***Spoiler Alert*** "The settings, events and characters depicted are entirely fictitious and are not intended to bear any resemblance to actual places, events or persons living or dead." That, or something very like it appears at the end, or perhaps the beginning, of almost every piece of film or television drama. In the case of Murdoch Mysteries, it is the end. Please forgive me for giving away the way this story ends. ///End Spoiler Alert///
Inspector Brackenreid has taken his two sons on a fishing expedition. They catch more than they had been expecting when John Brackenreid's hook snags on a man's arm. When they pull the body out of the water, they discover he has been killed by a strange metal bolt fired into his head. Fragments of a receipt are found in the man's pocket; these bring Detective Murdoch and Constable Crabtree back to a town called Markham, upstream from where the body was found. Murdoch reminds him that on their previous visit, George was searching for Martians. George responds that he recognises he was wrong about that, because earth's gravity would be too great a challenge for a Martian's physique, but Venusians, on the other hand
The owner of the Markham general store recognizes the man from a photograph, telling Detective Murdoch that he believes the man had come to Markham to search for a temple like the Taj Mahal in the forest, which he dismisses as a legend. A boy who works in the shop tells Murdoch it is real, and he used to play there when he was younger, but warns Murdoch the temple is guarded by a troll. Constable Crabtree's investigations confirm the temple does exist, and that people say it was built 20 years or so previously by a rich local man; they call it the temple of death. Murdoch creates a balloon drone to take aerial photographs to search for the temple.
Murdoch and Crabtree find the temple in the woods, but Murdoch says it is more like Hagia Sophia than the Taj Mahal. Constable Crabtree goes on to amaze Detective Murdoch by reeling off facts about Hagia Sophia, which has come up in research for his latest novel. Entering the temple, they discover a bearded man there, who has difficulty speaking; he tells them his name is Enoch. They conclude Enoch is the son of the temple builder. They also learn that the dead man, Bashar Kaba, was killed when he triggered a device in the temple which fired the dart.
Meanwhile, back in genteel Toronto, the women's suffrage group has found a fresh candidate for the provincial election, Margaret Haile.
Crabtree discovers that the temple was built in 1878, at the behest of a man called Arden McPhee, who had been in Constantinople undertaking archaeology until returning to Canada in 1877. McPhee's wife and daughters all died in 1877, with each death being ruled accidental. The temple was bequeathed to Arden's son Enoch, who was injured during its construction when a brick fell on his head, leaving him brain-damaged. Crabtree finds some articles about archaeology co-authored by Arden McPhee and Mahmood Bajjali. One of them concerns the archaeologists' claim to have rediscovered the "lost" city of Arimathea, which points to the ancient legend that links Joseph of Arimathea and the holy grail. Murdoch remembers the help provided to him by Dr Iris Bajjali from the Toronto Provincial Museum, who, it turns out, is his daughter. Murdoch seeks her assistance.
At the hustings in Toronto, the male candidates refuse to debate with Margaret Haile, so Dr Ogden introduces Miss Haile to the crowd, and invites her to speak unopposed.
Back at the Temple, things have moved on. A second body is found in the river with his skull caved in. Presumably this was Bashar Kaba's partner, Steven Hayes. Dr Bajjali believes she has found out how to unlock the temple's secrets, and presses against the walls in an archway, which causes a panel in the floor to slide open, revealing steps to a hidden passage. At the same time, the archway switch releases a stone ball above Dr Bajjali's head. Murdoch moves quickly to get Dr Bajjali out of harm's way.
So, is there really something valuable concealed in the bowels of the temple? Will there be any more booby-traps set to dispose of treasure hunters? Will Margaret Haile find any support from the men voting in the North District of Toronto? Will the case give Constable Crabtree any new material for his novel?
This is an enchanting episode, cleverly referencing almost all the Indiana Jones movies, without producing something that is a copy of any of them. Even George's idea of making the protagonist of his forthcoming novel a swashbuckling archaeologist is amusing, until he reveals that his hero is afraid of butterflies, which doesn't go down so well with Murdoch.
