Ivory cloche seated smartly atop her onyx bob, a seductive splash of red on her lips, and a swirl of white marabou wrapped around her shoulders, I first saw Phryne (pronounced fry-nee) Fisher lingering in the background of my Netflix account as I was looking for a new series to watch. Phryne, as I would find out, was the protagonist of the Australian series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and she was absolutely fabulous.
Set in 1920s Australia, each episode of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries costs about one million dollars to make, and includes extraordinarily elaborate and historically accurate sets, props, and costumes–real 1920s vehicles, high-quality costumes and hairstyles, technology-free sleuthing techniques. The storylines include high-society matrons and factory workers alike.
If the cloche, bob, and red lips did not give it away, Phryne Fisher–played by the utterly perfect Essie Davis–is one of those divinely glamorous, scandalous “modern” women. She is also, as she says, a “lady detective,” a private investigator for hire–though often doesn’t take compensation as she is independently wealthy. She is witty and clever, with an encyclopedic knowledge of crime and forensics often topping that of the local police department, much to their dismay. These aren’t dainty little crimes, either; many of them are often quite grisly, like strangulations in locker rooms, victims bludgeoned to death, bodies burned alive at vineyards, and the list goes on. She never faints or even turns away, much unlike the others around her.
I remember the instant I fell in love with the series: Phryne was seated in a prison across from her nemesis, Murdoch Foyle–a man who, balding and likely aged into his early fifties, is terrifying solely for the fact that he does not physically present as terrifying–who has been imprisoned on the grounds that he allegedly kidnapped, and likely disposed of, Phryne’s sister Jane when they were children.
“Whatever horrors you visited on her, I have imagined ten-fold. And given the chance, I would do the same to you without smearing my lipstick.”
And that was it. I was done. Hooked. Phryne had the ability to crush a person with a single sentence, her words dripping with fierceness, intelligence smacking someone in the face with a pristine, white-gloved hand. And man, could the woman dress. (A period costume enthusiast to my core, I sat in awe of not only what crime she would solve next, but what she would wear while doing it. A white pantsuit and silk blouse? A plum velvet gown with navy velvet, white fur-lined coat? A green sequined dress shivering with fringe? Yes to all, courtesy of the show’s brilliant costume designer, Marion Boyce.) After the work day was done, I would sit in front of my computer watching Phryne solve crime after crime after crime, snatching her small gold pistol from her garter belt and cocking it confidently in the direction of wrongdoers. Suddenly it would be three o’clock in the morning and I would have to tear myself away. I was sublimely happy watching, but where on earth did this series come from?
Originally it came from the mind of author Kerry Greenwood, who has been writing the Phryne Fisher series since 1989. Producers Fiona Eagger and Deb Cox were intrigued by the books because they drew a diverse fan base–Phryne was loved by women young and old throughout Australia. So Eagger and Cox gave the books a go, and the first episode aired in February 2012. Now, two years or so later, the series has just finished its second season and you’d be wrong if you said I didn’t watch every single episode.
What I love most about Phryne is her independence. Despite 1920s etiquette and its placement of women, Phryne engages in behaviors frowned upon in women while still remaining a perfect lady in the eyes of high society: she wears pants, drives, carries and knows how to use a pistol, flies an airplane, masquerades as a burlesque performer and a Latvian anarchist and, having no desire to get married (gasp!), uses “family planning.”
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries also addresses a number of women’s issues relevant in the 1920s that are still sadly relevant today, deftly handled with a raised eyebrow toward culture by Eagger, Cox, and their staff of writers. For example, in one episode Phryne teaches judo instead of table manners to a group of schoolgirls so they can defend themselves against male predators; Phryne’s faithful, traditional, saintly companion Dot wrestles with whether or not to marry her sweetheart because she wants to keep working, much to his confusion; and Phryne is often dismissed by various police officers as a silly, bored woman with nothing to do but bother them (though she always proves them wrong).
