- Title: Hooten & the Lady – Ethiopia
- IMDb: link
After Ella (Jessica Hynes) is kidnapped and help for ransom, Lady Alex Lindo-Parker (Ophelia Lovibond) borrows an artifact from the British Museum and heads to Ethiopia. Tagging along, albeit disappointed in the lack of treasure, is Ulysses Hooten (Michael Landes). Playing on established themes, the episode features a dangerous woman (Katja Hopkins), villains in search of treasure, bickering by our two intrepid adventurers, and artifacts and clues meant to lead to some long-lost archaeological find – this time belonging to the Queen of Sheba.
While the puzzle solving in the episode is a bit clunky, the reveal of the treasure (something worth great value in Sheba’s time but worthless today) offers a nice twist. This also explains how the “treasure” has been able to remain hidden for so long. Thanks to the lack of treasure turning the pirates against each other, Hooten, Alex, and Ella are able to make their escape (on camel no less). “Ethiopia” may not be the best of the series, but it offers some fun moments while continuing to foreshadow potential trouble for Alex’s pending nuptials.