The Madame Blanc Mysteries (2021) s04e00 Episode Script

1
Oui, bien sur.
Salut.
Salut.
Ouistiti!
Tres bien.
Merci.
Guignol? Guignol! Ou es-tu?
Ou es-tu, Guignol?
Do you remember the first time
That my eyes set on you?
Your smile came from nowhere
For sometime never
Or sometime soon
The road is a long one
I was only passing through
I was only passing through. ♪
Listen. I'm not staying any longer
than an hour.
I've been rushed off my feet
all day.
I'm knackered,
and I've still got presents to wrap,
but Jeremy said
he's got a surprise for me,
and don't I wanna sound
like the Grinch.
You? Sound like the Grinch
Hey! I'll have you know
I am the most Christmassy person
in the world.
I've even been known
to make me own paper chains.
Is that right?
Yes, from scratch.
Plus you know how amorous
Judith can get with me
after a couple of bottles
of Champagne.
Well, who can blame her?
This is, erm
This is something I've been meaning
to give you for a while.
I-I'm loving our time together, Dom,
but do you think it's a bit early
to be thinking about?
Oh, no, no, no, no!
No, it's not it's not that.
What?
No, I-I'm not proposing. Look
It's a key. It's just a key.
It's just a key to my house.
See?
Oh! Oh, right. Sorry.
In hindsight, it's the wrong box.
Sorry!
It's the wrong box.
Anyway, that's for you.
Sorry.
Look, erm, Jean, I'm
I'm absolutely loving this.
You know, us.
I'm hearing a "but" coming.
No, no. No, not at all.
I'm absolutely loving this
time together.
Just me and you, you know,
our little secret.
Can we keep it like that for a bit?
You know,
before the whole world finds out?
Dom
That's so romantic.
Exactly.
I don't want anything or anyone
to ruin this.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Hiya
Surprise!
Oh, lovely. It's from Geraldine.
Haven't heard from her for years.
She was one of our bridesmaids,
do you remember, darling?
Darling!
Ah! I've just been showing Dominic
the advocaat we've had shipped in.
I had an urge for one
at the golf club,
and I've stocked La Couronne up
with it.
They'll be flying out of the door.
It's a Christmas staple.
Uncle Patrick practically weaned me
on the stuff.
Now, shall we go through
to the dining room and see the tree?
Oh, sorry.
Hello?
Oh. Yeah, OK. Yes, I'm on my way.
OK, erm
I'm so sorry, but that was Caron,
and he really needs my help.
Can we do advocaat later?
Of course we can!
Something's happened
at the Christmas market.
Can you give me a lift?
Sure, come on.
I'm so sorry.
Oh, don't worry, darling.
They can come
and see the tree later.
Hm! Right,
what have we got here, then?
Hiya. Who's that?
Christian Delise,
the son of the victim.
He is inebriated
and can't stop crying.
Well, what's happened?
His father, Frederick Delise,
performs the show with him.
When his father was taking a break,
he removed the puppet
from his hand,
and when he put it back on,
the puppet must have been replaced
with an identical one
but with one fatal addition.
Super-sharp razor blades had been
cleverly sewn on the inside,
slicing his main artery.
He was discovered quite quickly,
but unfortunately,
he suffers from a condition
called von Willebrand disease,
where even small cuts can be fatal,
as the blood does not coagulate
quick enough.
He's currently fighting
for his life.
That's horrific.
And what about the son?
Eyewitnesses say he was doing
the show when it happened.
He had his hands in two puppets
on stage,
so he could not have possibly
replaced the puppet.
And, judging
by how distraught he is,
I can't think why he would.
Now, do you
do you know anything about puppets?
Well, it looks like
an original Guignol puppet, yeah.
I mean, about 1810,
possibly made by the puppeteer
himself, Laurent Mourguet,
but you can never tell.
He was a tooth-puller,
and he made puppets
to distract the patients
from their pain.
Oh. Hang on.
No, I'm sorry,
this is actually a brilliant copy.
How do you know?
Well, you see, the original
would've been hand-stitched,
and this has been made on a machine,
and you can smell the coffee.
Yeah. Erm That's a classic way
of ageing fabric.
No, this puppet,
it's been made for the job in hand.
- Jean.
- Christian?
"Job in hand".
Christian!
Come to gloat, have you?
Go away, Mother!
- See you later.
- Thank God you're here!
Oh, Gloria, I need to tell someone.
