Murdoch Mysteries - General Discussion

[The Crazed Spruce]

This topic replaces the old Murdoch Mysteries forum which has been vaulted at the location below:

http://forums.previously.tv/forum/691-murdoch-mysteries-v/

[Trey]

I love their new house! I'm glad William came around to loving it too.

Whatever Miss Hart is up to, I hope it gets resolved soon and they get rid of her. 

 I wonder if Miss Newsome and Higgins are really going to get married or if something will happen to stop it.  The station house won't be the same without Higgins' incompetence.

Loved the baked potato dinner:) Personally, I don't care for potatoes baked in the microwave but it must have seemed wonderful to them.

[the captain]

I think that is the ugliest house I have ever seen - it looks so uncomfortable, even if it does have some quirky gadgets like the microwave (why did we never see into that room?) and the roll-out bed. It doesn't look like a real home where you could relax and get anything dirty or chaotic. Everything about Murdoch is usually so conservative and controlled that I think he might prefer to come home to a bit of casual disorder now and then. I thought that Detective Watts would buy it off them as he loved it and it would suit him better (being quirkier) than Murdoch. I wonder does the show have a new writer(s) because the whole thing felt contrived, stilted and awkward to me, like the characters were saying and doing things they wouldn't say or do or just going through the motions, like the melodramatic scene with Higgins and Brackenreid. The murderer's reveal seemed too dull and anti-climatic. I like Miss Hart as a foil to the many other goody-good characters in the show.

[Prevailing Wind]

Well, it IS a Frank Lloyd Wright house. I know people rave about his Fallingwater home in Pennsylvania, but it is SUCH an un-liveable house. It was built as a weekend getaway home; I can't imagine anyone living in it full-time.  I saw another FLLW (that's how he signed his initials) in PA just about 8 miles from Fallingwater. It's called Kentuck Knob and is much more like a real home, but it's still a FLLW house - not cosy at all.

[Victor the Crab]

If there are new MM writers, as @the captain suggested, then I would like to make an open statement to them:

Quote

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER ARE YOU TO EVER TRY AND PAIR UP GEORGE WITH LOUISE "THE LOUSE" CHERRY!!! SHE IS A HORRIBLE, AWFUL PERSON WHO WILL MAKE CONSTABLE CRABTREE'S LIFE MISERABLE!!! UNDERSTAND??!!!

Singed, the Fanbase.

I'd like to hope Brackenreid talked some sense of reality to Miss Hart about her chances of landing the city coroner's position and that it'll take a lot of edge off of her. Don't know if it will. Perhaps a heart to heart with 'Becca.

Is that house for real? And, if so, where is it located?

[Trey]

 I googled for FLLW houses in Toronto and I could not find any - there were some "inspired by" "homage to" and "hints of", but no real FLLW house in Toronto.  Mind you, I didn't really dig too hard.

[allonsyalice]

that house is definitely  haunted now. 

[The Crazed Spruce]

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Murdoch is enlisted to investigate a possible operating room sabotage when a patient dies during a routine procedure.

[Pepper the Cat]

Loved this episode.

but my gosh, operating with bare hands, no masks, no antibiotics!! How did people survive??

[Victor the Crab]

Is it just a coincidence, or am I jumping to conclusions that Miss Florence Nightingale-Graham is somehow related to Robert Graham, the villain from last seasons opener?

[The Crazed Spruce]

4 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

Is it just a coincidence, or am I jumping to conclusions that Miss Florence Nightingale-Graham is somehow related to Robert Graham, the villain from last seasons opener?

She was a real person, so it's probably just a coincidence.

[Trey]

Yet another relatively famous person I didn't know was Canadian - I had no idea Elizabeth Arden was from Canada.  I've learned a lot from Murdoch Mysteries.

I thought this was a very good mystery. Even Miss Hart wasn't a pill this episode.

Loved Murdoch's invention of the Roomba - that last scene was very funny:)

[Victor the Crab]

13 hours ago, The Crazed Spruce said:

She was a real person, so it's probably just a coincidence.

I feel extra stupid finding out about that.

[statsgirl]

On 10/1/2018 at 9:50 PM, Pepper the Cat said:

but my gosh, operating with bare hands, no masks, no antibiotics!! How did people survive??

Ignacs Semmelweiss proposed in washing hands in chloronated lime solution in 1847 but he was mocked for it. (In 1865 he suffered a nervous breakdown and was admitted to an asylum. He died 14 days later from a septicemia after a beating by the guards.  Tough times.)  Joseph Lister had more success arguing for more sterile operating rooms but even he had trouble with The Lancet writing in 1873 warning surgeons against his practices.  It wasn't till well into the 20th century that modern surgical sterile rooms were generally accepted. The early antibiotics didn't start to be used until around 1910.

