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Post by lizmc on Feb 9, 2016 3:20:45 GMT
Terrific episode! I think the writers did a great job highlighting the stereotypes and prejudice that still exist today. Lizmc is right, carding is a really big issue right now. The presumption is guilty, because of race. Despite making my blood curdle, CC Davis`s attitude and behaviour were an excellent representation of the racial wall that blacks faced.
The level of detail was outstanding. Did anyone else notice the "black boy" statues outside the Thompson house? My neighbours told me a story at Christmas. About 10 families all moved into their new homes between July and October 1968 (and most of them are still here!) One family put out a black boy statue until a black family moved in across the street about 2 weeks later. Yikes, awkward!
I have to admit to being stumped about the wound on Frank Parker's head because it wasn't mentioned at all until the very end!! How odd. As Alderman Hubbard was on the Board of Control (in real life, anyway), I think CC Davis is in for a nasty shock.....let's hope so, anyway. The pompous ass makes Giles look good.
I remember the "black boy" jockey statues.....they were quite common in the 50s and 60s....the other variation I remember was the "black boy fishing" statue....one of my neighbours had one......then, probably in the 70s, you started seeing white jockey statues.....
When you first see the corpse, you can see the wound from the blow to the head on his left temple.......I thought initially that he had been shot......but you are right, they didn't mention it at all when they were examining the body........2 wounds caused by different weapons sort of suggests 2 killers and I thought that is where they were heading when the relationship between the Pastor and Mrs. Thompson was established.......
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Post by lovemondays on Feb 9, 2016 3:29:03 GMT
As Alderman Hubbard was on the Board of Control (in real life, anyway), I think CC Davis is in for a nasty shock.....let's hope so, anyway. The pompous ass makes Giles look good.
CC Davis was so over the top racist that I got thinking about the prejudice displayed by all his officers in The Great Wall. It wasn't as obvious in that episode but it's clear that he set the tone for his constables who were only too happy to run with it. There was a nice juxtaposition between Davis and Brackenreid. Our beloved Thomas has certainly mellowed over the years but it was wonderful to see him standing up to Davis. |
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Post by Hodge on Feb 9, 2016 3:40:51 GMT
Excellent episode. Loved the conversation between William and Rebecca at the end. Yes, that scene will, I thing become one of the most memorable in all of Murdoch........I loved that we got to see Rebecca outside the morgue and as such a significant part of the plot.....they are doing a good job of developing her character. Perhaps they realized their mistake with Dr. Grace and are developing Rebecca's character early. |
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Post by lizmc on Feb 9, 2016 3:45:50 GMT
As Alderman Hubbard was on the Board of Control (in real life, anyway), I think CC Davis is in for a nasty shock.....let's hope so, anyway. The pompous ass makes Giles look good.
CC Davis was so over the top racist that I got thinking about the prejudice displayed by all his officers in The Great Wall. It wasn't as obvious in that episode but it's clear that he set the tone for his constables who were only too happy to run with it. There was a nice juxtaposition between Davis and Brackenreid. Our beloved Thomas has certainly mellowed over the years but it was wonderful to see him standing up to Davis. I loved Davis' comment 'who does he think he is?" Let's see, he is a democratically elected Alderman of Toronto City Council, therefore he is one of your bosses? And you are right......the boss often does set the tone......
I really, really want to see Davis get his, and to be able to hear Brackenreid's delight......
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Post by lizmc on Feb 9, 2016 3:50:01 GMT
Yes, that scene will, I thing become one of the most memorable in all of Murdoch........I loved that we got to see Rebecca outside the morgue and as such a significant part of the plot.....they are doing a good job of developing her character. Perhaps they realized their mistake with Dr. Grace and are developing Rebecca's character early. I think the problem with Dr Grace's development was that, due to circumstances, she had to be plonked in as a fully fledged character and then they had to develop her backwards, as it were......With Rebecca, they have the luxury of systematically developing her as they slowly introduce her..... |
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Post by Hodge on Feb 9, 2016 3:51:43 GMT
Terrific episode! I think the writers did a great job highlighting the stereotypes and prejudice that still exist today. Lizmc is right, carding is a really big issue right now. The presumption is guilty, because of race. Despite making my blood curdle, CC Davis`s attitude and behaviour were an excellent representation of the racial wall that blacks faced.
