Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.5

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Phryne's Further Forensics

Reviewed by Michael Reuben May 31, 2014

Warning: The following review assumes the reader is familiar with Series 1 of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and contains spoilers about that series for anyone who is not. If you are new to the world of Miss Fisher, consult the Series 1 review for a spoiler-free introduction.

Author Kerry Greenwood's free-spirited female detective, Phryne Fisher, proved to be too popular a character on Australian TV to be abandoned at the end of Series 1, which concluded on May 18, 2012. Having finally obtained justice for the younger sister who was murdered when they were still children, Miss Fisher (the remarkable Essie Davis) had achieved the kind of inner balance that could only improve her ability as the finest detective in Melbourne of the 1920s. Shortly after Series 1 concluded, channel ABC1 commissioned another thirteen episodes. Filming began the following year, and broadcast commenced on September 6, 2013. After the twelfth episode aired on November 22, Miss Fisher broke for a month so that the final episode of Series 2 could be aired at the holiday season as a Christmas special.

All of the recurring cast and most of the regular crew returned for Series 2, allowing both a comfortable sense of continuity and a deeper exploration of Phryne Fisher's world. With Kerry Greenwood's blessing, the creative team developed original mysteries for the boundary-pushing sleuth to investigate, and they seemed to delight in exploring far-flung regions of Australia and different corners of its culture. Whether visiting the seaside town of Queenscliff, investigating the world of high fashion in Collins Street, learning the fine points of "Australian Rules Football" or dabbling in the fledgling Australian film industry, Phryne Fisher always seems to find a case worthy of her talents. When the stalwart Constable Collins informs his superior, Inspector Robinson, that Miss Fisher has gone on holiday, the inspector asks, in all seriousness: "Anyone dead yet?" Without missing a beat, Collins replies: "Only one so far, sir."

The opening episode of Series 2, "Murder Most Scandalous", reintroduces the key characters and also establishes major elements that will run throughout the season. A showgirl named Lola (Anna Bramford), who just happens to be the sister of Miss Fisher's friend, companion and loyal assistant Dot Williams (Ashleigh Cummings), begs the lady detective to investigate the death of a fellow dancer named Lavinia. At the same time, Inspector Jack Robinson's (Nathan Page) ex-wife, Rosie Sanderson (Dee Smart), asks him to take over the investigation of her father, Asst. Commissioner George Sanderson (Neil Melville), who was found unconscious in a locked room with a dead prostitute and no memory of how he got there. Everything turns on a notorious "gentleman's club" run by one Madame Lyon (Belinda McClory). What's a female detective to do, except go undercover as an erotic fan dancer?

While solving the case, Jack and Phryne are introduced to Rosie's new fiancé, Sidney Fletcher (Daniel Frederiksen), who has a shady demeanor. Raising additional suspicions is Rosie's father's odd behavior, even after his name is cleared. Before the season is over, we will be seeing more of Fletcher and the Sandersons.

The working relationship between Jack Robinson and Phryne Fisher has changed in Series 2. No longer does the inspector attempt to shoo away the nosy P.I. Not only has Jack realized the futility of doing so—as he says at one point, "You've commandeered my case before I knew I had one"—but he also now welcomes Miss Fisher's arrival, and not just for the keenness of her insight. The long and smoldering flirtation between the cop and the detective becomes one of those great unrequited love stories (on both sides) of which legends are made. Both recognize the incompatibility of their natures, Jack being a man of order, hearth and home, while Phryne remains a defiantly free spirit. The only thing they truly have in common is a professional relish in bringing murderers to justice.

In an echo of the Jack/Phryne relationship, the inspector's sidekick, Constable Hugh Collins (Hugo Johnstone-Burt), continues to woo Dot in Series 2 and runs into surprising obstacles. A far more traditional woman than her friend and patron, Dot would seem the ideal candidate for the role of wife, homemaker and mother. But when the opportunity is presented to her, she balks. Leave Miss Fisher in the lurch? Abandon the exciting life (though frequently unsettling and even terrifying) to which she's become accustomed? Not so fast, Mr. Collins.

Cabbies Burt and Cec (Travis McMahon and Anthony Sharpe) continue to provide unstinting support and muscle when needed. Their participation is especially colorful in a case involving rival teams in the hotly contested world of Australian Rules Football (Episode 6, "Marked for Murder"), when a local team is accused of murdering their rival's captain. Passions run high, and public order teeters on the brink. Phyrne's old friend, Dr. Elizabeth "Mac" Macmillan (Tammy MacIntosh), provides the detective with expert medical advice, but her own medical school proves to be the scene of a crime in Episode 8, "The Blood of Juana the Mad". Phryne's household continues to run like clockwork under the oversight of the gentle but capable Mr. Butler (Richard Bligh).

Phyrne's formidable Aunt Prudence (Miriam Margoyles) still lives her life according to the Victorian standards of the old British Empire, but at some level she knows her efforts are futile in the face of time's irresistible march. She even seems to have accepted her niece's inappropriate occupation. Aunt Prudence is a central figure in the Christmas epsiode, "Murder Under the Mistletoe", based on a story idea that Kerry Greenwood was considering for a Miss Fisher novel but never had time to write. In the Oz equivalent of an English country manor mystery, Phryne, Dot, Dr. Mac and Aunt Prudence find themselves part of a group that is snowbound in a remote mountain chalet where they have gone to celebrate "Christmas in July". The chalet sits atop a former gold mine that was shut down by Prudence's late husband after a cave-in killed a group of miners. Unfortunately for the revelers, someone destroys the festive spirit by murdering several of the guests, and it's up to Miss Fisher to discover who—and why.

