British Network Television
‘Father Brown’: S03.E08. “The Lair of the Libertines”
Madame Chania is organising a weekend of hedonism
This episode, The Lair of the Libertines, opens with a curious scene where we discover a motorcycle and sidecar being ridden on what is essentially a primitive farm lane. The motorcyclists are certainly not dressed in accordance with their environment as high heels tend to not fair all that well in the middle of a muddy field.
The scene also features, as a voice-over, the sound of a female choir singing. Taking us from the motorcyclists to the choir, with a quick transition, the identity of at least one of the choir members is confirmed. One of the voices, as series fans will correctly observe, belongs to Lady Felicia Montague (Nancy Carroll). There is nothing about the choir’s attire which suggests any thought was given to a composed appearance.
The Cotswolds’ Annual Choir Competition, with the St Mary’s Catholic Church Choir competing, doesn’t play a huge part in the episode as we soon find the narrative take a significantly darker tone to previous instalments.
A child wanting to shoot his slingshot at the choir singers, if it weren’t for Father Brown (Mark Williams) stopping him, would have been a nice distraction. Father Brown, sometimes demonstrating he can be a tad child-like, uses the slingshot.
Returning to the motorcycle and sidecar, with two women seemingly lost, there is a moment of quiet before the sound of gunfire can be heard. one of the two women is shot. The second woman, shortly after getting one of her heels caught in a trap is shot in the arm. There is literally no sign of any shooter.
The episode, after the opening credits, we find Lady Felicia, Father Brown, and Bridgette McCarthy (Sorcha Cusack) travelling back to Kembleford in what looks like a London taxi. The reason for there being a London taxi in the Costwolds is somewhat baffling. Where is Sidney “Sid” Carter (Alex Price) and Lady Felicia’s usual car?
It turns out, with Lady Felicia having given her chauffeur the day off, the three of them needed to resort to other means of transport. Repeated criticisms from both Mrs McCarthy and Lady Felicia, attacking the taxi’s driver, causes him to put the three of them out of his vehicle in the middle of nowhere. Even though they know they’re in the Cotswolds, not knowing exactly where, Father Brown takes to his map for guidance. Father Brown’s map reading skills, even though he was in the British Army for a time, doesn’t get the trio out of their little jam.
The last time I saw anyone wearing a fez in a BBC production was an episode of the long running science fiction series Doctor Who. This time, as Mrs McCarthy observes, the man wearing the fez was well-equipped. Syrus’ (Ace Bhatti) entire attire, with him wearing nothing but his fez and a pair of sunglasses, is most illuminating.
Mrs McCarthy behaves as if she had never seen a naked man before. With neither Father Brown nor Lady Felicia seeing the naked man, noting the parish secretary’s liking for wine, it is suggested she might have drank too much.
Meanwhile, at the Hotel Cuba, we find guests behaving in a seriously odd manner. Count Fiskon (Nicholas Le Prevost), Dr Barashi (Michael Culkin), and Syrus seem to not like each other. The trio isn’t as much a group of playboys as it is old men trying to recapture their youth. Madame Chania (Ronni Ancona) tries and fails to get them to get them to play nicely.
After Syrus and Madame Chania, noting the presence of a trio of strangers, they soon discover they have an audience. Mrs McCarthy, Father Brown, and Lady Felicia have arrived in the hotel grounds.
If you were wondering where the woman from the earlier scene had got to, the one that has been shot in the arm, she is making her way through the woods. Her exact location is a mystery.
Noting that all guests arrive by taxi, with there being no vehicles of any description, Lady Felicia suggests to Father Brown that the three of them stay the night at the hotel. The maid, Mimi (Rae Baker), gives up her room so that Lady Felicia has somewhere to stay. Mrs McCarthy, once again imposing her religious beliefs on others, speaks of the hotel as if it were akin to Sodom and Gomorrah.
