Murdoch Mysteries

Murdoch Mysteries

Background: In 1997, Maureen Jennings began writing a series of books about a detective. In 2004, three films were produced to loosely replicate the first three novels. The films lasted 90 minutes and were a bit darker is scope. After a total of seven novels were written, the television series premiered in 2008 with new cast members (Yannick Bisson was now set as Murdoch). While the characters and setting are similar, a lot of aspects have been modified from Murdoch's love interest to the removal of some major characters. The series continues today in its 19th season. Although Maureen Jennings spent time writing a number of different novels in the meantime, she did continue the series in 2017 at some time in the future with the detective's son.

Setting: Murdoch Mysteries takes place in Toronto, Canada (close to New York) in 1895. He is a detective that regularly introduces futuristic technology in nearly every episode that would have been found unusual during that time period. You'll see Murdoch assisting his tough boss Inspector Brackenreid, given postmortem evidence from Doctor Julia Ogden, and bringing along his comedy-relief friend Constable George Crabtree. This dynamic slowly changes until you lose part of the main cast beyond the 17th season. Although the stories might be stretched to fit the narrative, quite a number of characters are based on real life examples during that time. Since murder usually meant a person was to be hanged by the noose, much of the episode is dedicated to the chase with only maybe a couple minutes at the end dedicated to speculation on their judgement. The entire police force is shown to be very competent in their responsibilities as they work with Murdoch to discover the murderer.

Early Days (Seasons 1 - 5)

Season 1 (Golden Age) 

Topics: Much of the first season covers various societal situations and divisions. These include the blacks, Irish, Catholics, children, homosexual, mentally challenged, women, and high-class society. Nikola Tesla assists by generating a device to send and record soundwaves and Arthur Conan Doyle goes a little meta when gathering information for his next Sherlock Holmes book. A form of lie detector that shoots blue liquid up a tube is used in one episode and clay to form a man's face after only their skull remains was a method used in another. They threw in a couple of imported goods such as coffee or oranges from Florida. The first season briefly mentions the lost of his wife and brings in some unresolved backstory when his father appears in one episode.

Observations: Although you see Murdoch usually riding his bicycle around town, there is one episode where they road horses out in the country. Although cars aren't really part of the picture at this time, they do show a motorized bicycle and an electric carriage in the next season. There is a little bit of fan service with a lewd painting in a risque hidden room, a couple of times a large-breasted woman is showing off cleavage, and a fake-out kissing scene that gets played out in Murdoch's mind.

Season 2 (References Galore) 

Concepts: The season starts out strong with real life characters like Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Jack the Ripper, and Harry Houdini. There are little references to things like the Snakes & Ladders board game, Time Machine book, From the Earth to the Moon book, and The Steam Man of the Prairies book. They aren't afraid to show off some old-style medicine methods like using mercury to ward off infections and Keely's Gold Cure for curing alcoholics. Even devices such as Thomas Edison's projector and X-rays were briefly shown. Murdoch uses many other devices like one that shines ultraviolet rays, night-vision goggles, and a bullet-proof vest.

Drama: While the season continues to shine on such concepts like abortions and abandonment, the episodes are a little more personal in nature. Drama stirs up the cast when Murdoch falls in love with Ogden, falls out after finding out her secret, falls in love with someone else, breaks up with her, and falls in love with Ogden again. The inspector has to deal with his wife's involvement with a club that puts pressure on him to stop drinking. There is quite the family reunion with all of the main characters.

Season 3 (Pendrick Story) 

High Class: There is a subplot with reoccurring characters from a married couple of intellectuals. This story arc gets resolved within the season, where Sally Pendrick ultimately doesn't return to the show again despite getting away (at least until Season 13 in the 200th special episode), and James Pendrick becomes a once a season character whenever advanced technology is involved, similarly to how Terrence Meyers appears whenever the government tackles secret projects. Their lifestyle introduces known characters such as HG Wells and Nikola Tesla to the show. They visit the Temple Building with an elevator that was actually built during that time. Ogden's sister, as well as Crabtree's cousin, makes an appearance when questions on gender equality and eugenics among the higher class become hot topics. They are also not afraid to show naked women (censored) being painted, Rembrandts "Batheseba at her bath" painting, and provocative photographs in a blackmail case.

