I had finished yet another cozy (this one with not-quite lesbian gardeners) and was waiting for more discs to arrive, so I moodily poked around Netflix’s Watch Instantly Options. And this time, it turned out rather well.
Murdoch Mysteries is a little different from the British shows I’ve been watching. First of all, it’s set in Victorian-era Toronto. Not a real Toronto, of course, but a much more Steampunk, brown and gray, scientifically-minded, Ye Olde Fashioned Toronto, full of interesting mysteries solved by thoughtful men in serious suits. And a female coroner in a series of very fine hats.
This is not a plausible show, OK?
It’s more like a Dr Who or Star Trek. Interesting ideas, fun acting, but you’re never going to worry that the main character will perish.
Also like those shows, each episode of Murdoch Mysteries focuses on some aspect of history or science (often forensic science) to solve the murder of the week. In the first episode, an electric company–but no. It’s too complicated and I can’t stop giggling over Nikolai Tesla’s ridiculous “accent” enough to type. (Not only is there Tesla, but also an adorable ancient golden retriever. Just go with it.)
Let’s take the episode Body Double instead (season one, episode seven, in case anyone cares). This particular episode is about the theater–Inspector Brackenreid attends a performance of Macbeth and during one of the crucial scenes a body falls from the ceiling and wham! right onto the stage.
In another TV show, the body would be fresh and gruesome, but not in Murdoch Mystery land. This corpse is long dead and decomposed and the episode revolves around solving the identity of the corpse and figuring out how (and why) there was a dead guy in the ceiling of the local theater.
Naturally, plenty of time is spent on how the theater worked during that time period, what kinds of plays were performed, how profits were made, etc. But the nifty part of this episode is that Doctor Ogden, the pathologist, decides to try a new technique. Using anatomy books, rulers, measured pins, and a few simple tools, she carefully layers modeling clay onto the skull in order to create a sort of mockup of what the dead man would have looked like, starting with various ligaments and gruesome muscle bits and working out to the skin.
Yeah, yeah, a Victorian-era pathologist probably wouldn’t have succeeded in creating an exact life replica of a dead man their first time out. Like I said, this show isn’t about realism per se. It’s more about learning how things could have been done, using simple ingredients you could find in your own cupboard and a sound understanding of our good friend, Captain Science.
Some of the semi-historical forensics are more believable than others. The size of blood droplets can determine the nature of a wound, apparently, and I had a good time watching long-suffering Constable Crabtree get roped into shooting an already dead pig’s head with a gun at various distances to see how and where the blood would get on his clothes.
In addition to these techniques, the show tosses in historical figures. Prince Albert, for example (yes, the one in the can…) shows up, as does Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Tesla, and Buffalo Bill Cody. These historical figures are often used for comic effect or to illustrate interesting historical issues.
Which brings to me one aspect of the show that I don’t really enjoy as much. In a somewhat Star Trekish fashion, Murdoch Mysteries attempts to explore Important Sensitive Issues of that Time. For instance, one show is set in Chinatown and some of the police constables treat the Chinese immigrants like dirt. (Our plucky detective shows them that’s wrong, of course.) Did the show also show the Chinese as big gamblers? Yes, of course it did.
In a similar vein, does the Temperance League appear in this series? Yes of course it does. Does the show address the very real issue of alcoholism during that time or does it make the Temperance Leaguers seem like annoying teatollers? (Or, ahem, S&M practicing sexual deviant murders…..yes, really.)
One show, about the insular Jewish community, gave me a heck of an eye twitch. It portrayed the police constables as doing their best to convince those pesky Jews to let the police do their jobs (showing the rabbi as being unwilling to allow an autopsy, various people as unwilling to talk to the cops about the crime, a wall of silence, and so on). The villain (also Jewish, who runs a tailoring and clothing sweatshop, no less) complains that the investigation into the murder is all persecution and antisemitism. The police are shown as being thoughtful, considerate, kind….the Jews as insular, difficult, weird, and money grubbing. Did I mention the money grubbing? Not only was there the main (insular) Jewish community, there was also the more acceptable (but still annoying) powerful and political Jewish family with old money. The rabbi of the community ends up betraying one member of his community in order to gain money for the greater good and says he’d do it again. And so on. Some of the Jewish characters are given more depth (one is a union organizer, one is a young woman who spends the whole time ill and unable to say much) but it’s not by much. Considering how genuinely awful police treatment of various minorities was in real history (and today, ahem), I found the episode in somewhat bad taste. Yes, Murdoch might not be mean to someone just because they’re of a different religion (he’s Catholic), but come on. It’s not just that particular episode that irritated me. The episode about Indians/First Nations did discuss some Indian issues…..but also had an Indian villain. Etc.
