British Network Television
‘Father Brown’: S01.E07. “The Devil’s Dust”
An apparent radioactive girl is missing and only Father Brown can find her.
Ostracised by the village, mainly because of an unfounded nasty rumour spread by a certain gossiper, 14-year-old Ruth Bennett (Holly Earl) goes missing. When her blood-stained pyjamas are found, with unsubstantiated opinion floating around Kembleford, fingers are soon pointed at Dr Michael Evans (Jamie Glover), Ruth’s mother Emily Bennett (Stirling Gallacher), and plumber Douglas Taylor (Don Gilet).
The opening teaser for this episode, featuring Geoffrey Bennett (Pip Torrens), Mrs Bennett, Ruth, the doctor, and housekeeper Alice Murphy (Melanie Kilburn), doesn’t seemingly shed any light on the direction the narrative will be taking. The only thing it reveals is that Dr Evans will no longer be treating Ruth for whatever it is that ails her.
After the opening credits, somewhere in Kembleford, we find Sidney “Sid” Carter (Alex Price) wondering down a lane. There is a flee-market of sorts in progress. Various people have thins on display that they would like to sell so they can make ends meet. A wooden box containing several plates catches Sid’s eye. Since Father Brown episodes rarely include anything insignificant, something series fans will testify to, it is likely these plates will make another appearances later in the instalment.
Gossip, as we know villagers are prone to doing, requires there be a network of gossipers that will engage in the activity. Nearby, as Father Brown (Mark Williams) nabs from Mrs Bridgette McCarthy’s (Sorcha Cusack) basket an apple, we hear Mrs Murphy telling the parish secretary how she believes Ruth’s “father is experimenting on her!”
Ruth, acknowledging her friend Betty, is completely ignored. Mrs Bennett, not wanting to allow the slight pass without comment, tells Betty that she’s supposed to be her daughter’s friend. This once sided interaction doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone. Father Brown and Mrs McCarthy express more than a casual interest in the occurrence.
Mrs McCarthy is voluble as ever. There isn’t a single episode where the parish secretary doesn’t express her unsubstantiated thoughts in one shape or another. Mrs McCarthy believes, because Ruth is apparently afflicted with atomic bomb sickness, Father Brown must keep away from the child.
The parish secretary strangely believes, because the Bannett’s only have one child, that Mr Bennett must have become sterile. Father Brown is obviously flabbergasted. This incessant tenancy Mrs McCarthy has to impose her religious beliefs on others is intolerable. How can the Catholic priest tolerate Mrs McCarthy the way he does?
“Truth and rumour,” as Father Brown reminds Mrs McCarthy, “are not one and the same thing.”
Father Brown pays a visit to the Bennett residence where he finds village plumber Mr Taylor hard at work. The purpose for Father Brown’s visit is to talk Mr Bennett into addressing the villager’s concerns at the coming Kembleford Atomic Emergency Committee meeting. Even though Mr Bennett isn’t initially interested in attending the meeting, knowing how Father Brown can be when he wants something, there is a change of mind.
The meeting, even though Father Brown wanted to assure village residents there is nothing to fear, doesn’t go according to plan. Mrs McCarthy, with her narrow-mindedness, clearly angers Father Brown with her approach to Mr Bennett.
Mr Bennett’s attempts to enlighten Mrs McCarthy and other Kembleford residents with scientific facts fails to accomplish what Father Brown desired. Father Brown’s anger, as Mrs McCarthy continues her verbal assault on Mr Bennett, increases significantly.
Whilst Mrs McCarthy tries to justify her position by using a biblical quote, “Command the Children of Israel, that they cast out of the camp every leper and whosoever hath an issue of seed,” Father Brown unambiguously expresses his thoughts.
“Ruth Bennett is not a leper and that was unchristian,” Father Brown tells Mrs McCarthy. “It was insensitive, intolerant, and it was judgemental. And I am VERY disappointed.”
