First of all, this was a delightful episode that highlighted how far Murdoch Mysteries as come in it's portrayal of characters of colors since the early seasons. I loved the nuance here, how each character had a unique point of view, and that the main conflict wasn't racism, but political strategy differences between more radical and more conservative Black people. But at the same time, it didn't shy away from the reality of racism in small town Niagara. And the mystery kept me guessing!
The casting of DuBois and Booker T. Washington was strange, though. The actors were good, but looked very little like the real people. I kept getting confused about who was who actually, because the actor playing DuBois was broader in stature, like Washington was. And the Washington actor was bald, which DuBois was.
Ms. Bright and Ms. Hart dynamic is starting to grow on me. I've always liked that Violet Hart's is so moral gray because you never know what she might do. But Ms. Bright has seemed too simplistic a character to offer either much of a challenge, or a friendship of equals. In this episode, they're on more even ground, and their political differences made the story richer. Neither was very talented at investigation so I missed the competence of Murdoch. But since non-whites weren't allowed to be police, I don't mind watching a bit of amateur sleuthing to get an episode featuring Violet.
The casting of DuBois and Booker T. Washington was strange, though. The actors were good, but looked very little like the real people. I kept getting confused about who was who actually, because the actor playing DuBois was broader in stature, like Washington was. And the Washington actor was bald, which DuBois was.
Ms. Bright and Ms. Hart dynamic is starting to grow on me. I've always liked that Violet Hart's is so moral gray because you never know what she might do. But Ms. Bright has seemed too simplistic a character to offer either much of a challenge, or a friendship of equals. In this episode, they're on more even ground, and their political differences made the story richer. Neither was very talented at investigation so I missed the competence of Murdoch. But since non-whites weren't allowed to be police, I don't mind watching a bit of amateur sleuthing to get an episode featuring Violet.