Personally, I just decided to peek at the synopsis and skip the episodes I thought would make me cranky, but I wanted to mention it for the unwary. I’ve certainly seen worse, and it doesn’t render the whole show unwatchable, but….I’m sure as heck not going to watch the episode about abortion.
But setting that aside, the main purpose of the show is tone and setting. The overall theme is a bit more comedic than dramatic. Episodes often contain joking references to modern day inventions (like Scotch tape). Others show how circus performers do tricks or how one of the tricks in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show would have been performed (using fake bullets, cigarettes, and sleight of tongue).
William Murdoch is the main character, and he’s fairly entertaining. A scientific and eccentric man, he was raised by Jesuits. He often reads odd books and decides to try newfangled ideas and logical approaches to problems. His boss, Inspector Brackenried, is more savvy about people and more heavily muscled. Brackenried, while he often thinks Murdoch is a bit loony, lets him approach problems in his own way, and is usually fond and proud when his odd subordinate succeeds. Constable Crabtree is Murdoch’s earnest but not too bright assistant. He provides comic relief and is kind and sweet. Dr Julia Ogden is Murdoch’s love interest, brainstorming partner, and the police station’s pathologist. She’s usually seen up to her elbows in a corpse.
There are minor throughlines, such as a romance/flirtation between Detective Murdoch and Dr Ogden, and marital troubles between Inspector Brackenried and his wife over his drinking, some conspiracy theories/political machinations of various governments (usually involving brash and hawklike Americans!), and some recurring side characters such as the alienist (psychiatrist) who Murdoch consults about troubled minds. Mostly, however, the show is more episodic and I’ve skipped around without running into any trouble.
What can I say? Great hats, awesome costumes, witty banter, beautiful settings.
A fine show to watch while folding laundry or getting over a cold.
I wanna like this show, but the fast and loose approach to history always erks me. I think I’m too much of a history snob.
Yeah, it’s a challenge. If I think about it as more of a made-up fantasy world, I do better, but coming up against something I care more about…I get irritated. But I love Dr Ogden and her neat hats, so that keeps me going.
I’m desperately trying to find the episode where Crabtree wears a dress shooting at the pig’s head. I vaguely remember it, and my husband hasn’t seen it. Do you remember what episode, or at least what season, it’s from?
Hey Koral,
I’m pretty sure the pig’s head is season one. I think it’s the episode with the boxer and his wife? I could be wrong about that, but it’s what I remember off the top of my head. She comes in and gets blood on her dress, but it’s not the right blood spatter for shooting the guy.
The show tends to display the views of Anglo-British Territories at the time. And starts by making clear that Murdock would not ever be promoted and would never HAVE been promoted because he is a ‘papist’ and not a good anglican. Later, when there is a murder at the Masonic Lodge, it is again reinforced that Murdock will never be invited, though everyone in the station who is male is already a member, because of his religion. The views demonstrated tend to reflect the historic reality of Canada, and Toronto, with a slight nod to an ‘enlightened mind’ – but how enlightened are they to be? Living in the city with the oldest Chinatown in Canada, there are tours and alleys still present from the opium dens, brothels and gambling houses located there (as well as the seperate Chinese Cemetery…and seperate Jewish Cemetery). In the 70’s, the Chinatown almost died out and is even now encroached upon by development. I say this not as a defence of writers from Sax Rohmer onward talking about the ‘Yellow Peril’ in such a way but that china town was often in UK and Canada the interzone where certain illegal places were tolerated. Here in this town, the Jewish Synogog was closed and boarded up during the war, as the Jewish population in the city was driven off (much as the black population which was invited up during the civil war, but then not given citizenship, and who returned to the US when the war ended). I am not glad that Canada is still a racist, homophobic, and generally vanilla country, but I am glad that they don’t lie about it – in the past or the present. Which is why they likely make it with the UK ITV, which routely shows the anti-Asian, Anti-India background, anti-Irish, anti-welsh realities.
