Answer: Roman Catholic
Murdoch is a Catholic who once entered the seminary to become a priest but left when he fell in love. His sister also became a nun. Murdoch's religion caused tension in a number of cases including one involving his sister and one focusing on the anti-Catholic Free Masons. His religion also caused problems between him and his love Dr. Julia Ogden because she once had an abortion that left her sterile and had married someone else and wanted to divorce him and not get an annulment.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: Snakes and Ladders
In the episode aptly named "Snakes and Ladders", Edward Scanlon blew up at the constables because they were playing a game instead of working on the case. By way of apology for his outburst, he gave them a snakes and ladders game and taught them how to play it.
Scanlon showed up and inserted himself into one of Murdoch's cases as he believed he was on the trail of a killer who was now murdering young women in Toronto - possibly, he believed, the actual Jack the Ripper. As it turned out, the real Edward Scanlon was dead and the man pretending to be him was actually the killer.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: The Curse of the Lost Pharoah
Crabtree's novel is released in season 5's "The Evil Eye of Egypt" and is quite well received. The plot of the episode also happens to involve an ancient Egyptian curse.
An online mini-series was also produced around the same time, called "The Curse of the Lost Pharoahs". In this online series, part live action and part animation, the "Murdoch" characters act out the plot of Crabtree's novel.
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: Catholicism
Detective Murdoch is a Catholic, while the majority religion in turn-of-the-century Toronto (in which the series is set) is Protestantism. Subtle reminders of Murdoch's religion do come up quite often; for example, he makes the sign of the cross every time he comes across a dead body, which is often in his line of work. More overt references to his Catholicism do occur occasionally, such as in a season one episode when Murdoch is denied a promotion because of his religion.
From Quiz: Detective William Murdoch
Answer: Alwyn
Detective Murdoch actually met the young Alwyn Jones before he met his mother, in the episode "I, Murdoch". Alwyn had seen a robot in the woods and reported it to the police. Naturally they didn't believe him at first, and William brought Alwyn home, where he met Alwyn's widowed mother, Enid. Enid appeared in a few more episodes, and she and William began a tentative relationship. It did not last long however, as William still had feelings for Julia.
Enid was portrayed by Sarah Allen and Alwyn by Dakota Goyo. Both characters originated in the "Murdoch Mysteries" book series written by Maureen Jennings; they first appeared in the second novel, "Under the Dragon's Tail", in which they lived in the same boarding house as William.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Nikola Tesla
The contract for powering Toronto's street lamps is up for renewal, and the proponents of direct current power are staging a demonstration to show the dangers of alternating current, popularized by Tesla. Is Alice Howard the victim of political intrigue, or sabotage, or was there a more personal motive driving the guilty person to murder?
From Quiz: Murdoch Mysteries
Answer: The theater and opera
Brackenreid loves the theater, especially the opera. On the occasions when there is a murder in a theater, Brackenreid is often in disbelief when Murdoch accuses his favorite actors of crimes. He also once fell for a leading lady who turned out to be a murderer.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: Margaret
Portrayed by Arwen Humphreys, Margaret Brackenreid is Thomas' wife. They have some good arguments at times throughout the series, particularly about Thomas' drinking as Margaret is part of a temperance movement for awhile. However they are generally shown to have a strong and loving relationship.
Margaret is first seen in the season one episode "The Glass Ceiling", but first gets a bigger role in an episode in season three's "Rich Boy, Poor Boy", in which her son Bobby is kidnapped (he is rescued by Murdoch and the Inspector). Margaret appears in several more episodes throughout the series, and her sons appear far less frequently.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: He was being paid to play hockey.
In this fifth season episode, Eddie Driscoll had recently been recruited to the Toronto Wellingtons hockey team. At the time, it was against the rules for a team to pay any of its players, but it seems that Eddie was being paid, and some of his team mates did indeed suspect this. However, in the end, Eddie was not the killer.
At the end of the episode, it was said that Eddie had moved on to a team in the US where it was okay to be paid to play, and was making six dollars a game; he thought he had the potential to one day make ten dollars a game!
