Review: Murdoch Mysteries ‘Toronto the Bad’

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Warning: Post contains spoilers

“Murdoch Mysteries” season 13 episode 7 “Toronto the Bad” opens with Constable Henry Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch) moonlighting as a cab driver. But when Henry attempts to drop off the final passenger, Higgins discovers the man murdered. City coroner, Miss Violet Hart (Shanice Banton), performs an autopsy. Meanwhile, Henry relays details of the previous evening to the titular Det. William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Inspector Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig). “That’s when I turned around and saw that he was dead, sir,” Higgins groggily reports. “You didn’t notice anything?” Brackenreid blusters incredulously. “The man expired three feet from you.”
The murder investigation leads Higgins, Murdoch, and Brackenreid to a billiards hall, McReary’s, after identifying the deceased as “Dollar” Bill Buckles.” Murdoch and Brackenreid proceed to track down and interview the various passengers searching for the killer.

Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) is visited by her neighbor, Goldie Huckabee (Jonelle Gunderson). The eccentric Goldie seems all-too-keen on befriending her new neighbors, Dr. Ogden and Det. Murdoch. While initially, it seems fairly innocent, Julia suspects that Gunderson has stolen a bird statue from their home. It’s blamed inaccurately on the self-driving vacuum cleaner William creates.

Observations:

“Murdoch Mysteries S13E07 “Toronto the Bad” reveals the seedy underbelly of Toronto. Higgins continues to work two jobs in an attempt to sustain his wife, Ruth Newsome’s (Siobhan Murphy) lavish lifestyle. Disappointingly, while this has proven a prominent subplot throughout the season, Ruthie has been notably absent.

A running gag on “Murdoch Mysteries” finds Det. Murdoch responsible for a slew of inventions including fingerprints. Now, William invents both the Roomba and the rearview mirror. The clever detective plays pool for the first time at the end of the episode, and unsurprisingly, Murdoch is incredibly competent.

I’m still not a fan of Murdoch and Julia’s relationship issues. The couple has struggled in the past, and the growing distance between the doctor and detective feels an unnecessary dramatic subplot. The series is strong enough without this trite story arc. Interestingly, Det. Watts (Daniel Maslany) and Constable George Crabtree (Jonny Harris) both fail to appear in “Toronto the Bad.” It’s a refreshing episode that features more of Higgins. Henry evolved from the largely comedic relief sidekick to a thoughtful, caring constable. Still, he manages to provide ample hilarity, both intentionally and unintentionally. At the conclusion of the show, Brackenreid suggests that a street performer magician assume the role of driving for Henry, taking a small cut of the proceeds. Therefore, Henry may continue earning money from while not having to moonlight himself.