‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Fashion’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Robin Askwith, Sally Lindsay, and Steve Edge as Jeremy, Jean White, and Dom Hayes in Episode 305 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ – ‘Fashion’. (Photo Courtesy of Mark Cassar/Acorn TV.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 305 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say that the modern crime drama, and even the world of true crime stories, have managed to shift our perspectives on what we believe drives people to commit crime. Simply because pop culture has an impact upon us, and it does become our only tie to concepts and worlds we don’t understand, so we roll with what it has to offer and right now, the slick nature of them and the griminess that comes from the true crime market, tends to have us believing that criminals are incredibly thoughtful and calculated in their actions, as though every crime or murder they commit has meaning and purpose.

Which while entertaining and engaging, and with some merit… isn’t always the case. For, crime, and murder are sometimes nothing more than instantaneous poor choices. Or they are grounded in a lack of communication and understanding and yes, crimes of passion are indeed a thing, and we should be keen to remember that. So that our understanding of crime is broader in nature and so we approach them with a different mindset and that is likely why the next episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn TV focused upon such matters. To remind us, and guide us, and ‘Fashion’ accomplished such feats, by way of an attempted murder.

For a fashion icon known as Violet was putting on a fashion show at Jeremy and Judith’s place and while there, she nearly took a fatal tumble courtesy of a push. Which scared her to no end and prompted her to hire Jean to figure out who might want to harm her and well… at first, it seemed we were in for quite the complex case. After all, there was a suspicious model named Noemie who was in close proximity of the fall before it happened and had a bit of an attitude toward Violet. Not to mention, Violet’s right-hand man and husband, Pascal, seemed to be cozied up to Noemie and had everything to gain from Violet’s death. All of which pointed to a complex crime grounded in treachery and greed.

But one final clue involving Noemie finally brought a fascinating truth to light. Because Jean was able to figure out that Noemie was likely a scapegoat and a mistaken target for murder, since she too died and that all of this was a ruse created by Violet to ruin Noemie’s career and end the affair she and Pascal were having. Only for everyone to learn that Noemie wasn’t the other woman, she was Pascal’s long-lost sister, and they were so close because they recently reunited, and she was skeptical of Violet because she wanted the best for her brother in all things. And had Violet approached her husband about this, and had Pascal opened up to his wife, Noemie would still be alive. But alas, arrogance, assumptions and a true lack of communication and understanding and trust… combined with sheer incompetence, brought forth unnecessary death.

All of which could have been avoided and more importantly, reminded us of the fact… that murder isn’t always complex and powerful. Sometimes it happens because people embrace the dumb and too much emotion and that made for a sobering tale, one that also… brought forth sorrow for Gloria. Because Charlie recognized Cooper from a caper long ago, and she believed he was up to no good in the city and she was right. For he was married and playing Gloria like a fiddle, and she put a stop to that, sadly in a manner that will hurt Gloria but will also spare her from the real painful truth. All of which made for one epic tale, one that has us ready for more. So, we can see what other unique explorations await us, and how Gloria will fare in the weeks to come. Until next time.

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