I think it is interesting that in Season 4, when the early Prime Minister Pearson arrives (due to an anglo/US conspiracy issue), the Prime Minister of Canada is playing the desk officer, who goes, “Who is this Pearson?”
Crabtree: “Only our Prime Minister, you bafoon, you might try reading a newspaper.”
I’ve yet to see a TV show where the US President or the UK Prime Minister plays a bit part, usually as an slow witted dolt, yet it occurs frequently on Canadian TV, and has, from ‘This Hour has 22 minutes’ to ‘Murdock Mysteries.’ Their history of the subway boom push is accurate as well as the drive to compete with the new up and coming city….Buffalo (Subway push failed and the subway in the 1950’s was STILL the first in Canada).
How about season 4 where a woman is found to have made money showing a bare back to the camera, ‘sensational postcards’ and thus assumed by murdock, ‘drew her death upon her.’ To which Brackenreid states, “Sensational, these are barely tittilating, son.” And Dr. Ogden mere sighs, rolls her eyes and gives a weary, “William!”
We know that when it came to excess, the green carnation and the yellow book set pushed the bounds of sexuality, and morality of the times, but remember, Turning, who broke the Enigma machine was EXECUTED while the war was still going, just for being homosexual (while Canada still imprisoned gay men for being gay men and thus sexual predators in the 1970’s) – It seems Murdock Mysteries strikes a balance of pushing the envelope enough to be acceptable, without fall out of the chair laughing bad (true, we don’t see mothers calming children with cocaine, or morphine as was accurate, nor most actors with rotted teeth, but then, do we need to?).
Can we find this show on American tv….
Been watching the program from Netflix…
You can find season 4 on amazonprime. the fees is 79.99 a year about the same as netflix that you pay once a month. to watch amazon prime on your tv you will need a playstion or a roku. A roku costs about 50.00 + shippng. It has options to add netflix, hulu, (crackle free movies) and other movie tv sites and if you have facebook you can use the remote to access fACEBOOK and add photos and comment on your TV I love it. And it is it small about two by three inches by one inch thick
Technically a lot of what happened in the TV show (African-American ex-slave woman, wife of an African-American ex-slave boxer almost taking off her dress because she thought Murdoch want to “take advantage of her”, the Abroingal Boy being a ‘tracker’ because they wouldn’t let someone like HIM become a “Copper” were the views back in those days.. and they even discussed stuff which wouldn’t have become an issue for years later! Child sexual abuse, and gays for example (yes gays have been around since the beinging of time, but only lately 1960s-I think? has it become a real issue)
I had enjoyed a few of the episodes until I saw “Till Death Do Us Part.” I was shocked at how homophobic it was! That would never fly in the U.S. I had no idea Canadian TV was so blatantly anti-gay. Quite unbelievable, in this day and age. Have the Religious Right wingnuts so completely dominate in Canada? I had no idea! So sorry to hear that, my father was Canadian, and I love Canada. Oh, well, no more Murdoch Mysteries for me. I may not be gay, but many of my dearest friends are. What a shame!
Karen Bauer: You really don’t watch too much Canadian tv do you. It’s hardly homophobic or anti-flavour of the day. Unlike American tv which has a tendency to whitewash period attitudes in ‘historical’ drama with PC drivel, ours has a tendency to lay it bare for all to see.
‘This is where we came from.’
I am a gay guy and I didn’t find the episode homophobic at all. It showed prevailing attitudes towards homosexuality and used terminology like sodomite that would have been used at the time. It also showed Murdoch wrestling with what he was seeing vs what he had been taught, becoming conflicted, and ultimately observing that sometimes it’s best for all for concerned for people to be allowed to be themselves.
Turning, who broke the Enigma machine was EXECUTED while the war was still going, just for being homosexual –
His name was Turing and he wasn’t executed he committed suicide.
Why can’t the CBC EVER get it right? EVER!
There’s always some grating flaw.
Just wondering what the name Brakenreid calls Murdock…Meelmocker (sp) means.
Me old Mucker:
“Me Ol’ Mucker” is an affectionate phrase used by Inspector Thomas Brackenreid. It has its origins in England and Ireland where the term “Mucker” is slang for a low labourer who removes muck (waste, debris, etc.) from a mine, stable or construction site. In Northern Ireland, the term is also slang for a friend or acquaintance.
http://murdochmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/Me_Ol%27_Mucker
As a Canadian, I am fascinated by the perspective of many non-Canadians with regards to the more controversial topics on Murdoch Mysteries. I would like to try to explain… if I could.
