Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - General Discussion

[ChelseaNH]

I saw the show first and read the books after, and wound up thinking of them as separate universes.  The show is very true to Phryne's character, and her relationship with Dot, which are crucial elements.

The books are better, of course, but books just have so much more room than TV episodes.

[GaT]

3 hours ago, ChelseaNH said:

The show is very true to Phryne's character, and her relationship with Dot, which are crucial elements.

 

It's interesting that you say that, because I'm currently reading Death By Water, & at one point Phyrne actually snaps at Dot & tells her that she should be collecting gossip about other people, not gossiping about her. I've definitely been getting a "Dot is a servant" kind of vibe as opposed to a "Dot is an equal" vibe.

[purist]

On 29/09/2016 at 0:05 PM, Mrs peel said:

i never understood the addition of Aunt Prudence, because it raises the question of why she didn't take care of the young Phrynee (and sisters, both book and show versions).

I'm willing to overlook this, because Miriam Margolyes as Aunt Prudence is such a marvellous character. She's the only non-book character I unreservedly love in the TV series.

[ChelseaNH]

Well, Phryne pays Dot's salary, so they're not going to be true peers.  But Phryne is also something of a mentor to Dot.

[purist]

The people behind Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries have just posted this on the MFMM Facebook page:

Quote

What is next for #MissFisher? We are working hard to bring Miss Fisher back to her legion of fans. With Essie Davis living permanently in London with her family, there is no Season 4 of Miss Fisher at this stage. However, she is signed on to reprise her role in the Miss Fisher feature film which is currently being scripted, and we’re also working on a prequel series of the 17-year-old Phryne running amok around Melbourne. Watch this space!

Edited November 4, 2016 by purist

[zxy556575]

Great news!

You know, I wouldn't even mind a different actress under the wig for season 4, as long as she could bring Phryne's spark. I like Essie fine but I like the show and story more.

[COESpiral]

I don't know. To me, Essie MAKES Phryne come to life. After all this time I don't think I could accept another actress in the role. I'd rather see the show go out on a high note than make a bunch of drastic changes and the quality or talent level not be there. I truly, deeply wish season 4 could happen but with several of the primary actors in the U.K. and U.S. I just don't see how it can be done. 

 

With the actors and producers confirming the existence of the movie I'll simply have to bide my time to see Essie, Nathan, Hugo, Ashleigh, et al, on the big screen and maybe we as fans can get our chance to properly say goodbye. (But I'll hope it's a massively huge hit and they make a sequel. Or a trilogy.  Oscar Awards for everyone!)

[maraleia]

37 minutes ago, COESpiral said:

I don't know. To me, Essie MAKES Phryne come to life. After all this time I don't think I could accept another actress in the role. I'd rather see the show go out on a high note than make a bunch of drastic changes and the quality or talent level not be there. I truly, deeply wish season 4 could happen but with several of the primary actors in the U.K. and U.S. I just don't see how it can be done. 

 

With the actors and producers confirming the existence of the movie I'll simply have to bide my time to see Essie, Nathan, Hugo, Ashleigh, et al, on the big screen and maybe we as fans can get our chance to properly say goodbye. (But I'll hope it's a massively huge hit and they make a sequel. Or a trilogy.  Oscar Awards for everyone!)

I'd rather see them make a movie that's co-produced by Netflix and end the series there if Essie doesn't want to move back to Aussie full-time too.

[marceline]

I took that announcement as basically saying that the show has been canceled.

[zxy556575]

Let me assure everyone who is not asking that I dislike 'shipping as a general rule. For the movie, though? I will be heartily pissed if Phryne and Jack still don't make it to bed.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, lordonia said:

Let me assure everyone who is not asking that I dislike 'shipping as a general rule. For the movie, though? I will be heartily pissed if Phryne and Jack still don't make it to bed.

I just finished the last book in the series, so I find Jack & Phryne together to be really wrong LOL. 

[COESpiral]

Yeah, book Miss Fisher universe and TV Miss Fisher universe are vastly different, but it was done on purpose so I accept that. 

 

And I agree with you, Iordonia.  TV Phryne and Jack had better be romantically involved in every way possible in the movie. Their chemistry is too smoking hot to NOT be. 

[purist]

Ooh! We might be getting a Miss Fisher movie trilogy!