What on earth's the matter?
Nancy, my best friend,
is in the UK,
and Jean is at some crime scene,
so I thought of you.
Well, I'm very flattered
to be third choice.
I received a Christmas card
from one of my bridesmaids.
She told me, very gently,
that the priest who married me
and Jeremy nearly 38 years ago
is not a priest at all.
Oh, no!
I know.
She saw a news article about him.
The priest character was a cover,
and he's actually a member
of the Parisian Mafia
and is serving 30 years in prison
for his heinous crimes.
Wow.
Which means that I am
a scarlet woman.
I've never been married.
What What can I do?
Er, well
First things first,
you have to tell Jeremy.
I can't.
I don't think I can find the words.
It's Jeremy.
What do I do? What do I do?
All right.
Answer the phone and act naturally.
Yes.
Hello, foxy chops!
Yeah, no, I'm at the garage.
I forgot to tell you
that Gloria has invited us
for Christmas drinks at the pub.
Yes. See you there.
Mwah, mwah, mwah!
Thank you.
Right.
I'd best go and get changed, then.
Giselle said
you weren't answering your phone,
so I thought I'd better come down
and see if you were OK.
Pardon, madame?
Oh, Joanna.
Who is Giselle?
She's my granddaughter.
She lives with us.
It's a long story.
You got your own way in the end,
didn't you, Mother dear?
You hated the ground he walked on!
She left me and my dad
when I was ten.
Ran away with another man.
Leaving me alone.
Didn't you, Mother?
You know it was never like that,
Christian.
Er, could you give your details
to one of my officers
in case we have any more questions?
Yeah, of course.
Take care.
Thank you.
Hello?
Calm Calm down, Jeremy.
Monsieur Delise, do you remember
seeing anything unusual?
Please, I just want to go
to the hospital to see my father.
But I still
have to take the show down.
My officers and I
will help you with that
and then give you a lift
to the hospital.
It's probably best you don't drive.
Of course. Thank you.
OK. Yeah.
Thanks for your help.
I can take it from here.
OK, well, if you need any more help,
just give me a call.
Of course.
Yeah.
Do you fancy a quick drink
in La Couronne?
Jeremy needs my help.
Oh, dear,
you look like you need this.
Oh, thank you.
On the house.
Thank you.
Hang on. I own the house.
Treat yourself, then.
It's Christmas Eve.
Oh! Thank goodness. Quickly.
Before Judith arrives.
What's going on?
I just got a call from
one of my groomsmen from my wedding.
Apparently, he found out the priest
that married us 37 years ago
was in fact a member
of the Parisian Mafia.
He was undercover as a priest,
meaning
we were never married.
Crikey!
Does Does Judith know?
No, of course not.
Don't you think you should tell her?
No, please don't say anything.
Any of you!
I need some thinking time.
Course not, mate. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Erm
Look, we're right here for you,
for both of you.
Another on the house?
Oh, thank you.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Here she is, Christmas personified.
Whey!
Merry Christmas, Judith.
Thank you, Jean.
Merry Christmas, Judith.
Merry Christmas, Jeremy.
Shall we have, erm, a quick one
before the choir starts?
Ooh, good idea. Let's grab a table.
I'll bring them over. Usual?
Yeah, thanks, Glo. You're an angel.
Yeah, I am.
Ooh, I like your head wear.
I like yours.
That's brilliant!
Thank you.
Hey. Can you keep a secret?
I was just about to ask you
the same thing.
You go first.
Judith has found out
from her old bridesmaid
that the priest who married her
and Jeremy isn't really a priest.
She's distraught.
Wish we could help.
That's just what Jeremy told me.
Let me have a think.
Keep going.
Right, round here.
Now stop and look up.
What?
Well, in the sky. Look up.
Right, now. Up there
is NGC 2264.
Catchy name
Well, it is a large emission nebula,
located about
2,500 light years away
in the constellation of Monoceros.
But it is most famous
for looking
exactly like a Christmas tree.
Aw.
When you're talking
about astronomy, well,
I don't know what you're on about
half the time, but
the way you say it, it's lovely.
I've had the best Christmas Eve
in years.
Yeah? Yeah, me too.
Erm It doesn't have to end now.
Oh. I-I meant
Well, if you're not ready
Oh, no, no. I am more than ready.
Oh. Oh, sorry. No, that sounded
a bit too keen, didn't it?
No, not at all.
