The Labyrinth Of The Minotaur is the second episode of the fifth season of Father Brown.
While a stately family on the rails attempts to arrange a wealthy marriage for the eldest son, their once-corrupted maid falls off the roof of the manor. Fingers point to Bunty Windermere, visiting niece of Lady Felicia, but a mysterious underground labyrinth may lead in another direction, and towards a deep family secret.
Tropes:
- Arranged Marriage: Robert "Bobby" Malmort and Joan Vanderlade.
- Becoming the Mask: Despite his awkward distaste for the arranged marriage, Bobby actually begins to be attracted to Joan and her intellect. He is disappointed when he fears the engagement may be called off.
- The Butler Did It
- Grand Romantic Gesture: Completely inverted. Bobby's proposal to Joan is to suddenly hand her a ring box and tell her all he needs from her is a couple of kids. Joan's reaction is somewhere between shock, dismay, and horror.Bobby Malmort: An heir, and a spare, and you can do your own thing.
- Greed: Logan balks at the implication that he would have killed Violet Rose simply to keep the family secret a secret. However, Father Brown points out that he's being paid very well as Arthur's caretaker (as well as family butler), and if the secret were to out, Arthur would be institutionalized, and Logan would lose that cushy gig.
- Happily Ever After: It's suggested by Joan that she, Bobby, and Arthur will get along "famously" as a family.
- He Knows Too Much: Violet Rose discovers Arthur in the hidden room, and is found by Logan. While she agrees not to tell, Logan decides it is too much of a risk and knocks her out with a blow to the head.
- Higher Education Is for Women: Noteworthy as this is The '50s and the typical reason for a woman to go to higher education is for a MRS Degree. But Joan is actually studious, bookish, and bright.
- Hot Pursuit: Mallory and Goodfellow arrive at the manor to arrest Bunty, but Bunty is hot on the tail of Logan, who has driven away after locking Father Brown in the attic with Arthur. Bunty nearly runs down Mallory trying to get after Logan, and he and Goodfellow follow in suit.
- Madwoman in the Attic: Bobby's brother Arthur, who has been publicly declared dead, is actually being hidden away in an upstairs room in the manor, because of intellectual disability.
- The Maze: The Malmort manor has an Underground Level maze on the property, styled after the labyrinth of the minotaur. Legend has it the last explorer of the maze never made it out.
- Meaningful Name: "Malmort" literally means "bad death."
- More than Meets the Eye: Logan isn't in fact simply a butler — it turns out he is also a mental deficiency nurse, to look after Arthur.
- Never Suicide: Violet Rose's death is initially deemed suicide by jumping off the roof, but the coroner's report indicates she died from a blow to the head before falling. Father Brown is the one to first call it out.
- Violet Rose had been talking to Bunty about her plans to save money and move to London the night she died, which casts doubt on the suicide theory.
- Nobility Marries Money: The modus operandi of Lady Malmort trying to hook her son up with the daughter of a wealthy financier, despite being "common as muck."
- Put on a Train: Lady Felicia's husband has been appointed Governor of Northern Rhodesia, and she is obligated to leave with him. The episode ends with a teary goodbye as she heads on the train out of Kembleford, indefinitely.
- This sets up Bunty to take her place in the series.
- Shown Their Work: Joan explains she safely was able to navigate the underground labyrinth by using a graph theory algorithm to reliably traverse a closed network.Joan: Mazes without loops are known as "simply connected," or "perfect," and are equivalent to a tree in graph theory.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Davina Malmort is stern, rigid, and commanding, but it turns out she cares very much for her children, including her mentally deficient one. She rejects placing Arthur in an asylum because, she laments, none of them seemed to have children that were enjoying life. While still being more or less institutionalized by being hidden away, he's at home, among his favorite people and things, and well cared for.
- Nice to the Maid: Bunty catches Violet Rose trying on her shawl; she is fond of her good nature and instead of raising a hackle, lets her keep it.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Of the "social rules" variety. Lady Malmort is certain that the discovery of Arthur is a scandal that will invalidate the engagement of Bobby and Joan. However, not being a title-fretting stick in the mud, Mr. Vanderlade brushes it off.Norman Vanderlade: 800 years of history, there's bound to be the odd skeleton in the closet.
