Okay, so we need to talk about something: Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. This bad a** show, which is airs in Australia, is so aesthetically gorgeous. It’s so colorful and I’m trying (and failing) so hard not to fangirl right now. The show takes place in 1920’s Australia, where flappers are running rampant and Phryne, the main character, assists the infamous Detective-Inspector Jack Robinson in solving murders most foul. The relationships between the characters feel so realistic, and you’ll become immediately invested. The murders take a back seat to the development of the world in this show. Here are some reasons why you need to watch this show ASAP.
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Miss Fisher is a amazing feminist with tons of money. Let’s play two truths and a lie.
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She is named after a prostitute who was acquitted of charges because her body was just too nice to be put in jail. More on that here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phryne
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She is a successful pilot, who flew across the ocean when airplanes still were still open air.
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I have no lie. Name it she’s done it. Stripped? Yes. Drugs? Sure. Banged whomever she wanted. Check.
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Any questions? Is that not winning you over? Fine. How about the fact that SHE IS GORGEOUS? Look at her. I mean. Do I want to be her? Yes. Do I want to be with her? After some non-alcoholic beverages. Yes, I do. She’s somehow both Mulder AND Scully.
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Also Jack Robinson is amazing. He is the dryest piece of salted pork in all of Aussie land. He indulges Phryne and respects her and all this in a time where women weren’t allowed to drag race like the other kids.
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So yeah, Phryne and Jack are great but we’ve also got the give-you-a-cavity sweet relationship between Phryne’s companion Dot and Constable Collins. What a fantastic name. Constable Collins. I love that. But they’re so sweet together and they will be happy forever.
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MR. BUTLER. Oh my God I almost forgot the best part of the show. So, he expects a prim and proper royal to serve. Miss Fisher is in no way either of those things, and unapologetically so. Inevitably, Miss Fisher wins Mr. Butler over, and he becomes the perfect addition to an already fabulous cast. Also he has a tendency for accidentally being drugged.
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I cannot name every character as a reason to watch this show. Forget the murders though, they’re not that important. I like mystery shows and I would watch Phryne Fisher and her companions do anything they wanted, I don’t care. I love them. I’m very attached. Please help.
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Most importantly, you can knit while watching this. In fact it’s ideal. The plots are comfortable in the way Murder She Wrote is. Familiar, like reading your favorite bedtime story.
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She refuses to be bested by the stiff and unwilling meninist members of her era. Although it takes place relatively soon after World War I, the show digs into issues related to the ones we see today, artfully neutral.
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The clothes.
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The style.
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The fashion.
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It’s so pretty. The camera work and the locations they use are stellar. Phryne’s house is gorgeous and because she is rich (naturally) all the houses she visits are beautiful. The cinematography is just… gah.
Please watch this for me, if not for you. I’ll buy a pizza, we’ll binge it together. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is a clever show with a strong female protagonist, who should be a role-model to all. You’ll be running out the door to buy a string of pearls and learn the Charleston after the first episode, I guarantee it. Or maybe you won’t, but please at least try an episode so or two. My friends all say they’re “busy” and that “it’s on the list.” No. Watch it now. For the love of everything. You won’t regret it. You only live once, but you’ll watch this forever. (P.S.: They also have books. Those are good too.)