Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 7 Review: Bedlam

at .  Updated at .

The mind of Arthur Conan Doyle is many things but rarely has it been “Bedlam,” until now. Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 7 was one of the darker and more personal installments of the series thus far.

Doyle was struggling with writer’s block and looking depressed and haggard, and being incredibly observant, Harry noticed. 

Doyle's Nightmare - Houdini & Doyle

But first there was a murder to solve…or should I say a suspicious death? Because on the surface, Molly’s death appeared to be the work of a demon. From the tone of her confession, I really didn’t expect Molly to attack the priest, so when it happened it was a bit of a shock. 

Almost as much as her falling over dead. 

The death made for some great discussions such as in this Houdini & Doyle quote between Houdini, the non-believer, and Adelaide.

Adelaide: I believe in God, why shouldn't I believe in Lucifer?
Houdini: Just because you believe in one fairy tale doesn't mean you have to believe them all.

Adelaide and Doyle were quick to buy into the deaths being the work of the demon Abadon, who fed on people’s fear, but I enjoyed how the conversation seamlessly shifted to Adelaide’s backstory.

Why does our Addie have a big book of creepy symbols?

Houdini

Good question! I’m enjoying these small insights into her husband’s death and how she believes it was murder; however I have to agree with Harry, just because her husband was a romantic doesn’t mean he couldn’t have been a gambler too. 

I’m truly enjoying how these two are forming a friendship over her case. This week, she didn’t even bother to keep Harry out of it, and she openly shared information with both him and Doyle, but it’s obvious Harry is the most interested. 

But the main focus of the story was on Doyle. On Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 6, we’d learned that Arthur had never truly experienced the effects of discrimination but that didn’t mean he didn’t know fear and hate. 

It’s no wonder that his depression appeared to intensify when he visited Bedlam as it was the place where his father died. 

As scary as mental illness can be today, I can’t even imagine how horrifying it was to live with or suffer through treatment for it at the turn of the 20th Century. When insane Sherlock told the doctor, “Excuse me, please don’t drill into my friend’s brain,” it was hard to know whether to laugh at the deadpan retort or cringe that lobotomies were once a common medical solution.

I completely expected Harry to make it back to the hospital in time to deliver the antidote, so I literally yelled, No! when he stumbled and the vial broke. I’m sure my expression was similar to his. 

Doyle has been carrying around an intense amount of fear: Fear of going mad like his father, of never being able to write again, and perhaps the worst, of having to watch his wife die. 

Thankfully, the euphoria of a hug from his deceased father, even an imagined one, was enough to bring him back.

Although this episode was darker in tone than some of the others, I appreciated it for the way it gave us true insights into Doyle’s life, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come for our threesome next.

If you need to catch up, you can watch Houdini & Doyle online here at TV Fanatic.

Bedlam Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
  • 4.5 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (36 Votes)

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

Houdini & Doyle Season 1 Episode 7 Quotes

Adelaide: I believe in God, why shouldn't I believe in Lucifer?
Houdini: Just because you believe in one fairy tale doesn't mean you have to believe them all.

Adelaide: You don't believe in evil?
Houdini: Human evil, yes.