‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Episode 4’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’.
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One of the hardest moments than anyone will ever go through, is having their heart broken by someone that they believed was ‘The One’. Because when we genuinely believe that we’ve found our person, our soulmate, our lives and minds change, and we envision a future with only them. So, to have them betray us or fall out of love with us, is devastating to say the least and it can put us in a dark place for a long time. But what is truly fascinating about this moment, is that no two are the same. For the reasons that this dark day occur vary from couple to couple and it just so happens that The Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn TV, thought it would be interesting to examine how greed can be a factor in seeing a love exit our lives.

A feat that the next episode of this series accomplished, by having a bevy of art related trouble come to Jean’s new hometown. For in the middle of one fine night, a local collector found himself violently assaulted in his home before a precious piece of art was stolen. Which of course meant that Jean was on the case since no one knows rare art and collectibles in the manner that she does, but it doesn’t take long for this case and the other strange occurrence around town to stump her. For there were basically no clues present at the crime scene to offer any leads and well… it simply did not make sense as to how Charlie and Simone were struggling to get their hands on genuine art. For several patrons rightfully accused the both of them of selling fakes, despite the fact that Jean herself verified some of the outgoing product that came into question, as being authentic.

Which gave her something to focus upon while the police continued combing for clues on the murder case. Because it just didn’t make sense that fake art could magically appear and well, the more she dug the more she began to suspect that Charlie was being duped by someone she loved, specifically Simone, and her instincts were correct. For it turns out that Simone was in fact, working with a scam artist on a get rich quick scheme. One where Simone would sell a genuine piece of art, only to have a fake she created come back into the store. So that the buyer wouldn’t lose a dime and instead make a killing on the original and give Simone a cut. The kind that was getting bigger and bigger by the day and was motivating her to do awful things. Such as help in a murder, since she was in fact, involved in that robbery the police were curious about and sadly… the victim passed away under auspicious circumstances.

Which of course meant that Simone was taken away in handcuffs and charged for all the crimes she committed and that left Charlie in quite the difficult place. For now, she had to reconcile the fact that her wife, the person she loved and adored and even went into business with… was an outright criminal and turned her back on the one person that was always there for her… out of greed. Which just serves to remind us that greed is a powerful transformer of people, since it gives them a thrill and a power that cannot be rivaled by anything, including love, and when it takes hold… the person we know is gone and they’ll do anything to maintain that strange high, as evidenced here, and sadly, that means that Charlie is on her own now and has to pick up the pieces and hopefully the good people of this quaint town, will do their best to support her.

If anything, this was simply a fascinating look at how greed can transform people into shells of the person we once knew and how it can drive a wedge between a couple in a loving and healthy relationship and well, that made for quite the unique episode. One that really did offer up a relatable storyline regardless of the circumstances and quite the engaging case, since all the twists and turns here kept us on the edge of our seats from beginning to end. Plus, it is interesting to know that the person that Simone was working with, is the same monster that keeps haunting Jean’s life, meaning that with only two episodes to go, we are indeed on a collision course for these two individuals. The kind that will end in peace or more strife for Jean and the only way to know which she will receive… is to continue the journey and that will make the wait for next week’s episode, a difficult one for certain. Until next time.  

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