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Post by Warped9 on Jan 25, 2014 0:23:59 GMT
I am making my way through the books now, and I agree that Murdoch is quite different in the series. I love that he is a man of science and invention in the series. In the books, he is a very good detective, but the science aspect has not so far been present. The books are great reading ,though, and you can tell that the scriptwriters have eith er read them or are consulting with Maureen Jennings about the characters and stories. I would like to see the made for t.v. movies that came out before the series, just to compare them to the books and current series. The three made for TV movies are much more like the books except for a few details. In the books Julia Ogden is older and not someone that would interest Murdoch who has his eyes elsewhere. In the films they introduce a Julia Ogden much more like the series. The rest of the material in the films is much like the books. |
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Post by carco on Jan 26, 2014 19:01:48 GMT
I am making my way through the books now, and I agree that Murdoch is quite different in the series. I love that he is a man of science and invention in the series. In the books, he is a very good detective, but the science aspect has not so far been present. The books are great reading ,though, and you can tell that the scriptwriters have eith er read them or are consulting with Maureen Jennings about the characters and stories. I would like to see the made for t.v. movies that came out before the series, just to compare them to the books and current series. The three made for TV movies are much more like the books except for a few details. In the books Julia Ogden is older and not someone that would interest Murdoch who has his eyes elsewhere. In the films they introduce a Julia Ogden much more like the series. The rest of the material in the films is much like the books. As Christine Jennings (Shaftesbury) said this past summer "The books are the books, the movies are the movies and the series is the series", |
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Post by Warped9 on Jan 26, 2014 21:57:02 GMT
Another interesting difference between the features and series and the books stems from the nature of the media used. In the books Maureen Jennings uses internal narrative to tell us in detail what the characters, particaularly Murdoch, is thinking and feeling. In a film or television we can only guess approximate a character's thoughts and feeling through their behaviour, their body language and facial expressions, unless they actually vocalize their thoughts and feelings.
If the series had been patterned more closely to the books---as the features were---we would have gotten a quite different series.
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Post by Deleted on May 4, 2014 16:54:57 GMT
Another interesting difference between the features and series and the books stems from the nature of the media used. In the books Maureen Jennings uses internal narrative to tell us in detail what the characters, particaularly Murdoch, is thinking and feeling. In a film or television we can only guess approximate a character's thoughts and feeling through their behaviour, their body language and facial expressions, unless they actually vocalize their thoughts and feelings. If the series had been patterned more closely to the books---as the features were---we would have gotten a quite different series. Well I guess I will need to find those movies! I have to admit that part of the fun of watching the tv series is figuring out what William is thinking and why he does some of the things he does. The William Murdoch thread of this forum is full of speculation about his mental workings. Interesting reading. |
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Post by snacky on May 4, 2014 19:54:37 GMT
Well I guess I will need to find those movies! I have to admit that part of the fun of watching the tv series is figuring out what William is thinking and why he does some of the things he does. The William Murdoch thread of this forum is full of speculation about his mental workings. Interesting reading. I'm very curious about the movies as well. I put in a request for the movies at the library, but I don't know when or if they will be ordered. I actually didn't like the Murdoch in the Jennings books all that much. Seemed like a bit of a plodder forging ahead in grim circumstances. I'm glad the TV series brought a little humor and a little Dawn of the Future wonder into it. |
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Post by snacky on May 22, 2014 1:11:49 GMT
Not sure whether to put this under Yannick Bisson or William Murdoch.
Yannick has a particular genius as an actor that suited him to play William: he can somehow play serious/manly/noble-intentioned and boyish/innocent/full-of-wonder AT THE SAME TIME(!) Or practically at the same time. How does he pull that off? Anyway, I think that's his secret sauce.
I think his kryptonite is playing scenes where he's uncomfortable with the material or he's supposed to be playing he's uncomfortable with the situation. Luckily, in MM he gets saved by the interpretation that William is just an awkward guy with Victorian hang ups anyway.
(hmm, I have to rethink that. He actually did an epic job playing utter discomfort in the dance academy scenes in my sig below. Maybe it's a matter of physical acting vs. spoken lines?)
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Post by carco on Jun 19, 2014 18:22:38 GMT
I've read two totally different types of books recently and both mentioned compartmentalized thinking or a compartmentalized life. One of the books was about JFK and the other was unrelated fiction. Recently in CNN's The Sixty's series, the episode dealing with JFK's assassination mentioned the concept also but it was almost quoting from the book I had read. In looking into that concept more online, I've found that people also use it in terms of describing Bill Clinton's presidency.
