Why did Alexander Blake react to Treasure Island in the Miss Scarlet season 5 premiere?

When Miss Scarlet mentioned how Treasure Island was read a lot, Alexander Blake reacted negatively. We learned a little why in the Miss Scarlet season 5 premiere.

MASTERPIECE
Miss Scarlet, Season 5

Episode Three: “The Thames Reaper”
Sunday, January 26 at 8/7c on PBS

With a notorious serial killer on the loose Eliza is caught in the middle of a clash between Fleet Street and Scotland Yard.

Shown L-R: Alexander Blake (Tom Durant Pritchard), Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) 

Photographer: Sever Zolak 

For editorial use only.

Courtesy of Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE.
MASTERPIECE Miss Scarlet, Season 5 Episode Three: “The Thames Reaper” Sunday, January 26 at 8/7c on PBS With a notorious serial killer on the loose Eliza is caught in the middle of a clash between Fleet Street and Scotland Yard. Shown L-R: Alexander Blake (Tom Durant Pritchard), Eliza Scarlet (Kate Phillips) Photographer: Sever Zolak For editorial use only. Courtesy of Miss Scarlet Limited and MASTERPIECE.

Alexander Blake likes to keep his private life private. That’s very clear from the small reveal of that life at the end of the Miss Scarlet season 5 premiere.

When Miss Scarlet went to see Alexander Blake a second time, the two noted their observations about each other. When it came to Blake, Miss Scarlet noted that he didn’t read a lot for pleasure. That was all except for one book: Treasure Island.

Blake’s demeanor quickly changed as she pointed this out. It was clear that it hit a nerve, but Eliza didn’t push further to find out what it was. To be honest, Blake wasn’t going to let her push further. It’s clearly something that he doesn’t want to talk about.

Alexander Blake has a daughter in Miss Scarlet?

It’s not made abundantly clear, but the end of the episode suggests that Alexander Blake has a daughter. It’s possible that she isn’t biologically his but has taken her in after a family member past, but it’s clear that this young girl in the house is someone important to him.

It’s the girl who reads Treasure Island a lot. Clearly, the book is connected to his private life, and he doesn’t want to share that with anyone.

My theory is that Blake’s wife passed away, and this is their daughter. He is now a single dad, and he does what he can to protect her. Not letting people know about his private life is a smart thing to do considering his job. He’s a detective inspector, and there will be a lot of people who want to hurt him. The best way to do that is through his family.

It’s possible that the book is something that the daughter and her mom read a lot. This holds a lot of special memories for Blake, which is why he reacted so negatively as Eliza pointed out how much it was read.

What do we know about Alexander Blake so far?

It’s hard to make any judgment call on Blake right now. He hasn’t shared a lot. What we do know is that he is ex-Army and he has traveled the world. He has items from various parts of the world, likely as a way to set up something for people to see. If they see the items from the world, they won’t ask a lot about his personal life.

He is also fluent in multiple languages. One of those is mandarin, which he spoke in the Miss Scarlet season 5 premiere. This shows how smart and cultured he is. It’s not easy to pick up multiple languages, but Blake has spent the time ensuring that he can do that. Again, it’s a great distraction from who he is on a personal level.

It’s easy to make assumptions. Over the course of this season, we’re sure to learn more about Blake’s personal life, even if it’s just to learn a little about the girl and what happened to her mom.

Miss Scarlet airs on Sundays at 8/7c on PBS.

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