Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Darkness Before The Dawn Part Two

Darkness Before The Dawn Part Two
Shared Responsibility: Julia and Watts bond over their guilty consciences.

When Darkness Before The Dawn Part One ended last week, William Murdoch had arrested Inspector Brackenreid’s son John for murder. It was also looking like the lad would be left paralyzed after an investigation gone wrong, initiated by Detective Watts. Also, Julia felt guilty that she hadn’t waited for a spinal surgeon and Miss Hart was up to no good.

Part Two begins as Julia (Hélène Joy) enters John’s (Charles Vandervaart) hospital room. He still can’t feel his legs or move his toes. Watts (Daniel Maslany) arrives and tells him he’s sorry for getting him mixed up in the Lucille Palmer mess.

Meanwhile, Miss Hart (Shanice Banton) has been appointed to the position of City Coroner. She meets Inspector McWorthy (Sean Bell) for a drink to celebrate. Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Darkness Before The Dawn Part Two”

Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Darkness Before The Dawn Part One

Darkness Before The Dawn Part One
How Is Our Son? Julia has some unsettling news for Margaret and Thomas.

This week’s Murdoch Mysteries begins with a crazy series of events. Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) is at a meeting where he is introduced as a candidate, but a candidate for what? Someone walks into the meeting and whispers in Murdoch’s ear and he takes off for Station House No. 4 on his bike. He races into the station to see Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) punching Detective Watts (Daniel Maslany) in the face in Darkness Before The Dawn Part One.

Julia (Hélène Joy) is at the University of Toronto’s School of Medicine running down a hallway to see John Brackenreid (Charles Vandervaart), who is lying on a gurney, bleeding profusely from his side. Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Darkness Before The Dawn Part One”

Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Manual For Murder

Manual For Murder
What An Unpleasant Surprise: Murdoch and Brackenreid run into Ralph Fellows at a retirement party.

William (Yannick Bisson) and Julia (Hélène Joy) discover that someone is committing the murders detailed in their new book, chapter by chapter, in Manual For Murder.

The episode begins with another sparsely-attended book reading for William and Julia. William begins to read Solving Murders aloud and says each chapter reveals a different murder and how it was solved. He starts with the case of the electroplated works of art that began showing up around Toronto. Viewers will recall they were actually the bodies of young women from the season 9 episode Barenaked Ladies.

Constable Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch) interrupts him, to tell him he is needed at the Windsor House Hotel, as the owner believes she has discovered a body in the lobby. He and Julia apologize to those in attendance and leave.

They arrive and hotel detective Ralph Fellows (Colin Mochrie) shows them what he calls an electroplated body on a chair. “Just as in our book,” William says to Julia. “Have you read our book then?” she asks Fellows.

“It may astonish the two of you that the world doesn’t revolve around just you,” Fellows says. “The case was in the newspapers.”

William pierces the electroplate and finds blood. Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Manual For Murder”

Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Sins Of The Father

Sins Of The Father
Stop Right There: William seeks justice for his murdered father Harry.

Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) asks Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) to investigate the aftermath of a rooming house fire on the poor side of town in Sins of the Father.

George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) and William Murdoch arrive at the scene of the fire just as a body is being removed. They search it for clues and find a key and a metal cigarette case. Inside the case are cigarettes and a tinplate photo of a man and a boy.

“Oh my God,” Murdoch says, clearly shaken.

“You know these people? Crabtree asks.

“That’s me,” Murdoch replies. “This man is my father.” Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Sins Of The Father”

Murdoch Mysteries Reviews, Television

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Murdoch Without Borders

Murdoch without borders
Benevolent Blunder: Brackenreid lets Athos leave Station House No. 4. CBC.

Murdoch Without Borders highlights prevalent racist attitudes towards immigrants in the early 20th Century while Murdoch, Brackenreid and Dr. Ogden deal with the pending Immigration Act of 1906.  Murdoch Mysteries season 12, episode 4 shows viewers that unfortunately not much has changed in 100 years.

The episode begins with immigration officer James McBride set on rounding up Greek immigrants for deportation. Station House No. 4 jail cells are full to capacity. Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) thinks it’s strange that all the prisoners are the same nationality.

The immigration officer tells Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson and Crabtree  that the detainees are all criminals. Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) notices his carpenter Athos is among them. “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he tells Brackenreid, who believes him and lets him leave. Soon after, Murdoch and Crabtree find Mr. McBride’s body rolled up in a carpet in a back alley. Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Murdoch Without Borders”

Entertainment, Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Operation Murder

Doctor Julia Ogden’s (Hélène Joy) first operation at the University of Toronto’s School of Medicine is deemed a great success, until the patient dies minutes later. The head surgeon assures Julia she is not responsible, but of course she is devastated in Operation Murder.

Murdoch Mysteries Review - Operation Murder
Mrs. Quigley Has Died: Julia’s in a quandary and cannot accept that her surgical skills caused her patient’s death. CBC.

Meanwhile, back at Station House No. 4, William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) encounters George Crabtree (Jonny Harris): “It’s a beautiful day outside, George, why don’t you go for a walk along the boardwalk?” George, looking miserable, replies: “The boardwalk is always teaming with happy young couples.” Poor George.

But he does meet a new love interest a few hours later, on the hospital steps, a nurse named Florence Nightingale Graham (Kathryn Alexandre). They connect over a line in a poem and he asks her out.

William gets a special delivery to the “crazy house on Lambert Avenue,” as the courier calls it. He looks at the large wooden box with glee as he prepares to open it. And so begins season 12, episode 2 of Murdoch Mysteries, entitled Operation MurderContinue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Operation Murder”

Entertainment, Murdoch Mysteries Reviews

Murdoch Mysteries Review – Murdoch Mystery Mansion

Murdoch Mystery Mansion
A Potato, Sir?: George wants to see William’s “potato cooking room” in his new house. CBC TV.

When last we saw the inhabitants of Station House No. 4, Julia and William Murdoch had suffered a tragic loss, George Crabtree found himself unlucky in love again and viewers were left wondering what Violet Hart, Julia’s new morgue assistant, was really up to.

Season 12, Episode 1 begins with Julia (Hélène Joy) and William (Yannick Bisson) walking into their brand new home only to find about a dozen people inside. The home was designed, incidentally, by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright (Aaron Poole) and, as it turns out, Julia didn’t read the fine print (who ever does?!) in the contract before she signed it and has agreed that Wright can use their house as a showcase for 90 days.

Loyal viewers know it wouldn’t really feel like home for Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch if they didn’t find at least one dead body somewhere in the house. The body they do discover is particularly gruesome and it’s a bloody good start to the new season of Murdoch Mysteries. Continue reading “Murdoch Mysteries Review – Murdoch Mystery Mansion”