High Voltage

"High Voltage"
Season	8
Episode	8
Airdate	December 1, 2014
Writer	Carol Hay
Director	Cal Coons
Guests	Scott Beaudin as Thomas Edison Jr
Recurring	David Storch as Thomas Edison
Previous	What Lies Buried
Next	The Keystone Constables

"High Voltage" is the eighth episode of the eighth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the one hundred-fourth episode of the series. It first aired on December 1, 2014.

Summary

Detective Murdoch must investigate both Thomas Edison Senior and Thomas Edison Junior when a man is found electrocuted in a hotel room.

Detective Murdoch and Crabtree investigate the apparent murder of Frederick Longfellow, a businessman and scientist attending the Medical Exhibition and Emporium, who is found sitting in a chair he had invented; The amazing Vital Motion Plus is meant to provide a mild electrical current as a rejuvenation technique but Dr. Grace is certain that he was in fact electrocuted. The Windsor House Hotel desk clerk informs Murdoch that Mr. Longfellow had a young woman with him the night he died but, in a twist, the evidence leads the Detective to inventor Thomas Edison and the main suspect – his son Thomas Edison Jr.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Toronto tells Inspector Brackenreid to speak to Murdoch about his wife's plan to run in the upcoming election – fully expecting that the Detective will exercise his authority as her husband. Murdoch makes it clear to everyone that he has no intention of interfering and will support Julia in her campaign.

Character Revelations

• William is almost more enthusiastic than Julia about her running for office and tells Julia, "We are husband and wife, we stand together no matter what comes our way."
• For Dr. Grace, Julia is very impressive and has always been an inspiration to her.

Continuity

• The scene of the crime is a room at the Windsor House Hotel for the first time. When told of the crime, Murdoch says he'll fetch his bicycle from the hotel stables, Crabtree tells him, "Well, you shouldn't need your bicycle, sir. The murder was here. Room 206."
• This is the third appearance of Mayor Clarkson, the first was in Murdoch and the Cloud of Doom.
• Julia tells Emily that she is withdrawing from the election, stating "I bring a lot of controversy with me." But when pressed by Emily, she explains, "What I do directly impacts upon William. I have to take that into consideration." Thus, closing the matter.
• First time the Penny Arcade is seen.
• This is the second appearance of Mr. Rico, the first was in Murdoch Au Naturel.

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1902 – the Edwardian Era (1901-1910) is the time when King Edward VII rules the British Empire; It is also 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.
• References to various inventions on display at the Medical Exhibition and Emporium in Toronto circa 1902.
• This is the second appearance of Thomas Alva Edison and the first with his son, Thomas Edison Jr who was known to sell his last name to a series of unsavory and unprincipled businesses.
• Early pioneers in the field of dermatoglyphics discovered inheritable quality of fingerprint patterns (arch, loop and whorl). Thus, fingerprints of a father and son could appear to be identical without expertly examining the next level of detail known as minutiae: specific path of ridges, the breaks or forks, and other identifying features which makes every fingerprint unique. This scientific method is in its early stage as Scotland Yard established their own Fingerprint Bureau in 1901.
• Margaret Haile the first woman to run for legislative office in Canada returns in this episode.

Trivia

• In a beginning scene where William Murdoch and Julia Ogden are having breakfast, Murdoch grabs a toasted slice of bread (sliced by the hotel cook, no doubt). Manufactured sliced bread was not sold until 1928.

Notable Quotes

William to Julia: "Let's not let society constrain us, Julia, no matter what the consequences. We're a modern couple living in a modern world."

Errors

• The signature of Thomas Alva Edison shown at the beginning of the episode is different than the signature shown to Thomas Edison Sr. later in the episode.

Cast

Main Cast

Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch
Hélène Joy as Julia Ogden
Thomas Craig as Thomas Brackenreid
Jonny Harris as George Crabtree
Georgina Reilly as Emily Grace

Recurring Cast

Tamara Hope as Edna Brooks
Nicole Underhay as Margaret Haile
Percy Hynes White as Simon Brooks
David Storch as Thomas Edison
Gerry Mendicino as Mr. Rico
David Huband as Mayor Clarkson

Guest Cast

Sara Mitich as Lillian Moss
Scott Beaudin as Thomas Edison Jr
Shiva Negar as Anna Rico
Kerry Griffin as Mr. McBride
Daniel Beirne as Mr. Mansfield
Barna Moricz as Frederick Longfellow

Gallery

The victim and weapon

evidence removed...

postmortem...

tracing the missing...

name for room 206...

...a famous signature...

the Penny Arcade