During the last weeks of December, I caught the flu and was hella sick. The flu turned into bronchitis and a sinus infection, and I stayed half-awake on the couch most of the day. In addition to fluids and pain relief, I binge-watched Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which was probably the best thing I could have done for myself. It’s available in the US on Netflix currently, and on subscription services like Acorn, too.
I’ve been aware of Miss Fisher for a long time, but hadn’t had an opportunity to try it until being ill rendered me unable to get off the sofa. Now I wonder what on earth took me so long because it’s WONDERFUL.
In a strange coincidence, RedHeadedGirl and Elyse were also watching, and we convinced Carrie to give them a try, and now we’re all sending each other squee-filled email about the series.
If you’re not familiar with the series, which I mentioned in a recent podcast interview with Jennifer McQuiston, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is an Australian television series set in Melbourne in the 1920s. It’s based on the Phryne Fisher mystery series by Kerry Greenwood, which begins with Cocaine Blues. Elyse reviewed the book today, if you’re curious, and says that while the books are just as good if not better, the series follows the books so reading or watching will spoil the mystery for the other format.
But the show is so much more than that. Every episode has an undercurrent that highlight’s women’s issues and struggles at the time, many of which, such as access to birth control and medical treatment, continue today.
Series writers and producers Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox said in an interview in 2012:
“We were a bit curious to know what it was about it that could appeal to a 16-year-old and a 70-year-old,” says Eagger. “Phryne is one of the first feminists. She chooses to live alone, she chooses not to get married. She’s got many lovers. She’s a bit of a James Bond action hero – she’s much better dressed than James Bond though.”
And, in yet another example of the power of any review that says, “This has TOO MUCH SEX IN IT,” this interview by Linda Holmes of NPR with star Essie Davis is marvelous, starting with the title: Essie Davis: On Playing A Sexually Liberated ‘Superhero’ Without Apology.
“I was sent the link to Jezebel,” she says of the discussion about Phryne being, as she puts it, a “hussy.” “And I just thought it was fantastic that the reactions towards the outrage were so powerful and outspoken. And that so many people who, on the Jezebel site, were like, ‘Right, well, if that’s what everyone’s saying about it, I’m watching it.'”
Other than Samantha on Sex And The City, Davis couldn’t think of a woman on American television quite like Phryne in terms of her genuinely happily asserted sexual agency any more than I could, and we couldn’t think of many women like Phryne anywhere. “Phryne’s a superhero, really,” she says. “She’s the woman that many women would like to be. Because she is so independent and has no dependency upon men, just loves them. And as long as they don’t try and rule her, she’ll enjoy every bit of them.”
So, in case you’re not already watching and have any reservations at all about trying this show, here are our reasons why this should be the show you watch next. It’s a feast for everything. Trust us.
RedHeadedGirl: I have been preaching the Gospel of Phryne all Christmas break.
Sassy, delightful, strong, complex lady sleuth who makes no apologies about who she is.
Said lady sleuth owns her sexuality and won’t let anyone shame her for it (and the show pointedly doesn’t shame her, either)
The show demonstrates how to live with people of differing viewpoints in harmony- Phryne is a liberated woman, and her companion Dot is a reserved, deeply Catholic girl. Dot never shames Phryne, and Phryne never shames Dot. They support each other! They always have the other’s back!
THE HATS THE HATS OMG THE HATS
AND THE CLOTHES. The coats. The dresses. THE HATS AND COATS.
The dudes: Constable “Puppy” Hugh and Detective “Bonerpants” Jack Robinson are delightful and adorable.
DID I MENTION THE CLOTHES? Phryne even looks adorable while skulking around in the middle of the night.
Sarah: Do you have a favorite outfit? I love the deep purple scalloped blouse/jacket with the long back over the white trousers she wore while investigating the Miss Lavender murder.
Elyse: It’s a great “I am solving this with my large brain” sort of mystery, the kind viewers can try and solve along with her. I’m getting sick of mystery shows that rely on a device like psychic powers or CSI technology to crack the case. I like good old fashioned sleuthing.
Also as RHG said OMG THE CLOTHES.
Carrie: After binging like mad, here’s my response to why the show is so great:
YES to what RHG said about sexual agency. Also OMG the clothes (and the scenery, and interior design, and the music!)