Travels: This season has quite a few episodes where they venture outside Toronto. The first couple episodes are filmed in London and inside the neighboring police district #5 of The Ward (Chinatown). Production quality has increased. This was the first time I actually noticed a constable using a whistle. One episode goes into detail of the entire hanging process (with censorship). Another brings the circus to town with references to the Ringling Brothers and Cracker Jacks. Other interesting things brought up is the discovery of the peanut allergy, Treasure Island book, Dissociative Identity Disorder with the legend of Lizzie Borden, pocket Kodak camera, The Importance of Being Earnest, and the discovery of microwaves. Although the show fakes people out by showing what Murdoch imagines would be a successful marriage proposal, the drama continues (at least until Season 8 in the 100th episode) as Julia manages to move to Buffalo.

Season 4 (Ogden & Darcy) 

Politics: For the first few episodes, Murdoch has to deal with Ogden's replacement Dr. Francis who disproves going to crime scenes, prioritizes other cases or time with his wife, and tends to only do preliminary examinations necessary for the job. Inspector Brackenreid gets persuaded to run for alderman with sponsors pushing for a new subway system until their agenda with some gypsies conflicts with the evidence. Meanwhile, a journalist exaggerates quite a number of cases for the front page of the newspaper until he gets involved with a case of his own.

Beyond Borders: A few episodes include the military and their involvement with Americans. This is perhaps the first time I've seen them out on an actual boat. This season has the one and only episode you see Murdoch's sister. Ogden's sister Ruby pokes her head into Murdoch's feelings when Ogden is getting married. There's a few supernatural cases with a nun who hears voices, a reenactment of Dracula on some unsuspecting girls, and Murdoch attending a Wonderland costume party. I found the reference to Jell-O as a mould substitute to be rather amusing.

Season 5 (New Doctor) 

 

Cast Change: Detective Giles that temporarily covered for Murdoch is now Chief Constable and heads over the police departments. He appears heavily in the early parts of the season and occasionally shows up thereafter. Constable Crabtree temporarily becomes Detective Crabtree in a few episodes when Murdoch is unavailable. Doctor Ogden leaves her work on dead people to a protege by the name of Dr. Grace who grows an attachment to Constable Crabtree. Murdoch later investigates a case that Emily Grace gets personally involved with. Doctor Ogden also gets in trouble when she tries to setup a clinic for women to learn more about contraception for birth control. She later grows an interest in psychology by visiting Doctor Roberts at the asylum. Doctor Roberts makes a few appearances before his status gets frozen in the final episode of the season.

Callbacks: A number of episodes could be seen as sequels or followups to ones in previous seasons. The famous Orange parade, that the Irish aren't too happy about, gets another episode. Archaeologists are in trouble again but this time with a mummy instead of a dinosaur. Crabtree finally finishes his book he's been talking about for awhile called The Curse of the Pharoahs, which also has its own web series that was an extension to season 4. James Pendrick appears in one episode with Henry Ford competing with his version of the electric car. The song Daisy Bell gets referenced and the police discuss several investments like Coca-Cola at the end of that episode. Anna Fulford appears for the last time (allowing the actress to do other things) in the series first two-part episodes, though there is a surprise left by her character in a two-part episode about 10 years later in Season 14. This is also the first time Murdoch had to shoot a man dead. An invention convention shows off several inventions, referencing many Murdoch created himself in previous seasons. Alexander Graham Bell appears in that episode and another where Murdoch must compete with someone he arrested in an earlier season. The annual police force event comes up again with a game of baseball instead of various challenges. 