As for Father Brown, revealing the presence of a cottage in the grounds, Madame Chania suggests he stay there with his “servant.” Mrs McCarthy, the parish secretary, doesn’t take to kindly to be referred to as a servant. Lady Felicia, recognising the irritated tone in Mrs McCarthy’s voice, is most bemused.
Later, as he behaves like a spoiled child, Dr Barashi insists that the maid feed him. Mini is clearly not accustomed to being treated in such a manner. Mimi’s facial expression denotes a modicum of disgust as she complies with the demand.
Mimi is saved from feeding Dr Barashi any more food when Madame Chania enters the dining room with Father Brown, Lady Felicia, Mrs McCarthy and Syrus. Madame Chania, directing Mimi to pour wine for everyone, is taken away from Dr Barashi.
Mrs McCarthy, visibly uncomfortable with her surroundings, tries her best and fails to hide her discomfort. She is definitely a fish out of water. Count Fiskon, seeing an opportunity to express his interest in Mrs McCarthy, doesn’t help matters as the parish secretary is increasingly alarmed by everyone’s odd behaviour.
Madame Chania, apparently not partaking in the entertainment, one seeks to provide a degree of pleasure for others. She observes Father Brown’s facial expression change and immediately assumes he doesn’t approve. Mrs McCarthy, looking directly at the priest, seems to expect him to make a disparaging comment. He momentarily keeps his thoughts to himself.
The priest suggests there is a paradox to happiness. Noting how happiness is frequently an unexpected gift, recognising how it possesses evasive properties, Father Brown suggests achieving it doesn’t come if one actively pursues it. Whilst Dr Barashi doesn’t agree with Father Brown, the same can’t see said of Count Fiskon as he clearly has his eyes set on a particular prize. His interest in Mrs McCarthy is obvious to everyone in the room.
Father Brown, noting the presence of a most unusual fruit cake, decides to partake of the sweet dessert. It is later revealed, during a brief conversation between Mimi and Syrus, the cake contains two secret ingredients: whisky and opium.
Dr Barashi, having left the dining room, makes a pass on Mimi. He offers her money to be with him. She’s not remotely interested in either his money or his advances. Recognising his appearance, coupled with his general demeanour, there is nothing attractive about Dr Barashi. He frequently expresses a low regard for women.
Lady Felicia, experiencing a headache, decides to retire to her room. Mimi, needing to get her things from her room, briefly assists Lady Felicia with her headache. It is here that Mimi expresses a sexual interest in Lady Felicia. Even though Lady Felicia doesn’t seem interested in women, noting the tension in the room, the could merely stem from her hiding her true self.
The following morning, after experiencing a strange dream, Father Brown awakens to find a dead body outside the cottage window. It is one of the two women we encountered at the beginning of the episode.
Mimi informs Madame Chania she is not able to call the police because the line remains dead. The reason for this, as Father Brown correctly observes, is that the line has been cut.
Elsewhere, inquiring whether Mr McCarthy would care for a drink, Count Fiskon finds his advances unwanted. Mrs McCarthy isn’t remotely interested in Count Fiskon. Count Fiskon, even though Mrs McCarthy recognises they just met, seems to see a connection with the parish secretary.
Syrus, having located the motorcycle and sidecar, tells Father Brown that there is only one man staying at the hotel that hates women enough to kill them. Father Brown picks up on what Syrus is saying and mentions the doctor’s name. Speaking of Dr Barashi, at the hotel front desk, he continues to make unwanted advances towards Mimi. Madame Chania, not liking how Dr Barashi treats women, slaps him across the face. It’s not as if he didn’t have it coming.
Father Brown, having overheard the conversation, takes a moment to speak with Mimi. He is merely concerned about her wellbeing. Stating that she is a servant, comparing herself to the priest, Mimi suggests there isn’t much difference between them.
Do you recall the woman shot in the arm? The next time we see her, laying on a nearby road, she is almost ran over by a delivery van. The woman, later identified as Daisy (Rebecca Neale), is taken to the nearest hospital.
