‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’.
​
When we last settled in to discuss the new Acorn TV series, The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Jean White was dealing with quite the chain of unpleasant surprises. For not only was her husband Rory gone forever courtesy of a car crash… but his untimely end was no accident. For someone made a point to poison him in a manner that would make his end seem akin to an accident. All because they were eager to get their hands on a precious and rare ring, that someone else managed to steal instead. But to make matters worse, whomever offed Jean’s husband was quick to taunt Jean about Rory’s death from afar, leaving one to wonder exactly how she and the police were going to handle such matters in the next episode.
​
Well as it turns out, the next episode in question, wasted little time in informing Jean (and the audience) that little was going to happen. Because while the note was indeed nasty in tone, it didn’t reveal any direct clues to the writer’s involvement in Rory’s death or anything else for that matter and all the police could do… was send the ring and the letter off for forensic examination and hope that something came back that could offer up clues regarding Jean’s allegations. Which meant the story more or less opted to let the case rest for now, leaving one to wonder exactly what then this episode would be about, and it just so happens, that a little quiet time in regard to the case, allowed for quite the unique mystery to fall into Jean’s lap.

Because Jean’s reputation for spotting valuables, quickly spread through the town, and that motivated a kind lady named Adele, to ask for her help in regard to a question her mother, Elanor, was harboring. Specifically, whether or not an age-old book that was left behind by Eleanor’s mother when was captured by Nazi soldiers during the occupation of France in World War II… would serve as a treasure map regarding a massive inheritance. And her plea was so compelling, that Jean took on the ‘case’ and began to snoop around to see if that was indeed a reality and sadly, the book turned out to be nothing more than a dangerous ruse. For it was left behind with a purpose, to fool and entice Nazi soldiers into searching for lethal treasure. Since it  was written by a member of the French Resistance and the ‘treasure’ in question, almost ended Dom’s life.

But thankfully, the search wasn’t a total loss. For eventually, Jean figured out that the inheritance was actually close to Elanor all along. Since her mother took the time to hide a beautiful golden statue in plain sight by coating it with paint and attaching it to the top of a cane, allowing for this family to find riches untold and that wasn’t the only treasure that Eleanor was gifted thanks to Jean’s fine work and investigative skills. For in her travels, she came across a man named Victor, who turned out to be Eleanor’s brother. And he was living nearby without a clue in the world that his sister was in his own backyard and that allowed for an incredible reunion to take place. One that was beautiful and bittersweet, since Eleanor did reveal in this tale that she was nearing the end of her life. 

But thanks to Jean and Dom’s hard work and tireless efforts, her children are taken care for ages on end, and she was able to reconcile with her brother… whom she thought was lost forever, since he too disappeared on that fateful day when the Reich came calling and well, that’s quite the wonderful ending for certain, one that brought together a supremely unique investigation. Because most cozy mysteries focus on far more darker crimes. So, to see Jean handle an inheritance mystery and reunite a broken family, really does catch you off guard in a good way and it likely signals that these are the types of mysteries she will be solving in the weeks to come, and this writer welcomes that kind of storytelling. Since it will keep us guessing and engaged and it will be quite interesting to see what kind of unique cases await us as season one continues along. Until next time.  

---