“Concocting A Killer”: Another Instant Classic Murdoch Mystery.

As the title implies, I hated the latest Murdoch Mysteries episode entitled, Concocting A Killer.

Yes, I am fluent in sarcasm, thank you very much for noticing. The truth is, between the agony of having a tooth that turned out to be fused to the bone removed, an as-yet undiagnosed stomach issue and the flu, I’m the first to admit I’m not at the top of my game right now.

But Peter Mitchell, Yannick Bisson and Company certainly were this week. And they were joined by two magnificent newcomers for a “Halloween” episode that was scary good. You know the drill by now so here goes.

ONE)  A change of pace.  Not opening with a murder was smart; it demonstrated the writing team can make their characters fascinating before they’re faced with a dilemma to solve. And I loved the concept of a hit Netflix show transposed to a turn-of-the-century setting.

TWO)  The birth of sensationalist journalism.  Picking up on one of this season’s recurring themes was another great move by the writers. (I also loved the brief glimpse of the aftermath of the Great Fire we saw in the background as the Murdochs strolled through the streets of Toronto) Detective Murdoch has fashioned quite a rep for himself over the years and it makes sense the public and media would begin to pick up on it.

And as for the reporter in question…

THREE)  Louise Cherry was brilliant! Period.  Witnessing actress Bea Santos lose her MM cherry was glorious. (You aren’t surprised are you? I mean really?) I didn’t think much of Cherry at first but she’s another fully-formed, “real” female character viewers can sink their teeth into. Like I said, brilliant.

“There’s a rumor that turn-of-the-century sisters are doin’ it for themselves. Care to comment, Detective?”

FOUR)  Another head-scratcher of a whodunit.  Once again, I was genuinely-perplexed by the riddle laid out for the good detective and Dr. Ogden (and Miss James, of course). Granted, I’m not much of a sleuth but still, this one was really kept us guessing. Did Gus Shanley actually do it? Was he framed? Was Julia so distracted by her then-unrequited lust for William that she erred?

I really had no idea. And I loved it.

FIVE)  A colleague of equal merit.  Detective Watts was… indescribable, really. But I’ll give it my best shot.

Daniel Maslany gave us a detective who, like Murdoch himself, is brilliant, quirky and driven by a hunger for justice. And speaking of hunger, I loved the little touches he infused Watts with. I especially loved the little “almost belches” Det. Watts kept suppressing as he spoke. William really should invent Tums for the poor guy. Watts was brusque, well-read, analytical, messy and had a helluva way with the ladies.

Can’t wait to see him on a spin-off with Freddie Pink, Miss James and Louise Cherry.

“Is that next week’s script? Am I in it?”

SIX)  A little more Brackenreid.  He’s been absent this year, at least as far as I’m concerned, but this was a step in the right direction.

We even got a “Sorry, Me ‘Ol Mucker”, which is always nice.

Speaking of absent friends…

SEVEN)  It was great to see Miss James again.  I still want to see a romance blossom between her and Higgins. The story possibilities would be endless. Mouna Traore is an absolute delight to watch and her character’s developed quite an acid tongue, something the CBC could certainly benefit from. (A little edge never hurts, right?)

“I’m on The Hook’s blog again?”

EIGHT)  An entire family of criminals!  What an awesome twist! Sure, the Shanleys were tragic figures and two of them were only acting to protect rather than hurt, but it was still awesome!

NINE)  A brilliant duo in action.  William and Julia are at their best when they’re acting as crime-busters rather than just a coupe in love and this episode proved it again. And their future homestead was mentioned again. Gotta love those subplots.

TEN)  Crabtree being Crabtree.  Jonny Harris is certainly more than just a comic foil, but having said that… his comedic training certainly shone through in Concocting A Killer. George makes MM worthwhile.

All right, that’s all I have, Murdochians. Time for another round of meds.

See you in the lobby and next week on the CBC…