Elsewhere, in the hotel’s garden, Madame Chania compares Syrus to a puppy she once owned. This puppy was extremely needy. Returning to the front of the hotel, with the motorcycle and sidecar having been repaired, it is suggested that someone go for help. Madame Chania and Father Brown, because it isn’t safe for them to stay at the hotel, suggests that Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy accompany Count Fiskon to the police station.
Mrs McCarthy, occupying the sidecar, forces Lady Felicia to get on the motorcycle with Count Fiskon. There is a brief moment exchanged between Mrs McCarthy and Lady Felicia where it is intimated the latter likes spreading her legs.
Daisy wakes up at the hospital with strange faces starring down at her. It’s Inspector Sullivan (Tom Chambers) and Sergeant Daniel Goodfellow (John Burton). When asks where she is from, her response is Cuba.
Meanwhile, back at Hotel Cuba, we find Father Brown walking up the hill towards where the blood was found earlier in the episode. Father Brown observes Count Fiskon, Lady Felicia, and Mrs McCarthy making their way away from the motorcycle and sidecar. They must be the most unlikely trio ever assembled. They don’t get to far because, with them still on the driveway to the hotel, they find themselves oddly out of petrol.
Whilst Count Fiskon walks back to the hotel for petrol, left with the vehicle, are Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy. We see petrol being lit. Even though the scene doesn’t show the person’s face, noting that the female fingernails have a certain colour nail polish, we can hazard a guess that it is Madame Chania that had dropped the lighter onto the ground.
With smoking rising, it closer to both Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy, the first doesn’t escape Father Brown’s attention. Father Brown uses the confiscated slingshot to draw Lady Felicia’s gaze in his direction. Only when she sees the fire herself does she realise the immediate danger. With a little quick thinking, not something Lady Felicia is known for, Lady Felicia saves Mrs McCarthy in the nick of time.
On their way back to the hotel, with Dr Barashi visibly not caring about the explosion, Father Brown notes on the ground the lighter used to start the fire. Excitement continues when one of the guests is killed. Dr Barashi is killed when the pistol he uses seems to malfunction. Father Brown, noting the absence of a safety catch, observes how the firing pin is what killed Dr Darashi. That is one way to take out a misogynistic pig.
Curious how the killer could know which pistol Dr Barashi would choose, rightfully concerned, Father Brown suggests that any of them could have been the target. The killer apparently doesn’t care which one of them dies. If this is true, not that it isn’t, it is likely the killer is wanting all of them died.
Later, in Lady Felicia’s room, we find her ladyship and Mrs McCarthy conversing about Count Fiskon. Lady Felicia reminds Mrs McCarthy that Count Fiskon is very rich and has a title. The parish secretary could do far worse than marry a count.
Nearby, in another bedroom, Madame Chania and Syrus are together. The scene initially suggests she wants him to herself. This would obviously please Syus as he doesn’t appear the type of man that likes to share women with anyone. Mimi arriving with Count Barashi, causing him to leave, annoys Syrus.
Father Brown, leaving the hotel momentarily, decides some fresh air is in order. Not long thereafter, with an unmistakable sound, Inspector Sullivan and Sergeant Goodfellow arrive at Hotel Cuba. The police inspector, even though it was Sergeant Goodfellow’s local knowledge that pointed them in that direction, takes the credit for remembering Hotel Cuba.
Inspector Sullivan is surprised to find Father Brown staying at the hotel. The police inspector’s facial expression, noting the priest’s presence, quickly changes. There is more than a hint of annoyance in those eyes. Madame Chania tells Inspector Sullivan that there is a body by the cottage. Father Brown, correcting Madame Chania, tells the inspector there are two dead bodies. Madame Chania seems to have forgotten that Dr Barashi is also dead.
It seems the only thing Lady Felicia does well, other than the occasional singing, is screaming. Lady Felicia and Mrs McCarthy discover Mimi with Count Fiskon. The titled gentleman, if you can call him that, is dead. The size of the bolt sticking out of the dead body suggests that Count Fiskon had been shot with a crossbow. This is a curious weapon to use in such close quarters. A crossbow is more of a long range weapon.
