‘Whitstable Pearl’ Recap: ‘The Offer’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Whitstable Pearl’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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For the most part, crime dramas that revolve around murder… tend to feature a complex case. One that explores a horrifying aspect of the human condition. Such as how infidelity and a broken heart can drive us to commit to the ultimate crime, or how money and need can motivate something similar. Which are of course compelling reasons to tune in, since that does teach us a great deal about the darkness within and how sometimes people are closer to it than we give them credit. But not all murder is cold and calculated or grounded in notions of evil. Sometimes… it is nothing more than a mistake, one that brings forth regret and delayed justice for the fallen and that particular type of end to a life is top of mind today because it was featured in the next episode of Whitstable Pearl.
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Which made ‘The Offer’ quite the fascinating tale. Simply because it really seemed as though we were going to be treated to a more traditional crime story. For this is a tale that featured a woman named Molly who was public enemy number one in Whitstable for greed related reasons. Because her mother had recently died, and rather than sign over the family pub to the city to be run by the community, which was agreed upon before her mom died, she decided to go for broke and secure her future by selling it the highest bidder. Which turned out to be a supremely rich developer, much to the chagrin of the other bidders in town and well… it didn’t take long for this deal to go south and quick, when the developer showed up one morning… dead on the beach.

That of course, sprung Pearl and Mike into action, in part because Pearl was hired to investigate some nasty letters that came Molly’s way before the sale, and those letters of course… made it appear as though this killer was going to harm her for all of her actions. But as Mike and Pearl continued to dig into the case and look at the suspects, which included members of the local community committee, and a very scattered chef that at was desperate for a shot to have that pub… it became apparent that greed and want really weren’t at play here. Not to mention, the person behind the notes just wanted to send a message and do their best to hammer home the sour nature of going back on a deal and the hurt it creates. Leaving this duo without an idea of who might have done this.

But news regarding the injuries of the deceased and some odd behavior from the realtor of the sale, a woman named Ruby, piqued Pearl’s interest. In fact, her behavior since the incident and desire to keep out of the spotlight, and the fact that she was without a car suddenly, got Pearl wondering why exactly she was working to keep such a low profile when she was everywhere to be found mere days ago. As it turned out, it was because… she was responsible for the death in question. Because sadly, she got behind the wheel with a lot of alcohol in her system on that fateful night, and hit the deceased with her car, causing great injury to him and worry about her well-being, and she panicked while drunk… and just threw his body in the ocean. A move that speaks volumes to how sometimes death occurs in our world without cold calculation and malice in our hearts.

It can happen instead, because of poor choices and a lack of foresight, but the penalties are definitely the same and, in some cases, such as this… worse. Since Ruby will have to carry that choice for the rest of her life and in the end, this show deserves serious credit for going this route. Since that kind of murder, is a touch more realistic than most crime dramas will go near and it really did produce some emotional moments, especially when Ruby admitted to her crimes. Not to mention, this episode deserves credit for making it clear that Mike wants Pearl back as well… since that’s a question that’s been hanging heavy over season two and well, all this brilliant tale does… is leave us eager for more. Because season two of this series has been bold and pioneering and it will be fascinating to see what kind of other unique cases await Pearl as year two continues along. Until next time.

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