[The Crazed Spruce]

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A guest at Higgins and Ruth's wedding makes repeated attempts to kill the groom.

[statsgirl]

I never liked Ruth but I thought this episode was hilarious.  The double take Bisson did when the brother ran after the uncle with the sword was great.

Poor Higgins.  Love isn't his specialty.

Kudos to the show for marrying Murdoch and Ogden, and keeping their relationship interesting even after.

[LilWharveyGal]

That was really enjoyable, but it was like some bizarro young adult version of MM.  It looks like we're getting back to serious topics next week.

[Trey]

I loved this episode!

Besides all the humour, I liked that Higgins knew he was partly responsible for Ruth's brother's death.

The actress who plays Margaret Brackenreid must not have been available; it seemed sort of odd that she wasn't there, and I didn't even hear any throwaway line to say she was out of town or anything.

I laughed at Ruth, upon seeing the dapple grey horse pulling their carriage, asked Higgins "Couldn't you find a clean horse?".

[Trey]

Also loved Rupert going off to live his life of poverty, with all his worldly goods tied up in a little bag on a stick, like the traditional hobo.

I thought Effie turned out pretty well, considering how obnoxious she was to start with.  She did try to get George's speech away from Ruth. And, since George was so adamant that he never wanted to see her again, she'll probably come back and end up being his true love:)

[Davey1]

The first and third episodes of this 12th season are lousy. If they portend the the future of MM, this should be the last season. The comedy is ridiculous and destroys the feeling of the whole series. Ruth Newsom is a pest and should be written out. Higgins has become a pain in the butt. I used to like him. And Jonny Harris has gained weight, probably 15 kilos..

Edited October 12, 2018 by Davey1

[The Crazed Spruce]

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Brackenreid regrets letting his carpenter go when he's suspected of murder.

[Pepper the Cat]

Really didn't like this episode.

Not sure why - it just felt off.

[Trey]

I liked it - I thought was a very good episode. 

Brackenreid was so ashamed of himself - I knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to hit the man.  He's come a long way from the early seasons.

I'm surprised it took Julia as long as it did to provide care for the sick patient.  I liked seeing Nurse Sullivan and Dr. Dixon again. I wonder if Julia will take Dr. Dixon's advice and run for office.

At one time I thought Miss Cherry could be redeemed but she is beyond that now.  I look forward to seeing her comeuppance.

I see Terence Meyers returns next week - he's always interesting.

[Victor the Crab]

Just when you thought Louise "The Louse" Cherry can't sink any lower, she pulls the crap she did in last night's episode. Which means, she'll go even lower next time around. I hope she gets hers soon enough.

[orza]

I guess this episode is their version of being topical. They didn't even bother trying to thinly veil their criticism. This episode was obviously filmed shortly after the G8 conference.

[The Crazed Spruce]

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Murdoch impersonates a deceased diplomat in an attempt to save a treaty.

[Trey]

I thought it was an okay episode, not wonderful. Too many accents that were hard to understand.  (also in Frankie Drake tonight )

I don't know why Brackenreid didn't just tell Margaret that Murdoch was working undercover and to keep her mouth shut.  She was very annoying.

Are they setting George up with another widow who comes complete with son? I hope not.  I actually liked Effie from the wedding episode. 

The last scene with William and Julia was really cute:)

[Victor the Crab]

I quite liked the episode. Terrence Meyers can be a nuisance in his own right, but he was quite enjoyable here, especially given his past with the female French spy. And Mrs. B sure does have the potential to mess thing up as only she can.

I do think the episode gave the actors a chance to branch out more. Yannick Bisson was able to use his French to his fullest, and Helene Joy showed the MM audience how she sounded in her native Australian tongue.

What a nice thing George did for the young lad by encouraging him and not let him think his losing his toy truck was just a simple misplacement.

[The Crazed Spruce]

Quote

Murdoch investigates an astronomical phenomenon.

[Pepper the Cat]

I am going to assume that this was a stand alone episode and everything will be back to normal next week?

it was a fun episode though!

[Victor the Crab]

WTF was that???!! Was that MM's idea of a Simpsons Treehouse Of Horror episode? It might have made better sense if it was actually a fevered dream of George's that he had woken up from, or even the finishing touches of another book he was writing. Why would they end it like it was part of the series flow? This would have been much better served as a series of web episodes.

[orza]

It's their Halloween episode. Lots of shows do a stand-alone holiday episode that may not make much sense in the context of the show as a whole but are supposed to be a fun diversion. I think holiday episodes are dumb so I didn't like this one.

[Trey]

Invasion of the body snatchers.

Even though I laughed enough through the episode, overall I didn't like that the writers did this. I would have much preferred a real mystery centered around Halloween.