I love that the show is rife with competence porn. After the first two episodes or so, we’re over the standard detective tropes where the cops think that the detective is awful and the detective thinks the cops are idiots. Phryne and Jack battle over turf, not competence. It’s also telling that Phryne is interested in hiring Dot based on two quick impressions – Dot needs help, and Dot is hella good at her job.
I also love how Phryne accepts people for who they are. She judges people based solely on whether their actions hurt other people. She accepts herself by this criteria, as well – she loves who she is!
The show is funny. Conversations between Phryne and Jack are especially hysterical as they tend to out deadpan snark each other. I’m also fond of Phryne and her doctor friend being quite thorough in their investigation of some cocaine.
Another thing I like about the show is that it’s not all fun and games. People have actual emotional reactions to events, including the murders of the week. It also subtly and effectively keeps reminding us that the atmosphere of the Roaring 20s was a reaction to a terrible, terrible war – one which has deeply affected virtually all the characters. The show is much to fun to be depressing, but there’s also this emotional truth and power that anchors it.
In terms of being a guilty pleasure, The Downton Abbey effect is in full force here – it creates a fantasy world in which you can have every mundane task in your life disposed of by servants and never feel guilty, because in the show they are never shown actually doing very much. Although I’m still pissed at Phryne for bringing home a kid and making her butler delouse her. You adopt her, you delouse her, lady.
Sarah: StarOpal, in the comments for the podcast interview with Jennifer McQuiston wrote,
I love the approach of sexuality, especially concerning Phryne. It never feels exploitative or slut shaming, she’s very ‘I like men, so yeah.’ But at the same time shows that it, sex, isn’t necessarily the same experience or mean the same thing for everybody and, hey, that’s okay too because everyone is different. So good on you show.
YES. A thousand times, yes, and a zillion more.
And, as I mentioned earlier, each episode has a surprising depth to it. In one episode, Away with the Fairies, Phryne and Co. are investigating the murder of a woman who co-owned a women’s magazine. The remaining partner, a former teacher of Phryne’s, publishes amid the recipes, decorating hints, and fashion advice articles about family planning, higher education for women, and other controversial subjects. That magazine represents the series as a whole, really. There’s considerable complexity to every character, and every issue and every case.
As Carrie, Elyse and RedHeadedGirl mentioned, OH MY GOD THE COSTUMES. The costume designer for this series is Marion Boyce, and her work is just incredible. Why Australian paper currency isn’t printed with Boyce’s image and work on it is beyond me. It should be, especially since I suspect at least 60% of the GNP of Australia went into the costume budget, because holy opulence.
As the series develops, Phryne’s relationships with the people around her deepen, and each is fascinating. And speaking of relationships:
And then there’s Phryne and Jack, aka Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, aka “Detective Bonerpants,” per RHG. They have a very slowly developing attraction, the kind that Tumblr gifs are made of.
AND SPEAKING OF TUMBLR GIFS, here’s my favorite set:
If you’ve enjoyed this series as much as we have, we’d love to hear your favorite parts, and what (or who!) you love most. And if you haven’t tried it, I hope it’s available for you because it’s just everything wonderful in a daring, fabulous package. With hats.
Those costumes! Mystery! Smart women! Sounds awesome. Thanks for the rec and I’ll let you know what I think!
I had already finished season 2. Stop rubbing it in!
P.S. She had a few winter outfits in “Murder Under the Misteltoe” that were amazing.
P.P.S. Watching this right after Outlander will put you in a costume coma.
I’m four episodes into S1 (also reading the series simultaneously, so I try and wait until I’ve read the book before watching the episode with the same name), and I just…love her. So much. She’s not ashamed of anything she does, and she’s not afraid of anything, and I would commit actual murder just to be allowed to wander through her closet for a half-hour.
Personal favorite bit thus far is in the “Murder on the Ballarat Train” episode, where she sits on the bank watching an (all-male) crew team row past with a very pleased expression, then questions one of the men while simultaneously blatantly admiring him as he dries off. I was yelling at the TV, “Devirginize him! There’s a dim corner right over there, and he’s TAKING HIS SHIRT OFF!”
This series. Recced to me via my Netflix after finishing up a few episodes of Lost Girl a few years ago. OMG. Watched the first episode, had my best friend come over and we binged the whole thing. Then when season two was only available via Acorn (through Youtube, no less) I got that and watched it all there. Season 3 is currently filming and I can’t wait. I’m just hoping that with Agent Carter taking off people will turn to this series for a continued fix.
