It Was a Dark and Stormy Night is the first episode of season 8, Mice & Murder.
Intro[]
"Gathering storm clouds, dark, over the countryside of a land both familiar and fantastical, for indeed, I invite you all to come now to a land that some of you might be familiar with. We arrived on a dark and stormy night in the countryside, 90 minutes northwest by train of London, in the country of England, in a little village called Tufting Meadows.
But perhaps Tufting Meadows is a little bit different than one might imagine, for we see the statue of King Charles there in the village square of Tufting Meadows, a short walk along cobblestones slick with rainwater from the train station. King Charles looks as we all know King Charles to look: dapper boots, a sort of fencing sabre at his side, and, of course, his head, with a long muzzle, a wet nose, long, fluffy ears, because, of course, we all know that King Charles was himself a Cavalier Spaniel, for indeed we are here in the merry English countryside with all of the lovely woodland animals that populate all parts of England and, indeed, the world, for this is a tale of mice and murder.
Storm clouds rumble on the horizon. And, though the storm has not fully broken here above the village, it is coming. A slight drizzle of rain slicks the pavement, the cobblestones reflecting the dim gaslight of lamps here in the village square. A long shadow stretches up the country lane, and the sound of pebbles and dirt scraping against metal as a long shovel is dragged upon the shadowy road. A figure, stooped and hunched over but still frighteningly tall, and a top hat perched upon the brow of a sneering weasel."
Synopsis[]
In the dark streets of the small town of Tufting Meadows, Gangie Green slinks towards the graveyard of the local church, Our Lady of Prayerful Paws. He begins the gruelling task of digging up another body (this time, an elderly goat) for an unknown benefactor in Loam Hall before beginning to leave.
Inside the church, Vicar Ian Prescott is busy attending to recent widow Catherine McCabbage, who is trying to calm herself and collect her thoughts after she had sworn she'd been hearing her recently departed husband's voice. After Ian makes a decidedly unconvincing attempt to convince Catherine that her husband may be speaking to her through him, she begins to rethink seeking out his help, and apologises for being a bother. Suddenly, a flash of lightning illuminates a figure in the graveyard to Ian. He goes to investigate the figure, and discovers that it is Gangie in the graveyard with a bag slung over his shoulder. Upon asking Gangie about his presence in the graveyard at this hour, Ian is told to mind his own business, and he decides to do just that, allowing Gangie to disappear into the night.
At 22B Hampstead Street, Lars Vandenchomp finishes up a phone call on a newly-installed telephone, before going to make conversation with their roommate, the famous Detective Sylvester Cross. Sylvester is reading a recently published article about the infamous case at Tufting Meadows that he just couldn't crack. Lars delivers him his mail, which includes a letter from Squire William Thornwall Brockhollow, who both shames him once again for not being able to solve the case, and invites him to his 60th birthday party. Sylvester reminds Lars not to let insulting letters like this reach him in the future, and quips about how rude it was for Brockhollow to invite him to his party only to humiliate him further. At this point, Lars reveals that they had already RSVP'd to the event, and that a car would be picking them both up in 45 minutes. Sylvester instructs Lars to pack his things for him, and Lars takes a very hot shower before rolling all over Sylvester's clothes, steaming them perfectly. Together, they pack themselves into a motor car, and begin their journey from London to Loam Hall.
In a similar manner, a train makes it way towards Tufting Meadows, carrying Buckster $ Boyd, a prominent oil baron, and his business partner Daisy D'umpstaire, along with his armadillo CFO and accountant, Armond Armadillo. The three are driven from the train station to Loam Hall by the Squire's chuffer, Templeton Padhop, with Armond unfortunately utilised as one of the car's wheels. Buckster and Daisy arrive at the manor and are greeted by servants, including Milo Snout, the footman, who welcome them to Loam Hall.
As Lars and Sylvester arrive, Lars spots Gangie Green, whom they know to be a career criminal, sitting on the fountain outside the manor. As the two walk up the path, Sylvester greets Ian, as he arrives at much the same time. Lars is also greeted by Squire Brockhollow's self-proclaimed "eccentric" sister, Lucretia Brockhollow. She seemingly randomly mentions a curse that has been placed upon her family since a crypt was opened by one of her relatives, but quickly changes the topic. She and Lars take to one another immediately, bonding over a shared love of astrology and horoscopes, with Lars quickly guessing that she is a Leo. Though she attempts to guess their star sign, she fails rather miserably, though Lars doesn't seem to mind, especially when Lucretia invites them to a séance later in the evening.
