'Miss Scarlet and the Duke' Recap: Season 4 Episode 6

Miss Scarlet and the Duke airs Sundays at 7:00 pm on WTTW and is available to stream. Recap the previous episode.
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Gunshots streak past as Eliza and Nash flee through an abandoned factory. As Eliza notices orange powder, she asks Nash what the building is. It was used to dye clothing, but now it’s a good place for a wanted man to hide, he says. They lock a door behind them, hoping the laudanum with which Eliza drugged their assailant will take effect in time. It does – barely.

Back at their office, they receive applause from a now sizable staff. This was their highest paid – and highest profile – case yet. The London office is finally on a sure footing once again, and Nash will return to Paris in a show of faith in Eliza’s leadership.

Eliza has been working ceaselessly, so Nash insists she take an afternoon off and attend the races with him. When they return to the office, there is a telegram waiting for Nash. He reads it and leaves immediately.

The next Eliza hears of him is from Fitzroy, who comes to her house to inform her that Nash is wanted in connection with a murder. Nash was seen standing over the body of a victim who had been stabbed in the street. Then he fled. The victim is so far only identified as an Eamonn by the landlord of a nearby pub, who said Nash was a regular, and had just asked after Eamonn.

Fitzroy is taking the lead in this investigation, to Phelps’ consternation. William has been gone for two months, but no one has been appointed to replace him until he returns, even though Phelps thought he had the promotion in the bag. The commissioner – Fitzroy’s father – doesn’t think Phelps is suitable for the job, and no one else wants it, on account of the expansion of Scotland Yard’s jurisdiction without adequate resources. So the commissioner is offering it to Fitzroy, if he can prove himself in this investigation.

But first he has to find Nash, his prime suspect. No one has seen him. Clarence reluctantly reveals to Eliza that one of Nash’s many informants was an Eamonn Murray – and that he was the only one Nash paid personally. Being a cautious man, Clarence did once pay a cab driver to tell him where Nash was going when he visited Eamonn. Clarence shares the address with Eliza.

She finds Eamonn’s room empty, and a tin of Norwegian tobacco on the ground.

Clarence does more digging and finds out that Nash also paid a Margaret Farrel regularly. When Eliza visits her address, she finds a man claiming to be her husband waiting for Maggie. He’s a fisherman and so away a lot; a neighbor told him that a Patrick often came by while he was gone. He uses the same brand of chew that Eliza saw in Eamonn’s rooms, and asks her to tell him if she finds Maggie.

Eliza tries to get information about Eamonn’s body from Mr. Potts – but, per their new agreement, she must be accompanied by an officer of the law. Mr. Potts is already frustrated because Scotland Yard’s backlog is affecting him, and Fitzroy, uneasy in his new power, is angry at him for the delay. Eliza flatters Potts and gets him to let her see Eamonn’s teeth, which are in good condition.

This means, as Eliza tells Fitzroy and Phelps, that he wasn’t a tobacco chewer, despite the tin in his room. She has learned that the Irish man who claimed to be Maggie Farrel’s husband , matches the description of a man seen at Eamonn’s lodgings the day he was killed. She has also discovered that the brand of tobacco is only sold at one London shop near the docks, and that the proprietor recently sold some to the crew of a Norwegian ship that recently docked. One of the men was Irish. His name is Sean O’Driscoll.

Fitzroy has also learned that Eamonn sent a telegram to Nash from an office near his lodgings before he was killed: “He’s back.” And Nash himself, waiting for Eliza at her office, has warned her that the man she met at Maggie’s was not her husband, and is dangerous. Nash warns Eliza to stay away from the case, then disappears again.

Fitzroy and Phelps have been clashing, given their sudden role reversal, but Fitzroy has to turn to Phelps for help in getting information from sailors about Sean’s whereabouts. Phelps manages to convince a sailor to point to a crewman of Sean’s, who then flees and tries to knife Phelps but is knocked out by Fitzroy.

The sailor admits that Sean has been staying in a boardinghouse with the rest of the Norwegian crew. Sean came in drunk, angry, and bloodied recently – the night of Eamonn’s murder – and insisted that the sailor give him an alibi if anyone asked about his whereabouts that night.

Fitzroy finds records on Sean from a different police station: a warrant for his arrest was issued years ago in connection with the murder of Michael Nash – Patrick’s brother.

Eliza returns to her office after hearing this news to find a secret safe has been accessed. Clarence explains that it’s where Nash kept documents and money that would help him disappear. Only Nash and Clarence knew it existed.

On the safe, Eliza finds some colorful powder, similar to what she saw in the abandoned clothes dyeing factory. She recalls Nash’s description of the place as a good place for a wanted man to hide.

Indeed, Nash is at the factory – having tied up Sean. Nash explains that Eamonn and Maggie were the only witnesses to his brother’s murder by Sean. Nash kept them both on the payroll with the agreement that they would let him know if Sean ever returned to London. Eamonn did so – and was killed by Sean for it. Now Nash wants to kill Sean to avenge both Michael and Eamonn.

Eliza stands in front of his gun when he points it at Sean and tries to talk him down. He can’t kill Sean, if only for her sake: Nash is the only one who has ever believed in her. Nash agrees not to commit murder – but Sean has managed to slip his bonds and grab a shard of glass to try to stab Eliza from behind. Nash shoots him first.

He only hits Sean’s shoulder, and an argument can be made for self-defense, as Fitzroy and Phelps explain to Eliza later. But there’s no defense for kidnapping and obstruction of justice, so Nash will likely spend some time in jail. As Nash himself tells Eliza from his jail cell, that means the office will have to close for a time while his license is suspended.

On a brighter note, the commissioner will give Fitzroy William’s job until William returns. But Fitzroy refuses it – he’s happy with his position, and still has a lot to learn. And he no longer cares about his father’s approval. He recommends Phelps, and the commissioner reluctantly promotes Phelps instead.

Meanwhile, Eliza is back on her own, trying to run her own practice out of her old offices. She at least has one new friend to help her – she’ll contact Clarence to give him a job once she’s back on her feet.