As soon as I spotted that image of Rebecca and Julia decked out for a roller derby I knew Monday’s episode was going to be a good one. “Hot Wheels of Thunder” delivered on all counts, not only with a heinous crime and humour, but with nail-biting action too.
Written by Canadian Screen Award winner Peter Mitchell, Simon McNabb and Jordan Christianson and directed by Mitchell, here’s what CBC says about the episode:
Murdoch’s investigation into the death of a roller-skating champion takes him into a world of aggressive and ruthlessly competitive young women.
And here are more spoiler-free facts gleaned from watching a screener:
Medical talk with Julia and Rebecca
The pair begins the episode roller skating along a beachfront path, with Julia quizzing Rebecca about different medical definitions. If you are a guy, two may cause you to cross your legs. I did.
A lady love from Crabtree’s past returns
We won’t say who—that would ruin the fun—but I was certainly glad to see her, even if it was brief. However, her appearance does affect George when it comes to his relationship with Louise Cherry. Also? Brackenreid delivers a speech to George that is laugh-out-loud funny.
Kudos to the set design, wardrobe and construction team
The creative folks who work on the sets, set design and props always make Murdoch look amazing, but they did a particularly fantastic job this week. The roller derby set and wardrobes are astounding. The stunts, choreography and camera work is spot-on too.
Carmilla‘s Natasha Negovanlis guest stars
The fellow Shaftesbury (Murdoch‘s production company) co-worker from Carmilla turns in a villainous performance as Mildred Preston, the leader of The Buffalo Queens roller derby club.
“Whyyyyyyyyy?!?!”
You’ll get this reference on Monday night.
Murdoch Mysteries airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on CBC.
Images courtesy of CBC.
