"The Kissing Bandit" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the Murdoch Mysteries and the fifty-first episode of the series. It first aired on May 3, 2011 (UK).
Summary
Toronto is hit with a series of bank robberies where the lone gunman not only takes the money but kisses a pretty girl before running off.
Pesky Toronto Gazette reporter Patty Glenn is on the story which is proving to be more sensational than the the recent vampire stories.
Oddly however, the stolen money turns up on the doorstep of a local orphanage. When the thief robs the same bank for a second time and kisses the same girl, Annabelle Rose, Murdoch begins to suspect that he may have taken a particular liking to the girl.
Meanwhile, Dr. Julia Ogden's vivacious sister, Ruby, is back in Toronto to attend Julia's upcoming marriage to Dr. Darcy Garland. She's not convinced that Julia and William no longer have feelings for one another.
As William struggles with Julia’s impending nuptials, he also has to deal with a thief who seems to anticipate Murdoch's every trap to capture him. When Annabelle Rose is murdered in cold blood during a robbery, Murdoch has to rethink his approach... before more people are killed.
Character Revelations
- Julia's father is concerned that her wedding preparations are behind and has sent for Ruby to help her older sister.
- Ruby is genuinely concerned that her older sister is not following her heart's desire, which is a driving motivation for Ruby.
Continuity
- Last appearance of Patrick "Paddy" Glynn
- Julia is determined to keep her word to Darcy, even shutting out Ruby from discussing the matter any further.
- Murdoch invents the Dye Discharger and uses the Scrutiny Camera to "catch" the bandit.
Historical References
- This episode takes place in Toronto 1898 – Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 1819 - 1901) is Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and Empress of India.
- Brackenreid mentions journalists starting a war for increased readership. This is a direct reference to the Spanish American War, which was caused in no small part by Yellow Journalists (particularly from publishers William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer of The New York Journal and New York World, respectively) writing increasingly sensational and frequently false stories about Spanish oppression in Cuba.
- Ruby Ogden mentions to Murdoch her travels to Russia, specifically meeting a revolutionary named Vladimir Ulyanov, a.k.a. Lenin.
Trivia
- The Kissing Bandit is a 1948 film directed by Laslo Benedek, starring Frank Sinatra and Kathryn Grayson along with Ricardo Montalban, Ann Miller, and Cyd Charisse.
Errors
- The book Murdoch uses to invent the dye device "Manual of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Chemistry" was not published until 1902.
- During the conversation between Murdoch and the inspector (at between 6:45 and 7:00 minutes in), the Inspector's arm garters disappear.
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
Lachlan Murdoch as Constable Henry Higgins
Sarah Gadon as Ruby Ogden
Jonathan Watton as Dr. Darcy Garland
Ephraim Ellis as Paddy Glenn
Guest Cast
Charlotte Hegele as Annabelle Rose
Jeff Madden as Rupert Russel
Perry Mucci as John Carlin
Oliver Dennis as Clive Belford
Sherry Schell as Bank Customer
Gallery
| Murdoch Mysteries Season 4 |
|---|
| "All Tattered and Torn" • "Kommando" • "Buffalo Shuffle" • "Downstairs, Upstairs" • "Monsieur Murdoch" • "Dead End Street" • "Confederate Treasure" • "Dial M for Murdoch" • "The Black Hand" • "Voices" • "Bloodlust" • "The Kissing Bandit" • "Murdoch in Wonderland" Web-Series: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • Season 5 • Season 6 • Season 7• Season 8 • Season 9 • Season 10 |