Erm, I just need to make sure
you mean
what I think you mean
That is exactly what I mean.
Just a minute.
What's that?
That's just a few overnight things.
Actually, this this bag
has been in the boot of the car
since we first kissed.
Oh! I see.
Well be a shame not to use it,
then, eh?
Now I couldn't find
your Christmas mugs,
so I just used the regular ones.
Christmas mugs?
You sound like Gloria.
Who do you think bought me all mine?
I got you a present.
Oh, you haven't.
Oh, my
Oh, wow.
Is that an armillary sphere?
You haven't got one, have you?
No, no, no.
I've always wanted one, though.
Oh, good.
Oh, wow, that is amazing.
So, go on. Show me what it does.
Oh, right, well, when, er
when you turn this,
you see the movements
of the constellations
around the Earth.
Mm.
Oh, thank you so much, Jean.
I love it.
Aw!
I've actually got you a present
as well.
Oh. OK.
Oh, now,
I wonder what that can be?
Well, it's not an air fryer.
How did you know?
Well, I asked Charlie
who your favourite artists were,
and he's the only one
I'd ever heard of.
Oh, Dom, that that's so kind.
Come here.
Erm, sorry.
Merry Christmas, Carol.
Oh. Oh, dear.
Yeah. OK. Erm, I'll call Dom
and see if he can, erm,
drive me over.
What's up?
Frederick passed away in the night.
It's now a murder Inquiry.
Oh
I'm so sorry to ruin our day.
Don't be daft.
You're not ruling anything.
Jeremy and Judith always book me
to take them to church
Christmas morning
because, well, they're usually
too hung over to drive.
Well, they didn't strike me
as the religious type.
No, no, they're not.
They go to church once a year
just in case.
Right, I'll tell you what,
I'll drop you off,
and then we'll meet up later.
Thanks, Dom.
Come here.
In a bit.
See you in a bit. See you later.
Ooh, full uniform on Christmas Day?
Er, sign of respect.
I'm still on duty,
and a murder has been committed.
Fair enough.
Thank you for giving me
some of your Christmas Day, Jean.
Oh, anything to help.
What have we got?
So, this is the last photo
that was taken of Frederick alive.
Who took that?
A local press photographer.
The puppet hut was inspected
when we helped dismantled it.
Nothing.
I've been through his phone records,
and the last person he called
was Joanna, at 1:45pm.
So he called her?
Yes.
And then there is this.
When we searched their van,
we found an insurance policy.
It was taken out
only three weeks ago
by a certain C Delise.
Christian.
Exactly.
His distraught son
is now 100,000 euros better off.
We need to pay him a visit.
Well
Well, there's no time
like the Christmas present.
Not there. That's my father's chair.
Was my father's chair
So, so sorry. I'll, erm
We have checked
your father's phone records.
The last phone call your father ever
made was to your mother, Joanna.
Why do you think that is?
Probably because
he still loved her.
Who knows?
She left us
when I was just ten years of age.
And then she proceeded
to take my daughter, Giselle!
What do you mean?
Me, my wife and Giselle,
we all lived here with my father.
My wife left me
when Giselle was young.
And my mother said
me and Dad weren't fit
to bring her up.
That must have been, erm hard.
She applied for custody of Giselle,
and she got it.
Now my daughter hates me too.
You know, I wouldn't put it
past Joanna to see him off.
She has always wanted everyone
to hate me.
But now you are a rich man
with your father's insurance policy.
I I have absolutely no idea
what you're talking about.
I am talking
about the insurance policy
that you took out on your father
just three weeks ago.
Look. It's your signature, C Delise.
No.
Papa.
Are you denying this?
My father's real name
was Calvin Frederick.
But for some reason,
everyone knew him as Frederick.
This is HIS signature.
I am not allowed to open Claudie's
presents until after dinner
because even though she's
on the other side of the world,
she's got this
like a Christmas sixth sense.
My daughter, the festive Jedi.
Aw! Look at that.
Aw, in't that lovely?
Sorry, Dominic, could you
could you take me home?
I suddenly don't feel very well.
Eh? It's Christmas morning.
Please, Dominic,
I just want to go home.
Take us home, Dominic. Thank you.
Of course.
Families can be complicated.
I have never really believed
in "la famille avant tout".
"Family above all". No, me neither.
My sister stole me mother's pension.
Pardon?
It's a long story for another day,
but we were always
so very different,
like the gene that bonded us
was twisted somehow.