Inspirations: In the first episode, Detective Murdoch goes far north in Yukon - where there's light all day long - and meets a famous character by the name of Jack London who wrote Call of the Wild during the Klondike Gold Rush. Captions are shown at the end of two episodes - one that reveals that in 1901, President McKinley was assassinated by a man claiming to be an anarchist in Buffalo (with Emma Goldman appearing) and the Prime Minister discussing about the history of professionalism in hockey (with John Ross Robertson appearing). Since the show was not renewed for a sixth season, the final episode (which also appears as a Christmas episode) was designed without any cliffhangers and tied up loose ends with the cast members (including the breakup of Ogden and Darcy so she can be with Murdoch). The web series Murdoch Effect was a satire piece made after the season ended to demonstrate what the show would look like in a more modern day setting. The show was then renewed with another Canadian broadcast.

Relationships (Season 6 - 11)

Season 6 (Darcy Drama)

City Locations: As usual, the season starts off with a bang with Murdoch investigating a case of the missing flying machine. Under the new broadcast, they show off some aerial footage over the Niagara Falls. Murdoch also gets to visit the mayor in his chambers. They surprisingly show off locations of the city that aren't normally explored such as the marketplace, courthouse, department store, prison, and a courtroom. For the first time, we get to see how a trial takes place. A number of outside foods are referenced such as the hamburger and pizza pie. 

Psychology: Doctor Emily Grace is now permanently added to the cast as the police station's coroner while Dr. Ogden takes over for the now absent psychiatrist role for the asylum. Terrorism is explored in a number of ways through Winston Churchill's negative view of war, a deadly gas that threatens the city, and a haunting ghost. Other aspects of the mind are explored through a test of morality when finding lost money, a man who claims he is Sherlock Holmes, and a woman with a form of alzheimer's. The inspector undergoes some tests of his own through a police training course, expressing his love for an opera singer even though he is married, and losing someone with a Victoria Cross who saved him during the war. The fifth episode actually comes with an intermittent disclaimer (set for commercial breaks) that there will be nudity (butts shown) as the team investigates a nudist community. The eighth episode reveals a new reoccurring character Eva Pearce as a master female manipulator. The show, especially the last few episodes, are stock full of psychological transitions with Ogden refusing the annulment, Darcy refusing a divorce, accepting the concept of adultery, Murdoch punching Darcy, Ogden being framed for killing Darcy, and Murdoch being caught in James Gillies trap. They also created an interactable web-series called Nightmare on Queen Street.

Season 7 (Writing Fun)

Open Waters: There are a few episodes that revolve around the open sea. The first episode is based entirely on a cruise ship and a woman who managed to survive in a barrel over Niagara Falls. Another episode has the crew on the beach when a creature, similar to the Loch Ness Monster, appears in the distance on Lake Ontario. This is the first time they show the inside of the freezer in the morgue and an overwhelming number of people dying from a heat wave. The actor who plays Murdoch invited his dog in the episode too but he died three days after being film. George Crabtree takes Murdoch to go see all his aunts that he keeps talking about in the show (Flower Girls of Flower Hill) in Newfoundland. They discover a treasure map from an old pirate tale from one of his picture books. 

Rivals: Now that Darcy is gone, we now have to contend with his brother suddenly stepping in to live with Dr. Ogden. He mischievously hooks up with Emily Grace which causes contention with George Crabtree. James Gillies still isn't dead yet and worse has to be routed on a train. His body supposedly shows up later, but he still manages to make a live appearance later in the show. Leslie Garland takes advantage of the situation to terrorize Dr. Ogden and Murdoch until they discover the truth, rather easily, before their marriage in the 100th episode. The other thing they need to bring up is Dr. Ogden's father mysteriously dying to explain why he won't be at the wedding. Similar to Murdoch's fantasy takes with Dr. Ogden, Julia has her own style of talking to her now dead father in the episode. There's a major callback to when President McKinley gets shot with Emma Goldman, Allan Clegg, and Murdoch trying to prove Terrence Meyers innocence. 

