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Post by snacky on Aug 14, 2014 21:50:06 GMT
I found this great review of Murdoch Mysteries on Tumblr by Christina X Li, and I'm going to paste it here in it's in entirety because some people have a difficult time loading Tumblr. More specifically this is a review about why Detective Murdoch is so appealing to modern female viewers: this is something I've sort of grokked, but I've never been able to nail it down like this review does. Guys, I hope you're paying attention! ****** WHY I LOVE WILLIAM MURDOCH- HE'S NOT YOU'RE AVERAGE HYPER-MASCULINE MALE LEADSome great things about working from home: 1. I sit in a comfy robe all day 2. Endless tea 3. I hang out with Spaniels 4. I watch Murdoch Mysteries on break I’d never heard of the Murdoch Mysteries before coming to live with Becca, my boss at Scary Little Girls, this month. “It’s an amazing feminist procedural set in Toronto while it was still a colony,” she explained between bites of tea (dinner). Sounds okay. It stare out great - female coroner, interesting racial and class commentary, but there was one thing that fell flat. Murdoch. "He’s just so boring. All he talks about is geeky invention. He gets eclipsed by the other characters," I whined. But after two week of watching daily reruns, I absolutely love him. What I dismissed as blandness was really Catholic reservation. In American TV, the male leads are always brash, all “I am the law.” Peacocking to defend their deep vulnerability (or so they say). Castle from Castle, Booth from Bones, both the guys from White Collar. To come upon a male lead who is quiet, allows others to speak and really listens, who feels no need to brandish his intellect… Well, at first he just seems boring. Who wants to watch a guy do nothing? But after a while you realize that because Murdoch doesn’t attempt to steal the show, he gives space for others to show their personalities. He is often perplexed but respectful of the smart, feminist Dr. Ogden (his on-again, off-again love interest), and much of his time at the police station is spent placating his traditionally masculine constable. The scenes between Constable Crabtree and Detective Murdoch reveal just how different Murdoch is from traditional male tropes. When faced with increased aggression from Crabtree, he always suggests the path of restraint. He isn’t the ‘wild bullet’ intent on justice. He’s calm, cool and still charming in a naive, geeky way (he’s a total geek, tinkering with tech). Detective Murdoch’s rejection of the classic hyper-masculine male lead characteristics is a refreshing change from muscle men often idolised in mainstream T.V. Source: christinaxli.tumblr.com/post/94630563006/why-i-love-william-murdoch-hes-not-your-average |
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Post by Hodge on Aug 14, 2014 22:45:08 GMT
I found this great review of Murdoch Mysteries on Tumblr by Christina X Li, and I'm going to paste it here in it's in entirety because some people have a difficult time loading Tumblr. More specifically this is a review about why Detective Murdoch is so appealing to modern female viewers: this is something I've sort of grokked, but I've never been able to nail it down like this review does. Guys, I hope you're paying attention! ****** WHY I LOVE WILLIAM MURDOCH- HE'S NOT YOU'RE AVERAGE HYPER-MASCULINE MALE LEADSome great things about working from home: 1. I sit in a comfy robe all day 2. Endless tea 3. I hang out with Spaniels 4. I watch Murdoch Mysteries on break I’d never heard of the Murdoch Mysteries before coming to live with Becca, my boss at Scary Little Girls, this month. “It’s an amazing feminist procedural set in Toronto while it was still a colony,” she explained between bites of tea (dinner). Sounds okay. It stare out great - female coroner, interesting racial and class commentary, but there was one thing that fell flat. Murdoch. "He’s just so boring. All he talks about is geeky invention. He gets eclipsed by the other characters," I whined. But after two week of watching daily reruns, I absolutely love him. What I dismissed as blandness was really Catholic reservation. In American TV, the male leads are always brash, all “I am the law.” Peacocking to defend their deep vulnerability (or so they say). Castle from Castle, Booth from Bones, both the guys from White Collar. To come upon a male lead who is quiet, allows others to speak and really listens, who feels no need to brandish his intellect… Well, at first he just seems boring. Who wants to watch a guy do nothing? But after a while you realize that because Murdoch doesn’t attempt to steal the show, he gives space for others to show their personalities. He is often perplexed but respectful of the smart, feminist Dr. Ogden (his on-again, off-again love interest), and much of his time at the police station is spent placating his traditionally masculine constable. The scenes between Constable Crabtree and Detective Murdoch reveal just how different Murdoch is from traditional male tropes. When faced with increased aggression from Crabtree, he always suggests the path of restraint. He isn’t the ‘wild bullet’ intent on justice. He’s calm, cool and still charming in a naive, geeky way (he’s a total geek, tinkering with tech). Detective Murdoch’s rejection of the classic hyper-masculine male lead characteristics is a refreshing change from muscle men often idolised in mainstream T.V. Source: christinaxli.tumblr.com/post/94630563006/why-i-love-william-murdoch-hes-not-your-averageWhilst I somewhat agree with her assessment of Murdoch, except the boring bit - I never found him boring, I don't understand this comment "... and much of his time at the police station is spent placating his traditionally masculine constable." Since when has Crabtree been traditionally masculine? He good at gift wrapping, uses lavender water and isn't happy but willingly wears a dress for experiments etc. I'm thinking she has him confused with the Inspector who is very definitely traditionally masculine. Read more: murdochmysteriesfans.proboards.com/thread/882/best-feminist-review-murdoch-mysteries?page=1&scrollTo=12846#ixzz3APPitFmC |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 0:11:08 GMT
