Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries
Mar. 15th, 2020 09:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerI’ve long been a fan of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so of course I had to watch the four-episode spinoff series set in the 1960s, Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries - particularly once I realized three of the four episodes were directed by women.
The series feels very lightweight - not that Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries was particularly dark or heavy, but nonetheless it felt that it had more heft to it. I think it’s partly because the heroine, Phryne’s niece Peregrine, is so much younger than Phryne and in many ways more conventional: she doesn’t have either Phryne’s edge or her string of lovers.
The showrunners also constructed the story so that Peregrine has never met Phryne, which on the one hand I understand - Phryne might cast too deep a shadow if Peregrine were reminiscing about her all the time - but on the other hand, most of the audience probably consists of Miss Fisher fans, and I suspect most of us would love to hear Peregrine reminisce about Phryne with Phryne’s friends in the Adventuresses’ Club.
I did quite enjoy the Adventuresses’ Club; in fact it struck me that the story might have been better served by focusing more on that ensemble, or else on Phryne’s friend Birdie, who, like Phryne, is a woman of a certain age with a history and a certain bite to her. But her character is also quite different from Phryne’s in some ways - a little more rough-edged, less flirtatious - so it would have been an interesting contrast, too.
However, this is all carping. The series is not quite as good as Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so I can’t help but carp a little, but once I had adjusted my expectations downward, it’s enjoyable watching: fun but inessential.
The series feels very lightweight - not that Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries was particularly dark or heavy, but nonetheless it felt that it had more heft to it. I think it’s partly because the heroine, Phryne’s niece Peregrine, is so much younger than Phryne and in many ways more conventional: she doesn’t have either Phryne’s edge or her string of lovers.
The showrunners also constructed the story so that Peregrine has never met Phryne, which on the one hand I understand - Phryne might cast too deep a shadow if Peregrine were reminiscing about her all the time - but on the other hand, most of the audience probably consists of Miss Fisher fans, and I suspect most of us would love to hear Peregrine reminisce about Phryne with Phryne’s friends in the Adventuresses’ Club.
I did quite enjoy the Adventuresses’ Club; in fact it struck me that the story might have been better served by focusing more on that ensemble, or else on Phryne’s friend Birdie, who, like Phryne, is a woman of a certain age with a history and a certain bite to her. But her character is also quite different from Phryne’s in some ways - a little more rough-edged, less flirtatious - so it would have been an interesting contrast, too.
However, this is all carping. The series is not quite as good as Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, so I can’t help but carp a little, but once I had adjusted my expectations downward, it’s enjoyable watching: fun but inessential.
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Date: 2020-03-15 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-03-15 02:22 pm (UTC)It's not that I'm anti-Peregrine, but having an older protagonist was one of Miss Fisher's most charming qualities, so something you'd think a spin-off show might want to replicate.
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Date: 2020-03-16 02:51 pm (UTC)I haven't read the books myself, but it seems like the Phryne I know from the series is a much more interesting person than anyone can possibly be in their 20s. Show!Phryne has had so many experiences... hard to see how a 20-something could pack all that into her life.
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Date: 2020-03-16 03:27 pm (UTC)