Quote

Australian television's most loved private detective could become an Indiana Jones-style action hero on the big screen if producers behind Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries can pull it off.

The team behind the hit ABC series are currently penning scripts for a movie trilogy based on Essie Davis's glamorous detective character Phryne Fisher, with meetings in Los Angeles scheduled for early next year.

...

"We want it to be like the Indiana Jones movies," Eagger added. "We might not have Steven Spielberg's budget but that is what she (Phryne Fisher) is - an action hero. She's got to be able to fly [around?] the world. It could be 'Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears' so she has to go to Arabia. We'd love to go to India. We have fun thinking about the destinations."

Edited November 17, 2016 by purist

[GaT]

Hmm, I don't know if this is going to feel right, to me, she's not an action hero, she's a tough detective, more Sherlock Holmes than Indiana Jones. Also, if she's out of the country, she's not going to be bringing everyone with her, why would Jack or Mr Butler (wish the show had Mrs Butler) go to Arabia? The other characters matter to the show.

Edited November 17, 2016 by GaT

[COESpiral]

Yeah, I'm a little confused by this one, too.  But I'm going to trust that there will be a plausible reason to get the Scooby Gang out of Australia to go on adventures with Miss Fisher.  (But just for a poll, between Bert and Cec, which one would be Scooby and which one Shaggy?)

[zxy556575]

On 11/17/2016 at 3:07 PM, GaT said:

Hmm, I don't know if this is going to feel right, to me, she's not an action hero, she's a tough detective, more Sherlock Holmes than Indiana Jones. Also, if she's out of the country, she's not going to be bringing everyone with her, why would Jack or Mr Butler (wish the show had Mrs Butler) go to Arabia? The other characters matter to the show.

I'll be sad if Phryne leaves Jack behind.

I guess she's an "action hero" if the definition is expanded to include someone who points a gun but rarely fires it. She might clock someone with her shoe or the like. I don't really see her fighting off a hoard of ninjas or punching out bad guys on the roof of a speeding train.

[purist]

On 20/11/2016 at 4:50 PM, COESpiral said:

But I'm going to trust that there will be a plausible reason to get the Scooby Gang out of Australia to go on adventures with Miss Fisher.

Some of you know that Phryne Fisher creator Kerry Greenwood is a friend of mine. I saw her yesterday and asked her about this, and she said that the movies will be set in Melbourne AND overseas - so the gang will certainly be present in some capacity.

On 18/11/2016 at 7:07 AM, GaT said:

Jack or Mr Butler (wish the show had Mrs Butler)

I also mentioned this to her, and she agreed about Mrs Butler, but said that a few characters had to be left out due to reasons of cost, and that the people making the show have otherwise pretty much given her everything she's asked for (in terms of plots and character development). So that's good.

[purist]

The Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries FB page has a new photo of Essie Davis and Nathan Page with this caption:

Quote

UPDATE: Phryne and Jack reunited again! Essie Davis and Nathan Page were in Melbourne recently to talk to the Every Cloud Productions team about the latest Miss Fisher installment; feature film Miss Fisher & The Crypt of Tears. They were both given advanced copies of the film script as we continue to develop and pursue financing.

Yay!

[rove4]

Miss Fisher is one step closer to becoming a movie trilogy (I'm thinking made-for-tv-movie??). Also report of a possible Phryne prequel tv series.

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/260071/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries-movie-prequel-tv-show-details

[GaT]

On 4/28/2017 at 9:22 AM, rove4 said:

Miss Fisher is one step closer to becoming a movie trilogy (I'm thinking made-for-tv-movie??). Also report of a possible Phryne prequel tv series.

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries/260071/miss-fishers-murder-mysteries-movie-prequel-tv-show-details

I would definitely watch the movies, but I don't understand how all the other people would fit in if she's not in Australia. Jack (nice hair in that picture LOL) doesn't work for Interpol, how would they explain why he was in another country? And what about Mr. Butler? Why would he travel with Phryne? 

[COESpiral]

I'm curious to see how this is going to work, too.  With the fans clamoring for Phryne and Jack to be together, I'm sure the writers have found a reason for Jack to travel to see her, but I don't know about the rest of the cast.  I want everyone to come back for the movie(s)!