[LilWharveyGal]

Well I usually hate gimmicks and I loved it, so I'm feeling a bit body-snatched myself.  Of course only a "possessed" Higgins would become a good worker!

"Romance?"

[ABay]

On 9/26/2018 at 5:55 PM, Trey said:

 I googled for FLLW houses in Toronto and I could not find any - there were some "inspired by" "homage to" and "hints of", but no real FLLW house in Toronto.  Mind you, I didn't really dig too hard.

I Googled, too, because I didn't remember there being any Wright houses around Toronto. There are, however, several in and around Buffalo and I thought maybe they used part of the Darwin D. Martin complex.

[dory]

I have to say as silly as this was, I kinda enjoyed this episode. Though I have to agree it should have ended with George waking up from a nightmare!

[Trey]

Was the potted plant they were all carrying around and eating supposed to be pot? Or, at least poking a little fun at the legalization of pot?

[dory]

LOL Trey I never even thought of that !

[Anothermi]

I knew we were in for a “special” episode the moment I heard the re-worked spooky version of the opening titles music. They added a bit with a theramin to make it sound other worldly. 

As a result I enjoyed the whole episode and the little commentaries on the change in each character’s personality. I particularly like George not being able to definitely tell if Margaret had been possessed as her personality was still the same. 

I did wonder from time to time if it was going to end up being George having a nightmare and think they didn’t go that route because it would be too obvious. 

Still, next episode George could make a remark about it. However, I don’t think it is necessary. I felt they made it quite clear this was a Hallowe’en episode.

2 hours ago, Trey said:

Was the potted plant they were all carrying around and eating supposed to be pot? Or, at least poking a little fun at the legalization of pot?

Ooh. Hadn’t thought of that. Good one!

(It looked like basil to me.)

[marina to]

What the hell was that?

Thank god it's a standalone because that's not what I watch this show for. I kept expecting it to be someone's nightmare or a story George was writing but when it ended the way it did? I felt ripped off. Like @Trey, I wanted a mystery centered around the holiday.

One other thing. On the Murdoch wiki they said there was a homage to Stargate SG1. I'm a huge SG1 fan and I didn't see anything that struck me as such. Did anyone catch this?

Edited October 31, 2018 by marina to
Adding wiki info

[marina to]

Oh, think I figured out the SG1 connection. The replicators.

[marina to]

On 9/26/2018 at 5:27 PM, Victor the Crab said:

Is that house for real? And, if so, where is it located?

Nope. I predict it'll burn down in the finale. After all, they're hooked on ending each season with destruction and kicking our characters in the teeth.

[marina to]

I enjoyed this one, although I do wish Mrs. B was told he was undercover. I groaned when I saw Meyers but he was actually used well for once and it was nice to see his romantic side. Made him almost human.

[marina to]

On 10/16/2018 at 1:00 PM, Trey said:

I'm surprised it took Julia as long as it did to provide care for the sick patient.  I liked seeing Nurse Sullivan and Dr. Dixon again. I wonder if Julia will take Dr. Dixon's advice and run for office.

I would love to see them go in this direction but it doesn't really fit her character. Politics would be too far removed from the things and people she loves. Besides, we already had that plot seasons ago.

[marina to]

Kept hoping each time they'd kill Higgins off. So many teases. :)

I like Ruth. Not everyone needs to be super smart. I loved that she was ok without the wealth, just wanted her man. (Who is her intellectual equal, which is why that relationship works.) At least Higgins copped to being an ass. And yes, Rupert going off at the end like a hobo was an utter delight.

All and all, this one was fun. I like my Murdoch with fun.

[marina to]

I like that we saw Julia in her element - advocating for patients against all odds, trusting her instincts. And I really loved the Elizabeth Arden sub-plot. I knew she was Canadian but didn't know about nursing school. The things you learn watching this show!

[The Crazed Spruce]

There was a problem with my cable this past Monday, and the picture on my CBC station was frozen. The audio still worked fine, and I gotta say, the show sounded freaky as hell.

Haven't had a chance to look it up online yet so I can actually WATCH the bloody thing, but I'm definitely going to tonight.

[The Crazed Spruce]

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Watts kills a man in self-defense who had a criminal past.

[Trey]

That was a very good, and sad, episode.

That Higgins! or rather, that Higgins-Newsome! I'm glad the show came up with a way to keep Higgins on the force and still get married. But he's as goofy as ever, It's a good thing George is his friend.

Miss Hart is always such a pill, I wish she would lighten up.

[welnoc]

Poor, poor Watts. I just wanted to give him a hug.

I have been over Higgins(-Newsome) for a couple of years now. I'm happy that they've allowed George to mature and he's no longer the comic relief, but somehow it was more palatable when it was George. 

I miss Jackson (Kristian Bruun).