Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
Mystery!: Cadfael Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
3 Episodes 1998 - 1998
Episode 1
The Holy Thief
76 mins
Prior Herluin arrives at Shrewsbury Abbey demanding that Abbot Radulfus hand over the reliquary containing the bones of the holy virgin St. Winifred. Pilgrims to Shrewsbury have been generous to the Abbey because of the holy relic and its loss may result in an economic downturn for the Benedictines there. Hurliun bases his claim on the reported visions of his novice monk Tutilo and the need to rebuild Ramsey Abbey, which was burned in the civil war. When a dying wealthy old woman, Lady Donata, takes a liking to the handsome Tutilo and doubts his vocation, she bequeaths a priceless jeweled necklace to him. As the necklace is worth more than enough to rebuild the abbey, Winifred's bones now seem safe at Shrewsbury, but the theft of the gems and a resultant murder throw the issue in doubt again. Among the red herrings facing Cadfael are a minstrel, his slave -- a beautiful singer who's drawn to Tutilo -- an arrogant nobleman, and Tutilo himself. The episode showcases two medieval methods of resolving disputes: the use of trial by water to determine whether a defendant is guilty, and the trial by Bible, in which blindfolded disputants choose a Bible verse at random.
Episode 2
The Potter's Field
75 mins
When the Brothers find the body of a dead woman buried in a farmer's field given to them by Lord Blount, the suspicion is that she is Generys, the wife of one-time potter Brother Ruald, who had abandoned her a year previously to follow his vocation and joining the monastery. Ruald denies any responsibility for his wife's death, and when the identity of the victim is brought into question, Brother Cadfael sets off to determine just who was killed and why. While Cadfael successfully identifies the killer, there is little that can be done to bring the culprit to justice.
Episode 3
The Pilgrim of Hate
76 mins
Cadfael has a peculiarly strange mystery to solve when Prior Robert finds a dead man inside an old dirty sack. The monastery grounds are filled with pilgrims, mostly the lame and the seriously ill, who are there for Cripples Day, hoping to be miraculously cured. As no one will admit to knowing the dead man, Cadfael gets the Abbot's permission to render the body down to the bones to see if he can determine how he may have died. He finds nothing definitive, though a mark on the skull may indicate a deadly blow. Among the penitents, Cadfael takes notice of two brothers, one of whom is atoning for sins against his father, and a young man who is lame but also particularly cruel to his sister, whom he blames for his current condition. There are other suspects as well. Cadfael sifts through what few clues he has to work with.
