Ep 20. The Case of the Careless Suffragette

Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson are called upon to investigate a case that hits close to home: a suffragette who is a close associate of Holmes' brother Mycroft has been arrested for arson and murder. At first, Holmes is skeptical of the suffragette movement, dismissing it as misguided and dangerous. But as evidence begins to mount that the woman in question, Miss Sylvia Pankhurst, has been framed, Holmes begins to take a more nuanced view of the situation.

The episode opens with Miss Pankhurst being led away in handcuffs, her face a mask of anger and defiance. Her supporters are gathered outside the police station, demanding her release and yelling slogans about women's rights and suffrage. Holmes is initially unsympathetic to their cause, seeing it as just another symptom of the chaos that he believes is threatening to overrun London.

But as he begins to investigate the case, Holmes begins to see things differently. He meets with Miss Pankhurst in prison and is struck by her passion and intelligence. She tells him that she and her colleagues are fighting for nothing less than the right to be treated as full human beings, with all the rights and privileges that entails. Holmes is initially dubious, but as he begins to examine the evidence against her, he begins to see that she may be onto something.

The case against Miss Pankhurst is based on circumstantial evidence, and the more Holmes looks into it, the more he suspects that someone may have tampered with the evidence to make her look guilty. He discovers that one of her colleagues, a man named James Tyndall, has a motive to frame her: he has been jockeying for power within the suffragette movement and sees Miss Pankhurst as a threat to his ambition.

As Holmes delves deeper into the case, he discovers that there is no shortage of suspects who might have wanted Miss Pankhurst out of the way. Members of the suffragette movement are fighting among themselves, and the police are under enormous pressure to crack down on what they see as a dangerous and subversive group. But as evidence begins to pile up, Holmes becomes more and more convinced that Miss Pankhurst is innocent, and that the real culprit may be much closer to home than anyone suspected.

The episode is full of the usual twists and turns that fans of the show have come to expect, with plenty of red herrings and false leads to keep viewers guessing. The suffragette movement is shown in all its complexity, with both sympathetic and unsympathetic characters, and the show does an excellent job of portraying the political and social climate of the time.

Overall, "The Case of the Careless Suffragette" is a standout episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, combining all the elements that make the show great: a clever plot, likeable characters, and a fascinating historical backdrop. Whether you're a longtime fan of the series or just looking for a good mystery to sink your teeth into, this episode is well worth watching.