The Madame Blanc Mysteries - Dec 23, 2025 - "Christmas Special"

Even though this is the Christmas episode, it really doesn't have much to do with Christmas, outside of some decorations in the background. So, who knows why they chose this story for the "Christmas Special".

Jean, Dom, Jeremy and Judith are among a small group invited to the local art museum for a fancy gala, the purpose of which is to woo donations from wealthy patrons. Jean is invited especially for her expertise in the antique world. She would be identifying and authenticating a surprise recent acquisition. If real, this piece would hopefully prove to the patrons the museum's ability to acquire top-notch art. There is a brand new director of the museum who is very eager to show off his ability to run the place.

So, the four make their way over there and marvel at all the beautiful art.

After all the initial introductions and pleasantries, the surprise piece is brought out for Jean to examine.

It is an ornate 18th century chest, supposed to have been owned by Marie Antoinette herself! But...when Jean opens it, they find that it contains a ticking time bomb! What the.....??? As they try to escape, they find that the security guard has been shot and all the doors have been locked...trapping them inside!

The group puzzles over the whys and hows...

Eventually a note is discovered alongside the bomb. It is addressed to Jean, and contains a poem, which possibly when deciphered contains a clue as to how to disarm the bomb. The group spread out, trying to figure it out but have no luck. As time ticks away, each start giving up hope and try to accept imminent death.

But Dom gives the despairing Jeremy and Judith a stern talking to and they jump up and start throwing out ideas about who amongst them could possibly be involved...

OK, if you have not seen the episode yet and want to discover the answers for yourself, I'm going to warn you right now that there are spoilers ahead......

So....all their theories fall apart when the girl who had been hired on as a server for the party and the boyfriend of the museum director step up with a gun and reveal it was they who had set up the whole thing.

They quickly exit, leaving the rest of the group behind with the still ticking bomb. Jean is able to do some quick thinking and, with literally 2 seconds left to spare, enters the code and disarms it.

Meanwhile, the local police officer, Caron, had been working with Gloria and Patrick outside, trying to find a way to get inside through the underground tunnels. Caron had just about found his way when he met up with the bad guys escaping and was luckily able to capture them.

So the group is finally able to relax and enjoy a nice Christmas dinner:

However, there are some loose ends that need tying up! Jean still doesn't understand why she was singled out with that poem and why the need for the whole bomb situation if all the thieves wanted to do was break in to the safe and steal valuables. Caron has allowed her to come by and talk to the girl about it.

The girl is ready to talk. She reveals the story behind how she got involved with the scheme. She had met the mastermind while they had both been in prison at the same time. She honestly doesn't know why the woman arranged the whole thing or why she had so much animosity toward Jean.

So....there we are left, with a glimpse of the woman who is still behind bars...and an unanswered question about who she is. Unless perhaps I'm forgetting something about some enemy Jean had in an early episode? I vaguely remember in the first season there was something with some woman involving the death of Jean's husband.

But! For now, another season wrapped up! Good job, Robin! So happy to see you regularly in this series. You were looking very dapper in this episode! I hear there's a season 5 coming up and I am looking forward to it!