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Warning: Post contains spoilers
“Murdoch Mysteries” season 13 episode 9 is a gut-wrenching, tension-filled episode that could radically change the “Murdoch Mysteries” universe forever. A patient, Jane Cooper (Heather Anne Fee), is rushed to the hospital. Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), Dr. Dixon (Sebastian Pigott), and Nurse Sullivan (Stephanie Belding, who also portrays a nurse in Canadian horror gem “The Void,”) attend to the patient. Nurse Sullivan reveals that she knows the injured woman from volunteering at the woman’s home The Haven. There’s substantial brain bleeding, and while Dr. Ogden, Nurse Sullivan, and Dr. Dixon are able to stop the bleeding, Cooper remains unresponsive.
As Jane’s condition worsens, it becomes clear that she’s not going to recover. As such, Julia decides after much deliberation, to euthanize the patient with a lethal dose of morphine. Unfortunately, the conniving yet clever coroner Miss Violet Hart (Shanice Banton) reports this finding in her autopsy. Murdoch interrogates Doctors Dixion and Ogden as well as Nure Sullivan. Eventually, Julia confesses and William, enraged, chastises her for a crime against God.
Meanwhile, Det. Llewellyn Watts (Daniel Maslany) continues his covert relationship with Jack Walker (Jesse LaVercombe) who he met in while investigating the murder of a member of Toronto’s philately society. Coincidentally, Jack lives in the same apartment building as Constable George Crabtree’s (Jonny Harris) love interest, Effie Newsome (Clare McConnell) of the Mimico Newsomes. Effie urges Crabtree to look into her neighbor Mr. Vickers’s (Timm Zemanek) missing rent money. The skeptical George, muttering “Oh, I’ve heard that one before,” begrudgingly takes on the case. Spotting Watts in the hall, George exclaims “Detective Watts! Small world! I didn’t know you lived in this building.” Sheepishly, Watts replies “I don’t.” George coyly responds “Oh. Have a lady friend. Nothing to hide from me, Detective. We’re in the same boat.”
Observations:
“Murdoch Mysteries” S13E09 ranks among the best, yet also most infuriating, series entries to date. The murder is a solid whodunit that doesn’t reveal its killer until a pleasant twist in the third act. But it’s the various sub plots which dominate “The Killing Dose.” Discovering that his wife, Dr. Julia Ogden, violated her Hippocratic Oath, committed what’s viewed in the eyes of the law as a murder, and in his own words sinned against God. Hinting that major changes may be headed toward Julia and Murdoch’s marriage, William reluctantly praises Miss Hart, “She’s a much better coroner than [to miss evidence].”
Although Dr. Ogden’s actions are understandable, William’s concern is as well, though his anger is misplaced. While Det. Murdoch should be worried, it’s not about what God thinks. Rather, it’s Miss Hart. Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) asks Hart to burn the original coroner’s report and type a new one. Violet agrees, although unsurprisingly she doesn’t burn the first report but instead holds onto it, no doubt for future blackmail material. Now, Murdoch, Julia, and Brackenreid may be unknowingly beholden to Miss Hart.
In the final moments of the episode, Murdoch and Julia hash out their problems. “Your work comes with difficult choices, and I’m certain this decision wasn’t made lightly.” Julia agrees, “It wasn’t. It was very difficult. I needed my husband. And when he found out, his first reaction was to treat me like a criminal.” Their marital spat ends with Julia storming out heading to the hospital where she seeks out Dr. Dixon. Ever since the Dr. Dixon-Dr. Ogden sexual tension started, I haven’t been a fan. Murdoch and Julia have been through so much already, both sacrificing and putting aside their beliefs and needs for the good of the relationship. When William discovered that Julia had an abortion, their courtship ended unceremoniously. Later, Dr. Ogden left for Buffalo to work at a children’s hospital. Her marriage to Darcy Garland complicated what would have made a happy couple. Threats from James Gilles further muddled their matrimonial plans. Seriously, they’ve been through a miscarriage, and now possible infidelity? Sure, affairs happen, but if the slew of bad luck hurled at Jilliam hasn’t broken their bond of marriage, I’m not sure anything can.
Moreover, Murdoch’s holier than thou attitude is out of character, as is Julia’s fascination with Dr. Dixon. I can accept that William may have been concerned for the potential ramifications of Julia’s actions as considered by the law, but his religious convictions didn’t prevent him from marrying Julia in spite of her abortion and divorce. Likewise, Dr. Ogden has been nothing short of devoted to William. And it’s not just inconsistencies with Murdoch and Ogden. Brackenreid doesn’t bat an eye when covering up for Julia, while earlier the Inspector outed fellow detective Glenn Scott (Wade Bogert-O’Brien) as a homosexual, thereby ending his career. Even Murdoch and Crabtree point out that the three of them have looked the other way countless times. I don’t think the Inspector would really have reported on Scott’s sexual preferences. Nonetheless, that incident has Det. Watts worried, and at the end of “The Killing Dose,” Llewellyn attempts to explain away his presence staying with Jack as money troubles. Clearly hinting that he knows what’s really going on but will keep Watts’s secret, George assures “You should know that your money troubles are safe with me.”
In positive news, Crabtree’s novel A Man Alone gets published. Unfortunately, a nearby reader refers to it as “absolute rot.” Ultimately, “The Killing Joke” marvelously balances a string of plots and sub plots. It grapples with nuance, but unfortunately presents inconsistencies in several character choices. It’s poised to completely upend the entire “Murdoch Mysteries” universe as we know it.
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