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: Pizza
In this episode, an Italian man is selling pizza on the street near the station house, for 5 cents a slice. George takes a liking to the new-to-him food and even mentions how great it would be if you could just phone up and ask for a pizza, and have it brought right to you. At the end of the episode, he takes Dr. Grace to the pizza man and introduces her to pizza as well.
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: Nun
Susannah Murdoch appears in the season four episode "Voices". In this episode, Detective Murdoch is called to the convent to investigate the death of a supposed priest, and is surprised to find Susannah is there. They reconnect, and Susannah confesses she is suffering from a terminal illness. She later passes away off-screen.
Murdoch's estranged father, Harry, and half-brother, Jasper, have also been seen in the series, and Murdoch has mentioned his deceased mother, Mary, once or twice.
From Quiz: Detective William Murdoch
Answer: James Gillies
James Gillies, played by Michael Seater, was involved in several cases in the series. In season two's "Big Murderer on Campus", Gillies and his friend Robert Perry orchestrated the murder of their university professor, for no real reason. Gillies turned out to be a complete psychopath, and after Detective Murdoch foiled him, Gillies became obsessed with Murdoch.
The next time Gillies showed up, in season five's "Murdoch in Toyland', he devised a game for Murdoch to solve. Gillies kidnapped Julia and buried her alive in this episode. After Murdoch stopped Gillies and rescued Julia in the nick of time, Gillies appeared again at the end of season six in "Crime and Punishment" and "The Murdoch Trap". This time he killed Dr. Darcy Garland, Julia's husband, and framed Julia for the murder. He also trapped Murdoch in an elaborate cage, to stop him from revealing the truth before Julia could be hanged. Murdoch again foiled Gillies' plan.
Gillies was next seen in season seven's "A Midnight Train to Kingston", in which he was being transported to his hanging. He again managed to pull off an elaborate escape, but had to jump off a bridge while handcuffed. While his fate remained a mystery for awhile, Gillies was declared to be well and truly dead in the seventh season finale.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Brothel
The character of Ettie Weston originated in Maureen Jennings' first Detective Murdoch novel, "Except the Dying". Ettie and her friend Alice were prostitutes who were witnesses to the crime Murdoch was investigating; unfortunately Alice became a victim as well.
In "The Green Muse", Ettie was the madam at a high-class brothel, disguised as a music academy. At the beginning of the episode, Cora, one of Ettie's employees, was found in a bedroom with her throat slit. Detective Murdoch, of course, found the killer.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: He was frozen alive.
Dr. Roberts, never given a first name in the few episodes he appeared in, was played by Paul Amos. He was first seen in season two in "Snakes and Ladders", in which Detective Murdoch approached him to learn about the psychological profile of a serial killer, and what might be driving the murders of local young women. Roberts assisted on a few more cases, and was last seen in "Twentieth Century Murdoch", set on New Year's Eve 1899.
In this episode, the case revolved around a man who claimed to have invented a time machine, and was taking members of the public, including William, on 'trips' into the future. It turned out to be all smoke and mirrors, but the man behind it was Dr. Roberts' stepbrother. He arranged the charade as a way to raise money to keep Dr. Roberts frozen. He was suffering from a disease and wanted to be frozen alive so that he could be revived in the future when a cure is found.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Leslie Garland
Leslie Garland was Darcy's brother. Crabtree ended his relationship with Dr. Grace and took a disliking to her after that. Dr. Grace later became active in the women's suffrage movement and entered into a relationship with another woman. Dr. Grace also has a liking for unconventional ideas and medical practices. She belongs to a group that attempts to experience death without really dying.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: Dog
George acquires his dog, Violet, in the first season episode "Power" and mentions her from time to time. He mentions being a dog owner in season three's "Future Imperfect" while investigating a series of dog-nappings. Another example is in the season four episode "Dead End Street", when Dr. Ogden questions whether the killing of one's cat would be motive for murdering the pet killer; George jumps in to say that, as a pet owner himself, he agrees that it would be.
