‘Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Death Alley’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries’.
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While it is a wonderful thing that the crime drama is enjoying unprecedented success on television right now, since these shows are drawing in top-tier talent at every turn and engrossing and engaging audiences with powerful storytelling… there are some drawbacks to its runaway popularity. In that, this surge has stylized and sterilized crime for prime time. Because now, every criminal that pops up on television is some kind of super genius, one that is calculated in their actions and eager to teach the world a grand lesson through their heinous acts and well… that’s problematic for certain. Since such a storytelling decision removes the humanity and the gravity of crime and that’s just not good for the overall health of the genre.
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For this particular style of story is designed to teach us about the nature of crime so that we don’t repeat the common mistakes that lead to it. Which is why we need to celebrate the handful of shows that are still taking the time to point out to the world, that such acts aren’t always slick and carefully crafted and that sometimes… they happen in the moment or are related to desperation and hurt on a level that we don’t understand, and this is why the AcornTV series, Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, is of note. Because this is a series that explores just that, since week in and week out, it showcases the real impact of crime and what brings it to fruition and perhaps the finest example of how well this series does that, came about during this week’s episode.

A feat that ‘Death Alley’ accomplished, by having a brutal murder take place while James was enjoying a little down time with Sally and his boss and well… that hammered home the sheer randomness and savagery of crime. Since a bowling alley is the last place, one would expect to find a severed head rolling about. But it happened and it immediately put James and Peregrine on the case, and it quickly became clear that this was a crime of passion. One that initially appeared to be related to a love triangle between two gang members and the young woman of their interest. But once Peregrine dug deeper into the facts and little details surrounding this case, it became apparent that passion was only part of what brought about this heinous act.

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For it turns out, that the gang member that died, a young man named Rex, and the owner of this bowling alley, an older man named Don… were actually in love and their sorted and secret love affair was tearing Don’s wife, Christine, to pieces emotionally… and when the opportunity arose… she chose to end Rex’s life out of jealousy and really is the perfect to get the point across that crime and murder aren’t stylized and slick in the slightest. For this was brutal and grounded in emotion and the moment and it was also realistic and poignant. Since crimes of passion happen in this manner often and this plot deserves a round of applause for also pointing out how homosexual men were viewed and stigmatized in the 1960s since Don and Rex had to keep their love a secret because of societal norms and that definitely has relevancy today since some of those stigmas still exist, despite the progress we’ve made.
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Speaking of relevancy, we would be foolish to not point out that this episode made a point to take a little dig at the current state of affairs when it comes to police brutality and explore the fact, that it is nothing new. Since Chief Inspector Sparrow made a point to cross the line to keep these ‘punks’ in line, and of course, he used his power to ensure that no accountability came his way and well… while this is indeed fiction, these are behaviors we know have persisted in law enforcement for a good long time. So, Sparrow’s actions definitely served as a fine reminder that some police officers have no qualms with their status and their power and will abuse it and use it to their advantage when it suits them, and this too speaks to how far we need to go in regard to reforms.

If anything, all of these elements made this a brilliant episode when all is said and done. Because it really did offer up a lot of modern world commentary, despite being set in 1964 and it really is wonderful to see that this series is eager to present crime in the raw and not stylize it in the slightest and that it has something to say about our world and it doesn’t hurt… that the series is continuing to build some underlying plot threads as season two rolls along. Because Birdie’s little side romance and spying routine is fascinating to say the least and of course, the dynamic between James and Peregrine continues to intrigue, since they are still trying to decide what they want from one another and well, all this does is make us eager to enjoy more from this series. All so we can see where those plot threads are going to take us and to also see, what other dynamic and realistic investigations await us. Until next time.  

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