Whilst I somewhat agree with her assessment of Murdoch, except the boring bit - I never found him boring, I don't understand this comment "... and much of his time at the police station is spent placating his traditionally masculine constable." Since when has Crabtree been traditionally masculine? He good at gift wrapping, uses lavender water and isn't happy but willingly wears a dress for experiments etc. I'm thinking she has him confused with the Inspector who is very definitely traditionally masculine. Yes I did find that off: maybe she meant that in the plural: constableS, such as Higgins. Or she was referring to the Inspector. I agree Crabtree offers his own unique brand of subversion to type! I think Americans are used to very fast paced TV shows. One reason it's hard for many Americans to get into British mysteries is the pacing. Murdoch Mysteries is kind of tricky because the set and lighting look British, so you think you're going to get a slow-paced British show. Then you see William, who is quiet and unassuming: if you don't have any background knowledge on his character, then you might assume you are watching a British Mystery. I think you do need a few episodes to "load up" on MM character development. But once you are primed in that way, MM becomes faster paced. It's not as fast paced as an American show that assumes TV viewers have the attention span of a gnat, but it is faster than the average British mystery on PBS that the American brain initially wants to compare it, too. That's why you see Americans say: "...and then I watched a few episodes, and then I was addicted!" But if they don't watch those few, they won't get the information they need to be able to watch a "non-dynamic" character. What is the opposite of a dynamic character? Not a boring one. It's one that sucks you in! |
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Post by Hodge on Aug 15, 2014 1:24:28 GMT
Whilst I somewhat agree with her assessment of Murdoch, except the boring bit - I never found him boring, I don't understand this comment "... and much of his time at the police station is spent placating his traditionally masculine constable." Since when has Crabtree been traditionally masculine? He good at gift wrapping, uses lavender water and isn't happy but willingly wears a dress for experiments etc. I'm thinking she has him confused with the Inspector who is very definitely traditionally masculine. Yes I did find that off: maybe she meant that in the plural: constableS, such as Higgins. Or she was referring to the Inspector. I agree Crabtree offers his own unique brand of subversion to type! I think Americans are used to very fast paced TV shows. One reason it's hard for many Americans to get into British mysteries is the pacing. Murdoch Mysteries is kind of tricky because the set and lighting look British, so you think you're going to get a slow-paced British show. Then you see William, who is quiet and unassuming: if you don't have any background knowledge on his character, then you might assume you are watching a British Mystery. I think you do need a few episodes to "load up" on MM character development. But once you are primed in that way, MM becomes faster paced. It's not as fast paced as an American show that assumes TV viewers have the attention span of a gnat, but it is faster than the average British mystery on PBS that the American brain initially wants to compare it, too. That's why you see Americans say: "...and then I watched a few episodes, and then I was addicted!" But if they don't watch those few, they won't get the information they need to be able to watch a "non-dynamic" character. What is the opposite of a dynamic character? Not a boring one. It's one that sucks you in! Being originally from Britain I'm used to British programmes. I prefer British style mysteries and I have to admit to liking many Canadian made shows, they're kinda quirky. MM is a combination of British and Canadian styles, perhaps because there's British money involved as well, and is more to my liking than US shows. I have to admit (and please don't take this the wrong way) but I like being treated as if I have a brain. MM does just that and I was hooked after the first episode I saw which I believe was Murdoch in Ragtime. It's not one of the best eps but it's still a good one and the more I watch it the better it gets. That's one of the things about this show, it never gets boring no matter how many times you watch it. Every time you watch an episode you see something new and the more it reveals about Murdoch's character. In my opinion it's the best show that's ever been on TV. It works on so many levels. |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 3:17:12 GMT