But I won't lie, I'm dying to see Essie Davis and Nathan Page again.  They work together so well and if MFMM didn't return, I wanted to see them do pretty much any other project.  Still do, tbh.

Edited May 2, 2017 by COESpiral

[purist]

4 hours ago, COESpiral said:

With the fans clamoring for Phryne and Jack to be together, I'm sure the writers have found a reason for Jack to travel to see her, but I don't know about the rest of the cast.  I want everyone to come back for the movie(s)!

May I direct you to my post upthread from 5 December? :)

[betha]

The sexual tension is driving me crazy! I feel so strung along! Still gonna watch the next season though!

 

why is aunt prudence so against the pairing?

does she not think Jack is good enough, or is she just trying to protect Phryne and keep her from screwing up her most important friendship?

Edited May 3, 2017 by betha

[COESpiral]

Considering Prudence tried to set Phryne up with a dental assistant in the first episode, I don't think she's against Jack due to his job or his station in life.  I think she just wants Phryne to settle down with *somebody* and stop being a rather scandalous social butterfly.  Phryne, of course, loves being a scandalous social butterfly and has no intention of changing so Prudence will continue to to scowl. 

And yes, the tension between Phryne and Jack is delicious.  :)

[TheGreenKnight]

I'm so glad to hear news of a possible trilogy. I'd been disappointed that I hadn't heard anything else about a 4th season of the show, so knowing at least there will be something more to come--even if I'd have preferred another 13 episode season over 3 films--is a relief.

[rove4]

On ‎5‎/‎1‎/‎2017 at 9:26 PM, COESpiral said:

I'm curious to see how this is going to work, too.  With the fans clamoring for Phryne and Jack to be together, I'm sure the writers have found a reason for Jack to travel to see her, but I don't know about the rest of the cast.  I want everyone to come back for the movie(s)!

But I won't lie, I'm dying to see Essie Davis and Nathan Page again.  They work together so well and if MFMM didn't return, I wanted to see them do pretty much any other project.  Still do, tbh.

Well, the series did end with Phryne telling Jack to come after her.  :-)

[Driad]

We have had the first two episodes of Season 3 so far.  I recommended this series to a friend, partly because of Phryne's elaborate costumes, but she has dressed much more plainly in these two episodes.  Have there been budget cuts?

[COESpiral]

From what I've read, they could only get funding for eight episodes for season three, so yes, there were budget cuts.  But they make the best of the situation! 

[COESpiral]

Yes!  The Miss Fisher movie is a go but with one $mall hitch. They've started a Kickstarter campaign to raise the rest of the money they need to complete the project. Watch the little video they put together on the site (it's funny...and I will refrain from comment about Nathan's hair. LOL) and donate if you can!! 

Edited September 15, 2017 by COESpiral
Had to add the link!

[purist]

26 minutes ago, COESpiral said:

They've started a Kickstarter campaign to raise the rest of the money they need to complete the project.

Awesome! Here is a link to the Kickstarter page.

[COESpiral]

In less than two days they reached their goal which is amazing!!  And they're keeping the fundraising going for the full month so if there are packages you want to pledge, you still can!  More donations means better locations, fancier outfits, and maybe a raise for the cast and crew.  So keep giving if you can!

[purist]

11 hours ago, COESpiral said:

In less than two days they reached their goal

Wow! I'm so impressed by this. Just goes to show how loved the show and characters are all around the world.

[GaT]

On 9/14/2017 at 11:01 PM, COESpiral said:

.and I will refrain from comment about Nathan's hair. 

I won't. Couldn't he have at least washed it? Seriously, it looked gross.

[COESpiral]

And in a week, they doubled their goal!  Outstanding!!

[purist]

Phryne creator Kerry Greenwood thanks MFMM fans for donating to the movie crowdfunding. 

[COESpiral]

The Kickstarter campaign is over and they raised almost $734,000 AUD!  Congrats to Every Cloud Productions and everyone involved with Miss Fisher...I can't wait to get everything started so we can finally see a new chapter for Phryne!

[purist]

26 minutes ago, COESpiral said:

The Kickstarter campaign is over and they raised almost $734,000 AUD!

Wow! Incredible effort. I'll start a thread for the Miss Fisher movie(s) - although as they're going for a cinema release, it might not be appropriate. I'll leave that to the mods.

