| The Hammer of God | |
| Cast | Transcript |
"The Hammer of God" is the first episode of Season 1 of Father Brown.
Synopsis
When an ungodly man is murdered at the unveiling of a new church clock, Father Brown must find the killer before an innocent woman is sent to the gallows.
Plot
At the home of Simeon Barnes, the village blacksmith, his wife Elizabeth has been forced into the uncomfortable position of allowing Norman Bohun to sleep with her in exchange for clearing her husband's gambling debts. On his way out, Norman leaves his wallet behind on the bedroom floor, but not before threatening harm to Simeon if she reveals the truth.
The whole village of Kembleford is gearing up for an event to commemorate the recently completed renovation of the clock tower and the unveiling of a new bell at St. Marys, funded by Father Brown's Anglican counterpart: Reverend Bohun (Norman's brother). However, Father Brown points out that the clock is in fact ten seconds slow. Meanwhile, after working on the forge, Simeon comes in to change before the unveiling ceremony and discovers Norman's wallet. The party is gatecrashed by the swaggering, arrogant Norman who proceeds to offend everyone present, driving Lady Felicia to throw her drink at him. Father Brown asks Elizabeth about her and Simeon's surprising absence from Mass; she quickly insists that she is fine, though Father Brown becomes somewhat suspicious of her paranoid attitude. Meanwhile, Mrs McCarthy overhears Norman arguing with Susie, who requests more money from him. Norman then proceeds to hang around Elizabeth during a singing performance by Lady Felicia. Simeon abruptly shoves Norman to the ground and throws his wallet at him before storming off. At the vicarage, Reverend Bohun informs Norman that he is cutting him out of the family inheritance due to his continued drinking and gambling. Simeon confronts Elizabeth and asks if the affair with Norman was true, to which she tearfully confesses and he storms away. A gathered crowd awaits the demonstration of the new bell at 3pm. Reverend Bohun apologises for Norman's behaviour, and the countdown begins but it turns out that Father Brown was correct, and the bell rings ten seconds later. However, the celebration is interrupted by Lady Felicia's screams; she has discovered Norman Bohun lying dead in the churchyard, having suffered a heavy blow to the back of the head.
Upon the arrival of the police, Reverend Bohun immediately points the finger at Simeon who is present. When asked by Inspector Valentine whether he was responsible, Simeon merely responds that Norman got what was coming to him. A bloodied hammer is found nearby and Simeon identifies it as one of his tools from the forge. Valentine is about to arrest Simeon on suspicion of murder, but Elizabeth confesses to the murder. At the station, Father Brown hears Elizabeth's confession where she admits that Norman slept with her in return for waiving Simeon's substantial gambling debts. She intends to remain quiet about this fact until someone else turns up guilty, in order to protect Simeon. Valentine warns Father Brown off investigating, but the priest sneaks a look at the case report and finds that no fingerprints were on the hammer.
On the day of Norman's funeral, Mrs McCarthy reveals to Father Brown that she witnessed Norman and Susie arguing shortly before his death and that Susie failed to mention this to Valentine; Susie overhears the conversation. After the funeral, Reverend Bohun confronts Simeon at the forge and accuses him of allowing his wife to hang for the murder he committed; this enrages Simeon, who threatens the Reverend with a hammer before storming off. Father Brown follows Simeon to a local gambling den and encourages him to go speak to Elizabeth. Mrs McCarthy informs Father Brown that Susie has disappeared, and he finds her waiting for a London-bound train. She reveals to him that she took a job cleaning Norman's house when she witnessed him in bed with another man and she attempted to blackmail him to help the people in the Polish camp. At the police station, Simeon comforts his wife and Valentine informs them that the appeal to retract Elizabeth's confession has been rejected and she will be charged with murder and face execution unless the real killer confesses.
Father Brown goes to see Norman's close friend Philip, and he admits to being Norman's lover, also insisting no one else knew about the relationship. The sympathetic priest assures him that he will keep this secret safe. Upon hearing the church bells striking late again, Father Brown uncovers a key piece of evidence. After ringing the bell several times he manages to attract Reverend Bohun to the church roof and points out that it seemed rather odd that the fastidious Reverend had not got round to adjusting the clock. Father Brown reveals that he found a pair of gloves on the roof from when the Reverend was previously up there; if the murderer was wearing gloves, this would explain why no fingerprints were found on the hammer, which he suspects the Reverend borrowed from the forge. Reverend Bohun admits that whilst on the roof attempting to reset the clock he discovered Norman's homosexuality after witnessing a liaison between him and Philip. This final straw enraged him and he threw the hammer at his brother from the church roof, somehow managing to actually hit and kill him. Father Brown urges him to confess to the police, but the Reverend claims he was acting on God's behalf to punish his brother, as a throw like that must have had divine assistance to strike the target. Father Brown manages to make the Reverend realise that despite his claims that he was acting on behalf of God, he is willing to let Elizabeth hang for his act. The Reverend realises his mistake and after initially contemplating leaping from the roof, he turns himself in and Elizabeth is released.
Notable Quotes
Philip Walker: You must acknowledge that evolution renders God superfluous, at best.
Father Brown: No, on the contrary. The majesty of life's tapestry reveals the divine. It doesn't deny it.
Philip Walker: You ought to spend some time with me in the field, watching insects devouring each other. Then tell me how divine you think it is.
Father Brown: That sounds fascinating. I love camping.
Father Brown: Ah! Mrs Barnes and Mr Barnes. (in front of church, before Mass)
Simeon Barnes: Ah well, don't get your hopes up, Father. I'm just here for the music.
Father Brown: You won't be disappointed.
Notes
- https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Innocence_of_Father_Brown/The_Hammer_of_God - text of Chesterton's story "The Hammer of God," from The Innocence of Father Brown (1911)
- As the first episode of the series, this is the debut of all of the main cast except Alex Price. It also introduces the title sequence.
| Father Brown- Season 1 |
| The Hammer of God I The Flying Stars I The Wrong Shape I The Man in the Tree I The Eye of Apollo I The Bride of Christ I The Devil's Dust I The Face of Death I The Mayor and the Magician I The Blue Cross |