Murdoch Mysteries On the Waterfront: Part 1 (2008– ) Online

Richard Dawkins has invited several businessmen from around the Toronto docks, where he himself runs a chandlery, to a meal at the Queen's Hotel. It seems that he has an important announcement to make, but just as he is about to speak, two men dressed in black with masks burst into the hotel dining room and beat him to death with cudgels in front of the dinner guests, who are too shocked to intervene. Inspector Slorach, the replacement for Inspector Brackenreid, arrives at the scene and Murdoch diplomatically helps him avoid creating a poor impression when he helps himself to a bread roll from the dinner table.

Margaret Hale, a leading light in the movement for women's suffrage, has visited Dr Julia Ogden to persuade her to join in, because she is a prominent figure in Toronto society. Dr Ogden points out that she may not be an asset to the movement, given that many folk are likely to think of her as notorious, rather than famous.

The widow, Mrs Dawkins, is rather unforthcoming when interviewed by Detective Murdoch, though she does suggest that her late husband had been intending to sell his chandlery business to Lionel Jefferies, one of the dinner guests. When Detective Murdoch visits Mr Jefferies, he, too, has little to say about why Mr Dawkins may have wanted to sell his chandlery.

When Murdoch calls on The harbour master, Mrs Cecily McKinnon, another of the dinner guests, she is much more talkative. She begins by commiserating with Murdoch about what happened to Inspector Brackenreid, giving Murdoch the chance to ask her if she knew what he had been investigating at the docks, but she thought it was only a spate of petty vandalism. Mrs McKinnon tells Murdoch that Dawkins was anything but a saint, and had been involved in prostitution at the docks, which might be a clue in solving his slaying. In response, Murdoch arranges for Constable Slugger Jackson to walk his beat in the docks, but he, too, is set upon and is badly beaten by two thugs. This seems to support Murdoch's hypothesis that the men who beat Inspector Brackenreid are the same ones who killed Dawkins. Inspector Slorach visits Constable Jackson in hospital, bearing as a get well gift a jar of Káposzta, but Slugger has clearly never seen anything like it before, and looks unlikely to eat it.

When a dead woman is found at the high tide mark, snagged in fishing nets, on the shore, Murdoch learns from Mrs McKinnon that Richard Dawkins had a reputation for being rough with some of his doxies. Mrs Dawkins is continuing with her late husband's business, and does not take kindly to Detective Murdoch suggesting that he had been involved with loose women.

Margaret Hale, Kathleen King, and Drs Ogden and Grace visit provincial parliamentarian Eldon Foster, asking that he will present their petition to the Premier, asking that women be given the vote in the forthcoming provincial election, but after considering the matter for the briefest moment, he tears the petition up. Disgusted by this treatment, the women contemplate staging a protest in front of the Legislature.

Dr. Grace determines that the woman snagged in the fishing nets was killed the night before Dawkins and had been manacled before she died.

How will all these strands be brought together? When will William and Julia tie the knot? What did Slugger do with the Káposzta?

Not a bad follow-up to last season's dreadful cliffhanger (the "cliffhanger" aspect of it wasn't what was terrible though), but I'm beginning to think the writers don't know the definition of moderation.

The constant inclusion of feminist and women's issues in these episodes is beginning to strain credibility. Women, women, women, women, women, women, women, women, women women.... okay, we get it already! I'm a woman and I understand these issues (trust, dearies!), but I think even the male half of the audience only needs to hear this stuff once or twice a season. Hitting the viewer over the head with it constantly only makes it look like you are doing precisely that. Let the show breathe, and let the ideas about women's equality move around on their own in people's minds.

As usual, Dr. Julia Ogden arrives on scene, smiling from ear to ear, as Dr. Grace and Murdoch are ending a conversation about a man's brutal death by bludgeoning. Do these writers and directors actually put this in the screenplay!?!? ("No, Helene, you aren't acting whimsical enough. When Murdoch tells you about the child's death by incineration followed by slicing, I wanna see that big, bright smile!")

Enjoyed the Brackenreid subplot for a change. It isn't the best of stories for the Brackster, but Thomas Craig deserves every moment he' s on camera. Best actor on the show, and no one is close.

Part 1--This is a very violent and emotional episode.

A man gets killed at a dinner table and later it comes out that this business man was selling his business but also had prostitutes on the side.

A new man comes in to take Inspector Brackenreid's position while he is healing. Brackenreid looked like he was going to die or near death and his replacement Inspector Hamish Slorach is not professional at all.

Murdoch visits Inspector Brackenreid who is now home and does not want to be a cop. Brackenreid's wife has a tender and emotional talk with him to convince him to go back to police work. The men that beat him up were two brothers, the O'Sheas. They also beat up another cop and have the men on the dock threatening the police when they are there looking for suspects.

Dr Ogden and Dr Grace are joining the suffrage movement and at the same time this group is like a bunch of loud mouth women like the the dock men, marching carrying signs, protesting on the steps of a building. conflicting with the police and more. They are like groups today that want to blame the cops and men for everything and want a lot of attention. Too bad the cops back then did not carry guns.

Murdoch gets beat up by the same men Brackenreid was beaten by. Brackenreid makes a surprise entrance on the scene and helps Murdoch. A number of these videos are on Youtube. Now I have to watch Part 2.