Something Different: There were an unusual number of changes made during this season. They now introduce the police station by showing the door instead of the overhead. They start producing 18 episodes instead of 13. There were a lot of episodes that were overly silly. The actor that plays
James Pendric had his actual wife play his counterpart in an episode. If that wasn't meta enough, their motion picture was based on Murdoch Mysteries. There was an episode of a woman who jumped out of a window on the second floor because she had a phobia and Murdoch admits to being afraid of butterflies. They introduce a sapphist - woman homosexual - in preparation for Emily Grace's change. There's episodes about a black group singing ragtime, a hoard of zombies (with lobotomy), a couple going down in a giant drill to see if the Earth is hollow, a con artist helping the police catch a con artist, an axe-wielding murderer going on a killing spree with a bunch of women stuck in a log cabin, a glowing ghost, and Crabtree pairing up with a Chinese man who knows the martial arts. One episode is entirely based on trying to keep the noise down so a man strapped at the top of a pole with dynamite doesn't blow up. I was surprised to see parts of him fly in all directions when he did explode, as well as a man committing suicide at the end of the episode. George Crabtree is the one that tries reason when his counterparts believe something is supernatural and the inspector tries Murdoch's methods of solving a murder with a chalkboard.

Season 8 (Love & Politics) 

Couples: The two stars of the show finally get married in the 100th episode. A couple of facts: 160 murders were solved, and it was the 28th episode to feature the word Murdoch in the title. Leslie Garland comes back one more time in a court of law before being immediately fired after his superior learns of what he did last season. George Crabtree is reunited with the girl from the very first episode of the series who now has a son. Her believed dead husband suddenly shows up in the finale the moment they decided to get married. The resolution comes in the next season after George goes to jail and they discover that the boy shot his father. You never see them again and their crimes are absolved by a letter years later. There are many episodes where Emily Grace is seen kissing Lilian Moss until the doctor discovers her dead body in the next season. Despite the truth behind Lilian's background and Emily's feelings being revealed to the crew, she still leaves never to be seen again.

Tragedy: Similar to other season cliffhangers, the inspector gets beaten down and refuses to return to the police force when the justice system fails to put away the ones he admitted in court. He turns his attention to painting where he sells one to an inspiring artist and places another in his office. Meanwhile, the first episode publicly released a Violence Warning as the entire police force and women suffragettes get into two completely different brawls. After finding a buried body under the police station, Detective Gilles is discovered as a homosexual and put into jail for his crimes. Hodge is less involved and seen hosting the policemen at a tavern after a sentence of two years. The Egyptian lady makes a return in a very Indiana Jones episode but gets electrocuted when carrying the Holy Grail. In the 11th episode, there was ending credits with how the government extinguished the Indian Land Title after silver was found in Cobalt, Ontario in 1903. In the 13th episode, everyone that was thrown in the asylum gets a part - Eva Pierce the manipulator, Rose Maxwell the ax-wielding murderer, Mrs. Lynd the morality killer, and Charlotte with multiple personalities. There's an episode with both a touching moment seeing a flashback of Murdoch with his mentor and a dark secret where a woman is acting as a priest. 

Creativity: They had a few interesting episodes with Bat Masterson chasing after a couple that looked like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The lovely newlyweds spend their honeymoon learning more about America in New York. Meanwhile, the constables buy a car off a dead man. Amusingly, there was a car chase sequence when the speed limit was still 10 mph at the time. There's an episode where a "puzzler" gets killed from a real life Edgar Allan Poe cipher. Murdoch gets to meet his fan club (with one being the actor's youngest daughter) which all accidentally contribute to a murder. There's a Traveling Medical Emporium with all kinds of inventions and a Comedy Club. Though the question posed at the end is whether a woman can be funny while carrying a monologue? There was a very risque episode (at least back then) about different types of corsets. Dr. Ogden had a broken wrist when Hélène Joy broke hers in real life. Crabtree gets in the middle of a wrestling event and finds out how truly fake it all is. 

