Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012) s01e08 – Away with the Fairies

Once again I stand corrected as to what “Miss Fisher’s” needs to do to have a successful episode. This one has a case very tied to Essie Davis’s past—victim Heather Bolton was one of Davis’s teachers, prime suspect Deborah Kennedy is a mentor—has lots of guest stars (Phryne Fellow Philippe Sung is back, bringing arraigned marriage fiancée Haiha Le with him), gives Ashleigh Cummings a big subplot, and even has time to directly follow-up on the last episode, where Nathan Page… took unexpected actions to protect Davis.

And they’re still working out the repercussions, with Davis trying to throw Page off guard and Page refusing to play with Davis’s intimations. They’re so good together this episode. So good.

Also really good is Davis’s developing “relationship” with Sung, who’s discovered his grandmother, Amanda Ma (who previously threatened Davis), doesn’t like his appropriate Chinese wife-to-be Le any better, forcing Sung to reexamine his future.

Meanwhile, Cummings and Davis discover there’s a lot more to Le than Sung or Ma realize.

The mystery is about women’s magazine editor Bolton ending up dead and everyone in the office— plus all the various men about town who hate a women’s magazine-suspects. Kennedy would’ve gotten control of the magazine, Anna McGahan would’ve gotten ahead as a reporter, Roz Hammond and soul male employee Peter Stefanou have no obvious motives, but Hammond’s keeping secrets from her husband, handyman Jim Russell, and Stefanou’s a Lothario so who knows.

Cummings isn’t just gal palling with Le, she’s also coming into her own helping the magazine get out its next issue—Davis’s investigation almost takes a back seat to her concern for her friend, Kennedy, and just keeping a women’s magazine (made by women) coming out. Thanks to that character development subplot, Cummings also gets a very cute scene with Hugo Johnstone-Burt.

While the mystery solution itself isn’t great (and is a little familiar thinking about it in hindsight), but the episode’s outstanding. And the mystery setting does allow Davis to get all the suspects together for the end reveal, which is a lot of fun. If the show’s done it before, I don’t think they made such a big deal out of it. Here, it’s the full suspects gathered trope.

It’s so much fun.

Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012) s01e06 – Ruddy Gore

It’s an excellent episode and maybe the one most interested in the murder investigation. There aren’t any substantial subplots—Ashleigh Cummings has to deal with Hugo Johnstone-Burt being a lug of a boyfriend and not a romantic daydream like stage actor Alex Rathgeber, who’s actually a right bastard but Rathgeber figures into the main plot. Cummings’s crush just gives it all some texture—actually, it also fits in later when Essie Davis wants to investigate the cold case (tied to the main one).

The pre-titles scene is a ghost in a theater, then after titles it’s Davis taking Cummings to the show itself—a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Ruddigore. Rathgeber’s in it. The show’s Davis’s birthday present to Cummings. We also meet show producer, Bille Brown, who’s an old friend of Davis’s. Brown wants to hire Davis to investigate the ghost, so it’s kind of perfect when the actor who the ghost had been haunting dies.

Davis’s investigation, often alongside copper Nathan Page’s (the show’s fecund with Davis and Page chemistry this episode and it’s all wonderful), leads her from jealous Rathgeber to disinterested fiancée Christie Whelan Browne to dresser James Pratt then to Chinese businessman Philippe Sung. Turns out Davis is fluent in Mandarin and axe-throwing, which helps since she meets Sung while he’s in a kung fu fight in the middle of the street.

Sung’s a fantastic Phryne Fellow. Charming, mysterious, unavailable, with a mean grandmother (Amanda Ma) who threatens to curse Davis for getting Sung’s attention. Great stuff with Sung.

The actual perpetrator is fairly predictable but the situation of the case, which involves illegitimate births and tragic suicides and so on, is really engaging. Brown’s got a fantastic presence and it’s fun to be around the theater during the investigation, especially once Davis sees the ghost herself.

Between Davis and Sung, Davis and Page, and even Davis and Johnstone-Burt—she’s trying to help him understand Cummings’s romantic wants—it’s also a phenomenal showcase for Davis in the lead. In addition to the mystery keeping one intrigued, you’re just waiting to see what Davis is going to say next. So good.

I mean, it’s also the least… serious episode in a lot of ways. In terms of danger to its principals… even though Davis is in danger. Script’s by Liz Doran, it’s her first episode… director’s David Caesar, who directed the previous episode, also excellent. Sadly it’s Caesar’s last time directing the show.

Anyway… excellent episode.