Ages?

[wildhorseannie]

Another thread on here got me thinking about a young-William fanfic, but I ran into a problem.  Do we know how old William is supposed to be (approximately) at the start of the series? And just to confirm, the first year of the series was 1896?
I didn't post this under the "William" topic, because I'm also open to suggestions as to how old the other characters are as well. Also, apologies are in order if this seems like a very basic question, but I'm one of those people who is very bad at guess-timating, and I'm not sure if their real ages are supposed to represent their show-based ages. 

[snacky]

May 27, 2014 1:03:38 GMT wildhorseannie said:

Another thread on here got me thinking about a young-William fanfic, but I ran into a problem.  Do we know how old William is supposed to be (approximately) at the start of the series? And just to confirm, the first year of the series was 1896?
I didn't post this under the "William" topic, because I'm also open to suggestions as to how old the other characters are as well. Also, apologies are in order if this seems like a very basic question, but I'm one of those people who is very bad at guess-timating, and I'm not sure if their real ages are supposed to represent their show-based ages. 

According the MM Wiki, William was born in 1861: murdochmysteries.wikia.com/wiki/William_Murdoch

That might be from the books. Which would make him a 40(ish) year old virgin, according to those that believe that thing. D:

[lovemondays]

According to Maureen Jennings website William was born on July 2, 1863 which would make him 39.

As to the other thing, in "Stroll on the Wild Side" William and Anna have dinner in his room, get kissy, then he's caught coming in late to work by Brackenreid the next day. Draw your own conclusions.

[snacky]

May 29, 2014 2:08:08 GMT lovemondays said:

According to Maureen Jennings website William was born on July 2, 1863 which would make him 39.

As to the other thing, in "Stroll on the Wild Side" William and Anna have dinner in his room, get kissy, then he's caught coming in late to work by Brackenreid the next day. Draw your own conclusions.

Hmm that's an interesting discrepancy. I wonder if the wiki date comes from an episode of the show. Perhaps some document with William's birthdate was displayed once?

If so, they should have used the Jennings date and made William younger. Those 40 year old virgin jokes are not going to die quietly. D:

I'm with you on the "Cats lying with Dogs". I think more evidence is on the side of "experience". XD

[lovemondays]

Wiki is so full of inaccuracies that students in Ontario are not allowed to cite it in research papers.

Maureen had bachelor William hooking up with both Enid Jones and Amy. I'll take her word for it.

Now how old do we figure Julia is? On the show she is a hybrid of Maureen's characters Dr. Ogden who was in her 40's at least (I think) and Amy, in her 20's.

[snacky]

May 29, 2014 2:35:35 GMT lovemondays said:

Wiki is so full of inaccuracies that students in Ontario are not allowed to cite it in research papers.

Maureen had bachelor William hooking up with both Enid Jones and Amy. I'll take her word for it.

Now how old do we figure Julia is? On the show she is a hybrid of Maureen's characters Dr. Ogden who was in her 40's at least (I think) and Amy, in her 20's.

No guesses as to that on the Wiki, but I think she's clearly in her 30s and in danger of becoming an "old maid" while she waited for William.

It would have taken her to around age 30 just to get through medical school and start working in the profession, I think.

[lovemondays]

I agree. I've always thought Julia was 4 or 5 years younger than William. Don't know of any evidence to prove or disprove my thinking, it's just a feeling.

Because Julia has been married she technically can't be classified as an old maid, hehehe.

[wildhorseannie]

Darn, I really need to read the books! While I've been told they are far different than the series, it may give some insight into different aspects of the show/characters. Thanks for all the help though!

[snacky]

May 29, 2014 3:05:11 GMT lovemondays said:

I agree. I've always thought Julia was 4 or 5 years younger than William. Don't know of any evidence to prove or disprove my thinking, it's just a feeling.

Because Julia has been married she technically can't be classified as an old maid, hehehe.

I think that's 80% of why Julia married - just to make sure she wouldn't be classified as an old maid (especially since she thought William would only marry a woman who would give him children).

I think the feeling is a deeply embedded prejudice in Western society that women should be slightly younger than the men they marry. 4 or 5 years younger than William would be perfect! XD

I try to think of them exactly the same age, to keep them on as equal footing as possible. But it's hard to do because I've definitely been conditioned to think of the wife as younger.

[snacky]

May 29, 2014 3:11:06 GMT wildhorseannie said:

Darn, I really need to read the books! While I've been told they are far different than the series, it may give some insight into different aspects of the show/characters. Thanks for all the help though!

I don't think the books give very much insight regarding the show: they really create a very different world. However, from your other posts, I think you might like them more than I did.

[wildhorseannie]

I'll probably give them a try...eventually. But I am very much fond of the TV-world of Murdoch, so it might be difficult to adjust.

[lovemondays]

I was already a diehard MM fan when I inhaled the books several years ago. I quite enjoyed them because Maureen's Murdoch and his supporting cast of characters are different enough from the show that I didn't get caught up with character or situational inconsistencies. The made for TV movies starring Peter Outerbridge follow the books much more closely.

[faby]

May 27, 2014 1:03:38 GMT wildhorseannie said:

  Do we know how old William is supposed to be (approximately) at the start of the series? And just to confirm, the first year of the series was 1896?

[faby]

A few answers on "official saison 7 discussion" p 21 - 22...

[snacky]

May 29, 2014 18:27:09 GMT faby said:

A few answers on "official saison 7 discussion" p 21 - 22...

So Susannah mentions William's age in Voices?

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