Shock Value

"Shock Value"
Season	14
Episode	1404
Airdate	January 25, 2021
Writer	Maureen Jennings
Director	Ruba Nadda
Previous	Code M for Murdoch
Next	Murder Checks In

"Shock Value" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the two hundred eighth episode of the series (not including the three stand-alone holiday specials). It first aired January 25, 2021.

Summary

A part time university student is found dead with electrical burns on the head and two newly arrived American psychology professors with a penchant for unusual experiments may be responsible.

After the electrocuted body of a young man is found near the university, Murdoch and Brackenreid investigate researchers Arthur and Laura Kingston who students snidely refer to as "The Frankensteins" for their bizarre psychological studies; They deny any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Julia is unsettled by her needy neighbour Goldie Huckabee, and Crabtree is ever more suspicious of Dorothy, Effie's new secretary.

Character Revelations

• William Murdoch prefers his fruit to be symmetrically sliced – and precisely.
• Inspector Thomas Brackenreid is eating his fruits and vegetables - another daft idea of Margaret's.

Continuity

• George Crabtree struggles with trusting his own instincts and not trusting Dorothy Ernst...
• While Watts is given cause to mistrust Jack Walker...
• Murdoch and Brackenreid are reminded of Thomas Edison - his son in particular, "...He devised an electric chair that was meant for rest and relaxation" (ep.808).

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1908 – Edward VII (Albert Edward;1841-1910) is King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas.
• English author Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) is not only the first major work in the science fiction genre, it is a one word adjective for a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or any person destroyed by his or her own creation.
• The use of Ms or Ms., titles prefixing a woman's name derived from the formal Mistress, originated in the 17th century and was revived into mainstream usage in the 20th century (1901); In the United Kingdom, a full stop is usually not used with the title.

Trivia

• Filmed in part at Hamilton's historic Dundurn Castle.
• On her inspiration for this episode: Maureen Jennings came across a book called Fear, written in 1893 by Italian Dr. Angelo Mosso who developed an early version of the lie detector, "We’ve used that in a couple of early episodes with Murdoch as the subject. It is a fascinating topic that we are still exploring. For me, a direct offshoot of the issue is what motivates us to pursue tasks, praise, or punishment? I’m all for praise, myself. Also, I was very interested in the notorious experiments of Stanley Milgram in the 1960s." Milgram concluded most people were susceptible to authorities and would surrender their own judgments even when asked to do something that they believed was causing another person pain. She confessed that the darker, spookier and scary elements can be blamed on the Writers Room.
• Director Ruba Nadda was the lead director and co-executive producer (2018-2020) on Frankie Drake Mysteries (2017-2021) .

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

Daniel Maslany as Detective Llewellyn Watts
Shanice Banton as Violet Hart
Jesse Lavercombe as Jack Walker
Jonelle Gunderson as Goldie Huckabee
Clare McConnell as Effie Newsome
Sarah Swire as Dorothy Ernst

Guest Cast

Veronika Slowikowska as Roberta Haycroft
Tom Rooney as Dr. Arthur Kingston
Maev Beaty as Dr. Laura Kingston
Chris Sandiford as John "Pluto" Plato
Deborah Tennant as Mrs. Langdon
Justine Christensen as Skate
Landon Doak
Stuart Hefford as University Students
Tyler Pearse as Byron Shelby
Colin Mercer as Andrew