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Post by Ｅｇｏｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ on Jun 21, 2014 13:06:11 GMT
In some episodes of Murdoch Mysteries, I found that the main character William Murdoch was somewhat "Mary Sue/Marty Stu", seeming to have a boundless capacity of thought and logic which brought him to scientific frontiers far beyond his time.
I understand that this was needed to make the audience feel more comfortable with the technologies used, but it would've been much better if it weren't just Murdoch being the genius in every episode.
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Post by CosmicCavalcade on Jun 21, 2014 15:14:19 GMT
Yes it does get a bit ridiculous sometimes but as Murdoch himself has said in Invention Convention, "They AREN'T inventions, George! Just reworkings of existing technology!"
I guess that's how they justify him being the most prolific inventor in the history of ever. Well maybe not more so than DaVinci...
Actually what I find more ridiculous is the number of famous historical people he meets. What's it up to now? Like twenty people in the span of 7 years? For a guy that rarely leaves Toronto, that's impressive!
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Post by snacky on Jun 21, 2014 17:27:19 GMT
For me William is saved from being a Marty Stu because he has an abundance of flaws. He can be narrow-minded, stubborn and over-confident about his line of thinking. He dismisses George's creative speculations and misses the opportunity to see the true unfolding of the future because it. Though he is open-minded and modern for his time, prejudice sometimes impedes him: fortunately he's also open to learning and character growth. He stands for truth and science and the law, but he's become less smug about their certainty. He takes a long time to act on what he carefully thinks through.
In other threads we've discussed his psychological tendencies: rigidity, compartmentalized thinking, possibly shading on the asperger's spectrum. He has made huge mistakes in his relationship with Julia, and even when their relationship is solid he does things that make me cringe (like superciliously preaching to Julia on the privacy of Emily's correspondence when William himself would open it in a heartbeat if he had a concern). Julia herself gets annoyed when William plays devil's advocate instead of supporting her.
Also, ever since Gillies pointed to William's over-confidence as his flaw, and then his reputation as a "Great Detective" started growing, I got the feeling that we are watching something of a Greek tragedy here. William is not only a flawed character: he has a Fatal Flaw, in the sense of Hamlet. His hubris is an ongoing threat to destroy him. I find this intriguing, and I hope the writers built this up intentionally, because it makes a great background "series arc".
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Post by snacky on Jun 21, 2014 18:44:03 GMT
Actually what I find more ridiculous is the number of famous historical people he meets. What's it up to now? Like twenty people in the span of 7 years? For a guy that rarely leaves Toronto, that's impressive! I don't have much of a problem with this because Toronto was near New York, and Toronto was a major trading hub on the Great Lakes. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of touring VIPs were stopping off there. |
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Post by CosmicCavalcade on Jun 21, 2014 19:10:24 GMT
Yeah but that they all happened upon Murdoch himself in his little station house is kind of silly.
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Post by snacky on Jun 21, 2014 19:23:46 GMT
Hmm, okay point taken, lol.
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Post by Ｅｇｏｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ on Jun 21, 2014 23:26:04 GMT
O.o I feel like I just sparked a controversy.
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Post by snacky on Jun 22, 2014 1:43:06 GMT
O.o I feel like I just sparked a controversy. Weeeeeeeeee! That's the best part.  |
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Post by CosmicCavalcade on Jun 22, 2014 2:17:01 GMT
Worlds collide. Nations crumble. God's sort of argue...but not really. Tagline for a bad movie.
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Post by snacky on Jun 22, 2014 2:26:26 GMT
Worlds collide. Nations crumble. God's sort of argue...but not really. Tagline for a bad movie. Post here every day all day for a couple of months and you, too, can ascend to God-hood. Then mountains shake when you argue, and your points are carved in stone. |
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Post by Ｅｇｏｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ on Jun 22, 2014 14:18:19 GMT
I'm surrounded by gods! *Dances* YOU CAN'T GET ME ALMIGHTY SHAMANS OF THE EARTH!
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Post by lovemondays on Jun 22, 2014 17:00:16 GMT
I feel a new thread coming on...in pursuit of healthy MM debate and my own God-hood!
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Post by snacky on Jun 22, 2014 17:47:26 GMT
I'm surrounded by gods! *Dances* YOU CAN'T GET ME ALMIGHTY SHAMANS OF THE EARTH! Naw, we hunt you in the wild and then convert you to one of us, wahahahahahaha.  |
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Post by Ｅｇｏｔｉｓｔｉｃａｌ on Jun 22, 2014 18:25:27 GMT
I'm surrounded by gods! *Dances* YOU CAN'T GET ME ALMIGHTY SHAMANS OF THE EARTH! Naw, we hunt you in the wild and then convert you to one of us, wahahahahahaha. *Grabs a musket* Never.  |
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Post by snacky on Jun 22, 2014 18:39:07 GMT
I feel a new thread coming on...in pursuit of healthy MM debate and my own God-hood! Less than 200 throw-away posts to go! |
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