Mm. We can choose our friends,
but we can't choose our family.
Now, that is a proverb
I do believe in.
We need to know where Joanna was
at the time of the murder.
Do you think
she might have killed him?
There is clearly no love lost,
but whether she is capable of murder
is for us to ascertain.
Oh. Good morning.
Er, merry Christmas!
I profoundly regret calling
on Christmas morning.
Sadly, Frederick did not make it.
He passed away in the early hours.
Oh. That's awful news.
Er, well, you'd better come in.
Excuse the mess.
We're just opening our presents.
This is my husband, Hans.
Good morning.
Good morning.
And this is my granddaughter,
Giselle.
Bonjour.
Er, do take a seat.
Giselle
Frederick didn't make it,
I'm afraid.
I need to ask you
a rather sensitive question.
Oh, of course, anything.
The last phone call Frederick made
was to you.
Can you explain?
He was always ringing me,
asking me for money.
Blackmailing her.
Oh, Hans, please.
He'd say it was for Christian
and it was the least I could do.
How do you mean?
Well, they thought I deserted them,
but I didn't.
Just couldn't take any more of
of his abuse.
My plan was to leave
find a flat
and return for Christian.
But back then, French law stated
that if a woman
left the family home,
she'd to give up all her rights.
But that's awful.
Yes, until the '70s,
parental responsibilities
belonged solely to the father.
Puissance paternelle.
Oh, I knew the law was against me,
but
I wanted my son and me
away from Frederick.
I got a flat within weeks
and returned for Christian.
But in that time
he'd poisoned Christian's mind
against me so much
he wouldn't come with me.
I met Hans a year later.
Christian grew up, got married.
Had a daughter, Giselle.
But in that time, Christian's memory
had become so warped by his father.
And by alcohol.
The apple didn't fall far
from the tree, I'm afraid.
And when I heard
that Christian's wife had left him,
well, I knew Giselle
needed a family.
By then, Frederick and Christian
were drinking too much,
so I had to do something.
I mean, they were in no fit state
to bring up a child.
She would have ended up in care.
I let my son down.
But I was determined I wasn't gonna
let my granddaughter down as well.
Grand-mere
Isabella is her best friend,
but, I mean, they're like sisters.
Where were you
at the time of the murder?
We were at the matinee
of a Christmas show in town.
Yeah, I've got the program me here.
Oh, thanks.
Er, may I?
Of course.
Oh, wow.
You have a good eye.
I've just never seen one
in this good condition before.
What is it?
It's a shaving soap set
from the Civil War,
made of gutta-percha.
Gutta percha?
First type of plastic.
Oh, I only know
cos of the research I did
when I was present-shopping.
It's got the original soap!
It's amazing.
Grooming is a huge passion of mine.
Vintage items especially.
We have taken up enough
of your morning.
Thank you.
Well, if there's anything else
we can do to help
Do you mind if I nip
to your bathroom on the way out?
Of course!
It's up the stairs, straight ahead.
Thank you.
I will wait in the car.
OK.
Hiya.
I'm just searching for something.
Course you are. Shall I meet you
in the pub when you're done?
Little midday livener?
Yeah, you're on.
All right, bye, then.
Bye.
You hang up first.
You daft-head!
I'm gonna see you in a bit.
All right, bye.
Well, I never.
How exciting!
I can't seem to open it.
What is it, love?
Oh, that's lovely, darling.
Thank you. You're so clever.
About time, something to replace
that tatty old one.
Thank you so much. Mm
What did you make of that?
Something's not sitting right.
But they appear to have an alibi,
being at the theatre.
Obviously,
I will have to verify this.
I want you to have this.
Ooh, be careful.
A razor blade.
Where did you get this?
From their bathroom.
Jean, that is technically stealing!
It was just lying on the side.
Look, just check if it matches
the ones in the puppet,
and if not, then at least we can
rule them out and start again.
Very well.
But there is something
I have to do first.
Is that it?
It certainly is.
Right, Gloria. Well, you go
and spread some Christmas cheer
and deliver that little lot,
and there'll be a nice big drink
waiting for you when you get back.
Boozy hot chocolate?
With an extra flake.
Hey, Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas. You not stopping?
No, I'm on a mission.
Course you are.
I'll see you later.
Indeed, you will!
Jean.
You look lovely.
Oh, thank you. So do you.
Hey, erm, got something on
Living dangerously!
