The Maddest of All is the second episode of the second season of Father Brown.
When an ex-serviceman drops dead in the street, Father Brown investigates the facility where he was a patient. Could something sinister lie beneath the surface at Danvers Retreat?
Tropes:
- Go Among Mad People: Father Brown feigns insanity to be admitted into an asylum for an independent investigation into a murder case which turned out to be not as simple as it first appeared.
- It Will Never Catch On: The director is also experimenting with hallucinogens for treating trauma, a form of therapy that is now finding serious consideration in the 2020s.
- Mistaken Death Confirmation: The doctor is so sure of his disproven diagnosis that he suggests it's in Father Brown's "department" — aka resurrection. It's later determined that the doctor is Drinking on Duty.
- My Greatest Failure: Dr. Miller has never forgiven himself for his drink driving causing the car crash which killed his wife and left his son severely brain damaged. The events of the episode are due to him trying to fix the latter, by any means possible.
- Not Quite Dead: Felix Underwood wakes up in his coffin during the funeral. Needless to say, he's a bit shaken right afterwards.
- Shown Their Work: The inspector suggests that Mrs. Underwood play some music for Felix, and after she does, he snaps out of his stupor. There have been some promising results of music therapy bringing (sometimes temporary) lucidity and animatedness to people with dementia and other similar disorders.
- The asylum director is experimenting on patients with tetrodotoxin, which is also known as the zombie drug, which causes near-stasis in the body, and memory loss.
- Speaks in Shout-Outs: Sarah, who has seen much of what has happened, leaves notes comprised of only Bible verses. This makes Father Brown particularly useful to the case, although she actually knows the bible better than he does, and he pursues her company to hear more.
- Unwitting Test Subject: Dr. Millard has been experimenting on his patients for years. The murder in the episode was a result of one of these experiments going awry.
Trivia:
- Actor Allusion: Father Brown's actor (Mark Williams) played Arthur Weasley, father of Ron, and the asylum director's actor (Adrian Rawlins) played James Potter, father of Harry, in the Harry Potter movies. One character, Jeremy, is a close lookalike of Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe, is obsessed with magic, and wears a wizard hat. It further turns out that Jeremy is the director's son, fulfilling the allusion.
- Literary Allusion Title: Referenced in the episode, the title refers to a quote by Voltaire:Men will always be mad, and those who think they can cure them are the maddest of all.