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: Pans for gold
In the first episode of season five, "Murdoch of the Klondike", Murdoch has relocated to the Yukon and earns money panning for gold. He is on leave of absence from the constabulary as he is suspended at the end of season four. Due also to Julia having married Darcy Garland at the end of the previous season, Murdoch is unsure if he ever wants to return to being a detective. His love for policing is revived though, when he and Jack London (yep, that Jack London) investigate a murder to help out a wrongly accused friend. Murdoch returns to Toronto at the end of the episode.
From Quiz: Detective William Murdoch
Answer: Ruby
Ruby Ogden, a journalist, is portrayed by Sarah Gadon. She was first seen in the second season episode "Houdini Whodunit", in which she was an assistant in a young Harry Houdini's magic show. She was next seen in season three, in "Future Imperfect", with writer H.G. Wells. Ruby was shown to take a bit of an interest in Constable George Crabtree, and also flirted with Detective Murdoch, though that was likely just to make her sister jealous.
It was Ruby who urged Julia, at the end of season four, not to marry Darcy Garland if she still had feelings for William; Ruby also encouraged William to speak up if he still wanted Julia. Unfortunately, it didn't work out at this time, and Julia and Darcy did get married.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Eunice
During the autopsy Dr. Ogden discovers evidence which indicates that Wendell Merrick was homosexual. Murdoch hastens to identify Merrick's lover, thinking that the death must have resulted from jealousy over Merrick's impending marriage to Eunice McGinty. The pieces, however, don't seem to fit, and when Merrick's lover is later discovered dead by his own hand, Murdoch begins to suspect that there may have been a plot to murder Wendell Merrick that is far more elaborate.
From Quiz: Murdoch Mysteries
Answer: French
When the other characters learned of Higgins' French speaking abilities, they were shocked since Higgins was a typical, young bachelor for Victorian times, not likely interested in French anything. Higgins then explained that his mother was French, which is how he learned to speak it.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: New Year's Eve ball
The episode "20th Century Murdoch" is set primarily on December 31, 1899. There is a ball being held for the constabulary. Crabtrees asks Murdoch if he thinks it's a good idea to invite Dr. Grace, as he's concerned that he is not of a high enough class for Dr. Grace. Murdoch encourages it, and George asks Emily to go with him to the ball. Unfortunately, Emily turns him down as she already has plans with friends. George is disappointed, but he attends the ball anyway, and Emily shows up to be with him. They then begin a romance, until breaking it off in season seven.
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: French
Though Canada is now a bilingual country with French and English being official languages, it was pretty uncommon for people in Toronto in this time period to speak French. Murdoch hails from the Maritimes though, where there were French settlements, and he was educated by French-speaking Jesuits. He is shown to speak French in a couple of episodes, such as when he needs to communicate with the police department in Montreal.
From Quiz: Detective William Murdoch
Answer: James and Sally Pendrick
James and Sally Pendrick were portrayed by Peter Stebbings and Kate Greenhouse respectively. They were a wealthy couple who were first seen in the third season episode "This One Goes to Eleven", in which a priceless Rembrandt painting in their possession was stolen. They also appeared in "Future Imperfect", "In the Altogether" and "The Tesla Effect", all from season three. Each time, Murdoch suspected James Pendrick to be the man behind the crimes, and he was jailed after one of them. In "The Tesla Effect", Sally Pendrick, who Murdoch seemed to be a bit taken with in earlier episodes, was revealed to be the person behind all the crimes in these episodes (though they were mostly actually committed by others in her employ).
Sally Pendrick was not seen again after that, but James continued to appear in several more episodes. Murdoch still suspected him of being guilty of a few crimes, but they came to be friends.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: His pocket watch
The sequence of events leading up to the discovery of John Delaney's body and the times at which they occur are instrumental in the solving of the case. In this Murdoch is greatly assisted by Phillip Delaney, who, while simple, has an extraordinary memory for time: he is able to tell Murdoch the exact times that his father and each of the key suspects had exited the public house. Phillip is very shy when Murdoch first questions him, but warms up to the detective after Murdoch admires Phillip's pocket watch and then shows him his own, which had been a gift from his late fiancée, Liza.
