Edwardian-era Toronto police detective William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) typically solves gruesome murders in Murdoch Mysteries, but this entertaining holiday special takes a decidedly lighter approach. Murdoch and his colleagues are perplexed by a crime spree seemingly engineered by a supervillain who appears to have jumped from the pages of a turn-of-the-century proto-comic book. When a daring train robbery is executed by a masked figure who uses a whirling propeller to escape, Murdoch and Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) are called to the scene, where they are quickly pressured by wealthy industrialist Lance Henderson (Frank Moore)—whose well-heeled party has been relieved of expensive Christmas gifts by the culprit—to solve the case. In the days ahead, holiday shoppers at Eaton's luxury department store are similarly robbed of their purchases by the flying thief, whose disguise and sci-fi-like gizmos (including suction cup shoes) bear a striking resemblance to the hero of some early-model graphic novels written by Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris). Meanwhile, Brackenreid has ordered the formation of a police choir that immediately stumbles in its efforts to harmonize, and Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) becomes involved with a pair of orphans who believe that she is the Snow Queen from fairy tales. These separate story threads come together in a finale that is both heartwarming and suitably Dickensian in its hope for humanity. And the cast exhibits just the right touch of tongue-in-cheek self-parody. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)
Murdoch Mysteries: Once Upon a Murdoch Christmas
(2017) 89 min. DVD or Blu-ray: $24.99. Acorn Media (avail. from most distributors). SDH captioned. Volume 32, Issue 6
Murdoch Mysteries: Once Upon a Murdoch Christmas
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