The Set-up: Daniel, son of Walter the Goldsmith, is getting married to Margery, but doesn't seem to interested for later we find out he is very much having an affair with a married lady of some renown. At the banquet he pushes the minstrel into the table causing a favored pitcher to be broken. The Matriarch of the house sends the minstrel away without pay as much for his naming her grandson on his wedding day as for breaking the pitcher.
The eldest daughter of Walter, Susanna runs the household, which gives her one of the few pleasures in her life. Ever mindful of the state of things, she notices that her father has left the celebration before it has ended.
The Rest: Walter is robbed of the family fortune and the minstrel is blamed. But the town locksmith knows better and attempts to blackmail the real criminal and ends up dead for his attempted extortion. The locksmith is killed in the river and is floated down it after his death to disguise the place of his murder. Brother Cadfael (Derek Jacobi) finds three different plants on the body, and spends days with the help of another brother scouring the riverbank to find the place where all 3 grow.
Commentary: Cadfael was lucky - if his 3 plants grew all along both sides of the river then he never would have solved his murder. Cadfael seems a bit bumbling in this episode. I guess this comes from still trying to find the character. Right? Good ol' Sheriff Hugh took no time at all in putting Cadfael to use. Perhaps it is because I am unfamiliar with my Medieval history, but everyone seems so shocked that a woman can be a murderer. Could it really have been that uncommon? Murder didn't seem to be unheard of...
Proof: 3 common plants that only grow together in one spot along the river, which is conveniently where the murder took place.
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