‘Marble Hall Murders’ Is Punctuated by Poisoned Ladies

Episode two of Marble Hall Murders is less balanced than the premiere, giving us more of Pünd’s world than Susan’s. That can sometimes be a problem, as the Chalfont family is insufferable. First there’s Lady Chalfont’s second husband, the grumbling, grumpy Elmer, with Mark Bonnar trying his hardest to wrangle an American accent. (Spoiler: It’s not going well.) Then there’s arrogant son Jeffrey and his annoying wife, Lola, where the actress is laying it on thick in a performance that borders on caricature. Daughter Judith, an oddly passionless archaeologist, and her sniveling husband, Harry, make a milquetoast pair. Grandson Cedric, on the other hand, is an adorable little sociopath, and I hope he gets more screen time.

Greek police detective Achilles Vassilikos (Zubin Varla) is introduced to the plot in this episode, officially roping Pünd in to assist with Lady Chalfont’s suspicious death. The eyepatch-wearing Vassilikos is a heavy-handed presence that almost skews into parody. The Greek detective’s real-life inspiration in Eliot’s world, Frederick Turner (also Varla), is Miriam Crace’s adopted son and the only member of the family still living at Marble Hall, now a museum dedicated to Miriam’s “Little People” book series.

Susan officially agrees to be Eliot’s editor. He later admits to Susan that his family inspired the book’s characters. She warns of the dangers in using people from his real life as story fodder – it’s what got Alan Conway killed. Eliot, who seems to want to be discovered, implies that the truth of his grandmother’s death is hidden in his novel, which compels Susan to investigate.