Season 9 (New Girls)

New Cast: After the departure of Emily Grace, the show brings out Rebecca James who is an inspiring new doctor (who is black) Julia hires for the morgue. After someone in her church dies, she finds a boyfriend who regularly supports her. We get to see a young version of Murdoch solving a mystery with a Freddie Pink past and present who becomes a regular private investigator for the show (since the first female police officer was in 1912). Although there is a subplot where Murdoch prepares a new home, the couple end up adopting a baby Roland after a couple of bank robbers are killed. He is seen for a good portion of the season before being returned to his true father (he appears for a brief moment in the next season). A Nina Bloom becomes a regular that George Crabtree sees at the Star Room as a burlesque dancer.

Oddball Concepts: After Crabtree becomes a constable again, the show starts with a bunch of naked women electroplated and placed as statues in the fourth episode. There is an entire episode dedicated to a rocket that is aimed for the Americans that ultimately sends Meyers into space (he returns in the next season). Opium and other types of drugs are explored in the eighth episode. An entire Christmas special is aired in December 2015 that lasts two hours and has many holiday references such as The Little Match Girl, the inspector haunted by Krampus, and all the carriages being sleighs in the snow. Murdoch gets addicted to golf, Crabtree starts a writing class, a girl raised by wolves kills someone, and someone born from a black family disguises herself as someone white. The series also shows off a new interactive webseries called The Internal Device

Corruption: It appears that Station No. 4 has its hands full with Chief Constable Davis at Station House Five and the Board of Control. Murdoch goes undercover to discover some activity going on at the House of Industry and the inspector becomes an escape goat for a racketeering case he was investigating. The season finale has Constable Worsley killed - because he asked the showrunner if he could die that year - and Julia riding a horse with her bow and arrow after Eva Pierce kidnaps Murdoch in the season finale. While there is no cliff-hanger that continues into the next season, there is a brief period of time Julia hallucinates Eva Pierce after killing her (despite killing someone in self-defense already in the show). 

Season 10 (Fantasy & Chaos)

The Crazy: Things get a bit ridiculous in the 8th episode when they parade the dead body of Roger Newsome to catch the hunter that manages to shoot him three separate times in the episode. Ironically, the actor comes back in the next season as his identical twin brother Rupert Newsome. James Pendrick discovers a formula to keep you forever young, but the side effects cause him to black out as some sort of masked vigilante with super strength. James Gillies somehow survives the fall off the train, severely damaging half his body, inserts a transmission device inside a man and connects another into the interview room at the police station, kidnaps Murdoch's adopted son Roland in one final showdown. The Christmas episode is all about George Crabtree's custom-made comic hero Jumping Jack coming to life! Murdoch has to investigate the "murder" of a dog in the 11th episode. Alan Doyle also guest stars in the episode to play a time-traveling historian who has lost his journal, find a page of it in the trash while the credits run, and appears again in the interactive adventure Beyond Time (interactive quiz). Terrence Meyers returns after being claimed a god when the rocket he was in the previous episode crash lands. Murdoch tries to build a house but manages to find multiple bodies on his property. The season finale cuts to black after three of the main characters are shot down in a church.

New Girls: After Nina Bloom tells Crabtree that she has no interest in marriage, he forms a relationship with a new aggressive reporter by the name of Louise Cherry. However, her constant stretching of the truth and outright lies to appeal to her audience calls her character to question with the police for a number of seasons. After Roger Newsome dies, they introduce his sister Ruth Newsome in the same episode who becomes the new comedy relief that later marries Constable Higgins in the following seasons.

New Pair: A mysterious Detective Watts from Station No. 1 starts hanging around Station No. 4 after some creative differences among his peers. His style is very unorthodox but an interesting perspective that is needed for the unusual case of some missing women. He takes on Constable Jackson, who isn't generally highlighted in the show, for a number of episodes until they find a secret community of only women hidden away from society. One of them appeals to Dr. Ogden as a way to solve her futility issues. In one episode, Jackson creates a sudden relationship with a woman who only shows up for a couple episodes. Although he dies in the season finale, his friends share memories of him in the webseries Book of Jackson, as well as the first episode of the next season.

