Ep 4. The Shadow of Scaffold

Father Brown season 2 episode 4, titled "The Shadow of the Scaffold," follows the Catholic priest detective as he investigates a series of murders in a village filled with dark secrets.

The episode begins with the hanging of a notorious criminal, Jack Finch, in the town square. While the townspeople celebrate the execution, Father Brown notices something odd about the hanging - the knot used to tie the noose is the same knot he taught to a suspect he caught stealing a horse earlier that day. As he investigates further, he discovers that the hanging was not what it seemed, and that Finch may not have been the only victim.

As Father Brown delves deeper into the case, he encounters a cast of characters with shady pasts. There's the village pariah, Margaret Denning, who was convicted of murdering her husband and has not been fully exonerated despite her claims of innocence. There's also her son, Thomas, who seems to have inherited his father's violent tendencies and has a history of run-ins with the law. Then there's the local magistrate, Sir Edward Rice, who has a personal vendetta against the Dennings and seems eager to see them condemned for any crime, regardless of their guilt or innocence.

In the midst of all this, Father Brown is forced to confront his own past mistakes when his former commanding officer, Colonel Barnes, arrives in town. Barnes, who led Brown during his time as a soldier in World War I, is haunted by the memory of a terrible decision he made during the conflict. As Brown helps him come to terms with his guilt, he also sees parallels between his own past and the present situation in the village.

As the body count rises, Father Brown must use all his wit and intuition to solve the case and catch the real killer before it's too late. Along the way, he grapples with questions of guilt and innocence, retribution and redemption, and the secrets that people will do anything to keep hidden.

Overall, "The Shadow of the Scaffold" is a gripping and intense episode that showcases Father Brown at his best. With its complex characters, intricate plot, and themes of justice and forgiveness, it's a standout installment in an already impressive series.