As the party begins in earnest, Daisy looks around for Catherine McCabbage, who appears not to have arrived, and, though she notices Constance and Jeremy Brockhollow, Squire Badger's children, talking about something important, she is too wrapped up in another conversation with Lady Eugenia Bristlebrush to hear what they are saying. However, Buckster manages to catch Daisy's eye, and takes the time to listen in on the siblings' conversation, learning that Catherine declined their invitation, and that Constance is concerned that her absence will cast the family in a poor light. Buckster moves across the room to speak with the Brockhollow siblings' husbands: Dr. Corbin Magpie (Constance's husband) and Osmond Sheffield (Jeremy's husband). Buckster makes polite conversation with them before he is intercepted by Constance, who inquires about his relationship to her father, before Jeremy joins the conversation as well. They talk about the American constitution when it comes to drinking, and Buckster immediately finds himself in good standing with Jeremy. Whilst with the Brockhollow siblings, he spots Gangie standing just outside the door, attempting to catch his eye. They noiselessly acknowledge each other.
Ian suddenly remembers that he'd forgotten to give penance at the last mass, and begins moving around the gathered guests to amend this. He strikes up conversation with Lord Eustace Bramble and his wife, Lady Winnifred, who thank him for all that he's done for the parish. When Winnifred seeks advice from the Lord about what to do in these trying times, Ian advises her to take charge and do something, although the words go directly over Winnifred's head. Eustace ends the interaction by handing Ian a large sum of money to make sure that his family remains in good standing with the church. At this point, Squire Brockhollow's butler, Thomas Gilfoyle, calls everyone to the banquet hall to commence festivities.
Buckster meets outside with Gangie, handing him a large sum of money in exchange for a list of names of the corpses that Gangie was tasked to dig up by someone in Loam Hall, an individual that claimed to be giving orders on behalf of Squire Badger himself. Just as they finish their transaction, they are intercepted by Mrs. Matilda Molesly, a housekeeper and head of the maid-staff. She tells Gangie that there is a cup of tea and some scones with some clotted cream waiting for him in the kitchen if he would like it. Gangie accepts.
In the banquet hall, Squire Badger stands on the dais, and gives a speech to the party goers: ''Friends, one and all, of Loam Hall. You have committed the rather inadvisable act of attending the 60th birthday celebration of a known bore, and a rather dull one at that. A dark shadow hangs over Tufting Meadows with the sad demise this last summer of one of my very own employees, the beloved Connor McCabbage, and, to all of our working folk here in Tufting Meadows, we wish well, and, in these trying times, we have taken every measure, including the hiring of Sylvester Cross, who, although he was not able to find any foul play, did his due diligence. But, working with Mr. Cross and Scotland Yard, though the case may be closed, our hearts never are, which is why I am happy to say that the Brockhollow Estate will be gifting a sum in excess of 150,000 pounds to the Anglican Church, and specifically to Our Lady of Prayerful Paws.''
At this point in the speech, Constance reminds Squire Badger of the "thank you" letter that he received from the Cardinal of the Church, but he instructs her not to read it, claiming not to want to draw further attention to his charitable deed. He concludes his speech by hoping for good health and wellbeing for his guests, and thanks the Ian for blessing them all with his presence.
Just as Squire Badger wraps up his speech, Sylvester speaks up, making a show of returning the money that Squire Badger had given him to work the McCabbage case. As Lars takes the money and walks it up to Squire Badger, they attempt to intimidate him, but it seems that Squire Badger isn't easily shaken. When Lawrence Longfoot, a newspaper magnate from London, moves to snap a picture of Sylvester as he raises a glass to Squire Badger, Buckster notices that, for a moment, the butler, Thomas Gilfoyle, disappears in between the flash of the bulb. The flash causes Matilda to faint, with Lady Calliope Fawnbrook, a patron of the arts in attendance, helping her back up to her feet.
As the room makes a toast to Sylvester, he notices Daisy across the room, pointedly not partaking in the toast. Both parties down their drinks as they take stock of one another. Daisy is the first to break eye contact, before hurrying out of the room. As this tense moment is broken, Sylvester is whisked back in his memory to an interaction that occurred 12 years ago, in 1893, when he and Daisy first met on a train...
Locations[]
- Our Lady of Prayerful Paws
- 22B Hampstead Street
- Tufting Meadows
- Loam Hall
- The entrance hall
- The ballroom
Characters[]
The Sylvan Sleuths[]
- Gangie Green
- Vicar Ian Prescott
- Lars Vandenchomp
- Detective Sylvester Cross
- Buckster $ Boyd
- Daisy D'umpstaire
New[]
Mentioned[]
- King Charles (†)
- Gangie's List of Names
- Connor McCabbage (†)
- Eel Musk
- Fletcher Cottonbottom (†)
- Lord Ignatius Cottonbottom (†)
- Rusty and Tuna Dumpster
- Boarwell Boyd (†)
- Mrs. Banks
- The Cardinal
Trivia[]
- This episode's title is a reference to the cliché and often parodied introductory line, "it was a dark and stormy night".