Murdoch Mysteries: 1.1 "Power"

Series summary (from Netflix): In Victorian-era Toronto, Inspector William Murdoch uses unconventional scientific methods to crack complex murder cases, including the deaths of a well-known attorney, a professional pugilist, a former theater owner and a prominent philanthropist.

I'm watching this because: I was intending to pull up the first episode of Primeval on Netflix when Yannick Bisson's brown eyes jumped out at me. I've had a soft spot for him ever since he appeared in the Dean Cain movie I Do (But I Don't), and even though I'd never before heard of Murdoch Mysteries, I thought I'd give it a chance.

Recap: The City of Toronto is considering switching its electricity from direct current to alternating current. A woman is killed during a demonstration showing how dangerous alternating current can be, and Murdoch soon discovers her death was no accident. He enlists the help of inventor Nikola Tesla as he searches for the murderer, and they have fun trying out Tesla's new inventions. Meanwhile, Constable George begins a romance with an animal rights activist.

Reactions: Though I questioned how factual this was (especially concerning real-life inventor Tesla), I certainly enjoyed watching it. It's kind of a Victorian-era CSI. Not too much explanation is given regarding each character, but I picked things up as the episode progressed. The episode just jumps right in with Murdoch (Bisson) and Dr. Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) on what seems to be a date ... though I questioned if she was as into him as he was into her. I'm fairly certain they'll be the couple the audience pulls for, which means they probably won't be together for a very long time!

I did think the mystery was fairly predictable—though it took a couple turns I didn't expect, I did have the original murderer pegged immediately—but it was still fun to watch. A few lines made me laugh out loud, like when Tesla and Murdoch came up with the term "television." Overall, it was enjoyable but not memorable.

The Next Dawson's? Nope. But I may catch an episode from time to time.

Watch it on Netflix.

Welcome!

I've been blogging quite happily for some time now at two other blogs: Christian Chick's Thoughts and Cinematic Survey. So why do I need another blog? Inspiration struck as I sat down to write out my thoughts after watching all six seasons of Dawson's Creek in just over three months. (In my defense, a surgery put me out of commission for a week, during which time I watched the first three seasons.) As I wrote, I wished I had blogged each episode. I'm sure the readers of Christian Chick's Thoughts are happy I didn't write about all 128 episodes (in fact, I bet some of them wish I hadn't written about Dawson's at all), but it got me thinking: what if I blogged about each episode of whatever show I watch next?

So that's what I'm going to do, and I created this blog as the forum on which to do it. I don't know yet which show will take the place of Dawson's Creek, so to begin with, I'll be blogging about the first episode of several shows—including all the shows that were recommended to me by Facebook friends when I asked for suggestions (provided they're available on Netflix or Amazon Prime). Once I settle on a show to watch from beginning to end, I'll start writing about each episode. Plus, I'll be doing a feature called "Memory Lane" every so often, where I check back in on an episode from a favorite show. (Now to give credit where credit is due—I got this idea from the "Talking TV with Ryan & Ryan" podcast [which is fabulous, by the way!]. Periodically, they do a podcast where they watch and discuss a favorite TV episode. If you were a LOST fan, you really should listen to this episode.) And as inspiration strikes, I may write about other things as well—but one thing's for sure: everything on this blog will be television related.

Now sit back, relax, and feel free to join in the discussion as I watch TV!