‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Jackal’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sally Lindsay as Jean White in Episode 304 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ – ‘Jackal’. (Photo Courtesy of Mark Cassar/Acorn TV)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 304 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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We are often taught in this life, that obsession is something that is fleeting in nature, and understandably so. For a great deal of what catches our eye and motivates us to ponder upon it, night, and day… eventually burns out as other life events and people and moments garner our attention. So, we give obsession little mind and pay even less attention to it in the real world, since all we know that its flame is eventually extinguished. But the fact of the matter is, that isn’t obsession in a nutshell, for not everyone is able to easily let go or let other aspects of life help to squash that proverbial fire, and that’s why obsession needs a little more care and concern. 

Because when it doesn’t fade, when it doesn’t disappear, dangerous things can and will happen as someone comes to realize they want what they are obsessed with in their lives and well… the dangers of just ignoring obsession and waiting to act upon it when someone harbors an unhealthy one is top of mind today, simply because it was featured in a unique manner in the next episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries on Acorn TV. For ‘Jackal’ saw a young woman be shot in broad daylight, making it seem as though an assassin was running about the city and well, the antique book in her hand prompted Caron to call in Jean who quickly thought she figured the case out.

For it didn’t take long for Jean to ponder upon the reality that the deceased was not the target, and that another woman standing near her had enemies and a visit to that woman, confirmed this… more or less. For she was deeply shaken and utterly terrified that she was a target and some ugly notes found in other rare books she purchased harbored some unsettling letters from the dealer. Which meant, he needed to be spoken to, and his strange behavior and fury toward the state of collectibles and such… really did make it seem as though he was the monster that took a life, so… he was taken into custody and that was when a real twist came into play, one related to the central theme of this tale.

Because the deceased’s father came into town to bury his daughter, and a conversation with him, made Jean realize… the real killer wasn’t the seemingly most obvious one. No instead, it became clear that the man that employed the deceased as a nanny… might be at fault and another discussion with him, confirmed that. For he was utterly obsessed with his nanny, and made overtures to woo her, that were denied. And rather than take no for answer and move on and understand there was no chance… that obsession burned bright and pushed him to do the unthinkable. And had it not been for Caron showing up at the right moment, and Dom’s outright bravery… he might have taken more lives in the name of his tragic obsession.

All of which really did remind us of obsession’s true dangers and how obsession requires vigilance from those of us who are outside observers before it is too late, and how we must take action when we are genuinely concerned about it. And well… that lesson brought about one engaging story. One that truly explored that theme well and managed to surprise us along the way with misdirection and lightened the mood with more vignettes from the bar. Since Jeremy and Judith are basically not fit to run the place, despite their best efforts and well, now that we’ve reached the end of this fascinating tale, it’s onto the next one and all the wonderful lessons about the human condition it will undoubtedly send our way. Until next time.

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