Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 10 Review: The Pall of LaPier
Christine Orlando
at
.
Updated at
.
Death, betrayal and insanity all played their part on Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 10, but so did friendship, bravery and loyalty.
With 50 people shockingly dead, this season finale certainly had its twists and turns, and the mystery of it reminded me of some of my favorite stories from The X-Files, when the show didn’t have to be horrifyingly dark to grab our attention.
But Houdini & Doyle has a flavor all its own, from the landscape to the costumes to the characters. It’s definitely the characters I’ve grown to love over the course of the season, with my favorite being Harry Houdini.
Houdini reminds me a lot of one of my favorite all-time TV characters, Patrick Jane from The Mentalist.
They both used their keen sense of observation and inherent skepticism and intelligence to debunk supernatural theories and the people who perpetrate them. They also generally say whatever is on their mind…
Alright, so you're a bigot. Is there anyone credible we can talk to?
Houdini
In Houdini’s case, his task is a little more difficult as their was less science in his time to come up with more plausible explanations. Still, I enjoyed hearing Harry scoff at Adelaide and Doyle as they worried the devil had descended on the town.
Yet, despite their openness to otherworldly theories, it was Adelaide and Doyle who figured out that the gas coming from the mine was what killed most of the town and watching them follow the breadcrumbs through the maze of clues was fascinating and fun.
I was actually surprised how intrigued I was in the case considering I went into this episode only really caring about how Adelaide would react to the revelation that Benjamin was still alive.
I was relieved that she told them both the truth, although I wish the dialogue had spent a little more time on that revelation. But both Houdini and Doyle reacted with what felt like the right amount of concern for their friend and skepticism over Benjamin's motives.
As Harry himself pointed out in this Houdini & Doyle quote…
Your dead husband shows up begging you to drop the case. Why? Because he cares about you? This coming from a man who let you find him hanging from a rafter.
Houdini
That was the point that kept niggling the back of my mind as well. Benjamin kept insisting that he loved her, but would someone who truly loved her put her through that kind of agony? Not only allowing her to believe he was dead but letting her find his body hanging after a supposed suicide. That’s just cruel.
But I guess assassins aren’t generally kind. Benjamin being a killer instead of an undercover agent made so much sense that it was hardly a shock when it was revealed.
The surprises came right after that when he shot Doyle and was then killed by Adelaide. Oddly enough, Adelaide killing Benjamin was a weak spot in the story for me; not that she did it, but that I wanted there to be more emotion surrounding it.
In the end, our intrepid threesome sailed back to England. Adelaide, now single although I’m certain she won’t be quick to trust anyone romantically for quite some time, Doyle, who decided to resurrect Sherlock Holmes, and Houdini who has begun to question his own sanity.
I’ll admit I wasn’t the biggest fan of Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 1 but the series has steadily grown on me throughout its run. Over the last few weeks, I have become well and truly hooked and am rooting for FOX to grant us a second season.
The series doesn't originate in the United States, so ratings may not play the part they play in most renewals and cancelations. Fingers crossed!
Just out of curiosity, who is your favorite character on Houdini & Doyle?
If you want to see more, you can always watch Houdini & Doyle online here at TV Fanatic.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