The level of detail was outstanding. Did anyone else notice the "black boy" statues outside the Thompson house? My neighbours told me a story at Christmas. About 10 families all moved into their new homes between July and October 1968 (and most of them are still here!) One family put out a black boy statue until a black family moved in across the street about 2 weeks later. Yikes, awkward!
I have to admit to being stumped about the wound on Frank Parker's head because it wasn't mentioned at all until the very end!! How odd. I think there was a lot in this episode highlighting the problems that still exist today. Many of these problems being with police services, CC Davies isn't exactly just common for the period. As some of you know I'm not a big fan of the police, as an institution, and it's not because I've ever had a run in with them! I noticed the 'black boy' statues immediately. Also the servants at the household were all black, ironic given the wife's race. There again perhaps she was giving 'coloured folk' decent jobs.... I noticed the wound and just assumed he'd been hit but didn't connect it to the piece of ivory. Have to admit that I didn't notice it wasn't mentioned until the end. |
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Post by lovemondays on Feb 9, 2016 4:06:43 GMT
I think there was a lot in this episode highlighting the problems that still exist today. Many of these problems being with police services, CC Davies isn't exactly just common for the period. As some of you know I'm not a big fan of the police, as an institution, and it's not because I've ever had a run in with them! I noticed the 'black boy' statues immediately. Also the servants at the household were all black, ironic given the wife's race. There again perhaps she was giving 'coloured folk' decent jobs.... I noticed the wound and just assumed he'd been hit but didn't connect it to the piece of ivory. Have to admit that I didn't notice it wasn't mentioned until the end. I think the issue of racism still exists far beyond police practices. That's what the sermon was about and the conversation between William and Rebecca. i agree that policing attitudes and practices are a big problem but to me they are a magnified version of a pervasive societal attitude. |
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Post by lizmc on Feb 9, 2016 4:17:45 GMT
I think there was a lot in this episode highlighting the problems that still exist today. Many of these problems being with police services, CC Davies isn't exactly just common for the period. As some of you know I'm not a big fan of the police, as an institution, and it's not because I've ever had a run in with them! I noticed the 'black boy' statues immediately. Also the servants at the household were all black, ironic given the wife's race. There again perhaps she was giving 'coloured folk' decent jobs.... I noticed the wound and just assumed he'd been hit but didn't connect it to the piece of ivory. Have to admit that I didn't notice it wasn't mentioned until the end. I think the issue of racism still exists far beyond police practices. That's what the sermon was about and the conversation between William and Rebecca. i agree that policing attitudes and practices are a big problem but to me they are a magnified version of a pervasive societal attitude. And the most disturbing element is that so much of it can linked to issues today. Just look at the reaction to our federal cabinet. While I'm glad it was celebrated that it was not only gender balanced, but reflective of the diversity of our population, I couldn't get over the amazement that we weren't going to be governed by mostly white males. I am also shocked at the bigotry towards the First Nations (which Murdoch has also addressed....) |
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Post by Terence's Top Hat on Feb 9, 2016 14:39:34 GMT
This was a really good episode. I'm glad they brought in Davis as the new chief constable. In Maureen's books and in the Murdoch movies, Brackenreid was the one getting after Murdoch all the time, and it's great to have Davis as Murdoch's new antagonist. But I do miss Giles. Nigel Bennett's acting is stellar. I liked that Rebecca was heavily involved in this one. It was great getting a look at her personal life. I also adore her new beau.
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Post by murdochic on Feb 9, 2016 20:58:14 GMT
Nice to see a lot more of Rebecca's character, I really do like her. It's terrible she has to face racism, but she is a fighter. The racist part of the episode was sad to watch, but it happened so it's realistic. I wonder if Rebecca will keep seeing Issac.
Toronto needs to stop hiring nasty Chief Constables. Though Davis makes me miss Giles because at least he could be fair. I never liked Davis and he is too much like Stockton. Poor Station House 4.
