‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Season 2, Episode 5’

8/22/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Sally Lindsay and Les Dennis as Jean White and David in Episode 205 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’. (Photo Courtesy of Acorn TV.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 205 of ‘The Madame Blanc Mysteries’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One incredible fear that each and every one of us harbor in life, is having someone we love deeply and want to share so much with, betray and hurt us. Because we will have given that person our heart, our everything, our very soul to help them understand we love them dearly… and the thought of having all of that thrown back in our faces is terrifying to say the least. For it will mean we’ve failed in matters in love and that we will be alone once again and working to reconcile what went wrong. But that is at its core, something we should not fear. Because oftentimes when that kind of heartbreak comes into play, we shouldn’t let it harm us as badly as we do, nor should we see it as our greatest fears come to life. For in fact… that type of surprise happens because we dated garbage really… the kind that only cared about its own toxic contents and they did in fact, do us a favor by showing us their stink.

But that comprehension is of course, easier than said done, and it takes a good support network to help us see that, and sometimes… the actions of the toxic loved one help with that as well, as evidenced by the next episode of The Madame Blanc Mysteries. For when we caught up with Jean in this particular tale, she was ready to welcome an old friend and his new husband into their home. Simply because David and George wanted to see her new digs and the town and take in its wonder. But it didn’t take long for this visit… to get weird. For at every turn David found himself facing pain or strange occurrences that terrified him. In fact, at one point, David and George were held at knifepoint by a random man, only to be saved by a good Samaritan at the last possible second. All of which left David scared and outright concerned that a curse had been visited upon him.

Largely because he came into the possession of a witch related antique, one that spoke to trouble. But as Caron and Jean dug deeper, with the help of Dom, who somewhat redeemed himself here by saving David when the assailant went harder than ever to cause harm… they came to discover that there wasn’t a curse present or even someone out for revenge. It was George. Who as it turned out was wanted for a string of murders. For he was true trash that basically hunted vulnerable men of a certain age, to marry them and steal their fortunes, and had it not been for our trio of heroes, and David’s ex-husband, who turned out to be the good Samaritan, David would have been another checkmark on a long list of victims. Which of course left him in the dumps until his ex and friends pointed out… this was no failure. Nor did he not love George enough… he simply was suckered in by a master of disguise and he would most certainly love again, and those words and of course… nearly being killed by his husband, helped David heal.

Which was a lovely way to bring home that central theme and help anyone out there wondering if they failed when they were left behind by a lover that didn’t care enough to work at it or stay… that it wasn’t their fault. But while that alone could have carried this tale, it had more surprises to send our way. For Barbara’s long con involving Jean through Simone, took another turn in this story. For she demanded that Simone contact Charlie and get a dialogue going there. Undoubtedly to learn more about the new shop that’s opened and how to get revenge against Jean and well… the plan worked. For Charlie was moved by the carefully crafted words that Barbara wrote in the key of Simone, and they’re talking again and that sets the stage for an ugly showdown between Jean and Barbara.

But while that brews, we can revel in the wonder of another refreshing episode from this series. Because this one, really did offer up a unique case for certain. Because you just don’t see the heavy/criminal take part in this kind of torture and this kind of wanton cruelty in a cozy mystery. Because such actions are a little too realistic when we want to be entertained and engaged in a lighthearted manner by a cozy mystery. But this show enjoys digging into real-world topics and relatable matters of the heart and well… there are indeed cruel people like this, out there. The kind that will indeed string the lovers of the world along to enjoy spoils untold and cause harm because they can. All of which just serves to remind us of the brilliance of this series, and of course… this episode leaves us eager for more. To see what will come from Barbara’s icky plans for Jean and to of course… see what other surprising stories await us. Until next time.

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