The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Christmas Special - Dec 24, 2024

Well Hello! I'm back! Got a "Black Friday" special price on the Acorn channel and am back in business watching Madame Blanc!

Early on in this Christmas episode while the characters are preparing for the festivities, a local puppeteer is mysteriously murdered while giving a show for kids by the beach. So Jean is called and must drop everything to unravel THAT mystery.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Judith have been given a rather silly side story, in my opinion. They each have been told by their own friends that the priest who had married them 30 years ago hadn't been a real priest and therefore their marriage isn't valid. (Could that actually happen? Wouldn't it have been registered as legal and wouldn't there be paperwork saying they were married?)

Anyway, we see them try to hide the news from each other to avoid upset, but it comes out and they must deal with it.

Judith's main concern is that Jeremy wouldn't WANT to marry her again, but he sets her straight:

Culminating in a happy Christmas wedding!

My Time Capsule Podcast - ep 349 - January 7, 2024

Just popping in to share the link to an episode of a podcast Robin was on! As usual, I found out about it over a year after it aired, but here it is, for anyone else that was unaware.
My Time Capsule Podcast - Episode 349

I listen to a lot of podcasts in general lately, and was happy to find one I'd not known about. Loved listening to Robin chat about his career and joke around. I learned a few new stories. It was cute to hear him talk about how he had to practically jump through hoops to get his part on "Madame Blanc" when he was used to just being handed roles in his younger years. Ha, and now look, he really is the most popular character on the show! The theme of guests picking items they would like to put in a time capsule was pretty interesting, too...a sort of fun little thing to do that's different. Gets the guests thinking, rather than staying in "interview mode"!

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Season 3, Episode 6 - February 8, 2024 - "Windows"

Well, here we are already, last episode of season 3! This one finds Dom's uncle Patrick in a quandary because a gangster he used to know is getting out of prison after many years - and has started to call him about a treasure map he left with him for safekeeping. Patrick thinks he had expected him to find the treasure for him while he was away, yet he's never been able to. Luckily, Jean takes it on!

Robin's Jeremy doesn't have anything to do with the main story...he and Judith are relegated to providing the comic relief, since the other side story is a heavy one about Dom's health. You just had to smile when they ran into each other in the health clinic.

Mostly Jeremy and Judith are planning fun new ways to bring business to their pub.

Others scoff at Judith's ideas, but Jeremy always stands by her and somehow it all seems to work out.

One of the funniest moments was when they were telling Gloria all about their new sustainability plan for the pub.

They tell her that they meet every animal before they allow it to be served at the pub,

and even named the pig that she had eaten.

The expression on everyone's faces - Gloria, shocked... Jeremy, proud... it was just perfect acting right there!

Anyway, to wrap it up, Jean figures out where the treasure is...

...Dom gets his health report, and something FINALLY is put into motion between Jean and Dom.

So....very much looking forward to next season!!!

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Season 3, Episode 5 - February 1, 2024 - "Kidnap"

This episode starts out with Judith's surprise at Jeremy taking her to lunch at one of Sainte Victoire's finest restaurants.

I found it funny, her remark about it having a "two year waiting list". They're in what seems like a very sparsely populated small town. Who are all these people clamoring to get in? AND who have what must be a lot of money to eat there? Jeremy and Judith seem to be the richest, most connected people in town, so why would she be surprised that he could get THEM a reservation? Hmmm.

So, anyway, it turns out to be a surprise birthday party for Judith, and a few of their local friends are there.

Awww....So SWEET!

Included in the party is a dear old friend of Judith's from way back, Nancy, who came with her snarky sister. At one point Nancy excuses herself to go find the restroom but when she doesn't come back, Judith starts to worry.

All of a sudden, Jeremy gets a message on his phone that shows photos of a tied up Nancy... she's been kidnapped!

Luckily, since Jean is right there, she starts trying to figure out who may be some possible suspects. As usual, there are a few wrong turns, including one Jeremy has his own suspicions about.

But eventually they receive a ransom message.

Including a clue that gets Jean to remember something she saw at the party that finally leads her to the place where Nancy is being kept and the person who took her.

But... in a final surprise, it turns out that the person who took her isn't the person who arranged the whole kidnapping.

So, a pretty good one, in my opinion, with lots of Robin! I like that it includes some background information on the characters of Jeremy and Judith, that give them more depth. It's interesting how even though Jean White is the main character, she isn't given as much character development as a lot of the side characters are given. Maybe that's still coming, as there are still hints of a possibly romantic interest from Dom.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Season 3, Episode 4 - January 25, 2024 - "Fashion"

Jeremy and Judith offer their Chateau to fashion designer Violet Oliver for a fashion show of her new collection.

Although Jeremy seems to have gotten tired of the demanding Violet staying at their home.

During the show, Violet comes on stage and, unexpectedly, the electricity goes out and she falls off the balcony.

The crowd is surprised when she pops up again, unhurt.

Violet confides later that she was in fact pushed, and now Jean White inserts herself into the investigation.
The group talks over the possible suspects, as there aren't that many that could have done it.

But as each one is investigated, they come no closer to solving the mystery. Violet's stay at the Chateau must be prolonged, much to Jeremy's dismay.

When one of the models then turns up dead, Jean knows there's something deeper going on. New questions need to be asked...

In the end, Jean figures out the REAL story, and it's a bit sad.
But Jeremy is eager to finally push Violet out the door! ha ha

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Season 3, Episode 3 - January 18, 2024 - "Jackal"

The episode starts out with a woman getting shot as she stands at a bus stop in the middle of the small town's shopping district, in broad daylight. Everyone is out and about enjoying their day, and witnesses the event but no one sees who did it. Jeremy and Judith, who are still trying to run their pub, get an idea about how to make money off all the people the murder will be bringing into town.

They'll give away free crepes, thus drawing people into the pub and hopefully spending money on other food and drink.

Great scene with Jeremy as crepe chef! Longtime Robin fans will notice a familiar scene from "Bless this House"!!

I love it when they do stuff like that! Anyway, with the amount of ingredients they needed to buy and the amount that falls on the floor and is wasted, they wind up not being all that profitable.

Jeremy and Judith are exhausted and decide they really need to find someone to help.

Coincidentally, Steve's uncle happens to be in town and mentions that he's owned and managed a few pubs in his day and offers to help out...

...only to find himself with a job offer and a place to live!

So, just like that, we get a new regular castmember! In the meantime, of course, Jean White is solving the murder case, coming to wrong conclusions, bringing in a lot of trivia about antiques, etc. But yes, figured out in the end with the help of the dead girl's father who has come from out of town. Nothing left for me to say except enjoy some more of these fun then and now scenes!