The Wrath of Baron Samdi is the tenth and final episode of the fourth season of Father Brown.
Father Brown encounters a voodoo priest who is determined to win back the woman he loves, at any cost he has to.
Tropes:
- Big Eater: Mrs. McCarthy lampshades Father Brown's love of food at the end of the episode:McCarthy: Now don't get used to this. Just because we all thought you were dead doesn't mean you get to stuff your face every day.Father Brown: Noted.
- Big Heroic Run: Mallory, with Goodfellow, driving a top speed through the village to stop the coroner, who is ignoring the phone ringing off the hook, from cutting into a not-dead Father Brown.
- Averted in that the poison wears off enough for Father Brown's arm to flail into the coroner, shocking the poor old tippler half to death himself, before Mallory & co. arrive.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Mrs. McCarthy tells Father Brown that, among other paranoid warnings, she hopes he rinsed his toothbrush before using it, because he could be poisoned that way. He is, in fact, poisoned through his toothbrush. He laments this while succumbing to the poison.
- Mrs. McCarthy was right. Hah! Never thought those would be my last words! (Collapses).
- Disability Alibi: Of the humanly possible variety. The assumption is made early on that the door glass was broken in order to unlock the door, but Father Brown belatedly realizes the glass is too small and too far from the handle for any reasonably-proportioned person's arms to reach it.
- Dying Moment of Awesome: An understated one when Father Brown realises he has been poisoned, but like the good Christian he is, is not angry or fearful, just a bit surprised. He just has time to ask how the poison was administered, and then, with a beatific smile and chuckle says:Father Brown: Mrs. McCarthy was right. [beat] Never expected those to be my last words. [collapses to the ground]
- Also subverted, because he's Not Quite Dead.
- Everyone Has Standards: One witness is aware of the murderer's identity the entire time, having seen the killer running from the scene, but keeps silent due to sympathizing more with the killer than the Asshole Victim, given that the killer was Tommy Sinclair, a seriously neglected and depressed teenage boy with a crush on his abusive father's new trophy wife and the victim was the father himself, Joseph Sinclair. Then, however, he discovers that the culprit also tried to kill Father Brown to keep him quiet and immediately gives him up, as anyone who would kill a holy man to save his own hide is absolutely not worthy of his goodwill.
- Expy: As usual, Mrs. McCarthy serves as the (ironically) superstitious purist, expressing shock at heathen rituals occurring in the presbytery, and takes away a Lwa Simba devotional card that Father Brown is given by Yveline. Father Brown, again as usual, serves as the more tolerant, informed source of reason.
- Finger-Licking Poison: Joseph Sinclair is murdered when his son coats the reed of his saxophone in poison. Tommy later dusts Father Brown's toothbrush with the same poison.
- Infraction Distraction: The killer broke the door glass and left a dead chicken as a distraction to avoid notice of the real criminal act.
- Innocent Bigotry: The band, which is half black, receives curiously chilly welcomes to Kembleford, such as innkeepers ostentatiously flipping their signs to "No Vacancy" as they approach. They're chagrined, to say the least. Averted by Father Brown, naturally, who goes so far as to invite them to stay in the presbytery's parlor.
- When Mallory questions Emmanuel after Joseph's death, he challenges him to prove he owns the car he's been driving. Emmanuel himself calls out the fact that he's been in England for a few days and has already been asked to prove this three times, something he suspects doesn't happen to white folks.
- It's Personal: Inspector Mallory after Father Brown (supposedly) dies:Mallory: You're all suspects in the murders of Joseph Sinclair and Father Brown. My sergeant's going to search you and your belongings. And whichever one of you did it, I'm personally going to see that you hang.
- Hollywood Voodoo: Mostly averted. Voudoun is mostly presented sympathetically, and the show even points out it's syncretic nature and its ties to Catholicism. In particular, Father Brown is quite fascinated, and reads up on it while the band is staying over. It turns out a number of Voudoun spirits are more or less re-imaginings of Catholic saints, such as Lwa Simbi correlating to Saint Christopher.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Emmanuel appears in the presbytery's den, and when Father Brown asks him how he appeared, he sarcastically refers to magic. When Father Brown is dubious, he puts on a humble look and says "I picked the lock."
- Oh, Crap!: For Inspector Mallory after he realises that Father Brown wasn't actually murdered by the poison, but the post mortem that Mallory ordered will definitely do the trick.
- Politically Correct History: Strongly averted when the black characters can't rent a room in Kembleford. And then played with when Mrs. McCarthy is notably unnerved by the group...because they're all (white characters included) open voodoo practitioners, and she is a good Christian woman, thank you very much.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: A distraught Sid unleashes one of these on Inspector Mallory:
- Sid: You are nothing but a Keystone Cop. Useless, incompetent, lazy...
- Waking Up at the Morgue: Happens to Father Brown after he is drugged with a poison that lowers his heart rate to the point where he appears to be dead.
- Wham Line: Towards the end of the episode:Tommy Sinclair: [to Father Brown] And you're not going to be able to tell on me either. [beat] You won't be able to, not after the poison I gave you.