Love love love the books. Binged about 18 in less then a month last june. Now I want to see the show.
I’ve been on the Phryne bandwagon for a long time. OMG. She wears a white linen duster with matching hat in a couple of episodes that gives me chills.
Anyway, the TV version is highly sanitized. The story in the last couple of episodes, the ones about the house party, is totally different from the book with the same title. The book is ah, much more decadent. Her relationships with a couple of other characters (no spoilers) in earlier books are quite messier than portrayed on TV, and way more interesting. So don’t be afraid to mix and match. I adore both, which is unusual for me, in book to film adaptations.
Thanks! Any show filled with competence porn goes immediately on my watchlist.
I’ve only just finished season one, because I haven’t had a free day to binge on Season 2 yet. But I had to mention another thing about the series that’s made me so happy (besides the clothes and the competence and the fantastic relationships) – Jane (the kid who got deloused) isn’t a complete plot moppet! She’s not sickeningly sweet, or a Troubled Urchin. She’s just a kid who has had a rotten life, which is getting better, but she still has very real fears and issues. And that’s all I am going to say to avoid spoilers, and I suppose because I haven’t seen season 2 yet and maybe I’ll change my mind altogether as time goes on. But I hope not.
I love this series *so* hard!! I was just telling a friend last night that about the only time I wish I had a different body shape is when I’m watching this show because about the only style from the ’20s that is actually flattering on me is cloche hats–as long as they actually sit fully down on my head (check out Goorin Bros., btw, for some seriously styling hats!). I read a few of the books years ago and really liked Phryne then, and I adore her even more embodied by Essie. This is definitely a fictional character that I would love to hang out with in real life.
I can’t say enough about Nathan Page’s face- he’s a DELIGHT.
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! (Especially the hats.) Plus – and this is another thing there isn’t enough of on TV or in the movies – Phryne is a grown-up. She and Jack have a grown-up relationship, between equals. Cheers to Australia for giving us Essie Davis. And costume designer Marion Boyce, I can’t love on you enough!
wow, how have I never heard of this before? clearly I have some catching up to do.
Another show you might like if you’re enraptured with Miss Fisher but have run out of new episodes is The Bletchley Circle. Four supersmart ladies who used to be codecrackers in WW1 come together years later to use their amazing brains to catch a serial killer in London. Each of the four ladies is a fully realized character, and while they’ve all made different decisions in life, the narration doesn’t look down on any of them. The unapologetically single Milly is treated with the same respect as is Susan, the stay-at-home mother.
Oh my, this show gives me life! I binged on it HARD in December and I love it to pieces. The costumes! The sets! The characters, oh, they are so well-rounded. And I love the relationship between Phryne and Jack, it’s very adult despite it’s will-they/won’t they, and eps 2X7 and 2×8 had me in fangirl high alert. I basically also just Phryne herself, carefree but competent and owning her life without apology (which Jack wouldn’t have her change either, unf) and I need Series 3 right now, okay?
I haven’t watched the show yet, but I could look at these clothes all day. “Bitter Spirits” by Jenn Bennett is a romance with paranormal elements, not a mystery, but it’s set in the roaring 20’s and the clothing descriptions were great, besides being a fun story.
Let me start by saying that I’ve read all the books and I think they’ve done a surprisingly great job with the TV series, including casting the amazing Essie Davis and their fanatic adherence to historical accuracy. (They tracked down one of only two Hispanic Suiza cars in the Southern Hemisphere!) However… I’m very annoyed that the TV show is creating romantic tension between Phryne and Jack. I think one of the best things about the books is that they *don’t* fall into the typical trope of “hardboiled detective falls for lady amateur sleuth.” I also feel obligated to point out that one of my friends couldn’t get into this series because she felt Phryne was a too-perfect Mary Sue.
I’ve been wondering about this, so thanks for the rec! In the meantime, I recommend A Place to Call Home, Australian series set in 1953, with Season 2 due (at least on DVD) in early March. I watch it on Acorn, which also has the amazing Anzac Girls, about nurses in WWI. That one is only 6 episodes long and as it’s based on true stories, tells the viewer what became of each of the nurses.
Now I’ll get over to Phryne.
