Mr. Murdoch's Neighbourhood

"Mr. Murdoch's Neighbourhood"
Season	10
Episode	13
Airdate	February 6, 2017
Writer	Carol Hay
Director	Jill Carter
Guests	Laurie Murdoch as Alvin Nash
Previous	The Missing
Next	From Murdoch to Eternity

"Mr. Murdoch's Neighbourhood" is the thirteenth episode of the tenth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the one hundred forty-fifth of the series. It first aired on February 6, 2017.

Summary

When Murdoch and Ogden use their riverside property as a burial ground to study human decomposition, they dig up more than they imagined.

Dr. Ogden sets up a field test to show how constables and doctors work together at a burial site. Along with fellow medical students Anne Baxter and Katherine Roy, Miss James explore key forensic studies with Constables Crabtree, Jackson and Higgins.

Three unearthed bodies later and Julia's cadaver gone missing, the Murdoch property, that idyllic plot of land next to the Don River where William is planning to build the house of his dreams, turns out to be the burial ground of a revenge killing.

Character Revelations

• William’s best-laid plans don't cover all circumstances when it comes to home building.
• Constable Jackson's wife died of dropsy; love is in the air for him; and his full name is Augustus "Gus" Jackson, first mentioned by Terrence Meyers in Beyond Time.
• Louise Cherry drives an automobile that she intends to purchase for 100 dollars.
• Murdoch gives an approving nod to George's friendship with Louise.

Continuity

• There is a time jump (six months), not often used in Murdoch Mysteries, but it’s important to this main storyline and will advance other plot lines:
  • Dr. Ogden’s role at the Ontario Medical College for Women, as set up at the end of Jagged Little Pill.
  • The eventual and eventful return of Inspector Brackenreid and Pendrick in the next episode.
• Higgins and George with shovels in hand again, but it's Jackson who wins their 5-cent cadaver finding bet and a new romance with Anne Baxter.
• Crabtree mentions the case of the not gold-plated, but copper-electroplated, women. (ep.904)
• Detective Watts continues his investigation into the missing women case, started in A Murdog Mystery. Mr. Bruce allows Watts access to his missing wife's possessions – a book of interest is found.
• Constable Crabtree introduces Louise Cherry to Bloom and Crabtree Autoshop, so that Sam can make sure she's not buying a lemon.
• In turn, Gazette journalist Cherry gives the Bloom and Crabtree Autoshop a good promotion story "...Constable Runs Auto Garage You Can Trust."
• While it almost seems fitting that the Detective and City Coroner would buy a land covered in dead bodies, the irony is not lost on them; finding murder victims and arresting most of their neighbours leads them to put their property back on the market.

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1905 – the Edwardian Era (1901-1910) a 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.
• Ontario Medical College for Women
• Allusion to the real unsolved Black Donnellys murder case.

Trivia

• Crabtree speaks a line from a beloved, critically-acclaimed film...
• Cast member Lachlan Murdoch's father, Laurie, appears for the second time on the series; the first time was in I, Murdoch as Martin Hammerton. This familial relationship is hinted at as Laurie's character Alvin Nash dismissively calls Lachlan's Henry Higgins "sonny boy".
• In a general sense, the storyline was informed and inspired by the "Black Donnellys" of Lucan (near London), Ontario, according to MM showrunner Peter Mitchell.
• This episode was filmed in the middle of a September rain storm (9/29/2016), so they shot some of the scenes inside a large tent.
• Filmed at Christie Lake Conservation Area in Dundas, Ontario.
• The episode title is a possible allusion to the American Pubic Television (PBS) series' "Mr. Roger's Neighbourhood" (1966 - 2008).
• This is the eighth episode in Season 10 in which Thomas Craig (Thomas Brackenreid) does not appear. The Inspector returns in the next episode.

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
Kristian Bruun as Constable Jackson
Bea Santos as Louise Cherry
Daniel Maslany as Detective Watts
Clare Stone as Anne Baxter
Erin Carter as Katherine Roy
Sean Connolly Affleck as Samuel Bloom
Jonathan Robbins as Norman Bruce

Guest Cast

Laurie Murdoch as Alvin Nash
Natalia Payne as Dorothy Nash
Jeff McEnery as Barry Biggs
James Byron as Frank Walsh
Robert Verlaque as Cameron Smith
Jerry Rector as Horace Dawson
Amy Matysio as Minnie Hobbins
Colin Paradine as Builder
Bonnie Gray as Mavis Nash

Gallery

Forensics Studies with Dr. Ogden...

Another body?

Let me guess not your cadaver either?

Crabtree instructs Anne on finding a burial site

A challenge

Gus and Anne find Ogden's missing cadaver and romance

Field morgue...

Three unearthed bodies

Det. Watts finds another clue