Yay or Nay?: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Netflix)

Some of you may, or may not know, that I'm addicted to historical murder-mystery dramas that take place in the past. I love Murdoch Mysteries-- Canada's own contribution to this TV series genre, and would strongly recommend you check that out if you love mystery/crime dramas with a flare for history and historical periods. Similarly, like that show, this is Australia's contribution to this particular scene. Except with a kick-ass lady detective set in the Roaring Twenties-- with all of it's dynamic history and signature aesthetic. 

And goddamn is it amazing. Like literally, I think I binged the first season in a week. I hear they've also made a feature film out of the series which I'm quite happy to hear about, and hope to watch at some point! So without further delay-- I review Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. 

Edit: They totally just released the trailer today! You can watch it: here

The Story 

 The story follows the one and only Right Honourable Lady Phryne (pronounced as Fry-nee) Fisher, a wealthy aristocrat and lady-detective living in St. Kilda, Melbourne, in the 1920's. The first of her kind, each episode takes on a new "murder" that Phryne happens to stumble upon-- either by being a near witness to it, or by having certain connections (friends, family) that are involved. Paired with a skeptical Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (who don't worry I will get to in a moment, as he was one of my favourite characters in the series), and her friends Bert and Cec, as well as aids of house-staff: Mr. Butler and Miss Dorothy-Ann (Dot) Williams, each day is a new mystery, and a new murder that Miss Fisher must solve with all the class, sass, and wit (as well as style) that she has. 

My Thoughts 

Literally this show is a banger from the beginning to the end and I attribute much of that to the amazing actors who clearly put a lot of effort and made a personal connection to their characters. Phryne Fisher is everything I want to be-- she's confident, sassy, dresses with style, is kind, and is dangerously clever. She takes no shit from anybody and lets nobody take advantage of her. Which is really refreshing to me. The same goes for her counterpart the Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, who's acting just amazes me to no end. He's an enigmatic character who is a little cold to Phryne at first, entering the Detective business, but soon grows to warm up to her and become a good friend. Kudos to the actor (Nathan Page) who plays him, because it's really believable, he makes the character a real mystery at some points, and really gets into that 1920's "Inspector" vibe. Also, the guy can portray a range of emotions through just a stare better than most actors I've ever seen. He and Phryne's actress (Essie Davis) both very much encapsulate their characters. It seems as if these two were the perfect pair, and, the perfect people to bring to life these characters in entertaining, enjoyable, and most importantly, believable ways. 

Each episode is quite crafty as well, and each mystery difficult to discern at some points. There's definitely creative storytelling that goes on here, and even though some of it might not seem it at first, some episodes are connected to an "unseen" plot-point surrounding Miss  Fisher and her past. Regardless, it's not a simple "run of the mill" mystery as a lot of these episodes can get quite complex or overly creative. Often times, the murderer isn't who you think. That's quite a big highlight for me, as it keeps you guessing and entertained. Often when I watched, I learned their methodology, but I could never actually guess the murderer. At most I could narrow it down to a few suspects. The banter and likeability of the cast as well, will keep you entertained as this show focuses a lot on character growth and evolution. Dot-- Miss Fisher's companion and aid, is one of these great characters who grow a lot throughout the seasons, and Jack's Constable, Hugh. 

A lot of the character growth also stems from factually, and historically accurate views of the time. Mostly this has to do with religion. Dot's a hardcore Catholic, and Hugh is a Protestant, but they really like each other and want to make things between them work. That's one point of contention early in the episodes, and also one that probably would've been a big issue at the time. Especially with Dot, what I really enjoyed was they introduced a girl who was shy, scared, and afraid to speak up, and with Phryne, learns to become braver, more outspoken, and more independant and able to speak her mind--as well as know her worth. That's not just with Dot either, most of the cast's characters either grow from some spot, and many of the episodes devote some time to showing this, rather than just focusing on the main characters of Jack and Phryne, which I also appreciated. 

My Rating 

So if this hasn't convinced you, go find it on your Netflix and give the first episode a watch! I promise you will not be disappointed at all! I love this show, and I do think you will too! 

My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

~Meghan