Father Brown’s disappointment in Mrs McCarthy, noting her shocked facial expression, has obviously left the parish secretary shaken to the core. Mrs McCarthy’s earlier quotation, taken from the Book of Numbers, came from the Jewish portion of the religious text.
Visiting with the Bennett family a second time, whilst raised voices can be heard emanating from the house, Father Brown finds Ruth hiding in the garden. Mr Bennett finds Father Brown with his daughter. The Catholic priest explains he is there to apologise for how the meeting unfolded. Mr Bennett insists there is no need.
Outside the church, with a sourced cup of tea and a biscuit in hand, Mrs McCarthy tries to apologise to Father Brown for her behaviour the previous night. Father Brown, with no interest in hearing the parish secretary’s apology, tells Mrs McCarthy that he isn’t the one she should be apologising to over the matter.
With things he must tend to, not wanting to hang around outside the church, Father Brown walks away. He leaves Mrs McCarthy standing in front of the church.
On returning to the Bennett residence, not finding either Mr or Mrs Bennett at home, Father Brown encounters Mrs Murphy. Ruth, apparently not to be disturbed, is taking a rest.
Instead of inviting Father Brown to wait for the Bennetts to return home, something that is customary, Mrs Murphy closes the door in the Catholic priest’s face. The incident leaves Father Brown appearing rather bemused.
Not taking Mrs Murphy closing the door in his face as a hint to leave the property, something Father Brown would clearly never do, he tries to catch Ruth’s attention. The use of a ladder allows Father Brown access to the first floor (British definition).
As Father Brown peers through Ruth’s bedroom window, even though there is no sight of the teenager, the Catholic priest is soon discovered by Mrs Murphy. The housekeeper isn’t thrilled by Father Brown’s behaviour.
Both Mr and Mrs Bennett, seemingly having returned home, discover Father Brown in their garden. Father Brown tells the couple that he had grown concerned about Ruth when she didn’t show up at church that morning.
The Catholic priest felt it important that he visit with Ruth. Mrs Bennett, even though her husband remains mostly silent, informs Father Brown that Ruth is missing.
Mr Bennett feels that the villagers and their general attitude contributed significantly to Ruth’s decision to runaway from home. Ruth, before running away from home, was apparently wearing white pyjamas with a little mouse embroidered on the front.
Father Brown visits with Dr Evans to inform him of Ruth’s disappearance. There is something about the way Dr Evans walked away from treating Ruth which suggests there is more to the story. He admits feeling a sense of guilt because he failed to diagnose Ruth. What more could there be?
Ruth is apparently suffering from a similar condition found with industrial workers working in shipping and on railways. There is no apparent overlap with Ruth whatsoever. The presence of unexplained lung cancer is baffling the doctor.
Mr Bennett, convinced Ruth is at Mr Taylor’s residence, confronts the plumber at his own home. There is no sign of Ruth at his home. Not wanting to trouble himself further with Mr Taylor, Mr Bennett insists the plumber stay away from his family.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the village, we find Zuzanna “Susie” Jasinski (Kasia Koleczek) acting peculiarly with the Geiger counter. Susie, not wanting to draw Mrs McCarthy’s attention to the fact she she the device, thinks she may have found the missing teenager.
Mrs McCarthy catches up with Susie and berates her for taking the device. She feels Susie’s ramblings are of no importance to Father Brown. Still annoyed with Mrs McCarthy, nothing his testy attitude, Father Brown pays more attention to Susie.
The Catholic priest feels whatever it is Susie has discovered is worth his time because a life is at stake. Mrs McCarthy, gloating in Susie’s face, suggests she must have heard a woodpecker. Even though the parish secretary might think Susie crazy, Father Brown believes the housekeeper when she says she discovered something strange.
The plates show up again when Sid gifts them to Susie. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would have noticed Sid’s interest in Susie. It has been readily apparent for the past few episodes. When Sid suggests that Susie cook him dinner, recognising her kind heart, she suggests inviting Father Brown and Mrs McCarthy. Sid’s tone, probably wanting to keep an evening to himself and Susie, doesn’t suggest he’s thrilled by the idea.
