A Murdoch Mystery Revisited.

My first thought when I began this review of the Murdoch Mysteries Season Ten episode, A Study In Pink?

“Makes sense, ‘A Study In Scarlet’ was already taken.”

Written in 1886 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but published a year later, A Study In Scarlet gave us Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, the most famous detecting duo in history – until Detective William Murdoch met Constable George Crabtree, of course. Murdoch Mysteries has proudly carried on Doyle’s legacy for ten seasons (and even featured a version of the author on more than one occasion) and shows no signs of losing steam. So let’s get to today’s list shall we? Here are a few reasons why I have once again concluded (after a sixty-minute investigation) that MM is one of the finest television dramas ever produced.

ONE)  The Trackizer and Constable Henry Higgins hard at work – even though he has no clue what he’s doing. One of the greatest joys of watching MM is seeing William’s mind at work. His inventions could make him a very rich man but he prefers to use his genius to bring ne’er-do-wells to justice. And we get to see Prop Monkey’s real life genius at work as well. Plus, Lachlan Murdoch’s Higgins rocks. Period.

That’s what we call a “win-win” in the TV blogging game, kids.

TWO)  Freddie Pink.  Seeing a shout-out to William’s past – especially in the form of the delightful Alex Paxton-Beesley – is always welcome, but Freddie is far from a mere plot device. Ms. Pink is spunky (to the max), obstinate, smart as a turn-of-the-century whip and most of all, she’s a strong, fully-developed female character.

At this point in MM’s history spin-offs are a given. Freddie Pink could definitely carry her own show, especially in this day and age of girl power’s growing popularity.

Well done, CBC and Murdoch scribes.

 

THREE)  The Truthizer.  Once again, William’s inventions rock. And by using the Truthizer and Freddie Pink the MM team has satisfied fans’ hunger for continuity. I’m a stickler for continuity. Too bad Dragons Den didn’t exist in 1904…

FOUR)  A genuinely-well-developed mystery.  The twists and turns (literally) presented in A Study In Pink were as brilliant as ever. Another classic Murdoch Mysteries episode expertly presented. With shades of Kindergarten Cop, even!

 

FIVE)  Less is more.  It took twenty-two minutes for Julia to show up. The Inspector – and his awesome wife – were nowhere to be seen. This episode was tightly-constructed – and I loved it. The MM team made A Study In Pink a study in how to make a TV mystery-drama seem epic with only a handful of regulars and a seemingly-simple plot.

And that’s it, my fellow Murdochians. This was a tightly-written episode so it’s only fitting the review follow suit.

See you on the CBC next week, kids…