Randi
Murdoch and Ogden are good characters. The mysteries in and of themselves are intriguing and enjoyable, and there is a wee bit of humor. However, many, perhaps most of the characters and their dialog is ugly. Perhaps this is realistic, but I prefer movies that build me up, not gross me out. Much of the casting and acting was mediocre.
Terrell-4
Maureen Jennings is a fine writer of mysteries. She develops complex plots, creates interesting characters and shows us a world -- Toronto in the 1880's -- that can be pleasant for the well-to-do with their over-stuffed morality and desperately dangerous for the poverty stricken. Those dangers not only come from hunger, cold, sickness and filth, but often from the doings of those who go to church often, dine well and move in upper-class society or middle-class respectability. In the middle of this humanity is Detective William Murdoch. He's on the Toronto police force. Murdoch is a good Irish Catholic, which means he doesn't fit in comfortably most places. He's a hard-worker, ambitious but not pushy, convinced that scientific methods are better at catching criminals than simply pounding confessions out of suspects. He tends to be sympathetic to those with whom the better off want nothing to do. He's rather shy, especially with women, and has had the tragic experience of the death of a woman he was engaged to and loved dearly. Jennings' mysteries, in other words, are first- rate. That brings us to The Murdoch Mysteries Movie Collection, three 90-minute television programs based on Jennings' first three books. Except the Dying is the story of a young woman's corpse found tossed on a cobblestone street in the middle of Toronto's red light district. Murdoch discovers she was not a prostitute, but a chambermaid from a respectable household. Poor Tom Is Cold begins with the apparent suicide of a young Toronto policeman Murdoch knew. Murdoch doesn't accept this and finds himself confronted with venality, madness and the stark cruelty of a hospital for the mentally ill. Under the Dragon's Tail starts with the death of a grubby abortionist and soon leads to blackmail, respectable wives and the murder of a young boy. At best, if you've read Jennings' books, these three programs are variable. At their worst, they seriously mess about with Murdoch. The programs feature fine production values. There is a good sense of the 1880's, all cobblestone streets, gaslights, filthy runnels, dignified homes, and characters that range from smudged tykes and raucous prostitutes to mutton-whiskered inspectors and choleric judges. Peter Outerbridge, who plays Murdoch, to my taste looks too well-bred, but he's a good actor and conveys Murdoch's shyness and persistence very well. The three programs stick closely to the plots in the books, which means the stories keep us guessing and keep us interested. On the downside, the production team brings in romantic interest for Murdoch, first with Toronto's first female coroner, Dr. Julia Ogden (way off the mark with the character from the books), and then, bizarrely and over-lapping, with a lower- class, tattered prostitute we first encounter working the streets. By the end of the third program, Dr. Ogden has disappeared and Detective Murdoch and his cleaned up, respectable doxie, now with much less of a lower-class accent, seem to have found love and appear to be accepted as a couple by Murdoch's boss and fellow cops. Well, this is fiction. Except the Dying was interesting. Poor Tom Is Cold was very good. Under the Dragon's Tail had a first class story but wound up putting Murdoch in a personal television melodrama so unlike the character as to be silly. These special movies were cancelled after this last, third program. Murdoch was resurrected four years later, minus the doxie and with Ogden back, with a new cast. It's now a regular television series.
benbrae76
I've only recently seen "The Murdoch Mysteries", and for the life of me I can't understand why the plug was pulled on them. I thought they were terrific.Peter Outerbridge was perfectly cast as the eponymous hero, and ideally coupled (in the first two episodes) with the ever delectably delicious Keeley Hawes, and the plots weren't bad either.So what went wrong? I wish someone could tell me. There were recent murmurings that the BBC were interested in taking up the reins, but I've yet to hear anything solid.If some company does start making further episodes, either in the UK or in Canada, I sincerely hope, (mainly because I'm passionately in love with Keeley Hawes, only don't tell the wife) that they round up the same cast.
bob budd
A commendable effort on behalf of the director and producers. somewhat similar to the Great Detective Series from a few decade back.This is what we need, more quality mysteries from any period in time, made in CANADA. about CANADA.Took me sometime to fathom out that the story was set in Toronto, and still unsure about the time frame. I suspect that the piece was set somewhere around 1900.Which would have made it somewhat dubious that a Woman Coroner would have been there.But who am I to knock a very good mystery.Everybody knows that the Brit's are the tops in this area of TV, but now we have some good shows of our own, DaVinci's Inquest, Cold Squad, Blue Murder, Lets keep them coming.
