Voyage of the Scarlet Queen – The Shanghai Secret. ep1, 470703.

Old-Fashioned Compass Rose
"Used with permission from Microsoft."

Note: If this seems like a repeat, it is… sort of. It’s almost identical to the audition show (The Death of David Malone), although there are some minor differences, and this is actually a re-performance, and not exactly a rerun.

The ketch, the Scarlet Queen sets sail out of San Fransisco after the murder of it’s first mate. Ship Master, Philip Carney describes the ship, and his thrill in sailing her. His memories roll back to a conversation he had with a homicide detective about his first mate, David Malone.

In flashback mode, we learn a little about Philip Carney as the cops interrogate him. It also begins the mystery of who killed the first mate, and what he might have gotten himself into to get himself killed. Who is the mysterious Mr Kang? He is the one who has commissioned the Scarlet Queen, and he alone knows where the treasure lays that is the final destination. Another character is introduced, Red Galigger. Red wants to be signed onto the crew as first mate, but is he being too pushy? Can he be trusted?

In following up on Dave Malone’s tracks, Carney follows the track to a certain night club, and a certain torch singer, played by Cathy Lewis, real life wife of Elliot Lewis, Philip Carney. How’s that for trivial information for you?

It also seems that Galigger has crossed paths with the dead first mate at a hotel. Is he connected to the murder? He has some information about it, but why does he know the things he does? Galigger claims to be acting as a spy to find out where the Scarlet Queen is going, but he really wants to be on Carney’s side instead. Whether he can be trusted or not, he’s the only lead to go on, so Carney sticks close to him.

Carney tries to get info from the torch singer, but when things are getting tense, Galigger barges in to double cross him, and the real killer tries to rough up the ship Master to learn the true destination of the Scarlet Queen. Using his wits, and fighting spirit, Carney gets himself free.

Through the struggle, Galigger proves himself to Carney, and the bad guys are turned over to the cops. The mystery of the day may be solved, but it’s just the beginning of a larger voyage as the Scarlet Queen sets sail out of San Fransisco harbor.

The dialog in the show is certainly full of picturesque speech that takes the listener into the exotic adventure of a lifetime as we all set sail for an unknown destination that promises treasure, and exciting moments on the high seas.