Emancipation Day – Director: Ruba Nadda/Writer: Andrew Burrows-Trotman
This one starts with Trudy singing at a rally for the UNIA (United Negro Improvement Association). Her mother (Mildred) harangues her and Frankie into collecting donations for orphans, including an adorable moppet named Esme. Nearby, a couple of guys (Wesley and Lionel) are arguing, with Lionel trying to convince Wesley not to do something. Wesley (who’s the local UNIA president) gives a speech and introduces
Marcus Garvey, who’s promoting his Back to Africa movement. The spectators cough up $907 for the orphans, at least according to the UNIA treasurer (Cora). But Mildred takes the money to UNIA headquarters to recount it and is thrilled when she gets $909 … and five cents. (She doesn’t seem to like Cora much.) Mildred hears a window breaking and someone comes in while she’s distracted, knocking her down and stealing the money.
Mildred tells Frankie and Trudy about three punks she shooed away from the office earlier and Garvey (who isn’t impressed with Frankie and Trudy being detectives) says his bodyguard (Avery) will find the punks. Avery 
brings a kid in who admits he sprayed some graffiti on the building, but denies stealing the money. He mentions seeing someone go into the building and Frankie believes him, since the kid’s shoes are covered in mud but there’s no mud inside the building. A closer look at the broken window shows that nobody came in that way, so Frankie figures it was an inside job. Cora, Lionel, and Wesley all have keys, so Trudy and Frankie talk to them. Cora is a bit hostile and Wesley admits he lost his keys at the rally, but none of them has a real alibi. Trudy notices that Lionel used some American slang, so she asks Mary to check him out. While Mary is at the police station, she sees Detective Grayson bring Mildred in for questioning and calls Trudy to let her know.
Trudy and Frankie get Mildred away from Grayson immediately and Frankie wonders how Grayson knew about the robbery, since nobody at the UNIA reported it. She figures Grayson has a spy inside the organization. Grayson
also knew Mildred went to the office to recount the money, something only Cora could’ve told him. Cora admits she called the cops because she disagrees with Garvey’s distrust of the cops. She quits the UNIA, saying she’s tired of Garvey not letting anyone go against his wishes, and she mentions the argument Wesley and Lionel had at the rally. Garvey comes in and Trudy impresses him so much he offers her a job with him in New York. Frankie tells Trudy she should consider the offer, even though she’d hate to lose her. Mary lets them know Lionel is a fugitive from the United States, after killing someone in Rochester. They 
check Lionel’s room and find a photo of him with some woman in Rochester, right around the time of the murder. Mary volunteers to go to Rochester to check things out. Frankie and Trudy check Wesley’s place and find the empty cash box, but no sign of him. Trudy does the old notepad trick and they find out Wesley is meeting someone in Prospect Park that night. But when they get there, Wesley is dead.
Garvey doesn’t want to believe Wesley was the thief, but it seems pretty obvious. Lionel has disappeared too and Wesley’s landlady mentions he’d been getting lots of long-distance calls lately, so Trudy stations Mildred at Wesley’s boardinghouse in case the caller gets in touch again. Flo goes to Rochester with Mary and they assume they’ll have trouble with the
Rochester cops because they’re women. But they’re surprised to find the officer in charge of the murder case is a woman, Nellie McElroy. Trudy tells Bill about the New York job and he encourages her to take it, saying he might consider moving there too. In Rochester, McElroy tells them about the murder of local businessman (Harold Clifford) and how Lionel’s cab was parked near the murder scene. She sends them to talk to Lionel’s girlfriend, Victoria Challenger (a name Arthur Conan Doyle would love). Mary asks McElroy for advice and she tells her to keep doing the work and wait for the world to catch up to her. Trudy tells her mom about New York and Mildred tells her to take the job, despite not wanting to lose her. Frankie goes to see Grayson, trying to get some info from him about the case. Grayson tells her how Wesley died (stabbed in a 
very military fashion) and they bond over their war service before Grayson tells her Garvey has had a death threat against him. Garvey admits it, but says Avery can protect him. Mary and Flo return, telling Frankie and Trudy that Lionel was with his girlfriend, who was working near the murder scene (which explains his cab being nearby). Mildred calls to let them know Lionel is at Wesley’s place and they go to see him. Lionel denies killing Clifford in Rochester but admits he took off because he figured he wouldn’t get any justice. Someone was blackmailing Lionel and Frankie realizes Wesley must’ve stolen the money to pay off the blackmailer, but got killed for it.
Mildred takes a call meant for Wesley and it turns out to be from a friend in the Rochester UNIA chapter. The person mentions that Clifford was in a different cab than the one Lionel drove, and Trudy figures Wesley was trying to clear Lionel’s name. They realize the blackmailer must be the person who killed Clifford … and that the blackmail started right when Garvey showed up in town. Garvey says he hired Avery after getting a death
threat in Rochester and Frankie realizes Avery must be the one who killed Clifford and Wesley. They track him to the train station and Lionel shows up wanting to kill Avery to avenge Wesley. Trudy talks him out of it and kicks Avery’s ass when he tries to get away. Garvey donates money to build a library in Wesley’s name. Lionel and Victoria are reunited and Trudy tells Garvey she’s decided not to take the job in New York, preferring her life in Toronto.
This is a pretty good episode, bringing in another historical figure with Marcus Garvey. Ryan Allen does a good job as Garvey, capturing his 
bombast (with some great quotes like “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery” and “Look for me in the whirlwind of the storm.”). We also get to see Nellie McElroy, who really was the first female officer on the Rochester police force, joining in 1913 and serving until 1936, a year before her death. Mary’s hero worship is nice, but it’s cool that Nellie basically tells her she’s already a cop, she just has to wait for everyone else to realize it. And it’s nice to see Lionel get a happy ending, reuniting with his girl, Victoria.
Favourite Quotes:
- “If you go to New York, I’m hiring your mother.” Frankie to Trudy after Mildred calls to let them know she saw Lionel sneaking into Wesley’s place.
- “What did I say about the staring?” Nellie McElroy getting uncomfortable with Mary and Flo’s awe of her.