‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates’ Recap: ‘Breaking Convention’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Meera Syal and Gureet Singh as Mrs. Sidhu and Tez Sidhu in Episode 102 of ‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates’ – ‘Breaking Convention’. (Photo Courtesy of Laurence Cendrowicz/Acorn TV.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Mrs Sidhu Investigates’. To revisit the series premiere, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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It is definitely safe to say, that we hold celebrities and creative individuals, in a vastly different regard than we hold other people. For they are somehow… sacred to us and on a pedestal for bringing entertainment and joy into our lives, and because of our elevated view of them… we also deem them to be untouchable in many ways. As though they can do no harm and that no harm can come to them. Which is why we are often surprised when harm does find them. Because that detachment we have in our minds about them… leaves us wondering how they couldn’t buy their way out of trouble or insulate themselves from it because of their standing. Which is a question that reinforces our views of the celebrity and it’s a pondering we need to shed. 
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Because no one is immune from the human experience and heartache, regardless of how much money they harbor and not everyone around them, gets to enjoy the spoils of fame and well… all of this is top of mind today, simply because such matters served as the central themes of the next episode of Mrs Sidhu Investigates on Acorn TV. A feat that ‘Breaking Convention’ accomplished by having quite the surprise take place on the property of the ultra-famous Melville family. For this family, well known for their father’s Swordmaster books and television series, were hosting SwordCon, a convention to celebrate all things related to the franchise, on their posh estate. But the celebration was cut short when one of the cast members of the show, turned up dead not far from the main stage.

Which of course brought DCI Burton onto the scene to investigate, alongside Mrs Sidhu, who was catering the event, and well the investigation that followed dug deep into the central themes in question. Because as both Mrs Sidhu and Burton pulled back the veil of what happened here (well… mostly Mrs Sidhu because she immersed herself in this case) it became clear that this wasn’t some attempt by a crazed fan to cause harm because they couldn’t separate fantasy from reality, or some old grudge. It was in fact, all related to how one family member… simply did not enjoy the same spoils as everyone else and suffered in life financially because of bad choices and that… pushed him to do awful things behind the scenes and eventually, resort to murder when he was at his lowest. 

A reality that hammered home, how fame only goes so far, and not everyone gets to enjoy it because they share a namesake. And because of that… dark moments can slip into the lives of those who we elevate, and they too will suffer, because they are in fact… people. People that get to do great things, absolutely, but people none the less and it is best we remember that fact the next time we sing otherworldly praises of them. However, while that made for some fine commentary on our world and our current obsessions with celebrity, this is a story that offered so much more. For the series premiere did establish that the characters are the real draw of this series, and they once again shined. Since we saw Mrs. Sidhu grow in confidence here and really settle into her role as an amateur sleuth, and she continued to garner the trust of DCI Burton, which is no easy task.  

Plus, we’d be remiss to not mention that in between the heavy stuff, this episode also found ways to keep things light and never once let the murder overpower the episode, courtesy of some fine humor involving Tez, and by way of perhaps the classiest ‘Richard’ joke to ever hit the airwaves. And really, in the end, all of these elements brought forth one amazing mystery. One that once again kept us guessing as to who crossed the ultimate line and kept us engaged with powerful moments and character growth, and well… all this episode does is leave us eager for more. Because this series continues to be the most refreshing and original mystery/crime series of the year, and we simply need more of the amazing charm and depth this series sends our way. Until next time. 

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