Recap / Father Brown S 1 E 6

The Bride of Christ is the sixth episode of the first season of Father Brown.

When two nuns die in mysterious circumstances at St. Agnes convent, Father Brown investigates with the aid of Sister Boniface, an eager young fan of detective novels.

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Tropes:

• Accidental Murder: Sister Mary Magdalene had the poor luck of falling for the trap meant for the killer's intended victim.
• Artistic License – Pharmacology: Two nuns are murdered with potassium ferrocyanide covered hard candy. Cyanide would kill most oxygen-breathing organisms, but ferrocyanide would not. And it is stated in the very episode! However, Potassium ferrocyanide (K4[Fe(CN)6]×3H2O) can be (and, until 1900, was) used to create its much more lethal cousin, Potassium cyanide (KCN); and the winery's quality control station is a fully equipped chemical lab with everything needed to pull this off.
• Genre Savvy: Sister Boniface just loves being in involved in a murder mystery. She's even holding a copy of Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide when the police come to interview her.
  • Trivia: Sister Boniface becomes an Ascended Extra with her own series about a decade after this episode.
• Mystery Magnet: As Inspector Valentine rather tiredly notes:

  Inspector Valentine:^note ''(finding Father Brown administer Last Rites to the victim) I already thought I'd find you here.

• Running Gag: People mistaking Mrs. McCarthy's goddaughter for a boy, and her outrage over it. Becomes far less funny when delusional murderer believes that the baby is her long lost son, and promptly absconds with the child.
• Stealth Hi/Bye: Happens as Father Brown is questioning a couple of nuns. Both nuns are surprised when Father Brown takes off as they're admitting their sins.
• Stock Shout-Outs: When Father Brown returns to the convent (also possibly an example of Hidden Depths):

  Inspector Valentine: Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?! (To his sergeant) And don't take me literally!

  Sergeant (confused):Sir?

  Valentine: Oh forget it!

• Sympathetic Murderer: The killer had her baby forcibly taken from her and was thrown into a mental asylum thanks to orders given by Sister Paul, the second (and intended) victim of the episode, and has completely lost touch with reality due to the resulting trauma. Father Brown is visibly heartbroken for her when the truth finally comes out.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: Both of the victims were killed by eating candies that were covered in ferrocyanide.