Mrs McCarthy happens upon a torn up letter written by Ruth to someone with the initials M.E. The only person Father Brown can think of with those initials is Dr Michael Evans. The parish secretary, instead of giving the letter fragments to Father Brown, rushes to show Inspector Valentine (Hugo Speer) what she has discovered.
Noting Father Brown’s somewhat speedy exit, realising the Catholic priest might be onto something, Inspector Valentine follows him in his police car. Inspector Valentine, mainly because he has more horsepower in his car than Father Brown has with his bicycle, gets to the doctor’s residence first.
Dr Evans is detained by the police and taken to Kembleford Police Station for questioning. Father Brown is at the police station when Mrs Bennett arrives. Mrs Bennett, recognising how she had noticed her daughter’s crush on the doctor months earlier, had apparently told her husband that it was merely a phase Ruth was going through. Mrs Bennett tells Father Brown that neither she nor her husband wanted to scare off the marvellous doctor.
There are references in Ruth’s diary which suggests she and Dr Evans engaged in a sexual relationship. The doctor tells Inspector Valentine that what he is reading is pure fiction. Whilst it is clear the police inspector believes what he has read in Ruth’s diary, the same can’t be said for Father Brown. Father Brown seems to believe not everything an impressionable teenager writes can be trusted.
Father Brown takes a moment to speak with Mrs Murphy. The Catholic priest, because Mrs Murphy is an observant woman, suspects the housekeeper might know more about the goings-on in the Bennett residence than she has revealed to Mrs McCarthy.
Like Mrs McCarthy, something which is definitely a lie, Mrs Murphy doesn’t believe herself a gossip. Does Mrs Murphy seriously think Father Brown doesn’t recognise a gossip when he sees one? Mrs McCarthy and Mrs Murphy are particularly adept at gossiping up a storm whenever there is something new brewing.
The Catholic priest postulates a plausible theory revolving around Mr and Mrs Bennett having found their daughter’s diary. Father Brown suggests to Mrs Murphy that Ruth, after a confrontation with her father, ran to Dr Evans for his support. Dr Evans sent Ruth back home.
Mrs Murphy, wanting to know what Father Brown is suggesting, questions the Catholic priest’s reasoning. Father Brown reminds the housekeeper that “anger can take us to countries we never knew existed.”
Remembering there was something strange about the Bennetts’ behaviour, Mrs Murphy tells the Catholic priest that Mr and Mrs Bennett tidied up their daughter’s bedroom. This occurred before the police inspector arrived at the residence. It is here that Mrs Murphy finds in the dustbin Ruth’s bloodstained white pyjamas.
Inspector Valentine believes Dr Evans could have planted the bloodstained white pyjamas. Mr and Mrs Bennett return home to find police swarming all over their property. A brief conversation between Father Brown and Sid, whilst the police inspector speaks with Mr and Mrs Bennett, suggests there is something curious afoot.
Instead of immediately taking us to where Father Brown and Sid disappear to, in the Bennett residence, we find Inspector Valentine speaking with Mrs Bennett. When asked if her husband struck Ruth the night she disappeared, surprising the police inspector, Mrs Bennett admits she was the one that caused the red marks on her daughter’s face.
Not completely forthcoming with information, a little more hesitant than the police inspector would like, Mrs Bennett refers to her daughter having been disrespectful. She alludes to “a very private matter.”
Getting nowhere with Mrs Bennett, Inspector Valentine takes his conversation to Mr Bennett. Noting how both the Bennetts are hiding something, with their daughter’s bloodstained nightwear having been found in their dustbin, the finger of suspicion quickly points towards them.
Mr Bennett cannot vouch for his wife’s movements the night Ruth disappeared because they have separate sleeping arrangements. Obviously, recalling how Mrs McCarthy erroneously believed Mr Bennett sterile, the parish secretary clearly didn’t account for separate bed chambers.
