Bloody Hell

"Bloody Hell"
Season	9
Episode	16
Airdate	March 7, 2016
Writer	Paul Aitken
Director	Harvey Crossland
Guests	David Hewlett as Dilton Dilbert
Previous	House of Industry
Next	From Buffalo With Love

"Bl**dy H*ll" is the sixteenth episode of ninth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the one hundred thirtieth episode of the series. It first aired on March 7, 2016.

Summary

When a pawnbroker and known fence admits to making payments to Station House Number 5, Murdoch and Brackenreid feel that they can finally start building a case against Chief Constable Davis. Meanwhile, Rebecca has doubts about becoming a doctor after a man dies in her care.

On her way to work, Miss James rushes to the aid of a man (named Jake) who falls off a ladder and has a piece of glass pierce his chest, but upon removing the shard Jake dies, devastating Rebecca's confidence. Not even Dr. Ogden can assuage Miss James' shaken courage and self-doubt of becoming a doctor.

Back at Station House No. 5, Murdoch and Brackenreid's main suspect, the wily Chief Constable Davis, successfully stays ahead of the two and, with the help of a mystery woman, Brackenreid is framed for racketeering and arrested. Davis offers him a deal: resign his post and take a low-paying job with the City, or go to prison. Understandably, Brackenreid takes the job in City Records to keep his police pension and his family out of the poor house. Mr. Dilton Dilbert, the head of City Records whose 'Swear Jar' is 10 cents richer within seconds after the former Inspector joins his office, gives Brackenreid an indexing task that fortuitously uncovers the deep corruption within the city. While compiling evidence from city acquisition, Dilbert is struck down and the papers taken. Murdoch and Brackenreid turn to the honorable Alderman Hubbard, formerly of Toronto Board of Control, but he can't go to the Mayor with only suspicions. Luckily, Dr. Ogden finds that there was a Hungarian admitted to the asylum after a suicide attempt, the mystery woman's name is Vidor Szabó.

They set up another sting to prove Davis, who’d been shaking down businesses in Station House No. 5’s territory since he was a lowly constable, is the one in charge of the racketeering ring. Bloody hell, indeed. 

Character Revelations

• Chief Constable Davis has been running a racketeering ring since 1889.
• Having been arrested and demoted to the City Records, Brackenreid packs up his painting and leaves his office.
• George reveals his repertoire of Italian, Swedish and Hungarian accents to help identify the “woman” involved in the money drop sting.

Continuity

• Crown Attorney Alister Gordon returns in this episode, promoted to Chief Crown Attorney.
• Eddie Crawford from Toronto's Girl Problem returns.
• Caught with the trash items, Higgins bravely eats a spoiled sandwich from the garbage to mislead Chief Constable Davis off their evidence search for Murdoch. 
• When she can not muster the courage to perform Jake's autopsy, George gives Rebecca a bit of encouragement, his Aunt Marigold's words of wisdom, "If you don't try, you'll never know where trying may have taken you."
• A Toronto Gazette newsboy gives Murdoch and Crabtree vital clues: the mystery woman spoke with a Hungarian accent and had scars on her wrists.
• Alderman Peyton Hubbard has long suspected two men on the Board of Control of graft, "but their support runs deep into the City Council"; this portends the corruption and crimes in Hell to Pay and continues into Season 11.

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1903 – the Edwardian Era (1901-1910) a the time in which King Edward VII rules the British Empire; It is known as the Belle Époque era, conventionally dated from the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
• Alderman William Peyton Hubbard makes his second appearance; the first was in Colour Blinded.
• Toronto Board of Control is the city's powerful executive body and, in its long history, has had corruption issues.

Trivia

• David Hewlett of Dark Matter and Stargate Atlantis fame guests as a City Records official named Dilton Dilbert, who doesn't take kindly to swearing; he returns in Season 11.
• The City Records room was filmed on the same set as the opulent opium den in Pipe Dreamzzz'.

Cast

Main Cast

Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch
Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden
Thomas Craig as Inspector Thomas Brackenreid
Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree

Recurring Cast

Lachlan Murdoch as Constable Henry Higgins
Mouna Traoré as Rebecca James
Richard Clarkin as Chief Constable Davis
Neil Crone as Chief Crown Attorney Gordon
Rothaford Gray as Alderman William Peyton Hubbard
Craig Brown as Eddie Crawford

Guest Cast

David Hewlett as Dilton Dilbert
Mihály Szabados as Vidor Szabo
Gray Powell as Constable Jenson
Andrew Fleming as Window Installer #2
Michael Levinson as Newsboy

Non-Credited Cast

Sean Harraher as Constable Worseley

Gallery