‘Whitstable Pearl’ Recap: ‘The Man on the Blue Plaque’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series one finale of ‘Whitstable Pearl’.
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As we grow older and begin to experience all the good and bad that life has to offer, we begin to hear a recurring theme from friends and family and sometimes seasoned strangers that are eager to offer up advice. In that, the emotional baggage we carry with us through life, doesn’t have to stay with us, provided of course we take the time to reflect upon the past and resolve what put said baggage into our hearts in the first place. Which is sound advice for certain, the kind that we know deep down will indeed solve a great many problems for us, but it is also easier said than done. For digging up yesterday brings forth old wounds and sorrow, and we might not be ready yet to properly settle in to reflect and resolve the past and the damage it caused us. But sometimes, the universe gives us no choice in the matter and it forces us to face days gone by and that puts us at quite the crossroads.

One where we have to decide to either ignore this opportunity at resolution and chug along or face tough truths head on and well, all of this is relevant to our discussion today… due to the fact that the past looms large over the series one finale of Whitstable Pearl on AcornTV. For ‘The Man on the Blue Plaque’ sees the remains of a human body be discovered on the shores of Whistable and well, it doesn’t take long for the police to realize that this is what is left of Flash, Pearl’s father, and this discovery, allows for the past to come bubbling to the surface of the Nolan household and this proud town in both a positive and negative manner. After all, everyone that knew him, never got to say goodbye, so this news made old memories become fresh again. But the strange circumstances surrounding his end also come back to the forefront of everyone’s mind and to complicate matters further… the fact that there is a bullet hole in Flash’s skull, prompted Mike and Nikki to open an investigation into Flash’s death.

The kind that forced Pearl into that aforementioned crossroads. Because she had the option to either walk away and let Mike handle this or face the truth about her father and his past head on and thankfully… Pearl chose the latter option. Because this was a solid opportunity to learn everything she can about her family's past, and darkness within it or not, since allegations of infidelity and abuse came up during the investigation; getting the truth would finally give Pearl a sense of completeness that she has never known and well, what she and Mike uncovered was quite powerful to say the least. For it turns out, that while her father was indeed a beloved member of this town, he harbored something of dark side. One that related to a temper that caused great harm now and again, such as the night where he struck Dolly to the point where the police got involved and well… it was his temper that brought about his end.

Because Flash never wanted his daughter to see this side of him, nor did he want her to experience his temper firsthand and that motivated him to take his own life at sea… after swearing Dolly and Vinnie to secrecy about this decision. So that his daughter could grow up and know only the good parts of him. A truth that left Pearl in quite the stunned place, since it gave her a sobering view of the burden her mother has carried throughout the years and how much Dolly loved dearest dad and it also put Pearl in quite the odd place mentally and understandably so. Because she now had to reconcile a truth she never knew existed and really ponder upon her feelings about the matter and that motivated her… to isolate from Mike and perhaps the world for a bit. All so that she can process the past and figure out how to move forward with it and that is one powerful way to bring Pearl’s adventures to a close for this series.

Simply because most crime dramas see their season end with the hero detective wrapping up an epic case involving an epic villain. But instead, this one opted to go an intimate route and have Pearl solve a case that wore on her emotionally and the show deserves a massive and deafening round of applause for going this route. Because this was unconventional and powerful, and it brought forth serious growth for Pearl. The kind that should steel her for any new challenges that come her way down the line… since facing the darkest parts of our past makes us strong and savvy going forward and well, hopefully we get a series two announcement and soon. Because this really has been a refreshing and original crime drama, one filled to the brim with heart and relatable moments and beautiful and dynamic storytelling, and it deserves a long and fruitful run. So, we can see Pearl Nolan continue to evolve before our eyes and become an iconic gumshoe, one that can use everything she learned in year one… to make the world a better and safer place. Until next time.

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