I glommed this series a few years ago & then went on to the Corinna Chapman books. They weren’t very well known at the time, but thank heaven for libraries. I’ve been hearing such great things about the TV series, that I’ll probably break down and hit the library for the dvds as well. I have no problem with the MarySueism or multiple plot lines. Good writing, fascinating setting & time period, and excellent characters make Greenwood’s books must-reads. Even the recognizable patterns in plotting and issues that give the stories just a touch of predictability make them excellent comfort reads. Also, is anyone else reminded of The Avengers’ Emma Peel? Different time period, but similar strength of character and style porn.
I’m trying very hard to not sit down and binge-watch every episode – I strictly limit myself to a couple per week so I can make them last. (I’m on S2:E2 right now.) In addition to the incredible costumes (that coat she wears in the GIF above is more plain than some others Phryne wears, but I adore it!) I like that – unlike some other cop/mystery shows – the characters aren’t loaded down with baggage that gets in the way of the storytelling. (I’m looking at you, every flavor of CSI!) Yes, the characters have history that impacts their current lives, but it doesn’t get dragged up in every. single. episode.
Love love love this show. As wellas everything that has already been said –
I loved that when Phryne takes Dot clothes shopping Dot ends up with some lovely clothes, but they are lovely for who Dot is, Phryne doesn’t try and make Dot over into a mini-Phrynne.
I love Mr Butler the butler and Bert and Cec, the way they all come to appreciate Phryne and to help her in their different ways.
And it has Miriam Margolyes in it too.
I love this show and its characters. Best costume porn ever and great chemistry between Phryne and Jack. My favorite episodes are probably the one taking place at the coast and the one at the radio station where Phryne and Jack sing with each other at the end. (Both these actors are very talented singers.) So good.
I discovered this show in the Fall and instantly fell in love. I wish I could have shared in your squee-fest bc I have had no one to share the awesomeness with. Thanks for this post!
I discovered Miss Fisher on Netflix in December, too. I am…OBSESSED. I am on my third viewing of the two series. There simply isn’t chemistry anywhere, like that of Jack and Phryne. And God bless all the fan fic and Tumblers dedicated to this series. Which of course led me to your post.
The BEST part for me? As much as I adore Jack and Phryne/Jack, it’s all about Phryne. She is the woman we all aspire to be. Sexually unabashed, loving, kind and deeply committed to helping people, her friends and family most of all, while she lives out her glorious dreams each day with little or no shame, fear, regret or anxiety stopping her. Sounds like the way to live, if you ask me.
Without doubt my favorite new show in 2014 — I keep joking about how Australia made a show just for me. Probably my most comfort-foodish television since Leverage finished. Seconding everything everyone said, and I’m an absolute sucker for found families like this one.
Also, I’d like to wear that purple jacket toward the top to work tomorrow, if anyone has one lying around in my size. With maybe a nice cloche.
Seems like television has been making some pretty interesting woman-centric shows in the last few years — a trend I like! Bletchley Circle was also amazing.
I discovered this show on my local PBS station last winter and have been OBSESSED ever since. I have both series on DVD, “read” multiple Tumblr blogs, have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to the show’s fashions, read and post to multiple FB pages, watch YT fanvids, and read tons of fan fiction to tide me until S3 shows up here. I have it bad for Miss Fisher and DI “Bonerpants”! *hehe* So anyway, welcome to the fan club. 🙂 It’s everything that everybody has already mentioned. I want to be Phryne and do Jack.
My fave bit: Hugh and Jack emerging from the sea in their swimming trunks. I literally made an inarticulate noise at the TV.
I read the books first, and gave up after the travesty that was TV!Lin. Then I caught an episode on TV and really really liked the chemistry between TV!Jack and TV!Phryne and got sucked in.
But yes, TV!Phryne is MUCH more restrained sexually than the book version.
I admit I am shallow. I didn’t watch this series out here because…
Essie Davis’s cheekbones scare me.
Yes, I’m pathetic 😉
I’m guessing you haven’t had the Doctor Blake Mysteries yet? A grown up Craig McLachlan looking very spiffy in 1950’s Ballarat. Not such flashy clothes but good stories. And did I mention Craig McLachlan?
Well, if we’re going to branch out into other AUS shows, how about “Mr. & Mrs. Murder”? Fun stories with wonderful chemistry between the leads. It’s set in modern day Australia so no costume porn but fun watching nonetheless.
