WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 19 of Moriarty the Patriot, "The White Knight of London, Act 1," now streaming on Funimation.
With London still reeling from the social upheaval caused by the Jack the Ripper affair in Moriarty the Patriot, Episode 19, the start of a brand new arc, transfers that unrest to the country's political landscape. Having just secured a covert foothold in the 'New' Scotland Yard, William "Lord of Crime" Moriarty turns his attentions to parliament, in which an idealistic MP, Mr. Whiteley, is staking his career on an electoral reform bill.
But while William's attention is directed solely on ensuring Whiteley will remain true to his conviction, he remains blind to a so far unforeseen enemy's movements in the shadows: Charles Augustus Milverton.
As previously established, the Sherlock Holmes foe specializes in blackmail. As such, he looks down on the ugly actions of Whiteley's political opponents in the House of Lords -- sending a mobster to try and catch the politician in an explosive assassination attempt. Whiteley's survival, and prioritization of the civilian lives around him over saving his own skin, do exactly what Milverton chastises the Lords of doing: Endearing Whiteley even more to Britain's voting public. Murdering him will only make him a martyr, the businessman reasons to his associates. That's why, when the Lords enlist Milverton to clean up their mess, the blackmailer decides to smear Whiteley's name; killing him in name and reputation only.
That isn't to say the grey-haired criminal isn't willing to get his hands dirty at all, though: To tie up loose ends, he pays a police officer to kill Whiteley's would-be murderer in his cell -- making it look like a suicide -- and then to tie up that loose end, has that officer killed, too, by two interesting-looking henchmen.
Milverton's involvement brings him into direct opposition with William Moriarty, who, as someone secretly devoted to toppling Victorian society's elitism, views Whiteley as a potential ally -- another recruit to help enact his ambitious Moriarty Plan. William even puts the politician through the grueling test of having his name dragged publically through the mud to see if he'd stand by his actions. Whiteley passes with flying colors, proving that against all the odds, politics isn't completely devoid of those who actually intend to serve their constituents' best interests. As a reward, Albert, a member of the House of Lord thanks to his lineage, provides Whiteley with evidence of the Lords' misdeeds, letting him know he has a friend on the inside.
Now that William is allied with Whiteley and Milverton plotting his downfall, it's a safe bet that the next episode of Moriarty the Patriot will finally bring the Lord of Crime and President Milverton into the same arena -- especially as Milverton's next move is to go after Whiteley's brother, Sam, to either frighten the MP into backing down or perhaps try and extract some dirt on him. Should this happen, Whiteley will no doubt ask Albert to help him recover Sam. William, meanwhile, has so far seemed none the wiser about Milverton's maneuverings, which is a rare occurrence in the anime. If caught unaware, perhaps he'll need some emergency backing from a certain raven-haired detective, bringing the source material's namesake back into the fray.
