The Great Wall

"The Great Wall"
Season	3
Episode	2
Airdate	March 21, 2010 (Canada)
Writer	Alexandra Zarowny
Director	Harvey Crossland
Guests	Gabriel Hogan as Constable Randall Townsend Jo Chim as Ling Allan Royal as Chief Constable Stockton Richard Clarkin as Inspector Davis
Recurring	Lachlan Murdoch as Henry Higgins
Previous	The Murdoch Identity
Next	Victor, Victorian

"The Great Wall" is the second episode of the third season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the twenty-eighth episode of the series. It first aired on February 23, 2010 (UK).

Summary

Just when Station House No. 5 and Station House No. 4 are looking forward to the police contest finals, which Brackenreid thinks they'll lose, Crabtree comes in with an unusual call.

Det. Murdoch is called in to investigate the murder of Constable Cooper from Station 5, which includes Toronto's Chinatown district. He appears to have been beaten and bled to death, owing to his femoral artery having been cut. His fellow officers, Constables Holder and Townsend, are racists and bigots, and they quickly attach themselves to Murdoch's investigation.

Crabtree brings news that Constable Cooper had fought with one Edward Chan, who makes a profit by transporting people from China to Canada. Mr. Chan is less than impressed by Murdoch's questions, but quickly directs him to Feng Choy's shop, as they had recently argued as well, about someone named Mai-Li. Unbeknownst to him, he's being followed by Townsend and Holder. At Feng Choy's shop, Murdoch first meets Ling. When she goes to the back to get her uncle, the two constables enter as well, making their presence known. As Murdoch tries to question Feng Choy peacefully, the two constables threaten Feng Choy, who quickly offers them a great deal of money for them to go away. Murdoch refuses the money and buys some ginseng, then leaves.

Back at the Station, Murdoch hears word that the murderer is apprehended. Upon returning to Chinatown, he finds Feng Choy beaten and arrested by two constables. Townsend quickly reveals that Cooper's watch had been found in the shop. Murdoch takes Feng Choy into police custody, asserting his authority as head of the investigation, but Feng Choy refuses to talk about Mai-Li. Ling tries to make excuses, explaining that as her grandfather, he feels it's his duty to protect her. However, Murdoch needs to know from what. When Murdoch and Brackenreid go to the pub to pay their respects to Constable Cooper, they're met with hostility, as Inspector Davis tries to provoke them. Murdoch simply states that they're there for Cooper, not to make a scene.

Later, arriving at Station, Edward Chan questions Murdoch about the bribe money. Murdoch denies that the constabulary was extorting money from Chinatown residents, but Mr. Chan tells him that Cooper had hit him because he refused to pay. Feng Choy had refused to pay too – because of Mai-Li. Murdoch reexamines the evidence and finds the actual crime scene in the alley behind the Station House No. 5 police hangout pub. Murdoch begins to focus on the possibility that a fellow policeman is responsible and faces the wrath of Station 5 and that of Inspector Davis. Undeterred, Murdoch suspects that Cooper got into a fight with a fellow cop and was accidentally killed during the fight behind the bar. A rat is delivered to him on a box at Station House 4.

Both Station Houses participate in the finals of the police games and come to physical blows. Chief Constable Stockton dresses them down and gives them an ultimatum and demands they charge Feng Choy with Coopers murder. He gives them one hour to close the case and return to continue the games. Murdoch goes back to talk to Feng Choy and his niece. He discovers that Constable Townsend had assaulted Mai-Li and Cooper found out about it when he went to collect the extortion money from Feng Choy.

When the tug-o-war resumes on the pitch, Murdoch notices Townsend has mismatched shoestrings, thus Station House No. 4 loses to No. 5 when his concentration slips. He realizes that Townsend is the one who assaulted Mai-Li and killed Cooper and tried to cover it all up.

At the Station 5 celebration, Murdoch and members of Station 4 arrive with Feng Choy, his niece, and Mai-Li to accuse Townsend and arrest him. After trying to get his fellow coppers to take his side, he confesses and is hauled away. Feng Choy and his family are grateful. Chief Constable Stockton arrives to give the police game award but tries to assign Murdoch to Winnipeg, because "things would be easier for him out there". Both Murdoch and Inspector Brackenreid rightly turn him down. Stockton tells Murdoch that the constabulary and people of Toronto thank him and leaves.

Character Revelations

• Station House No. 5's policemen apparently would take money from the Chinese as "protection." Edward Chan told Murdoch that one of the officers hit him when he tried not to pay, and would trash the Chinese's possessions if they also refused.

Continuity

• Rivalry between Station House No. 4 and No. 5 is established and continues.
• Chief Constable Stockton's attitude towards the Catholic Murdoch still persists.

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1897 – Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 1819 - 1901) is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and Empress of India.
• "Chinatown" typically refers to the neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, which extends along Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue. The Chinese community in this downtown Chinatown previously originated from the First Chinatown, which was located in what used to be known as The Ward.
• One of the first settlers in Toronto’s Chinatown was a hand laundry business on Adelaide Street; This was during 1878. Sam Ching was the only Chinese man documented in the registry for the city.

Over the next two decades, Chinatown took form; even though the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 was still in place. They populated Bay and Elizabeth Streets. Hundreds of Chinese men flooded in through Western Canada after building the Canadian Pacific Railway. By the time 1910 rolled around, Toronto’s Chinese population grew to over a thousand. Hundreds of businesses owned and operated by the Chinese developed along these streets.

Trivia

• Russell Yuen, who played Edward Chan, would return in the episode Kung Fu Crabtree as a different character, Sun Yang.
• Murdoch corrects Holder stating that the inhabitants of Chinatown speak Cantonese, and a few Cantonese dialogues are spoken by Ling and Feng Choy. However, the predominant language among early Chinese settlers of late 19th Century was Toisanese.

Errors

• At the Chinese herbal shop, Murdoch uses a 5¢ piece the size of a modern day nickel. But that style of coinage wasn't adopted until 1921. Before that, 5¢ pieces were smaller than the modern day dime.
• Detective Murdoch corrects Constable Holder stating that the inhabitants of Chinatown speak Cantonese, and a few Cantonese dialogues are spoken by Ling and Feng Choy. However, the predominant language among early Chinese settlers of late 19th Century was Toisanese.

Cast

Main Cast

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

Recurring Cast

Allan Royal as Chief Constable Stockton
Lachlan Murdoch as Henry Higgins
Richard Clarkin as Inspector Davis

Guest Cast

Gabriel Hogan as Constable Randall Townsend
Jo Chim as Ling
Simon Sinn as Feng Choy
Lee Rumohr as Constable Pete Holder
Martin Happer as Constable Curtis Cooper
Russell Yuen as Edward Chan
Andrea So as Mai-Li
Brian Bisson as Referee

Gallery

Winning Station House

The constables

Crime scene in China town

Blackboard list

Station House vs Station House

Where there is good . . .