episode 3 gives us two murder suspects. By the end of the episode, one of them becomes a third victim instead.

A man named Giles is a solicitor (lawyer) with connections to both Elliot and the first victim, Stephan. The investigation into those connections goes a bit haywire and leads to a literal paper trail—a shredded magazine page containing evidence.

However, the ladies are distracted by the recollection of Liz, a woman seen spying on Stephan’s funeral. We learn that she not only knew Stephan well, but that she may have taken Iqbal’s cab to get the gun used in both murders.

Did she kill Stephan and then Iqbal, who was a witness? Her own death toward the end of the episode quickly dismisses that theory. The medallion in her mouth leaves no doubt that all three victims have been killed by the same person.

The Marlow Murder Club is a true dramedy, managing to be both a serious crime drama with dark, twisty plots and a series of the kind of capers you might find in a show like Only Murders in the Building—sometimes simultaneously.

On the dramatic side, we’re genuinely invested in the narrative of medallions, religious undertones, and ominous foreshadowing being laid out. The questions are intriguing and with no clear answers yet, we’re eager to get to them in the final episode.

There’s emotional impact, too. Susie’s connection to Iqbal remains an important thread that motivates all three main characters. We want justice for both him and Stephan (even if the latter was up to shady things himself.)

Then there’s the revelation of Liz’s murder. Though it’s presented as a plot twist, the reactions of horror come from the ladies’ guilt that chasing down the wrong person may have instead helped enable to true killer to target her.

All these aspects make these characters deeply relatable. And in these times especially, seeing DS Malik pivot to near-complete support of other women, amateurs though they may be, is another reason to cheer on everything this narrative stands for.

But amateurs they are and sometimes that really stands out. They epic caper to retrieve a shredded document from Giles’s office is at times a well-played act of distraction and other times…not. The entire scene is hilarious.

Comedy is also intentionally interjected into moments where it might seem inappropriate, namely Susie receiving- and answering! – a call from her daughter, complete with loud ringtone, while hiding feet from a grieving husband.

For a moment, this painfully awkward scene reminds us not to take anything too seriously. And then, in the closing lines of the episode, it does just the opposite, as Tanika warns Susie about the dangerous of their ongoing involvement.

This show has done a great job with pacing so far, but as this 4-part miniseries has only one episode left to wrap everything up, I’m a bit nervous about how it will do so, especially with a new threat to Judith’s life in the final installment.

Assuming we get more seasons and adaptations of additional books in the series, there is some wiggle room. Still, I have no clue about either the identity of the killer or what their motive could possibly be. I’m also very ready to find out.

 

What did you think of this episode of The Marlow Murder Club? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Marlow Murder Club airs Sundays at 9/8c on PBS.

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