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Part of the everlasting appeal of CBC hit series “Murdoch Mysteries” is owed to its uncanny ability to balance endearing charm and dark content alike. And season 14 episode 6 “The Ministry of Virtue” is a grim “Murdoch” romp, deceptively so. While the episode begins with cheerful banter about the invention of drip coffee between Detective Llewellyn Watts (Daniel Maslany) and his secret romantic partner, Toronto butcher Jack Walker (Jesse LaVercombe) ends in tragedy.
In an alleyway, Watts witnesses a local Toronto man, Axel Crawford, making quite a ruckus. Upon further investigation, Llewellyn discovers that Constance Weatherly runs the Virtues Ministry, an organization that gives women a choice: escape jail time in exchange for an arranged marriage.
However, when Crawford comes to collect his bride Madeline Tompkins, the former prostitute is found dead in the bathtub of an apparent suicide. Toronto City Coroner Miss Violet Hart (Shanice Banton) reveals that, on the contrary, Tompkins was murdered. Initially, Maddie’s suitor Axel is suspected, though an alibi clears Crawford as well as Edwin Ebbersol who caroused with Maddie in a pub.
After questioning Miss Weatherly, the rest of the Virtues girls, Edwin, and Axel, Det. Murdoch is flummoxed. Axel and Edwin don’t fit the timeline, while Constance and the Virtues girls largely pass lie detector tests when William dusts off the Truthizer. There’s ultimately a neat twist, albeit one that’s tragic. “The Ministry of Virtue” certainly is one of those episodes that manages to elicit sympathy for the killer.
In a hilarious moment, Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) and her husband Det. Murdoch debate the morals of the Virtues Ministry. “When the choice is marriage or prison, which of those sounds like freedom to you?” Julia questions. Thankfully, Miss Hart sashays to save Murdoch from answering.
After a vandal paints “sodomite” on the glass pane of Jack Walker’s butcher store, Det. Watts has the culprit arrested. Much to his shock, Walker requests to have the charges dropped explaining that he wishes to avoid any unwanted attention. Reluctantly, Llewellyn drops the charges. Shortly thereafter, Jack Walker breaks off his romance with Watts and announces his engagement to a woman.
Miss Hart continues her courtship with Arthur Carmichael (James Graham) which, at the time, would have been scandalous because of the interracial component to their relationship. Violet warns that, although she enjoys Carmichael’s affections, she doesn’t want to be simply a means of shocking the rich elites that Arthur despises. Arthur admits that he worships her brilliance, beauty, and ability to strike fear into the hearts of Toronto’s old-money snobs. Carmichael throws a party to present Violet to his peers, and Miss Hart accepts. However, the clever Violet has a surprise up her sleeve and one that hopefully doesn’t backfire.
All throughout “Murdoch Mysteries” season 14 episode 6 “The Ministry of Virtue,” there’s a theme of cultural norms held at the time that were wrong. These range from the stigma of homosexuality and interracial dating to the subjugation of women in the justice system, as well as society overall. It’s one of the more bleak “Murdoch Mysteries” episodes not only for the season but in the entire series, and one that will leave you in quiet contemplation long after the episode’s conclusion.
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