[purist]

This thread* is for posts about the Miss Fisher movie. The Kickstarter has just finished and raised an incredible AU$733,210!

* I have asked the mods to advise whether this thread is appropriate, seeing as it's about a movie rather than a TV show.

Edited October 15, 2017 by purist

[LittleRed]

I donated money for the level of getting my name in the credits as Kickstarter donor.

I'm so happy they managed to raise so much money.

[CherithCutestory]

On 9/30/2016 at 2:06 AM, purist said:

I'm willing to overlook this, because Miriam Margolyes as Aunt Prudence is such a marvellous character. She's the only non-book character I unreservedly love in the TV series.

I really love Aunt Prudence. And I do think it's easy enough to fanwank that any money she gave for the children ended up being wasted by Phryne's father. And that any more direct attempt to take them in would be resisted by even a young Phryne as too much control from a meddlesome aunt. (And that Jane would follow whatever Phryne thought.)

In the series at least, I do think she adds something. Other than being an enjoyable presence (and I do enjoy her.) Because underneath it all Phryne is essentially a law and order type. Her underlying values aren't too different from Jack's. In that, I think you can see Prudence's influence on her even if she'd never admit to that. She is much more open minded, of course, but in the end you see her and Prudence basically tend to feel the same way about major things.

Quote

I thought it was fairly apparent she'd gotten with the Italian guy and her Air Force former flame, at least.

But I would say the Air Force former flame did feel like cheating a bit. And I don't mean I had an issue with it because it was cheating. (I didn't. It wasn't.) But, in story, it was definitely played as something she had to explain to Jack and felt sort of bad about. And she walked away from the Italian guy even if they had a brief hookup.

Personally, I think that except for Lin (and Jack, which I don't love as a romance but definitely was slowly built up and not forced) all of her romances have been extremely forced and I'm happy to lose that aspect. But I definitely think it's a change in tone.

What I will never understand is how Phryne has money. Her father is broke. And the family only came into money because he came into his inheritance. It's hard to believe he is forward thinking enough to set up a trust for her. I suppose the mother could but it's not her money either. She'd need his permission.

I do get that compared to her father and even her Aunt Prudence she's actually quite frugal. Very nice house but on an upper middle class scale of nice not an estate. A small staff. An expensive car but just the one. Got a deal on the airplane. In the first episode, she haggles with Bert and Cec about the price of a ride. She gives a lot away but also holds fundraisers for others to give a lot, too. It's not just all out of pocket. So I totally get how she would be able to keep herself in wealth when the father couldn't. But I don't get how she has the underlying wealth at all.

Edited February 19, 2018 by CherithCutestory

[purist]

8 hours ago, CherithCutestory said:

What I will never understand is how Phryne has money. Her father is broke. And the family only came into money because he came into his inheritance. It's hard to believe he is forward thinking enough to set up a trust for her. I suppose the mother could but it's not her money either. She'd need his permission.

Here's how it is in the books (thanks to Wikipedia for helping my memory):

Quote

In World War I, the other male heirs to a British peerage were killed, and Phryne's father inherited the title. As his daughter, she was granted the style of "The Honourable Phryne Fisher" and an enormous fortune.

So 'granted an enormous fortune' is pretty vague, but I'll take it.

[CherithCutestory]

9 hours ago, purist said:

Here's how it is in the books (thanks to Wikipedia for helping my memory):

So 'granted an enormous fortune' is pretty vague, but I'll take it.

Is her father still alive in the books?

If he is the heir he should have been granted the fortune. Not her. In the show, she has money even though he doesn't.

[ChelseaNH]

I believe Phryne made investments.  The fortunes that come with titles can be tied up in trusts, there's the physical estate to keep up, and her father isn't someone who's good with money.  Cash-strapped nobility is a common thing, even among the responsible sort.

[purist]

On 2/21/2018 at 4:18 AM, CherithCutestory said:

If he is the heir he should have been granted the fortune.

I asked Kerry Greenwood about the source of Phryne's wealth (Kerry is an old friend of mine) and here is her response: 'Typical of the time, Phryne’s father received a title that comes with land and an income, and Phryne as his daughter has an income from that. She also has a French pension from her time in the war and she is paid for her PI work.'

[weyrbunny]

I’ve discovered this show on Acorn.tv, and it really is a delight!