Those in search of 45 minutes of entertainment from a twist-and-turn mystery will love it.
Inspector Brackenreid has taken his two sons on a fishing expedition. They catch more than they had been expecting when John Brackenreid's hook snags on a man's arm. When they pull the body out of the water, they discover he has been killed by a strange metal bolt fired into his head. Fragments of a receipt are found in the man's pocket; these bring Detective Murdoch and Constable Crabtree back to a town called Markham, upstream from where the body was found. Murdoch reminds him that on their previous visit, George was searching for Martians. George responds that he recognises he was wrong about that, because earth's gravity would be too great a challenge for a Martian's physique, but Venusians, on the other hand
The owner of the Markham general store recognizes the man from a photograph, telling Detective Murdoch that he believes the man had come to Markham to search for a temple like the Taj Mahal in the forest, which he dismisses as a legend. A boy who works in the shop tells Murdoch it is real, and he used to play there when he was younger, but warns Murdoch the temple is guarded by a troll. Constable Crabtree's investigations confirm the temple does exist, and that people say it was built 20 years or so previously by a rich local man; they call it the temple of death. Murdoch creates a balloon drone to take aerial photographs to search for the temple.
Murdoch and Crabtree find the temple in the woods, but Murdoch says it is more like Hagia Sophia than the Taj Mahal. Constable Crabtree goes on to amaze Detective Murdoch by reeling off facts about Hagia Sophia, which has come up in research for his latest novel. Entering the temple, they discover a bearded man there, who has difficulty speaking; he tells them his name is Enoch. They conclude Enoch is the son of the temple builder. They also learn that the dead man, Bashar Kaba, was killed when he triggered a device in the temple which fired the dart.
Meanwhile, back in genteel Toronto, the women's suffrage group has found a fresh candidate for the provincial election, Margaret Haile.
Crabtree discovers that the temple was built in 1878, at the behest of a man called Arden McPhee, who had been in Constantinople undertaking archaeology until returning to Canada in 1877. McPhee's wife and daughters all died in 1877, with each death being ruled accidental. The temple was bequeathed to Arden's son Enoch, who was injured during its construction when a brick fell on his head, leaving him brain-damaged. Crabtree finds some articles about archaeology co-authored by Arden McPhee and Mahmood Bajjali. One of them concerns the archaeologists' claim to have rediscovered the "lost" city of Arimathea, which points to the ancient legend that links Joseph of Arimathea and the holy grail. Murdoch remembers the help provided to him by Dr Iris Bajjali from the Toronto Provincial Museum, who, it turns out, is his daughter. Murdoch seeks her assistance.
At the hustings in Toronto, the male candidates refuse to debate with Margaret Haile, so Dr Ogden introduces Miss Haile to the crowd, and invites her to speak unopposed.
Back at the Temple, things have moved on. A second body is found in the river with his skull caved in. Presumably this was Bashar Kaba's partner, Steven Hayes. Dr Bajjali believes she has found out how to unlock the temple's secrets, and presses against the walls in an archway, which causes a panel in the floor to slide open, revealing steps to a hidden passage. At the same time, the archway switch releases a stone ball above Dr Bajjali's head. Murdoch moves quickly to get Dr Bajjali out of harm's way.
So, is there really something valuable concealed in the bowels of the temple? Will there be any more booby-traps set to dispose of treasure hunters? Will Margaret Haile find any support from the men voting in the North District of Toronto? Will the case give Constable Crabtree any new material for his novel?
This is an enchanting episode, cleverly referencing almost all the Indiana Jones movies, without producing something that is a copy of any of them. Even George's idea of making the protagonist of his forthcoming novel a swashbuckling archaeologist is amusing, until he reveals that his hero is afraid of butterflies, which doesn't go down so well with Murdoch.
Those in search of 45 minutes of entertainment from a twist-and-turn mystery will love it.
