The Daughters of Jerusalem is the sixth episode of the second season of Father Brown.
Father Brown finds himself immobilised with a broken leg when a member of Kembleford's WI dies in mysterious circumstances. Can he crack the case armed only with a telescope and the gang to help?
Tropes:
- Affably Evil: As the murderer prepares to kill Father Brown, he says "I'm looking forward to all this being over. Popping the question... maybe a kiddie or two..."
- Ambiguously Bi: Father Roland
- Detective Mole: PC Pugh
- Embarrassing Slide: The Women's Institute is supposed to be watching a film on the educating orphans in Swaziland, only for the film to turn out to a hardcore (for The '50s) porno.
- Head-Tiltingly Kinky: As everyone else erupts in shock and disbelief, Lady Felicia is watching...intently.
Lady Felicia: Well, this ''is'' educational! - Framing the Guilty Party: This is what Mrses. Bunyon, Thimble, and Fortescue believe they are doing when they testify, falsely, against Albert Evans. It's this false testimony that motivates the killer (Evans' son) for revenge.
- Holier Than Thou: Father Roland is incredibly pious and tends to look down on Father Brown because of it. It turns out to be over-compensating for guilt due to his love for a woman he met while a missionary.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: PC Pugh is attempting to invoke this on his targets: three women who, twenty years prior, had perjured themselves in court and sent his father to the gallows for a murder he didn't commit. He kills two of them himself and leaves evidence at the scenes implicating the third, hoping to send her to the same fate his father suffered. He likely would've gotten away with it, too, had he not tried to also silence Father Brown once the latter got too close to the truth, leading the priest to cleverly out-gambit him.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: Pugh plans to dispose of Father Brown by causing him to have a fatal tumble in his wheelchair, which can be easily passed off as an unfortunate accident when the time comes to investigate.
- Phone-In Detective: Father Brown is laid up with a broken leg and solves the murders from his bedroom, with Mrs. McCarthy, Lady Felicia and Sid doing his legwork for him.
- "Rear Window" Homage
- Stating the Simple Solution:Father Brown: I think we need to find out what was in Miss Thimble's letter.Lady Felicia: How on earth do we do that?Father Brown: I think... we should ask her.Mrs. McCarthy: [awed smile]
- Speaks in Shout-Outs: Biblical edition: The anonymous letters sent to Bunyon and Thimble includes Proverbs 19:9.A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall perish.
- Only One Plausible Suspect: The never seen before, yet very familiar-acting character, is one of the killers. In this case, the inexplicably very well known policeman who has only ever appeared in this episode.