When Inspector Sullivan, Sergeant Goodfellow, and Father Brown rush back to the hotel, having heard screaming, Mrs McCarthy tells them that the maid killed the count. Mimi in arrested for murdering Count Fiskon.
With everyone having returned to the first floor (British definition), noting the importance of collecting witness statements, Inspector Sullivan wants to begin with Father Brown. Recognising that there have been three deaths and one person in the local hospital, with no time to waste, the police inspector wants to resolve the case.
Before Inspector Sullivan can question Father Brown, recalling something off about the latest crime scene, the priest goes to Madame Chania’s bedroom. He is followed by the police inspector. Noting the visible drag marks on the carpet, given the direction, Father Brown observes it was likely that the count had been killed there and then dragged into the connecting. The room Lady Felicia occupies, formally used by the maid, curiously shares a connecting partially hidden door with the bedroom used by Madame Chania.
Madame Chania, having been asked by the police inspector for the key to the connecting door, finds it missing from her handbag. Curiously, with her having emptied the content of her handbag onto the bed, the safety catch from Dr Barashi’s pistol is located. The lighter Father Brown found on the driveway to the hotel is identified as being that belonging to Madame Chania. Madame Chania is arrested and Mimi is released without charge.
Inspector Sullivan, having gotten the statement he wanted from Father Brown, arranges for a car to get him, Lady Felicia, and Mrs McCarthy back to Kembleford. There is a curious moment between Mimi and Lady Felicia, before her ladyship returning to Kembleford, the the former passionately kisses the latter. Syrus suggests to Lady Felicia that Mimi has been bewitched by Madame Chania.
Later, having arrived back in Kembleford, Father Brown approaches St Mary’s Catholic Church. Nearby, pruning rose bushes as if hr life depended on it, Mrs McCarthy’s mind is clearly elsewhere. Lady Felicia picks up what the parish secretary is thinking. It’s the count. Even though Lady Felicia is seemingly speaking of Count Fiskon, noting the tone in her voice, it is clear she’s really thinking about the kiss she experienced moments before leaving the hotel.
Father Brown arrives and he is visibly perplexed. This is a look Lady Felicia is well-acquainted with because she has known the Catholic priest for many years. Father Brown, having realised Madame Chania is the killer, suddenly recognises something else about her.
The Madame Chania everyone met is Mimi and the maid is the real Madame Chania. Remembering how Madame Chania had stated she wasn’t attracted to women, noting the lesbian literature, this suggests she could have been lying. There is another possibility. She was telling the truth about her true self. Noting the abundance of lesbian erotica, inclusive of Lucia Morrell’s Lulu & Lucia, the priest ponders the mystery carefully.
Father Brown suggests to Mimi that she is the real Madame Chania and the real Mimi is languishing in a cell. The priest observes that they could have changed roles before anyone arrived at the hotel. This gave Madame Chania the ability to move freely around the hotel as Mimi. Father Brown and his companions, like the girls Dr Barashi ordered, were unwanted visitors. Madame Chania made sure the girls didn’t arrive at the hotel. Merely injuring one was a mistake. She needed both girls dead.
Even the name Madame Chania isn’t entirely real as it is an anagram for her real name. Father Brown, having remembered an article he previously read, realises Madame Chania is an anagram for her real name.
Madame Chania isn’t exactly a correct anagram for Ana De Miachia. All her victims are trophies. Noting Syrus’ fez, Father Brown quickly finds Madame Chania’s latest victim. Dr Barashi, Count Fiskon, and Syrus, Madame Chania’s intended victims, are all dead.
Miss De Miachia gives the priest a sporting chance to escape. The opium cake soon takes its tool on Father Brown and he collapses to the ground. She falls victim to her own traps and dies before Father Brown regains consciousness. Cause of death is blood loss.