PBS has just started airing Season 3 of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, providing the perfect excuse for me to bring this perfectly delightful period series to your attention. (All of Season 3 is available on Netflix, if you feel like binging. And you should.)
Based on a series of novels by Kerry Greenwood, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries whisks us back to Melbourne, Australia in the late 1920's, where the terribly modern Miss Phryne Fisher has taken up the occupation of female private detective, much to the chagrin of unflappable Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Nathan Page) and his industrious constable, Hugh Collins (Hugo Johnstone-Burt.)
But the gem here is Essie Davis as Phryne Fisher, a woman raised in poverty but risen to great wealth and title. She looks like a Betty Boop cartoon come to life in her chic Twenties couture, stylish hats, and racy autombobile. But those who underestimate her will soon learn that there's a razor sharp mind under those bangs, (as well as a gold-plated pistol under those sheer nylons.).
In fact, everything and everyone on this show captures the Twenties as convincingly as the BBC's great Poirot and Miss Marple mysteries bring back the Thirties and Forties. The show is filmed in blushed pastels, looking for all the world like an old black-and-white film that's been colorized for modern audiences.
The mysteries are consistently well written and will keep you guessing, but the real fun is watching Miss Fisher slowly win over Detective Jack Robinson, just as Miss Fisher's companion Dot (the winning Ashleigh Cummings) wins the heart of Constable Hugh. Other standouts in the cast include the ineffable Richard Bligh as Miss Fisher's butler, Mr. Butler, and Miriam Margoyles as Phryne's empirious Aunt Prudence, who's always looking down her nose at her flapper niece's latest goings-on.
Although it's mostly light entertainment, Miss Fisher doesn't shy away from some of the serious issues of the day - especially the very British concerns of class and religion - as well as introducing us to the birth of innovations like racing cars and aviation. The shadow of World War I (in which Miss Fisher served on the front lines as a nurse) hangs heavy over many episodes as well.
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries airs several times a week on different PBS channels; check local listings, or just dive headfirst into the show on Netflix.
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