What the Dickens?!

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"What the Dickens?!"
Season	18
Episode	1803
Airdate	October 21, 2024 on CBC
Writer	Saleema Nawaz
Director	Yannick Bisson
Previous	Only Murdoch in the Building
Next	Gimme Shelter

"What the Dickens?!" is the third episode of the eighteenth season of Murdoch Mysteries and the two hundred ninetieth episode of the series (not including the three stand-alone holiday specials). It first aired on October 14, 2024 on CBC Gem and airs on October 21, 2024 on CBC.

Summary

When Crabtree and Effie (as Tiny Tim and Marley's ghost) attend a celebration of Charles Dickens' birth, the host winds up mysteriously dead.

Character Revelations

• George gets seasick traveling by river.

Continuity

• George travels with his own pillow strapped to his suitcase, as usual.
• A new Murdochian technology is introduced: Geographic Probability Sensor, G.P.S.
• Lemon pie is Scott’s Diner special which Watts and Higgins enjoy together, one fully dressed and one not.
• Higgins is ambushed once again and stripped of his uniform which helps uncover a burglary.
• Inspector Choi is so impressed with Murdoch's GPS, all his inventions get a room of their own on the second floor of the Station House. Inspector Choi tells him, “A place for your amazing inventions and for all the new ones yet to come.” A new era is afoot.

Historical References

• This episode takes place in Toronto 1912 – George V is King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
• In 1842, Charles Dickens with his wife Catherine made his first North American tour and his first and only visit to Canada. He visited Niagara Falls, Toronto and Kingston.
• "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" was published in monthly parts (Apr 1870 - Sep 1870). Charles Dickens' fifteenth novel, illustrated by Luke Fildes, was his last and was never completed. Drugs, sexual obsession, colonial adventuring and puzzles about identity are among the novel's themes. At the centre of the plot lie the baffling disappearance of Edwin Drood and the many explanations of his whereabouts.
• Devil's Breath, also known as scopolamine or hyoscine, is a tropane alkaloid that's used to treat various medical issues like nausea, vomiting, motion sickness, and even muscle spasms. It is derived from the flower (and seeds) of the “borrachero” shrub, common in the South American country of Colombia.

Trivia

• Along with Julia Ogden, both Brackenreid and Mrs. Hart are not in this episode.
• Extremely proud of new set room, Monkey Props calls the room of inventions “The Situation Room”.
• This episode marks the 15th one that Yannick Bisson has directed for the series.

Cast

Original Main Cast

Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch
Thomas Craig as Chief Constable Thomas Brackenreid
Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree

Recurring Cast

Paul Sun-Hyung Lee as Inspector Albert Choi
Daniel Maslany as Detective Llewellyn Watts
Lachlan Murdoch as Constable Henry Higgins-Newsome
Clare McConnell as Effie Crabtree

Guest Cast

Carolina Bartczak as Lila Chester
Daniel Kash as Bertram Gower
Michael Pollard as Dirk Datchery
HRH Anand Rajaram as Clayton Selwood
Darla Contois as Tanis Stony Dickens
Stephen Marshall as Patrick Tavistock
Joyce Rivera as Cook