I was noncommittal about it at first, though. The pilot and first few episodes felt too breezy, with easily guessed, easily wrapped up murder mysteries. (There are a couple guest stars… eeny, meeny, miny, moe… that one is the murderer.) But, it amused me enough to stick with it, because Phryne started to remind me of… Batman. Unlimited funds, plenty of costumes, skilled at almost anything, life shaped by the death of her sister. She even has a ward.

And, of course, now at the end of Series 1, I find it all very compelling. I’ve become engrossed by the conversations and characters! It’s a thrill that it’s so blatantly progressive, too. Many of the episodes’ writers and/or directors are women, it’s nice to see. (Some are also alumni of Farscape—bonus points for that.)

The show has made me nostalgic: so many of the guest actors/actresses, I recognize from Australian TV shows or independent films that I’ve seen over the years.

Anyway… I’m off to mainline Series 2 now.

[weyrbunny]

Wow, Nathan Page’s singing voice. I don’t know why I was surprised by how deep it was. Essie Davis sounded great, as well, but I wasn’t surprised, because at this point I expect Phryne/Essie to be capable of anything.

 

[weyrbunny]

The ex-wife’s fiancé seemed suspect from the moment he debuted on screen in Series 1, but I really did not expect the show to go “white slavery” with him. His involvement felt a little overly manufactured, really. I suppose it was borne out of economy of effort, to make use of existing characters and their personal connection to Jack.

This was still an enjoyable episode, though. The stakes seemed higher than usual, which is appropriate for a season-ender. And any opportunity taken to give Jack something else to do is welcome.

[weyrbunny]

You know, there just isn’t enough quality flirting on TV. On many shows, flirting equates to melodrama or maybe love-hate power plays. So the slow and steady wit, innuendo, and friendship-building between Phryne and Jack really is a joy.

But at this point, I have joined the “make out already” parade. The absence of touching stopped seeming natural as they grew closer—no hand-touching, or an arm to lean on, even in situations where one or the other needed comforting. I understand why it was thus—Jack’s not that kind’ve boy, and public affection would have been socially and professionally inappropriate. I do like that Jack, the man, is the one with boundaries for once, and that Phryne respects them. (Well, except for the Fan dance...) The gender reversal is great and yet another sign of how progressive Miss Fisher’s is.

I enjoyed Series 1 and 2 about the same and am undecided about whether one is better than the other. There was more emotional depth to S2, less frivolity than S1, but there was more snark in S1. And I wished Jane, Aunt Prudence, and Dr. Mac weren’t so absent from S2. So… yeah, can’t decide.

On to Series 3!

On 6/11/2015 at 4:56 AM, pootlus said:

... Also has the best quote of the series (from memory, so paraphrased):

Constable Collins: Miss Fisher's gone on holiday again, sir.

Det. Insp Jack Robinson: Oh? Anyone been murdered yet?

Constable Collins: Just the one so far, sir.

Yes, that was so funny!

Edited March 13, 2018 by weyrbunny
When I hit enter, it saved instead of adding a paragraph break. Twice. What is up with this thing?

[weyrbunny]

Heh. I chuckled at the North by Northwest homage.

[weyrbunny]

There was a throw-away line at the beginning of ep 3.4 about Jack reading Zane Grey novels… I wondered then if Grey was popular in 1929 Australia, so I Googled him. Turns out he was very well-known after 1912 and that he even wrote about Australia—I had no idea, thinking him synonymous with the American western. And I believe now that Jack sending Hugh fishing is a callback to Grey, since he also wrote extensively about fishing, including some set in Australia and New Zealand.

This added context helps greatly to mitigate my annoyance that Hugh just left without discussing with Dot how stressed out and angry he was, as does the fact that 3.4 lays the groundwork for the parallel of Hugh’s fishing trip with the women’s sanatorium in this episode, 3.5.

Meaning, there are two “retreats” here, but with a dichotomy along gender lines: the man, Hugh, “has a think” to self-resolve his (internal) emotional turmoil while fishing, and the women at Aunt Prudence’s require (external) medical interventions or face hysterectomies. Symbolically, the gender stereotype of the intellectual vs. the biological.

That the show explores the various women’s therapies and emerging psychological science of the time makes me once again glad at how progressive it is.

Also, I am totally getting my Series 2 wish: Phryne and Jack are touching now, and it makes me smile.