7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Set in Toronto at the dawn of the 20th century, this award-winning Canadian drama is a good-humored twist on crime procedurals. As dashing Detective William Murdoch pioneers new forensic techniques to solve baffling murders, he crosses paths with famous figures including Arthur Conan Doyle, Houdini, and H.G. Wells. Season Seven reunites Murdoch with Julia aboard an opulent passenger ship, and brings Murdoch and Sherlock Holmes together to solve a case.
Starring: Yannick Bisson, Hélène Joy, Thomas Craig, Jonny Harris, Mouna TraoréMystery | 100% |
Period | 54% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Five-disc set (5 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
When Canada's TV station CBC picked up Murdoch Mysteries after its fifth-season cancellation on CityTV, the public broadcaster was taking a calculated risk. In its original home, Murdoch's unique combination of police procedural and historical drama had only been moderately popular. As the numbers rolled in on Murdoch's sixth season, however, it became clear that CBC's gamble had paid off. Murdoch's near-death and miraculous resurrection had been great publicity; long-time fans grew even more loyal, and new ones tuned in after discovering the show on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming sources like Amazon Prime. In the U.K., the show quickly became one of the most popular offerings on Alibi, the digital channel of co-producer UKTV. Faced with such a devoted audience, Murdoch's producers did the sensible thing and expanded Season 7 to eighteen episodes (compared to the previous standard season length of thirteen), which were broadcast in two blocks of nine, with a month's hiatus between them. The additional slots gave the show's writers more opportunities to explore different regions of Canada, to delve further into the country's history for story ideas and, above all, to develop their continuing storylines with an intricacy that would not have been possible without the extended running time. Chief among these stories, of course, is the emotionally fraught love affair between Det. William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy), whose history gives new meaning to Shakespeare's line that the course of true love never did run smooth. Warning: The discussion of Season 7 below assumes that the reader has seen all previous seasons and contains spoilers for those who haven't. Proceed past the first screenshot at your own risk. Newcomers should stop here and consult the Season 1 review for a spoiler-free introduction to the world of Murdoch Mysteries.
Although definitive information was not available, Season 6 of Murdoch Mysteries was shot with the Arri Alexa, and there is no reason to believe that Season 7 was photographed differently. (The cinematographers were Murdoch regular Jim Jeffrey, with four episodes covered by Yuri Yakubiw.) Acorn Media has spread the eighteen episodes of Season 7 over five 1080p, AVC-encoded BD-50s, and the image on those discs maintains the high standards set by Acorn's previous offerings of Murdoch. Detail is abundant, blacks are solid, colors are either rich and saturated or lightly delicate and pastel, as required, and contrast levels have been appropriately set so that action in darkness or shadow remains visible but detail isn't blown out in fully illuminated settings. As revealed in the extras included with this set, Murdoch is making ever greater use of digital effects to enhance the period settings, and the quality of that work continues to improve. I don't want to give away any specific scenes, but the establishing shots of turn-of-the-century Toronto, complete with digital people, have progressed from the early seasons to the point where they are almost photo-realistic, which helps support the illusion that the show's events are playing out in a bygone era.
As with Season 6, Acorn has provided Murdoch's stereo track in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, thereby ensuring that we get every whisper, distant murmur, outburst and echo in Station 4 and wherever Murdoch's investigations happen to take him. Some environments offer ample opportunities for the sound designers to create interesting effects, e.g., the deck and interiors of the SS Keewatin in Episode 1, the isolated cabin in the woods in Episode 14 or the crowded beach on Lake Ontario where Captain Brackenreid spots what appears to be a sea monster in the distant waters (Episode 7, "Loch Ness Murdoch"). Several episodes involve explosions, and one involves earthquake-like tremors that reach into much lower sonic registers than one usually encounters in Murdoch Mysteries. Overall, the sound mixes provide an enjoyable and effective support to the stories, and Robert Carli has lost none of his skill at crafting suitable scores for each episode. (The composer discusses his approach in one of the "Making Murdoch" featurettes included with this set.)
At last! After seven seasons, production company Shaftesbury has finally provided fans with some truly satisfying extras for Murdoch Mysteries. Each episode of Season 7 is accompanied by an entry (and sometimes two) in the series called "Making Murdoch". Each entry is tailored to the particulars of an episode and may include interviews with the episode's writer, director, producer, one or more actors or possibly the curator of a historical site used as a location. Behind-the-scenes and on-location footage is common. There isn't a single entry in "Making Murdoch" that doesn't provide valuable insight into an episode's origin or historical context. A full listing is provided below, with times and disc numbers:
Murdoch Mysteries continues to be a distinctively Canadian show, and perhaps nothing in Season 7 better illustrates the series' roots than Episode 8, "Republic of Murdoch", where an investigation leads to Newfoundland, home of both Constable Crabtree and the actor who portrays him. The criminal investigation itself becomes almost secondary to the opportunity to explore Crabtree's roots (which turn out to be quite unusual) and the chance to meet a local scaliwag named Jacob Doyle, who in a bit of stunt casting, is played by Alan Hawco, star of the popular Canadian TV series Republic of Doyle, where he plays a Newfoundland private investigator named . . . Jake Doyle. According to Hawco, the two characters are related. Once again, Murdoch foreshadows Canada's present. Highly recommended.
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014-2015
2015-2016
2015
2016-2017
2016
2017-2018
2017
2018-2019
2019-2020
2021
The Artful Detective
2021-2022
2022-2023
The Artful Detective
2023-2024
2024-2025
(Still not reliable for this title)
2010
2012
Sherlock Holmes
1944
1943
2004
20th Anniversary Uncut Director's Edition
2003
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1967
2018
Prelude to Murder / Sherlock Holmes
1946
Sherlock Holmes
1946
Sherlock Holmes
1945
1943
1939
50th Anniversary Edition
1974
1943
2011
Faceless Killers / The Man Who Smiled / The Fifth Woman
2010
2012
2020
1980