Think of the "compartments" as a series of rooms with locked doors. (Or like one of those U-Store buildings with drive-up storage units all in a row.) His childhood memories in one. Julia in one. His religion and all that entails in another. His detective work in one. I find that if I apply the concept to the William Murdoch character it helps to answer some of my nagging questions about his behaviour over the years. So the question is: do you think William compartmentalizes the people and events in his life? He can move in out of these rooms through out the day but he shuts the door on one before he enters the next.
Often this can develop in childhood as a way to survive a difficult life. I could see William developing this mindset at an early age to survive his difficult childhood with an alcoholic father and loss of his mother at an early age. I was an only child and know how a sensitive child who feels alone in the world and/or overwhelmed can feel the need to create/do whatever it takes to survive in an adult world when you have no control over what happens to you or around you.
William is brilliant but he can be seem to be inexplicably detached at times. Compartmentalized thinking would give that impression I think. For adult, Roman Catholic William it would allow him to see awful murder scenes sometimes involving children or young women and yet remain cool and efficient. Also, it would allow a deeply religious William to also be very scientific at the same time.....one world requires faith in what can never be proved and the other world requires absolute proof....certainly odd bedfellows. It would allow him to fall deeply in love with Julia but then let her marry someone else because he gave his word that he no longer had a relationship with her. It would allow him to feel empathy for a young woman who thinks he betrayed her in court (and technically he did and he knows it) and yet when she asked him if he'd be there to watch her hang...he coldly replied yes, it's my duty. (Can't remember her name but she's the woman he let escape from jail at the end of Murdoch in Wonderland).
Thoughts?
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Post by lovemondays on Jun 19, 2014 19:34:02 GMT
Her name was Ava Moon.
Your compartmentalization theory works extremely well as an analysis of William's character. I like it! A lot.
William is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I think many of us, over the years, have been frustrated by William's ability to turn it on and off at the drop of a hat. The example that made me craziest was in "The Tesla Effect" when Julia finally revealed the reason for her leaving, he's in tears and he leaves in the middle of one of the most important conversations of his life!! Madness...AND Sally Pendrick got away to boot. Argh!!
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Post by carco on Jun 19, 2014 20:12:32 GMT
Her name was Ava Moon. Your compartmentalization theory works extremely well as an analysis of William's character. I like it! A lot. William is a conundrum wrapped in an enigma. I think many of us, over the years, have been frustrated by William's ability to turn it on and off at the drop of a hat. The example that made me craziest was in "The Tesla Effect" when Julia finally revealed the reason for her leaving, he's in tears and he leaves in the middle of one of the most important conversations of his life!! Madness...AND Sally Pendrick got away to boot. Argh!! Ava, yes thanks! .... I could see her face but forgot her name. Your example of "The Tesla Effect" scene is another great example of seemingly inexplicable behaviour on William's part. I remember that scene and I wanted to wring his neck! Both of them with tears in their eyes and he, in so many words says, "Hey gotta go!" And of course, there is probably a "compartment" just for his for his hat!! Hence the urgent, "I've lost my hat!" and "Where's my hat?" after a couple of near drownings! |
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Post by lovemondays on Jun 19, 2014 20:17:06 GMT
Lol, there are several threads running right now about Murdoch's magical homburg!
If there is a compartment for his hat, then it would fit my theory that William's softer side can appear when it's off but when it's on William is all business.
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Post by carco on Jun 19, 2014 20:52:01 GMT
Lol, there are several threads running right now about Murdoch's magical homburg! If there is a compartment for his hat, then it would fit my theory that William's softer side can appear when it's off but when it's on William is all business. Hah! Ok, that's a theory I haven't even thought about before but will definitely watch the 6 seasons on DVD again and the 2 S7 episodes I still have on PVR (after I mistakenly deleted the whole season just before the S7 finale) and will get back to you on that lovemonday!! I saw something about the "humburgers" but haven't had much time to properly read through all the new threads lately....LIFE and Work can be a real pain in the **** sometimes! I should do my MM homework soon so I can properly chime in on all the conversations. But I really wanted to mention the 'compartmental' thing while it was still fairly fresh in my head. |
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Post by snacky on Jun 19, 2014 21:11:57 GMT