The Brackenreids: Inspector Brackenreid disappears a couple times during this season. The first time is when he covers for a team going to the Olympic Games. During that same episode, his son also makes an appearance to join the team. The inspector returns a few episodes later only to be drawn away again on an adventure with James Pendrick. He then returns again in the season finale. Meanwhile, his son doesn't make another appearance until the next season when he chooses to be a new constable under his father's command.

Graphics: There are a number of episodes that start using special effects. Julia has to resolve her guilt with Eva Pearce haunting her as a giant fire ravages through the city. You can see some CGI during the game with how the ball curves after being kicked. A number of scientific discoveries use bright colors to simulate testing equipment in the lab. Pendrick's lab has a number of fantastical lighting effects and cartoon-style equipment. The spring action and other inventions are animated for Jumping Jack character in the Christmas episode. In the 10th episode that shows off a number of clips from previous seasons shine different shades of color upon a man who claims to be a conduit of the Devil and James Gillies. Some ingenuity was made in the dream sequences of the inspector's wife in Lovecraft fashion with snakes enveloped around her head. 

Season 11 (Nostalgia)

Ogden's Pregnancy: Following from the last season is Doctor Demeter from the women-only community expressing herself at the Toronto Medical Expedition in the fourth episode. Julia decides to work with her on increasing the fertility rate on rabbits. These experimental hormones causes her to be extremely flirtatious, get pregnant, have morning sickness, and mood swings throughout the next dozen episodes. She ends up with a miscarriage in the 17th episode that starts a depression for the both of them into the season finale. 

Love Circles: After Louise Cherry loses her integrity as a journalist, George Crabtree is still rather persistent in making it happen with Nina Bloom. Unfortunately, she decides to leave for Paris with or without him in the season finale. Of course, his buddy Henry decides to date Ruth Newsome despite the history of Roger Newsome. This actually spearheads into a wedding in the next season where George Crabtree meets their cousin Effie Newsome as their family lawyer.

Guest Cast: This season is filled with previous cast members such as Dilton Dilbert as the one who helped the Inspector work with the city records in Season 9. For some reason, they decide to kill him off in the 7th episode with a car collision. Rebecca James and Nate Desmond pop up a few times and get married. Meanwhile, her cast replacement Violet Hart continues to do some questionable actions while trying to take over as coroner. Sketchy Eddie Crawford appears in the 9th episode. James Pendrick comes in the 10th episode with a frictionless train that goes through an underground tunnel. President Roosevelt comes back for the 14th episode with the government duo - Terrence Meyers despite being blasted in a rocket and Allen Clegg being detained for questioning in the previous episode they appeared in. If you have forgotten about Murdoch's brother, you get to see Jasper have some fun with Murdoch in the Christmas episode while Odgen secretly entertains the girls with her surgeon skills. Inspector Brackenreid's son decides to become a constable in training as a new regular cast member.

 

Shotgun Ideas: There are so many interesting and oddball ideas thrown into this season that not everything can be covered here. A new detective who becomes inspector gets introduced and dies within the same season. Though, we do get to see the inside of Station House No. 1 for the first time. There's a very cool effect where Murdoch changes the landscape by waving his hand in the second episode. Colin Mochrie plays a new character Ralph Fellows who becomes the new egotistical criminal who rivals Detective Murdoch in a few episodes. Inspector Brackenreid paints a series of naked women in the 8th episode, including Nina Bloom. There's a Cooking Contest in the 13th episode and Chess Tournament in the 16th episode  They sort of suddenly make Detective Watts a Jew for only the 15th episode.

 

Foundation (Seasons 12 - 14)

  

Season 12 (House)

 

New Settings: Murdoch's home finally becomes a reality and it is built by none other than the modern visionary Frank Lloyd Wright. It becomes a primary set piece for the show from this moment on. Voilet Hart is a new cast member who weasels herself in for Dr. Odgen's coroner job by doing some very shady activities. John Brackenreid makes a name for himself at Station House #4. Inspector Brackenreid goes through a lot during this season as he tries to discover himself after being kicked out of the house. It seems he has a new secret daughter from a black woman he knew years ago. George Crabtree connects with Effie Newsome who will have a more permanent standing in the show when they get married down the road.