From Quiz: Murdoch Mysteries
Answer: The Temperance League
Inspector Brackenreid loves his alcohol, particularly scotch. However, when Margaret joined the Temperance League, she tried to get him to kick the drinking all together. Eventually, she agreed to let him drink provided he paid more attention to her and drank less often.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: Jacob Doyle
The episode, "Republic of Murdoch", was a crossover episode of sorts with another CBC series, "Republic of Doyle". Allan Hawco stars as Jake Doyle in "Republic of Doyle", and played Jacob Doyle in this "Murdoch" episode as well. "Republic of Doyle" is set in the present day and "Murdoch Mysteries" is set around the turn of the 20th century (1901 in season seven), so the Jacob Doyle in this episode is meant to be an ancestor of the Jake Doyle in "Republic of Doyle". Yannick Bisson also appeared in an episode of "Republic of Doyle", playing Bill Murdoch, a descendant of his "Murdoch Mysteries" character, William Murdoch.
In "Republic of Murdoch", a man was killed in Toronto, and Jacob Doyle was a suspect. Murdoch and Crabtree followed him to Newfoundland, and while there, it became clear that Doyle was not the killer. He did help them solve the case though, as did Crabtree's ability to party like a Newfoundlander (him actually being a Newfoundlander).
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: Penny
George's cousin is Penny Renton, 16 years old in season three. George is tasked with looking after her while she's in the city. While she insists she does want to attend the secretarial school, it turns out that she has also moved to the city for a boy. George catches them together partially undressed and arrests the young man! They later settle the matter, and in season seven George mentions to his aunts that cousin Penny is engaged to be married.
Penny is played in season three's "Love and Human Remains" by Brianna Bisson, the daughter of Yannick Bisson (who stars as Detective Murdoch).
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: Anna Fulford
In season three's "The Murdoch Identity", William found himself in Bristol, England with no recollection of who he was. He was being chased by bad guys, and ran into Anna's pub. She agreed to help him, and eventually they solved the case at hand and William remembered who he was and where he came from. Anna next showed up in, in Toronto, in "The Black Hand" in season four. In this episode, Anna's fiance was killed by an organized crime unit and William told her to leave town in order to be safe.
She did leave, but later turned up again in Toronto in "Stroll on the Wild Side (Parts 1 and 2)" in season five. Anna was still being targeted by the criminals who'd killed her fiance, and she and William ended up faking her death and getting her out of town to take the target off her back. Anna was played by Lisa Faulkner.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: The Scottish Play ("Macbeth")
The desiccated remains of Virgil Smart make an unbilled appearance in Act 5, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's "Macbeth", during Lady Macbeth's famous "Out, damned spot" monologue. The Toronto Constabulary are baffled, however, as Smart had passed away several years earlier, in 1892, and had been buried by his widow. Murdoch now finds himself faced with two mysteries: Who killed Virgil Smart, and who had been buried in his place?
The incorrect answers were all written and produced in the late 1940s: "A Streetcar Named Desire" (Tennessee Williams, 1947), "Death of a Salesman" (Arthur Miller, 1949) and "Detective Story" (Sidney Kingsley, 1949).
From Quiz: Murdoch Mysteries
Answer: Her fiance
Anna's fiancé Joe was a counterfeiter for a mafia group named the Black Hand who killed him and put a hit out on Anna. In the season five two-part episode "Stroll on the Wild Side," Anna returns to Toronto under an assumed name when the Black Hand track her down. With the help of Murdoch and Dr. Ogden, Anna fakes her death to escape them.
From Quiz: Characters of "Murdoch Mysteries"
Answer: J.M. Barrie
Prince Alfred, a grandson of Queen Victoria, appeared in the episode "The Prince and the Rebel", in which he was portrayed as a wild partier. Constable Crabtree was tasked with trying to keep the prince out of trouble.
Nikola Tesla, a hero of Murdoch's, was featured in the very first episode of the series, "Power". He showed up again at the end of season three, in "The Tesla Effect".
Arthur Conan Doyle appeared in two episodes of season one, "Elementary, My Dear Murdoch" and "Belly Speaker". He also appeared again in season six, in "A Study in Sherlock", in which Murdoch met a young man who believed he was actually Sherlock Holmes.