Essie Davis' Miss Fisher remains the show's animating spirit, filling out the character's many (many) outfits with such obvious enthusiasm that Phryne herself seems to be always alive to life's possibilities. As Kerry Greenwood observes in the extras, Phryne Fisher isn't always a nice person, but she is impossible to resist. The magnetic force of her personality has a gravitational pull, and she becomes the sun around which all the other characters revolve, even when, like Jack Robinson, they wish they could pull away.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cinematographer Roger Lanser returned for Series 2, shooting all thirteen episodes with the Sony CineAlta HD camera, and thereby ensuring a consistent look with the previous series of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Acorn Media formatted Series 1 at 1080i, and I suggested in my review that minor video problems (video noise and slight combing) were attributable to the interlaced format. Despite the erroneous listing on the Blu-ray disc jacket, Series 2 has been formatted at 1080p, and the issues I discussed have all disappeared.

As with most digitally acquired projects, the image is generally sharp, clear and detailed, with good black levels and nicely balanced contrast. Although Series 2 retains the distinctive credit sequence in which drips of water (or is it blood?) expand into delicate watercolors of the main characters, the digital color grading for the main program has become more flexible. The episodes in Series 2 no longer have the consistently faded historical look that featured heavily in Series 1. Darker, more saturated colors are used with greater freedom in clothing, decor and scenery, which results in a wider range of palettes and a more varied range of visual compositions. The image is equally adept at reproducing the rich tones of old Melbourne at night and the gentle pastels of Queenscliff resort by day (the latter shot entirely on location, where, according to the show's production designer, little had changed since the Twenties). Phryne Fisher's "look at me, I'm fabulous!" outfits are even more numerous and elaborate in the second series, and the Blu-ray's detail will be a boon for fashion historians. (There's a short featurette about her wardrobe in the extras.)

Digitally acquired material compresses more readily than film, and Miss Fisher has numerous scenes of quiet conversation, which is how Acorn gets away with an average bitrate of 18.53 Mbps (based on the first five episodes). That's not a rate to be proud of, but here it gets the job done without artifacts.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The original stereo mix for Series 2, presented here in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, is comparable to that of Series 1. Again, there are atmospheric original tunes from the 1920s (mostly from original recordings), and the stylistically complementary score composed by Greg Walker (returning for all thirteen episodes), along with his catchy opening theme. Dialogue is clear and centered, and the accents are mild. There is occasional gunplay in Series 2, and a few more events that might qualify as action sequences, including a boxing match and a car race, but most of the sound cues are environmental in nature, and the soundtrack handles them capably and gracefully.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Except for the introductory trailers, the extras are on disc 3. They are all formatted at 1080p and 1.78:1, but most of them look like standard definition material that has been upconverted.

• Welcome to Season Two (2:57): Thoughts on Series 2 from producers Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox, author Kerry Greenwood, production designer Robert Perkins and star Essie Davis.



• Phryne Promo (0:51): "So much fun to be had. Unless, of course, somebody drops dead."



• Dot Promo (0:43): "It'll be fun . . . ?"



• Jack Promo (0:32): "If only she wasn't so damned clever!"



• Queenscliff (4:19): A look at the location shoot for Episode 3, "Dead Man's Chest", and the huge local fan base that turned out to observe filming.



• Boxing (2:37): Background on Episode 4, "Deadweight".



• Murder à la Mode (1:57): Thoughts on how Dot and Miss Fisher approach fashion in Episode 5, "Murder à la Mode".



• House of Phryne (4:11): Costume designer Marion Boyce provides a tour of Miss Fisher's wardrobe.



• Football Message from Jack (0:32): A promo for Episode 6, "Marked for Murder".



• How to Become Dr. Mac (1:32): The hair and makeup transformation required to change actress Tammy MacIntosh into Dr. Elizabeth "Mac" MacMillan.



• The Cars (3:17): A closer look at some of the vintage automobiles featured in Episode 7, "Blood at the Wheel".



• Winery (2:28): The Tahbilk Winery served as a location for Episode 10, "Death on the Vine".



• Essie Davis (2:46): Eagger, Cox and Greenwood talk about their star.



• Polly Woodside (2:38): Polly Woodside is the name of a ship that is now a historical exhibit. It appears in a particular episode, but it might be considered a spoiler to identify which one.



• Stunts (2:28): Several big stunts involving the Polly Woodside.



• Guest Cast (3:18): A quick glance at some of Series 2's guest stars.



• Christmas (2:16): Filming the Christmas special.



• Aunt Prudence's Christmas Message (0:58): "Maintaining the Christmas tradition in this far-flung corner of the Empire has become increasingly difficult."



• Season's Greetings from Phryne (0:29): "It's my favorite time of the year again!"



• Photo Gallery (1:54).



• Additional Trailers: At startup, disc 1 plays trailers for Acorn Media, Jack Irish and Mr. and Mrs. Murder, which can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries: Series 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As of this writing, channel ABC1 has yet to order a third season of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. For public consumption, the top brass will say only that they have so many fine shows that they have to make hard decisions about where to allocate funds, but industry journalists have reported that the broadcaster wants to pursue a younger audience. Trying to make good shows by courting a market segment is like throwing darts at a board in the next room while blindfolded, but TV executives never learn. Meanwhile, Miss Fisher is superb TV with sharp writing, first-rate production values and impeccable performances. It also looks great on Blu-ray. Highly recommended.