I'm happy to see that Brackenreid has had character growth over the years and isn't racist anymore. He's improved being around William etc all these years.
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Post by lizmc on Feb 9, 2016 23:49:38 GMT
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Post by randomkiwibirds on Feb 10, 2016 2:33:20 GMT
Probably one of the strongest episodes in the latter half of the season so far. totally not five episodes left in the season nope
Great seeing more about James's character. She's growing on me. I really like how she's actually getting a personality. Don't get me wrong I love Grace, but admittedly she didn't get as well fleshed out as the other main cast or even the supporting cast for that matter. We know more about Giles then we did about Grace.
Davis is an outright racist jerkface and I hope one day it comes back to bite him. (Continually in the face delivered by Murdoch and Brackenreid oh and by Ogden) He hasn't changed one bit from his appearance in the Great Wall. Hum. Maybe I should do rewatch here and see.
Crabtree and the raccoons just made my night!
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Post by Fallenbelle on Feb 10, 2016 7:00:13 GMT
As soon as I saw the Thompsons, I knew she was "passing" and that a blackmail attempt was involved somehow. It took me a few minutes longer to guess the husband, but as soon as it was revealed that her brother was the pastor, I knew the husband had done it and had found out his wife's secret. While not exact, it did remind me of the short story "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9e%E2%80%99s_BabyI enjoyed getting some backstory on Rebecca, and I agree that the show is doing a much better job of fleshing out RJ's character and giving her a backstory than they did with EG. I also agree that Giles was a far more complex character and while he was unlikeable at times, he had his positive attributes as well, a nice depth that Davis does not have. Yes, the show needs an antagonist, but Davis is not worthy of a long stint as such-he's just too one-dimensional and one you love to hate- there's nothing there to balance the hate as there was with Giles. |
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Post by shangas on Feb 10, 2016 12:15:12 GMT
Watched this episode this afternoon.
Not bad. The racism evident at the time was well-represented...if racism can ever be called such...I always felt that such things were tamer in the British Empire than in the United States, where a history of slavery (in Britain) was not as strong. Yes, no country was perfect, but some were definitely better than others.
If more of his subjects took their king's lead, Britain would've led the world in racial tolerance in the early 1900s. Among other things, the enlightened and affectionately-admired King Edward VII was friendly with Jews, and while he probably never met (or at least socialised with) a black person in his life, the king's personal belief ran that words like 'nigger' were unacceptable in society, polite or otherwise, and believed them to be demeaning to African people. Of course he wasn't open-minded about everything, but he drew a fair bit of attention for such views back in the 1900s, even if he was a king.
The end of the episode became more and more obvious by about 2/3 through. I had already guessed who it was by the time the relationship between the wealthy woman and the priest had become clear. I suspected blackmail or some such thing was most likely behind it.
All in all an interesting episode.
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Post by murdochic on Feb 10, 2016 16:29:23 GMT
As soon as I saw the Thompsons, I knew she was "passing" and that a blackmail attempt was involved somehow. It took me a few minutes longer to guess the husband, but as soon as it was revealed that her brother was the pastor, I knew the husband had done it and had found out his wife's secret. While not exact, it did remind me of the short story "Desiree's Baby" by Kate Chopin. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9sir%C3%A9e%E2%80%99s_BabyI enjoyed getting some backstory on Rebecca, and I agree that the show is doing a much better job of fleshing out RJ's character and giving her a backstory than they did with EG. I also agree that Giles was a far more complex character and while he was unlikeable at times, he had his positive attributes as well, a nice depth that Davis does not have. Yes, the show needs an antagonist, but Davis is not worthy of a long stint as such-he's just too one-dimensional and one you love to hate- there's nothing there to balance the hate as there was with Giles. I guessed what was going on the first scene I saw Grace and her husband. It wasn't hard to immediately see that Grace was actually bi-racial and the rest was easy to guess, but working out the mystery in MM doesn't detract from the episodes. I don't know about other viewers but I regularly work out the answers early on in the stories. Still a well written episode that was hard hitting on the horrible racism that black people faced. |
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