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Warning: Post contains spoilers
“Murdoch Mysteries” season 14 episode 7 “Murdoch Escape Room” finds Detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and his wife Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) arriving at the abandoned Kirkham Electroplating factory slated for demolition. Bewildered, Dr. Ogden wonders why Murdoch picked that location while Det. Murdoch asks the same question. It’s immediately apparent that the riddle-encoded messages sent to William and Julia are pranks. A set of speakers on the wall buzz thereby calling Murdoch and Julia over where they are unwittingly plunged into the bowels of the factory via a pair of trapdoors.
Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) surveys Toronto’s Station House No. 4 Constabulary, asking Constable Henry Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch) where everyone is. As Higgins explains, Det. Murdoch was called away on personal business, Det. Llewelyn Watts (Daniel Maslany) is investigating a murder, while Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) has been summoned by Murdoch. The phone on Higgins’s desk rings and it’s Det. Murdoch requesting Watts’s presence immediately. With Watts out on assignment, Inspector Brackenreid goes in his stead. Upon arrival at the Kirkham Electroplating factory, Brackenreid and Crabtree are lured into trapdoors.
In the belly of the facility, William and Julia scramble to solve a riddle with obtuse clues while Dr. Ogden attempts to escape electrical shocks. Upon solving the riddle, a door will unlock leading to the next room. All the while, Inspector Brackenreid and Constable Crabtree attempt to solve the same riddle but with a different threat: a wasps’ nest suspended from a spinning device with rotations increasing with each wrong guess and subsequent clue. Realizing that solving the riddle will be next to impossible, George suggests instead of trying to figure out the puzzle focusing on neutralizing the threat of the wasps. “Oh I see. You think that I’m too dimwitted to solve the riddle,” threatens Inspector Brackenreid. “Sir, we are both too dimwitted,” Crabtree admits.
In the streets of Toronto, Miss Louise Cherry (Bea Santos) discovers a skeleton. Det. Watts responds to the report, and analysis from Toronto City coroner Miss Violet Hart (Shanice Banton) reveals that the man has been deceased for about a year. As Miss Cherry allows, an anonymous tip about a local restaurant secretly using dog meat led her to the abandoned back alley. Miss Hart finds a promissory note in the man’s jacket pocket prompting an investigation by Watts with Louise aiding in the police work. Teaming up together, Det. Watts and Miss Cherry uncover a connection between the murdered victim and the late Raymond, leading to a plot between Ralph Fellows and Goldie Huckabee. Miss Cherry shows an interest in Watts that might not be completely professional.
“Murdoch Mysteries” S14E07 “Murdoch Escape Room” brilliantly plays off the concept of modern-day escape rooms. The set design is top-notch with spectacular practical effects and inventive environments. The wasp nest looks realistic and there’s a sort of steampunk vibe to a lot of the environs. Hats off to the production team on a slick-looking atmosphere. Additionally, “Murdoch Escape Room” features a lot of continuity. It’s the culmination of a few seasons worth of brewing, spawning what appears to be a new James Gillies-level antagonist in Ralph Fellows. Unfortunately, the clever Miss Cherry seems to have deduced that Watts is homosexual. Hopefully, she keeps his secret.
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