It's Christmas, innit?
So, how did you get on?
Well, Joanna and her husband
have an alibi.
They were at a matinee the time
Frederick was murdered.
Which one?
The Christmas show
at Sainte Victoire Theatre.
But that show was stopped because
the sprinkler system was set off
by somebody having a fag
in the toilets.
What time?
About three.
I've got to see Caron.
OK.
Caron. Their alibi,
it doesn't hold up. Tell him.
The Christmas play yesterday
was stopped at three o'clock.
Fire sprinklers were set off.
The whole theatre was evacuated.
I was rushed off my feet every fare
talking about it.
This razor blade is the same
as the ones sewn into the puppet.
Oh, my God.
Stay here.
I'm bringing them in.
Thought I heard the door.
Me too.
After you.
"Dress: Christmas best."
Patrick's a real entrepreneur.
Even on Christmas Day.
I suppose we should show our faces.
I agree.
- Put on a united front for our
- People.
What's wrong?
Oh, no, please. It's
It's just something in my eye.
Well, let me see.
I can't see anything.
Try pulling your eyelid down
as far as it will go.
It's fine. I think it's gone.
Shall we still wear
the matching velvet?
Of course.
Grandma!
Don't worry, darling.
We didn't do anything!
Madame, please.
You do not need to wait in the cell
with your grandparents.
You can wait over there.
I'm right here.
What have they said?
Well, apparently, the phone call
to Joanna was from Frederick,
threatening to sell the house
that she'd given up for Christian
if she didn't give him more money.
They said they tried
all the legal routes.
So, yesterday afternoon, they had
a meeting with Hans's brother,
who apparently knows that kind
of people who could scare Frederick.
They both deny
anything to do with the murder.
Hans's brother is not answering,
and Hans will not give up
his address.
So they're both lying.
Their story was pretty consistent,
but they must be.
Or maybe they're both
telling the truth.
Pardon?
The apron.
Thank you. You're so clever.
About time, something to replace
that tatty old one.
Oh, dear.
I think we need to question Giselle.
Dom, can you continue
manning the reception
while I call children's services?
Yeah, no problem.
I'm quite enjoying this copper vibe.
Where were you
yesterday afternoon?
My colleague asked you a question.
I went for a walk.
Where?
Just around.
You see, Giselle,
we know where you were.
You were at the Christmas market
when your grandfather got murdered.
Don't call him that!
Hans is my grandfather.
This is you, isn't it, Giselle?
Now, you can tell us how you did it,
or you can let your grandparents
spend Christmas night in a cell
just for you.
I hated him.
He was the cause
of all the upset in our lives.
Constantly blackmailing my grandma,
poisoning my dad against her.
The only reason my dad
has a drinking problem
is because his dad encouraged it.
That must have been hard
to grow up with.
When I heard that Frederick
was putting the house up for sale
behind Dad's back,
that was the last straw.
'I saw Hans's old-fashioned
razor blades and had an idea.
'At college, I made an exact copy
of his Guignol puppet
'..and fixed
the razor blades inside.
'I swapped the puppet
at the moment he always took it off.
'It's been the same show
since I can remember.'
- Non, madame.
- Si.
- Mais non.
- Mais si.
- Mais non.
- Mais non.
'I knew of Frederick's
blood condition.
'He was always so drunk,
he probably didn't feel a thing.'
What's going to happen to me?
I am going to leave you
in the hands of children's services,
as you are a minor.
But it's Christmas Day.
I really wanna hug you.
Oh, I know.
Poor kid.
Yeah, but when that poor kid
commits premeditated murder,
there's got to be consequences, Dom.
Whole life ruined because
of the bad behaviour of adults.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Ruined Christmas.
It's ruined Christmas.
To the death of that coat!
Hear, hear.
Merry Christmas.
Darling.
I have something to tell you.
You first.
The priest that married us
Is a criminal.
And we were never married.
Oh, so you knew? Oh, thank God!
I was scared if I told you
and you had the choice,
you might not want to stay with me
any more.
I know I drive you mad.
Judith
if I lived a thousand lives
I would track you down
and marry you
in every one of them.
Hey.
I am so glad you said that.
Come with me.
Shh, shh, they're coming.
They're coming.
I think it's time
to pop the question again, Jeremy.
Will you marry me?
Again.
A thousand times over.
When will it show
That the secret I keep
Is not mine on my own?
When will it show I'm in love? ♪