Sins of the Father is the ninth episode of the fourth season of Father Brown.
Mr. Twyman, a troubled man in therapy, is receiving menacing letters telling him to confess something, or else there will be consequences. The last letter indicates his son will be murdered if he does not confess. Despite locking his house tight, his son is killed that evening while playing piano. Oddly, the father insists that a rival for the village talent show is the only likely culprit.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Rosie Everton, when Robert Twyman stops by and she is playing the Trigger Phrase musical piece.
- All Psychology Is Freudian: Dr. Jackson is a true believer in the Freudian psychoanalysis method. Inspector Mallory jibes him about the Freudian Excuse theory, which he soundly defends.
- Cronyism:
- Wallace gets the job as Twyman's butler due to having worked for him at the airplane factory, and being involved in the corner-cutting cover-up.
- Calvin is secretly informed about the talent show judge's favorite musical piece by way of Dr. Jackson, who is a friend of the judge.
- Cutaway Gag: When Lady Felicia sees Rosie Everton's body, she predictably screams. Cut immediately to Inspector Mallory in his office, mouth agape, yawning.
- Cutting Corners: Twyman Aircraft was fitting faulty parts on their airplanes to save money. They were threatened to be exposed, but the story was quashed, and the company never found liable.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: When Father Brown visits Rosie, we see the sheet music on her piano, which is clearly hand-written in pen. Father Brown commends her on her foray into composing, but she poo-poohs it as "nothing." It's the copied version of the piece Calvin secretly receives, which we later learn Wallace let her in to copy down.
- Frenemy: Mrs. McCarthy and Lady Felicia spar over Mrs. M passive-aggressively threatening to take Felicia's place. In the end, when Felicia can't get over her stage fright during the variety show, Mrs. McCarthy comes on stage to make it a duet, holding Felicia's hand for support.
- From New York to Nowhere: Rosie Everton was a successful, award winning journalist in London, but she's inexplicably moved to Kembleford writing about petty local issues. She explains it's to have more time to devote to her hobbies, such as her piano playing.
- Lame Pun Reaction:Lester Wallace: I was an engineer.Father Brown: At the aircraft factory?Wallace: Yeah, I was a panel fitter.Brown: I heard it's a riveting job. [smirk]Wallace: [unamused look]
- Serious Business: The talent show is taken very, very seriously by all concerned.
- Calvin, Mr. Twyman's son, refuses to reveal the musical piece he will play in the show, to avoid being one-upped. Rosie Everton, his strongest competition, is furious at the secrecy.
- Calvin has in fact pulled strings to find out the judge's favorite musical piece, in order to get a sympathetic advantage from the judge.
- It is suggested, however incredulously, that Rosie would literally kill in order to win the show.
- Rosie herself sneaks into the Twyman's house to find out the aforementioned secret musical piece and copy it down.
- When Lady Felicia begins to suffer from self-conscious stage fright (thanks to a cruel psychology demonstration which exposes her insecurities) and complains of throat issues, frenemy Mrs. McCarthy gleefully offers to take her place. Lady Felicia becomes indignant and insists she will be able to perform.
- Shown Their Work: The opposite version; Lady Felicia tells Sid she needs pineapple to help her throat; Sid doesn't know what a pineapple is. In the UK in the 1950s, the pineapple was still relatively expensive as food, and was considered a status symbol for a long time (leading to the pineapple shape's use in fine decor). It takes Sid some time to get one.
- The Butler Did It: The police find that the butler, Wallace, the only other person in the house, had his bags packed along with the house's stolen silver and a stash of cash, and he becomes their immediate prime suspect.
- Trigger Phrase: A certain piece of music is used to trigger Robert Twyman to kill. The music chosen is the one sent to Calvin. Unfortunately, Rosie secretly copies the piece, and is playing it when Robert Twyman visits her the next day. Apparently, it also can trigger suicide, as Jackson instructs the police to play Robert a record that he sends them, of the piece.
