Republic of Murdoch

"Republic of Murdoch"
Season	7
Episode	8
Airdate	November 25, 2013
Writer	Peter Mitchell and Paul Aitken
Director	Don McCutcheon
Guests	Allan Hawco as Jacob Doyle Jason Card as Guglielmo Marconi Tamara Bernier Evans as Aunt Azalea
Recurring	Lachlan Murdoch as Henry Higgins Charles Vandervaart as John Brackenreid Kristian Bruun as Slugger Jackson
Previous	Loch Ness Murdoch
Next	A Midnight Train to Kingston

"Republic of Murdoch" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the eighty-sixth episode of the series. It first aired November 25, 2013.

Summary

Detective Murdoch investigates the death of Peter Farrelly who had a loud altercation with someone the night before his body was found. Dr. Grace determines he was beaten to death. She also finds chloral hydrate in his system - a bottle of which they discover in the victim's luggage. Both the victim and his killer are from Newfoundland; so Murdoch and Crabtree head off to St. John's in the hopes of finding the suspected killer Ezekiel Farrelly. The solution to murder lies in finding an old pirate treasure map.

Constable Crabtree gives chase to the suspect in the beginning scene, unfortunately letting the man slip as he whacks the constable over the head with a plank of wood. Meanwhile, Murdoch has discovered a strip of linen paper clutched in the victim's hand, presumably one of three pieces.               

Dr. Grace reveals to Murdoch that the victim was beaten to death, suffering a bite as well. This leads Murdoch to hypothesize that there was a fight between victim and suspect. George then explains to Murdoch that he had a theory that both victim and murderer were from Newfoundland. When George caught up to the suspect, he spoke with a Newfoundland accent, and the rum was just proven to be from the same place. Another key factor was the testimony of a witness within earshot, who confirmed they were speaking with accents of some sort. Higgins then presents a bottle of chloral hydrate, which was found at the scene. Murdoch congratulates the two constables and sends George to talk to the night clerk, while entrusting Higgins in deciphering the series of letters found on the linen paper. It is later revealed by Crabtree that the sentence contains numbers as well. The message ends up being; 'John Roberts 5th June 1720.'                

Crabtree enthusiastically tells a story to Murdoch about a pirate called John Roberts and his trip to Newfoundland on November 5th, 1720. It was believed that he'd hidden his treasure somewhere in the colony before his death, adding the murder motive to the list of answered questions. The two then set off for Newfoundland. When Murdoch and Crabtree talk to the Newfoundland constabulary, they find out the man they thought was Ezekiel Farrelly was actually a local layabout known as Jacob Doyle.               

Afterwards, Murdoch and Crabtree visit Peter's widowed wife, Eunice Farrelly, in her antique shop. She confirms she feared the worst when her husband didn't send her a message from Toronto, then tells them that Doyle had tried to sell it to Peter and he'd tried to buy it for five times the amount it was worth. Doyle then took his leave, and Peter soon followed to buy the parchment.                

Crabtree suddenly recalls that as a boy his aunt read him a story about the Farrelly brothers, and decides it's high time Murdoch met his maternal relatives. Soon after they reach the house, an older man is seen exiting and Murdoch begins to realize the profession of Crabtree's "aunts." Afterwards, Aunt Azalea comes out and greets the callers, and finds the book she used to read to Crabtree, remarking that it was a customer named Farrelly who'd given it to her. There, the background to the Farrelly conflict is explained, as three brothers who fought each other constantly. Their father created the linen map and split it into three pieces, hoping it'd force them to work together to find the treasure. However, after one of the brothers dies, the other two discover he had hidden his piece.                