Many Canadians feel very connected to our history. We are very proud, yet very apologetic of our history as well. In the 1990s there were government sponsored commercials called “Heritage Moments”, which were little 30 second period pieces that covered everything from the hanging of Louis Riel to the creation of Superman. Some of these spots celebrated Canadian contributions, but a lot of them (and I mean a lot) educated and informed about the shameful and horrible things of our past (early prison conditions, residential schools, Japanese internment camps). You can find some of these Heritage Moments on youtube.
Murdoch Mysteries continues that tradition of celebrating, educating and apologizing for our past. The episode on capital punishment was not intended to be any kind of endorsement for capital punishment–just the opposite in fact. Episodes on the treatment of gay people, or First Nations, or African Americans, were intended to show everyone how horrible things were (and are). The Chinatown episode was one of the more comedic episodes, but again it was Brackenreid’s wife and other Anglo-Canadians who were the ignorant and rude ones.
You may disagree with the approach, or think the writing sometimes too simplistic for the issue, but I am sure the intent is never to be homophobic, or racist. The intent instead is to shine that apologetic light on our past.
…. and the Prime Minister during Murdoch’s time is Wilfred Laurier. Pearson was prime minister in the 1960s.
Thank You.
Honestly, I dont get how depicting racism is seen as inherently racist by any reasonable person of any intelligence. Even keeping in mind that Murdoch is only quasihistorical, as a black man I would be more offended if the show tried to depict old timey Toronto as a place where blacks were largely treated as equals in a blatant whitewashing of history.
I cant help but wonder if the commenters “offended” by these episodes are in fact bigotted shills. After all, it’s usually the perpetrators, not the victims, of injustice who want to see it erases from history. Just look at the Texan history books now calling slaves “workers” or the decades of Japanese textbooks talking about America being the aggressor and all of those rape camps being totally consensual.
Interesting to see how some interpret the messages in these episodes. The show is primarily intended for a Canadian audience, but it’s good to see that it has an international audience as well.
MMysteries is a very interesting show, a comical mix of science, history and fantasy wrapped in a weekly mystery, but it is after all Canadian, and we don’t let science or history get in the way of a good joke. I find the show to be very pro-science (read: pro-gay, anti-racist, feminist, anti-religion). Not sure how anyone sees it otherwise, but I’m a local.
That doesn’t mean that stereotypes and bias doesn’t slip into the more controversial episodes. If you’re going to be 100% politically correct then you won’t have much to say at all.
The show does seem to have a pro-science/anti-religion angle to it, and I see no reason why any group should be shielded from that criticism.
The money grubbing stereotype seems uncalled for (though I didn’t see that episode); but this particular stereotype is quite common on television for South Asians, East Asians, Jews etc. As a member of one these groups, I don’t always have an issue with it depending on how it’s represented (I personally would be money-cautious if I lived in the racist 19th century). I am not ‘blaming the victim’ here, I am in fact defending people who are frugal on behalf of their community.
I’m a huge fan of Murdoch Mysteries. This is the best show on TV today, no contest. After reading all the comments here I felt the need to point out that while reviewing specific episode or stories is valid, I find it’s an over reaction to label the whole series homophobic or racist or whatever, based on a single episode. The program has depicted all kinds of people being “money grubbing” or frugal, not just Jewish folks, and has dealt with homosexuality on many occasions, some better than others. In the reviewers article it was expressed that they wouldn’t even watch a certain episode simply because of the topic (abortion), so that criticism really has nothing to do with the show itself as you can’t review something if you haven’t seen it – or are to put off by a topic to even watch and find out what is being said about the topic. To that point, Murdoch Mysteries is presently into season 9, so realistically one would have to watch more of the series than just the first season to get a sense of how racist or homophobic the show is or isn’t. I would argue that if Murdoch Mysteries were either of those there’s no way we would be enjoying a ninth season. As for the anti-religion comment, I personally don’t find the show to be anti religion at all especially as the main character (Detective Murdoch) is often shown making the sign of the cross to show respect for the victim at a murder scene. Seems to me if one wanted to do an anti religious TV show by using a main character who was religious they wouldn’t treat the character with as much respect as they have with Detective Murdoch. In any case, the show has 1.4 million viewers so they must be doing something right.