I don’t think the TV show is doing a very good job with dreamy, tough, goooorgeous Lin; but I forgive them everything for a lead actress of a certain age. There are fine lines in that perfect face. Which makes it a bit more believable — she needs time to learn everything she’s learned, and what she does with it isn’t beauty sleep.
I looooooove Miss Fisher, for all of the reasons mentioned above! Series 2 gives Hugh multiple chances to take his shirt off and he’s a dreamboat. The boxing episode? Oof. Also, yes! The clothes! The bats! The COMPETENCE! Love love love.
OMG. Must convince the husband to speed through the last couple of Sherlocks so we can switch to this.
I first got into the book series around, I think, The Castlemaine Murders so what I am hearing about the role of Lin Chung in the TV-series (so far) is making me wary. I really hope his character is allowed to grow into the role and importance he has in the books. It’s early days, of course, but I’m not going to watch the TV series until or unless I get confirmation of this.
My favourite thing about the series has to be how they deal with the “damsel in distress” trope. Yes, Phryne IS wildly reckless (understandable given her past & zest for life) and really does get herself into trouble ALL the time… but moments before the Inspector shows up to “save” her, she usually manages to save herself and he gets to be just a policeman and arrest the criminal and its clear he respects her for it. He respects her nature so *hard*, even as he worries for her safety, that it makes me swoon. They have so many quiet moments together in between the electric flirting (the end of the rugby episode where they’re staring at each other oblivious to the noise & crowds around them? Sigh.) but the characters are so well developed and independent that it also makes perfect sense if the slow burn never turns into a conventional relationship. Phryne doesn’t want anything conventional and his decision after the car racing episode shows how he’s prepared to resolve their different needs.
I must also second Anna’s rec above for The Bletchley Circle. Its dark and serious and may have more in common with Agent Carter than Miss Fisher’s, but it’s a fantastic period piece.
Oh, this series is just the ultimate – I have watched it so many times 🙂 In addition to the witty banter, the costumes, and the wonderful casting, I think the best thing is all the women in the show. You’ve got all these incredible women who are so different, who appreciate each other, admire one another’s strengths, and work together (even the non-recurring ones who pop up for a single episode). I adore that they’re so well fleshed out and that, even though Phryne is the star, the show almost never (Rosie aside) disses other women to make her look good. And I really really love the evolution of Dot from someone afraid to answer the telephone, to doing her own feats of derring do, remaining cool under pressure, and saving the day. In so many other shows/movies, I get one, maybe two competent women and the whole series sort of hangs everything on them (Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, I’m looking at you!) and it’s as if there was only enough awesome left over from all the guys for one great female lead. Here, we’ve got great women everywhere, and gents who work with them and appreciate them. Wow! Super long, but my love for this show makes me gush 🙂
Phyrne Fisher is the bomb. What a fantastic series. What fantastic coats. What amazing characters. All extraordinary . . .
Thank you for bringing this series to my attention!! I’ve been binge watching series 1, and got started on the books this weekend, and I LOVE it. Once again the Smart Bitches come through with a stellar recommendation.
I just finished season 1 and love the show. I really want Phryne and Jack to get together. I love her lipstick…anyone knows the brand and color???? I am dying to buy one…
Patricia- I don’t think they say what brand they use, however, Besame makes several shades that could match. There’s 1920-Besame Red, 1935- Cherry Red, and 1946- Red Velvet. At different times I think she wears slightly different shades on the show, and it also depends on your skintone and which red flatters.
If you want a cheaper option than Besame, Revlon Really Red Matte Creme or Revlon Certainly Red are shades that can work.
I want to say Cherry Red and Red Velvet are pretty close, in some shots even Besame Merlot seems close.
So I think those are good shades as a starting point.
Based on your recommendation, I started watching this series and I binge-watched it in its entirety over the course of the past week. I haven’t read the books so I cannot compare, but how much do I love this show?? A lot and now I have to (gasp) wait for the 3rd season. I love all of the characters including all of the supporting cast, from Cec & Bert to Mr. Butler.
The Kindle version of the first book is currently $0.99 so I just bought it.
As for my favorite outfit, I don’t know if I can pick just one. I want them all! There was an episode where she wore a light-blue velvet coat that I super-covet!! It may have had some quilting or embroidering on it. I can’t find a picture, but I want that coat!!