Murdoch travels to the hangout of the West Bay Farrelly's, proceeding to try and ask them questions, but they start attacking the detective. Heavily outnumbered, Murdoch uses his intelligence to strategically move through the bigger, heavier crew. Suddenly, Jacob Doyle comes to his rescue, helping to beat off a few men, and they escape together on Doyle's bike. Crabtree meets Murdoch and, greeting Jacob Doyle icily, the constable tries to arrest Doyle, but Murdoch stops him, explaining that Doyle had saved him from a messy fight. Murdoch then tells Crabtree of a plan to lure Ezekiel Farrelly out of hiding without having to go through his family.

Crabtree poses as an East Bay Farrelly in possession of part of the linen map, seeking to sell it to Ezekiel Farrelly. The West Bay Farrellys welcome him and party, drinking and dancing. Crabtree becomes wasted and loses consciousness, and awakens with a dead fish in his pocket instead of the linen map. The plan worked.

The three stake out at the location Ezekiel Farrelly should be approaching, at first mistaking another man for him, but finding him in the end. Unfortunately, Ezekiel falls over a cliff, the map in his grip. Murdoch chooses to save him instead of the map, and it flutters into the waters below. Jacob mourns the map's loss, staring into the distance.

Character Revelations

• Brackenreid worries about his son John being a "Nancy boy" after he played a woman's role in a play; with a little too much earnest in the Inspector's eyes. He asks Dr. Ogden to talk with John. Afterward, she assures the Inspector that his son is just having fun acting. However, Brackenreid remains a skeptic.
• John picks a fight with the biggest boy in his school for no other reason than to impress his father. During a father-son talk, John mentions that he might go out for rugby. Brackenreid reassures his son that all he and his mother care about is that John be true to himself.
• George's aunts are actually prostitutes: they calling themselves The Flower Girls of Flower Hill, their gentlemen callers would bring the flower of the girl he was calling on.

Continuity

• Like his father, John Brackenreid enjoys acting and tells his father he's thinking of being in another play, Antony and Cleopatra, deciding on "Antony" because he has better lines.
• George returns to Newfoundland where he spent his childhood from 3 years old to 16, when he returned to Toronto.

Historical References

• References to Guglielmo Marconi wanting to set up a wireless telegram on Signal Hill.
• When Higgins to attempting to figure out the letters on the piece of parchment, Crabtree comments this would make a great game, called "Scramble," a reference to modern-day Scrabble.
• When Brackenreid is talking to Julia Ogden about his son's play, he mentions that it was an Oscar Wilde play and his portrayed "Lady Bracknell," indicating the play "The Importance of Being Earnest," still a popular stage play today.

Trivia

• Previously, George's aunts were a running gag throughout the show
• Reference to Republic of Doyle (2010) (TV Series) starring Allan Hawco as Jacob Doyle's grandson Jake Doyle.
• This is the first of the two CBC crossover episodes between Murdoch Mysteries and Republic of Doyle. In this one, Jacob Doyle ( grandfather of Jake Doyle of RoD) appears on Murdoch Mysteries. In the second one, Bill Murdoch (grandson of William Murdoch) appears in an episode of RoD "If the Shoe Fits", which aired on January 29, 2014. Both episodes climax in the same location with the suspect dangling over a cliff edge, and subsequently dropping their treasure. At the end of RoD episode, Murdoch asks Doyle "Is it just me, or does it feel like we've done this before?" To which Doyle responds, "I don't know. Maybe in another life, bud."

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

Lachlan Murdoch as Henry Higgins
Charles Vandervaart as John Brackenreid
Kristian Bruun as Slugger Jackson

Guest Cast

Allan Hawco as Jacob Doyle
Dave Sullivan as Westbay Farrelly
Jean Daigle as St. John's Policeman
Tamara Bernier Evans as Aunt Azalea
Karen Skidmore as Aunt Daisy
Caroline Gillis as Aunt Marigold
Darren Hynes as Clay Murphy
Dana Puddicombe as Eunice Farrelly
Andy Boorman as Night Clerk
Jason Card as Guglielmo Marconi
James Binkley as Ezekiel Farrelly

Uncredited Cast

Jesse Griffiths as Man

Gallery

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