Murdoch Mysteries opens in the briefing room of Station House Four. Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) stands in front of his men. The Police Games are coming up, and they are taking on Station House Five. This year, the men of Station House Four are going to win. It seems Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) even has a new strategy for tug-of-war…
However, the moment is interrupted by a phone call. It seems the body of a police constable (Martin Happer) was discovered in the local Chinatown district. While this is Station House Five’s territory, it seems they are requesting Detective Murdoch’s help.
Related: Check out previous entries of our Murdoch Mysteries rewatch, here.
Detective Murdoch supervises the beginning of the investigation, but it is going to be an uphill battle. He talks with Station House Five’s Constables (Gabriel Hogan and Lee Rumohr), trying to learn some background on the victim. However, their disgust at talking with the locals shows the racism polluting the police force.
Detective Murdoch works through the community himself. The specter of poverty and human trafficking hangs over the district. It is all Murdoch can do to get through to the scared locals. Matters are made even worse one again by the Station House Five constables, who are little more than hired goons, ready to beat up anyone to get an arrest.
Initial clues seem to point back to a local herbalist, Feng Choy (Simon Sinn). Due to his occupation, he not only had access to the bottles determined to be the murder weapons. It also seems the murdered constable ingested a high amount of opium when he died. Choy could easily procured the drug in his line of work.
However, something isn’t setting right with Detective Murdoch. As he returns to the scene, he finds the Constables in the process of arresting Feng Choy. Murdoch quickly inserts himself between the men. Station House Four will take care of this without interference…
Later, Detective Murdoch sits down to talk with Feng Choy. However, the man refuses to cooperate. Murdoch looks to the man’s niece, Ling (Jo Chim). She admits that the constable purchased the opium from their store. He had tremendous pain in his back. Though, she maintains her uncle’s innocence.
While Murdoch and Inspector Brackenreid sit in the constable’s funeral, they find themselves shunned by the other officers. However, Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris) brings news, interrupting the moment. It seems a man named Edward Chan (Russell Yuen) ran a gambling den near the crime scene. Could he be the murderer?
Visiting the illicit gambling den, they discover that the police made an arrangement with Chen. What could the constable have gotten himself in to?
However, they soon discover the killer staged the crime scene. The real murder spot is in actuality right outside a near-by plaster factory. Furthermore, it seems the spot is also on the back alley of a local police bar. How could no one notice the murder?
Later, in a powerful scene, Station House Five mails a blatant intimidation package to Detective Murdoch. Opening the package, a dead rat falls out. While Murdoch seems a bit shaky, Constables Crabtree and Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch) cement the resolve of the station. A policeman died. They will not bow to intimidation…
With his time rapidly disappearing, Murdoch visits Ling. She needs to get Feng Choy to talk. Finally, the message seems to sink in.
The group sits down once again. It seems one of the police constables “forced himself” on the man’s daughter Mai-Li (Andrea So). The victim apparently discovered the rape not long before his death. Could he have confronted and then been killed by the guilty officer?
The drama comes to a breaking point at the police games. The stations line up for tug-of-war with the specter of the incident hanging over their heads. Suddenly, Detective Murdoch gets an idea. While the men of Station House Five celebrate their eventual victory, Murdoch looks to George. He needs him to do something…
With the rest of Station House Five watching, Murdoch finally confronts the killer. He’s unflinching as he faces down the victim’s partner, Constable Townsend. When the man tries to deny the accusation, Mai-Li enters. The case closes with a single point of her finger. He raped her. A panicked Townsend quickly admits to everything. It seems there was an altercation when the victim confronted him, but the young constable slipped, slashing his femoral artery on broken glass. Unable to stop the bleeding, he moved the body in an attempt to shift the blame.
Returning to Station House Four, Murdoch watches as Feng Choy enters the arms of Ling and Mai Lee. The man then turns to Murdoch, and sincerely thanks him. He assumed all police were the same; however, there is goodness in Detective Murdoch.
Murdoch Mysteries returns to televisions this fall. Previous seasons are available on Netflix.
A Few Notes:
- The episode settles back down after the complex storyline of the season three premiere. The episode is an intelligently written critique of culture, which still rings true in police procedurals of today.
- A tremendously well acted episodes, with all supporting players given a chance to shine. Lachlan Murdoch takes a short speech, and shows why he continues to be an asset to the Murdoch Mysteries cast.
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