 

Adventure: There was a shift around the cast members. Higgins is now a married man and starts being a cabbie. Murdoch disguises himself as a French spy to keep a treaty in check in the 5th episode. The 6th episode is a very fictional Halloween special when a bug inhabits the entire town with no resolution at the end. The 8th episode has the team tracking down an invisible man. Inspector Brackenreid goes out on the high seas in the 10th episode and continues to reconcile between both of his families. The Murdoch duo follow the trend of writing books with Solving Murder. Ralph Fellows uses the new published book to kill a number of people as he continues to be William's rival in the next few seasons.

 

Revelations: Detective Watts shoots a man after getting involved with an old case regarding his mentally-challenged foster family. We see Murdoch having flashbacks when he was a boy in the 12th episode. Ruth Newsome, now Higgins-Newsome after the wedding, finds out she makes a good nurse. Dr. Ogden learns that Ruth is the writer of a famous woman's book Adventures of a Young Woman in the same episode that inspired Julia to do more. Murdoch goes hysterical when he finds the body of his father Harry Murdoch in the 14th episode. Thomas gets his own complicated case with a girl when shot in the season finale. Instead of doing their typical cliffhanger episode, this season ends with a two-part episode special.

 

Season 13 (Neighbors)

 

Contention: George Crabtree gets a lot of highlights with meeting his father in the 4th episode now that he is courting Effie Newsome. He gets the attention of a crazy book fan who ties him up to relive her fantasy. After being shot, John Brackenreid decides to be an actor with someone who really does get killed in the 8th episode. Detective Watts is now gay and has a host of issues when he starts seeing a butcher. Rupert Newsome suddenly returns to the show after being engaged to Lucinda. 

 

Specials: As now is the tradition, the 5th episode is the Halloween special where the Brackenreids try to scare away some kids, Henry & Ruth eat mushrooms, and the Murdochs solve a half-bird, half-man mystery. The 200th episode includes 8 previous historic characters and 3 new ones including Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Ernest Rutherford, Harry Houdini, H.G. Wells, and Henry Ford. Even Sally Pendrick makes an appearance since her disappearance in the third season. The 15th episode has a very special "clip show" as Terrence Meyers is put on trial. 

 

The Unusual: Robert Parker is a new black man that assists the police station, but his standing doesn't last long since he is killed before the season ends. There is an episode about stamp-collecting, trying to find a 500-pound pig, and the return of Percival Giles in the 14th episode. Perhaps the most unusual case is when Ralph Fellows appears after Ogden's neighbors are killed. Violet Hart continues to create even more secrets as the new coroner for the police. 

Season 14 (Extension)

The Pandemic: There were many restrictions put in place because of the COVID Pandemic. They only released 11 episodes this season. The relationship between Murdoch and Ogden was shown a little differently this time around. There was a rule about kissing that caused some creative differences between the characters and how intimacy is shown. There was an episode that eluded to the idea of outdoor dining and other governmental precautions that took place during those couple of years.

Characters Galore: This season saw the return of so many characters. Arthur Carmickle suddenly appears despite his arrest in Season 12 and becomes a complicated love interest to Miss Hart. They go on extravagant dates and eventually marry after "working" through their hostility. Ruth becomes pregnant and hitches with the Murdoch family in their house. Rubert suddenly comes back and marries Lucinda in their own personal country called New South Mimico. Effie Newsome starts a law office and turns down George's proposal. Meanwhile, they have their own problems when the crazy twin sisters make an appearance. Terence Meyers, James Pendrick, and even Allen Clegg all share an episode together. Murdoch's neighbor and Ralph Fellows pops up in the 7th episode. It is also revealed that Murdoch now has a son with the woman he slept with while he had Amnesia way back in the early seasons.