Being originally from Britain I'm used to British programmes. I prefer British style mysteries and I have to admit to liking many Canadian made shows, they're kinda quirky. MM is a combination of British and Canadian styles, perhaps because there's British money involved as well, and is more to my liking than US shows. I have to admit (and please don't take this the wrong way) but I like being treated as if I have a brain. I am taking exactly the way you intended, and I totally agree. That's why I hadn't even watched a scripted TV series - except to catch some episode here and there on an occasional basis - of an American series in several years. House was the last series I watched semi-regularly, but I didn't watch it like a "fan", re-watching episodes and minutely analyzing character development. Exactly! And in my case, I find it interesting the last TV show I enjoyed this intensely was Stargate. That wasn't the best show or the most intellectual show, so I've been trying to figure out what it has in common with MM. A while back I did a post on "surrealism" in TV shows. I think it's actually the slight departure from "realism" (in MM's case enabled by the historical setting) that creates a separate world for fans to play with. It still has to be consistent, with characters that fans can identify with - but it also has to operate on a slightly symbolic level. That's part of what engages your brain. |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 3:20:59 GMT
To come upon a male lead who is quiet, allows others to speak and really listens, who feels no need to brandish his intellect… after a while you realize that because Murdoch doesn’t attempt to steal the show, he gives space for others to show their personalities. He is often perplexed but respectful of the smart, feminist Dr. Ogden... I want to date that guy.  |
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Post by Hodge on Aug 15, 2014 3:57:48 GMT
To come upon a male lead who is quiet, allows others to speak and really listens, who feels no need to brandish his intellect… after a while you realize that because Murdoch doesn’t attempt to steal the show, he gives space for others to show their personalities. He is often perplexed but respectful of the smart, feminist Dr. Ogden... I want to date that guy. Funny you should say that, I married this man ... almost. Perhaps that's why I like Murdoch so much. |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 4:33:33 GMT
Funny you should say that, I married this man ... almost. Perhaps that's why I like Murdoch so much. Wa, why was it a near miss? And where can I find one? |
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Post by Hodge on Aug 15, 2014 4:49:35 GMT
Funny you should say that, I married this man ... almost. Perhaps that's why I like Murdoch so much. Wa, why was it a near miss? And where can I find one? No, no near miss however this describes my husband almost perfectly. Not sure they exist any more....  |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 5:49:32 GMT
No, no near miss however this describes my husband almost perfectly. Not sure they exist any more.... Congratulations on the husband! When this type comes up in America, it's probably with some extreme mental illness.  |
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Post by Hodge on Aug 15, 2014 6:23:03 GMT
No, no near miss however this describes my husband almost perfectly. Not sure they exist any more.... Congratulations on the husband! When this type comes up in America, it's probably with some extreme mental illness. Try a Brit or Canadian.... |
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Post by Fallenbelle on Aug 15, 2014 11:26:16 GMT
I want to date that guy. Funny you should say that, I married this man ... almost. Perhaps that's why I like Murdoch so much. As did I. I'm definitely the more dynamic of the pair of us, as is Julia. I don't think we're complete opposites, but we do complement one another. I'm more like Julia and hubby is more like William-and we're definitely nerds in love. |
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Post by Fallenbelle on Aug 15, 2014 11:33:46 GMT
Congratulations on the husband! When this type comes up in America, it's probably with some extreme mental illness. Try a Brit or Canadian.... Sorry, but hubby's an American and I disagree. They're out there, they're just not in your face. You have to put in the time to draw them out. You won't find them if you're in a hurry-I think because William types are reserved, and need time to get comfortable. Conversely, my longest relationship yet (off and on and off and on again for 7years) was with a Brit with serious commitment issues that needed to be dealt with psychiatrically. I wasted my 20's on this guy, but I did come out a helluva lot wiser for it.  |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 16:01:19 GMT
Congratulations on the husband! When this type comes up in America, it's probably with some extreme mental illness. Try a Brit or Canadian.... I loved England when I studies there. I think I just have that English "reserved" personality myself, and it only interacts well with others of the same type. XD |
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Post by snacky on Aug 15, 2014 16:18:04 GMT
As did I. I'm definitely the more dynamic of the pair of us, as is Julia. I don't think we're complete opposites, but we do complement one another. I'm more like Julia and hubby is more like William-and we're definitely nerds in love. lol nerds in love. I hope that's in my future!  |
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