The episode takes us to a conversation between Mr Taylor and Father Brown. Whilst many of the people not resident of Kembleford praise Mr Taylor’s work, the same can’t be said for the Bennetts.
They seem to feel his work tends to emanate from the “cowboy” end of the spectrum, Father Brown reveals to Mr Taylor. The plumber admits to have been somewhat greedy when working for the Bennetts. The Bennetts turned against Mr Taylor because they finally realised he had been swindling them.
Father Brown realises Mr Taylor’s greed wasn’t as much for money as it was for time. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with Ruth because he’s dying. Mr Taylor has the same illness that ails Ruth.
Speaking with Dr Evans at Kembleford Police Station, Father Brown discovers Ruth’s condition can’t be connected to the warts on Mr Taylor’s hands because they aren’t infectious. The warts on Ruth’s body are apparently indicative of fingerprints. Father Brown questions whether a toxic substance could be transferred on to Ruth’s skin from someone’s hands.
Elsewhere, when Sid visits Susie at the Polish encampment, they accidentally discover radiation emanating from a cupboard. The Geiger counter that Mr Bennett gifted the village has obviously proven useful. Mrs McCarthy, clearly believing there is nothing amiss, is heard referring to Susie as being “a silly silly girl.”
On hearing the Geiger counter react to radiation, instead of admitting she was wrong about Susie, she insists everyone evacuate the building immediately. Mrs McCarthy hardly ever admits to being wrong about anything.
Later, dressed in protective clothing, we see Mrs McCarthy find the source of the radiation. Do you have any guesses where the radiation is coming from? If you were to speculate that the source is Sid’s plates, you’d be correct. There were other things also contaminated.
Sid ends up giving everyone their money back because everything he sold was contaminated with radiation. Easy come easy go!
The next time we see Father Brown, in his church, the Catholic priest is contemplating his thoughts. Father Brown, having realised Mr Taylor knows where Ruth is hiding, returns to the plumber’s residence. Even though Ruth was born white, something of a biological oddity, Mr Taylor is really her father. Mrs Bennett apparently told her husband that her lover died during the war.
Later, outside Dr Evans’ home, Father Brown has Mrs McCarthy distract the policeman guarding the property. Mrs McCarthy could talk the ears off an elephant. This gives the Catholic priest the opportunity he needs to sneak in and take a peek around without no one knowing he was there.
Ruth is at the doctor’s residence. Father Brown tells Ruth the doctor is in a police cell. They will not release him until Ruth admits what is written within her diary is a work of fiction. Even though Ruth wants so much to be with Dr Evans, noting how the doctor doesn’t share her feelings for him, Father Brown correctly notes that’s not happening.
Father Brown reveals to Ruth that Mr Taylor, her true biological father, is dying. Her parents had been protecting her from the truth. Mr Taylor has cancer.
Ruth, catching the attention of passersby, exits through the front door of the house. The policeman Mrs McCarthy has been distracting with her stories meets with Ruth. Father Brown, except for Mrs Mrs McCarthy, makes an unseen exit from Dr Evans’ property. Inspector Valentine has the honour of returning Ruth to her parents. It is a touching moment between daughter and parents.
The episode, as it began, closes with a flee market scene where Ruth is seen walking arm in arm with her biological father. Mrs McCarthy, confronted by Ruth, lies about having believed the rumours spread around the village.
Father Brown, recognising a lie when he hears one, isn’t going to support one even for Mrs McCarthy. Mrs Murphy’s facial expression, when she hears Mrs McCarthy’s obvious lie, suggests more than a modicum of disgust.
Interestingly, even though Mrs McCarthy somehow expects Father Brown to back her up, she quickly finds that isn’t the case. The Catholic priest, having reminded the parish secretary of her words after the meeting, states “‘The leper must be cast out of the camp,’ Mrs McCarthy!”