2.2 Am I Not Monstrous? Ripper Street has always taken a sort of historical tick box approach to its context, throwing in Marxist quotations and diatribes against prostitution when the needs arise, but never really delved any further into it, dropping it as soon as the plot picked up momentum. In this case, it was theories surrounding eugenics and heredity that were thrown into the mix and largely, they got it quite right (except the term eugenics was coined in Francis Galton’s Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development, not Hereditary Genius). However, rather than being abandoned halfway through, this context actually continued to inform the themes and plot of the episode, right the way through, even if it was never delved into far enough to produce some really interesting character development. Eugenics was really gaining ground as a method of improving the population around this time, as evidenced in the zoologist and eventual episode villain Dr Corcoran. The episode carefully dances around the more insidious aspects of this brand of thinking, partially I suspect, because many late nineteenth century writers really did think it was a good idea (H.G. Wells for example). Instead, we get a storyline that is decidedly anti-eugenecist thinking as Goode allows his child to live despite the possibility that he may too carry the disease that could cause suffering to his descendants. It also made some interesting links between the concept of shame and outward appearances; like Stella who has no shame in her body, Shine continues to swagger about confident in his own abilities. He continues to commit such horrific acts because he doesn’t feel ashamed about doing so. In contrast, a visit to the returning Dr Karl Crabbe (Anton Lesser), revealed Reid, ever the tortured soul, to be wracked with guilt over losing his wife and his actions that caused it. The difference being is that neither of these men betray any outward signs of the monstrosity they feel or know that are within. Whilst this inclusion of the idea of bodily health was a much stronger use of historical context than we have previously seen, the episode simply didn’t go far enough to really explore those links. It would have been fascinating to see Reid having to deal with his inner torment, rather than speak about it in hushed tones. We may yet get this later in the series, but when so much of this episode was to do with the health of the body and mind, it felt like a missed opportunity, particularly as the episode strongly hinted towards the connection between Reid and Merrick. Parallels are drawn between their shame and isolation, but never then connected or developed. The second episode was, despite this, largely a solid effort until the final few scenes that is. Joseph Merrick did indeed die in 1890, but the death was ruled as accidental; in Ripper Street, it is at the hands of Inspector Shine. In a scene that felt quite uncomfortable, given that Merrick was a historical figure, Shine slowly removed the supports that prevent him from asphyxiating, making ill-judged jokes along the way. The scene itself felt unnecessary, serving only to remove Merrick’s testimony and remind us all that Shine is the villain, which we already knew given his continual aggravation throughout. Simply having Merrick pass away before giving his testimony would have been enough to propel the plot without this development, something which felt emotionally manipulative and exploitative given Merrick’s portrayal throughout the episode. Those final scenes were a shame because up until then, this episode had almost got me convinced that Ripper Street had nearly sorted itself out. And yet, there is still work to be done, but an improvement all the same. Read Becky’s review of the previous episode, Pure As The Driven, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.