J.M. Barrie did not feature in any episodes of seasons one to seven of "Murdoch Mysteries".
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: Mad Hatter
In this episode, Murdoch attends a Wonderland party with Julia and her sister Ruby. At the party, Murdoch is drugged and when he awakes, he discovers that a murder has taken place - and all signs point to him as the murderer. In the end, it is revealed that the killer is a young woman whom the victim raped and beat many years previously. At that time, it was Murdoch's testimony in court that set the rapist free, so Murdoch is framed for his murder. Ava Moon, the murderess, is ultimately set free from jail by Murdoch. It is his actions in this episode that lead to Murdoch's suspension from the constabulary and his temporary move to the Yukon that we see in the first episode of season five.
From Quiz: Detective William Murdoch
Answer: Terrence Meyers
Terrence Meyers is portrayed by Peter Keleghan. He first appeared in the season one episode, "The Annoying Red Planet". He continued to show up and involve himself in Murdoch's investigations whenever the cases involved important political figures and pieces of technology that the government wanted to have. In season seven, Meyers was almost framed for murder and conspiracy but Murdoch cleared his name. Murdoch and Meyers often work well together, despite not always liking each other very much.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Julia's father
Julia's father, also a doctor, had called her and asked her to come visit. When she got there, however, he had already died. She suspected foul play involved in his death, but his doctor refused to investigate. Julia ended up doing an autopsy herself and getting William to do a bit of detective work. It turned out that the elder Dr. Ogden had gotten his lady friend to assist him into death; it was said that he probably wanted to Julia to do it and that's why he had called her, but she hadn't gone right away. Julia also learned of her father's past with the lady friend; they had been in love with each other for a long time, since before they married other people.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: The truthizer
In the fifth season episode "Invention Convention", Murdoch attends an invention convention and is surprised to find George there, marketing the truthizer (a lie detector) to potential buyers. In the time period of the episode, lie detectors were unheard of and Murdoch builds a device of his own invention to monitor whether a suspect is telling the truth.
Murdoch first is annoyed with George for trying to sell his invention (which he insists is of no great value) but ends up giving him permission to find a buyer if he wants to. Arlene Dickinson from the TV show "Dragon's Den" guest stars as the interested investor, who ultimately decides not to buy the truthizer.
From Quiz: Constable George Crabtree
Answer: Leslie Garland
Leslie Garland, a law student and the younger brother of Julia's deceased husband Darcy, first showed up in "Tour de Murdoch" in season seven. He appeared to be a very charming man, and even wooed Dr. Grace, who had previously been seeing Constable Crabtree socially, but he turned out to be behind a very nasty trick played on Julia. Midway through season 7, Julia began receiving threats that were supposedly from James Gillies, warning her that she and William would die if they were to get back together and get married. In the end, it was determined that Gillies was dead and that Leslie Garland was threatening Julia and William's relationship, as some sort of revenge for his dead brother.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
Answer: Jasper
In the second season finale, "Anything You Can Do...", Murdoch worked with a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, whose mannerisms and methods of policing seemed awfully similar to Murdoch's. It turned out that the Mountie, Jasper Linney, was also the son of Harry Murdoch, who also appeared in this episode. Harry had left his children (William and his sister Susannah) after their mother died, to go out west to get rich (this is explained more in depth in the "Murdoch" novel "Let Loose the Dogs"), where he met Lucinda Linney and fathered her son, Jasper.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Mix
Answer: Flowers
Some of the aunts mentioned by George over the seasons include Azalea, Primrose, Dahlia, Begonia and Petunia. There are several more. None of them are actually George's biological aunts, though; he was taken in by a reverend as a baby and the women with flower names helped raise him. Most of his aunts reside in Newfoundland, where George is from, and a few of them were first seen on screen in season 7's "Republic of Murdoch", when George and William followed a murder suspect to Newfoundland. In that episode, it was revealed that George's aunts make a living through prostitution, something that was apparently supported by the reverend when he was alive.
From Quiz: "Murdoch Mysteries" Secondary Characters
