Saturday Afternoon at the Movies: two mini-series to compare and contrast

 

I thought I would do my version of Saturday Afternoon at the Movies.  I thought I would compare two mini-series and how well they stand up to today's standards.

I know many of my internet friends are enjoying the "All Creatures Great and Small" series offered by Masterpiece at PBS (Public Broadcasting System).  It's James Herriot's story of being a veterinarian in the 1930s to 1940s in Yorkshire, England.  What surprises me is, the same people who are so enamored with this series fail to appreciate the show that precedes it, also a Masterpiece entry.

For those who aren't watching PBS on Sunday night, the show is called Miss Scarlet and the Duke.  It's about one of the first female private detectives (and possibly THE first) in Victorian England.  

 

Eliza Scarlet has taken over her recently deceased father's private detective agency.  Left nearly penniless after her father's sudden death, she turns to a friend and would-be suitor, Rupert Parker, with whom she shares his secret, the fact that he is a homosexual, which is strictly forbidden (and punishable by death) in Victorian England.  Rupert bankrolls her agency and helps keep it afloat.

 

As infuriating to Eliza as it may seem, she must join forces with a Scotland Yard Inspector, William "Duke" Wellington to solve cases she has been asked/hired to solve.  Oftentimes she finds herself being shut out of places to visit and persons she needs to interview in order to solve the case at hand.  Eliza is not above deceit and deception when it comes to helping her clients, much to the chagrin and dismay of the Duke.  This is especially true when he is the recipient of these deceptions.

Although marriage is normally the only option for a woman’s financial security in Victorian England, Eliza refuses to bend.  To her benefit, she has a decent middle class upbringing, which affords her all the comforts of many refined Victorian ladies.  This also helps her reputation, especially since before her father became a private detective, he was a Chief Inspector at Scotland Yard.

Eliza is played by Kate Phillips and Duke is played by Stuart Martin.  As I was watching this series, it struck me how it seemed like another series I had enjoyed.

Those of you who are privy to TNT network may have seen The Alienist.  The first season contained 10 episodes and was considered what TNT called a "psychological thriller."  The premise was three very different people came together to solve the murders of street children by a serial killer.  

Unlike Eliza Scarlet, Sara Howard (played by Dakota Fanning) is considered a part of high society.  She becomes Theodore Roosevelt's secretary and the first female employed by the NYPD (New York Police Dept.). Although currently a secretary, she hoped to be the first NYPD  police detective.  Sara, along with Laszlo Kreizler, an alienist (or psychiatrist), and John Schuyler Moore, a cartoonist and illustrator employed by The New York Times newspaper, form the team who hunt down the serial killer.  Although there are many subplots, these three are the ones who solve the murders.  During that time, they expose corruption in the police department, along with a former police chief's killing of a homosexual.  Daniel Brühl plays Kreizler, Dakota Fanning (as noted above) plays Sara, and Luke Evans plays Moore.

 

In the second season, Sara leaves the NYPD and starts her own detective agency.  Sara, Kreizler, and newly promoted New York Times reporter Moore team up when they search for the Spanish consul's kidnapped infant daughter.  The second season focused on the role of women in society, the corruption of institutions, especially mental institutions, yellow journalism, and income inequality.   

 

Like Eliza Scarlet, Sara Howard has her own demons to contend with.  Each has a loss, Eliza her father, Sara, her love interest John Moore, who learns he has gotten his former fiance Violet pregnant. Both women are surrounded by men who are stuck in their own times, while both women are pioneers in their fields and ahead of their times in their thinking.  Both of these series are worth viewing, especially if you are a woman. 

You can catch several episodes of Miss Scarlet and the Duke on PBS.  You can watch several episodes of The Alienist on TNT.  Thanks for stopping by today.  Bleubeard and I appreciate it.