The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Chopped (Or Rather Stabbed)

The trio is invited to chef Ferdy’s new book premiere on The Marlow Murder Club Season 3 Episode 5, “An Appetite for Murder, Part 1.” So, of course, there’s also they’re when he’s killed.

Given how Ferdy treats everyone, any one of the people in his orbit may want him dead. His ex-wife is still his sous chef and eligible to inherit his business, and he’s been recorded raging at nearly every member of his crew.

At first, the gardener, Omari, seems innocent. But the police learn he changed his name and Luna leads Suzie to potentially poisonous mushrooms in his trash. Just as he’s about to threaten them over this, Tanika arrives to arrest him.   

He’s guilty of something but is that something murder? Given that Ferdy’s been stabbed, not poisoned, it’s unlikely. Sure enough, with Omari already in custody, Tanika announces they have to return because of another murder.  

There’s also plenty going on outside the case, though it mostly consists of the detectives debating the merits of Freddy’s cooking style, Becks suffering a visit by her mother-in-law and Tanika being asked to interview with a local magazine.

The real meat of the drama comes when Judith is visited by an old…acquaintance. She hardly seems to match Matthew’s interest in spending all his time with her, but it’s still hard to explain when Darius finds them together.  

The stereotypically tyrannical TV chef being either the victim or the main suspect in a murder investigation is basically its own trope in crime shows at this point. In that department, Ferdy and this case aren’t anything extraordinary.

We expect that nearly everyone will have motive, that there will be at least one red herring, and even that someone else is likely to be killed. At least with Judith, Suzie, and Becks on the case, there’s wit and interest in all these standards.

It also means that while everyone is in shock, nobody is particularly devastated by the tragedy of it all, and everyone speaks with a welcome openness. Even so, there’s a sense that there’s a lot we and our characters have yet to learn.

Apart from the brief danger to Suzie and Luna, much of what’s going on in the background is almost played for laughs. And while I’m almost never on Brendan’s side, I have to agree that I can’t wrap my mind around the appeal of Ferdy’s food.

I also kind of like Beck’s mother-in-law—but I’m not the one spending two weeks with her. More importantly, we’re finally getting the largely mundane character developments that there’s been far too little of this season.

Judith’s strained “love triangle” is another matter. Matthew showing up unannounced and forcing his presence says all we need to know about him. I hope we don’t get too bogged down in jealous angst for her and Darius.

With so much of the case left to be unpacked, lots of smaller plot threads to continue, and likelihood of the stakes increasing dramatically, the season is likely to go out with a bang. But here’s to getting some closure, too.

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The Marlow Murder Club airs Sundays at 8/7c on PBS. 

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