Think of the "compartments" as a series of rooms with locked doors. (Or like one of those U-Store buildings with drive-up storage units all in a row.) His childhood memories in one. Julia in one. His religion and all that entails in another. His detective work in one. I find that if I apply the concept to the William Murdoch character it helps to answer some of my nagging questions about his behaviour over the years. So the question is: do you think William compartmentalizes the people and events in his life? He can move in out of these rooms through out the day but he shuts the door on one before he enters the next. Often this can develop in childhood as a way to survive a difficult life. William is brilliant but he can be seem to be inexplicably detached at times. Compartmentalized thinking would give that impression I think. For adult, Roman Catholic William it would allow him to see awful murder scenes sometimes involving children or young women and yet remain cool and efficient. Also, it would allow a deeply religious William to also be very scientific at the same time.....one world requires faith in what can never be proved and the other world requires absolute proof....certainly odd bedfellows. It would allow him to fall deeply in love with Julia but then let her marry someone else because he gave his word that he no longer had a relationship with her. It would allow him to feel empathy for a young woman who thinks he betrayed her in court (and technically he did and he knows it) and yet when she asked him if he'd be there to watch her hang...he coldly replied yes, it's my duty. . Yes, I agree William compartmentalizes a lot. And when he's busy in one room, he can let let stuff go in another room. But I guess that means he really has to prioritize these rooms as well, because to be a competent, responsible, middle class professional, you can never just let anything go. That entire sphere would have to be in one room, and in the highest priority one for William to keep it under control. As we all secretly know, true multitasking is impossible. XD I've been fascinated by how blank William looked when the actor asked him about his soul in The Filmed Adventures. As a Catholic, I'm sure he has contemplated the state of his soul. I also wonder a lot about the state of his soul in Tattered and Torn. He had been about to propose to Julia, and all he did was miss a train, yet he didn't go after her. What was he thinking about? |
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Post by carco on Jun 19, 2014 22:03:39 GMT
Think of the "compartments" as a series of rooms with locked doors. (Or like one of those U-Store buildings with drive-up storage units all in a row.) His childhood memories in one. Julia in one. His religion and all that entails in another. His detective work in one. I find that if I apply the concept to the William Murdoch character it helps to answer some of my nagging questions about his behaviour over the years. So the question is: do you think William compartmentalizes the people and events in his life? He can move in out of these rooms through out the day but he shuts the door on one before he enters the next. Often this can develop in childhood as a way to survive a difficult life. William is brilliant but he can be seem to be inexplicably detached at times. Compartmentalized thinking would give that impression I think. For adult, Roman Catholic William it would allow him to see awful murder scenes sometimes involving children or young women and yet remain cool and efficient. Also, it would allow a deeply religious William to also be very scientific at the same time.....one world requires faith in what can never be proved and the other world requires absolute proof....certainly odd bedfellows. It would allow him to fall deeply in love with Julia but then let her marry someone else because he gave his word that he no longer had a relationship with her. It would allow him to feel empathy for a young woman who thinks he betrayed her in court (and technically he did and he knows it) and yet when she asked him if he'd be there to watch her hang...he coldly replied yes, it's my duty. . Yes, I agree William compartmentalizes a lot. And when he's busy in one room, he can let let stuff go in another room. But I guess that means he really has to prioritize these rooms as well, because to be a competent, responsible, middle class professional, you can never just let anything go. That entire sphere would have to be in one room, and in the highest priority one for William to keep it under control. As we all secretly know, true multitasking is impossible. XD I've been fascinated by how blank William looked when the actor asked him about his soul in The Filmed Adventures. As a Catholic, I'm sure he has contemplated the state of his soul. I also wonder a lot about the state of his soul in Tattered and Torn. He had been about to propose to Julia, and all he did was miss a train, yet he didn't go after her. What was he thinking about? |
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Post by snacky on Jun 20, 2014 0:10:14 GMT
The example that made me craziest was in "The Tesla Effect" when Julia finally revealed the reason for her leaving, he's in tears and he leaves in the middle of one of the most important conversations of his life!! Madness...AND Sally Pendrick got away to boot. Argh!! Yes, that really showed William's ability to "shut the door" on that compartment while he's working. But then when he was off the clock and had personal time to think about it, he developed an entire proposal storyline! I also realized that Julia long ago realized that she would get nowhere with William if she were relegated to a "personal" compartment, since the "working" compartment is the priority one. She is always looking for ways to get herself into that working compartment, to help William solve his cases, to work side by side with him. I'm not sure this is totally because Julia is the perfect partner who loves science and puzzles just as much as William. When she "rescheduled her day" to help William make dinosaur head models in Loch Ness Murdoch (for the "Julia" dinosaur, hahahaha), she had a really odd look on her face, didn't she? Not bored, but not enthusiastic either. More like she was monitoring the situation for something, perhaps a bit impatiently. |
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Post by snacky on Jun 20, 2014 0:21:00 GMT
If there is a compartment for his hat, then it would fit my theory that William's softer side can appear when it's off but when it's on William is all business. Hah! Ok, that's a theory I haven't even thought about before but will definitely watch the 6 seasons on DVD again and the 2 S7 OMG a GRAND UNIFYING THEORY of the HOMBURG!!! William's tendency toward comparmentalization may be a function of it's quantum effects? Is there a Copenhagen interpretation?  |
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