We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Warning: Post contains spoilers
“Murdoch Mysteries” season 15 episode 5 “Love or Money” begins when Toronto’s Station House No. 4 receives a call from a man claiming someone is about to kill him. Arriving on scene at the Brearly Hotel, Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his faithful sidekick Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) find a recently deceased corpse of Juan De Leon in room 14 with a woman kneeling over the body. And the lady in question is none other than George’s Aunt Zinnia (Debra McGrath).
Zinnia claims to have recently made Juan’s acquaintance. However, the sly Zinnia isn’t entirely forthcoming. As the investigation progresses, Aunt Zinnia’s lies peel away like layers off of an onion revealing a twisty narrative of intrigue and deception. Despite her initial claim of just having met De Leon, Juan and Zinnia were a con artist duo. Zinnia hires Effie Newsome (Clare McConnell), a lawyer and George’s sweetheart. Effie continues her recovery after being kidnapped by the Ernst sisters, Dorothy and Amelia (both portrayed by Sarah Swire). Although she initially protests, resuming her law practice reinvigorates Newsome, providing a distraction from her past trauma.
Although Zinnia isn’t entirely innocent, Murdoch doesn’t believe her to be Juan’s murderer. Thus, William finds his inner confidence trickster and hatches a plan to catch bait the prime suspect, Anthony Quivell (Shaun Benson). Despite masquerading as a private investigator probing Juan’s theft of a substantial sum of money, Quivell is actually Owen McCall. Owen seeks revenge for De Leon conning his mother, Flora McCall (Eve Crawford).
Det. Murdoch arranges a sting with Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) playing Zinnia’s lover. Brackenreid gives a side-splittingly hilarious performance, made even more hysterical by Thomas’s unabashed love of theatre. Throughout “Murdoch Mysteries,” there’s a running gag that Det. Murdoch invents various gadgets. Past creations include the Roomba, night vision goggles, and a UV light box to find blood residue. This time, it’s an ankle tracker similar to a house arrest bracelet.
The set up, with Det. Llewellyn Watts (Daniel Maslany) posing as a banker with Det. Murdoch and Inspector Brackenreid keeping a close watch, doesn’t quite proceed as planned. There’s a bumbling slapstick element, from George being duped repeatedly by Aunt Zinnia to the somewhat botched but ultimately successful sting operation.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy) faces more challenges. Earlier, Dr. Ogden lost a patient after a complicated surgery. Now, Julia argues with fellow surgeon Dr. Deakins (Kelly Penner). Deakins attends to a patient, although Dr. Ogden astutely observes that Deakins failed to give the woman a proper physical. As such, her condition is misdiagnosed. Julia correctly diagnoses the patient’s ailment and performs emergency surgery. Despite fixing Dr. Deakins’s mistake, Julia is reprimanded by Dr. Forbes (James McGowan). Forbes initially demands that Dr. Ogden apologize to Dr. Deakins. But when Julia is unable (and rightfully so) to apologize, Dr. Forbes dismisses her from the hospital. Ogden warns that this is far from over – perhaps she will hire Effie to represent her?
Overall, I enjoyed “Murdoch Mysteries” season 15 episode 5 “Love or Money.” It features a pleasant mix of comedy, drama, and mystery. Even the cinematography feels fresh. Ripe with close up shots of individual characters and wide panning scenes, “Love or Money” exudes a quirky charm with some serious elements sprinkled in.
This post may contain affiliate links. We are a participant in affiliate programs such as the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. However, all products are thoroughly tested and reviews are honest and unbiased.