Male-driven shows are such a part of our consciousness that sometimes we barely notice the disparate number of strong females. I myself didn’t even notice it until tweeting with Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries writer Emma Steele, when she said she loved working on a series with strong female characters. And I thought to myself, surely there must be others? Who are not married and don’t work as a sidekick to a male partner or a part of a team, and just solve the crimes on their own? And I could think of precious few. In comparison to male-driven procedurals, there are so few female-driven procedurals that seeing a woman in such a position is sadly more rare. Many have appeared in recent years: Kerry Washington on Scandal, Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander on Rizzoli and Isles, Kyra Sedgwick on The Closer (now over), Piper Perabo on Covert Affairs, Callie Thorne on Necessary Roughness (canceled), Holly Hunter on Saving Grace (canceled), and so on (though, what’s the deal with most of them being on satellite networks like TNT or USA and not on major networks like NBC, ABC, CBS, or FOX?). And then there’s the older school of Angela Lansbury on Murder, She Wrote and Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, among however many others. But they are nowhere near as prevalent as shows featuring men as their head detectives.
What I want to believe is that American audiences would eat up Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries like Australian audiences have (it reaches over one million viewers per episode which, while not a large number by American standards, is very high in Australia) and would enjoy seeing a strong, elegant female detective solve crimes by herself on basic cable. But for right now, it doesn’t seem to be that way. Unless there is an American version of Miss Fisher’s in the works and I just don’t know it? But I am all too aware that this is very well just wishful thinking. Why aren’t American audiences ready for something like this? Why isn’t this something they would want to consume? We know and have already discussed answers to questions like these at length using words like patriarchy and misogyny and fear. I do believe there’s hope, though, and at this stage, I choose to be positive. So here I am, writing an article about how much I love this television show about a strong, elegant female detective, and I hope that other women will read it and watch the show and agree and together we can make something happen.
So until then, I will be starting my very own Phryne Fisher Appreciation Society. Marabou wraps are optional, but cunning wit is absolutely required.
***
If you would like to view Season 1 of “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries,” it is available on Netflix, and has also been appearing on various PBS affiliates throughout the country. It is currently under consideration for a third season, and if it is picked up again, episodes may not air until 2015.
Tags: australia, elyssa goodman, miss fisher’s murder mysteries, television
YESSSSSSSSSS YES YES YES I LOVE MISS FISHER SO SO MUCH.
I am SO GLAD the Toast is having an article on it.
Now I should go read the article.
How long do we think it’s going to be before the 2nd season hits Netflix?
I keep hoping they’ll pick it up. I love this series.
SOON I HOPE!! though I have no idea 🙁
There’s a comment from a reviewer on Netflix that’s something like “I’d like this show more if the lady didn’t sleep with everyone! She’s such a slut!”
There’s probably no better way to get me interested in something than to say those words.
What? She sleeps with maybe 2 guys in the 1st season!
I know, right? I think this might be a case of “I watched the first episode where she effs a dude therefore she a big ol’ slutty slut and I hate this.”
People are ridiculous. Who could resist the charms of a RUSSIAN TANGO DANCER??
A stronger woman than I, that’s for damn sure.
He returns her diamond earrings, too. What a lovely dope-taking gentleman!
He is pretty much the nicest smackhound ever.
With THAT CHIN!
That’s 2 too many!!1! (Apparently?!)
Also, I’m glad I’m not the only one who is motivated to watch things based on other people’s negative reviews. Too slow-moving and British, eh? I’m on it!
“Too slow-moving and British, eh? I’m on it!”
That’s. What. She*. Said.
*And by “she”, I mean myself and all of my female friends.
She’s actually a lot more promiscuous in the books, which also don’t have the silly subplot of sexual attraction between Phryne and Inspector Robinson (who is happily married to a woman who shares his interest in flowers–orchids and roses, respectively). She does end up with a long-term lover (who is neatly disposed of in a single episode in the TV series) but even after quasi settling down she’s not above amusing herself with someone else when he’s not available. In general, the Phryne of the books is more interesting and not quite so charming–but I love watching the show, too, for the clothes (notice the amazing fit on Phryne’s trousers?) and for the great casting (except for Jack).
She’s got a pretty great diverse taste in men too!
I got that…I got her independent spirit and all that but really…sleeping with every one is the only thing that annoys me from time to time…I would love to see her and Jack…like expressing their feelings to each other soon. I am old school, I know. I love Nathan Page~
acorn.tv is rolling out season 2 1 episode per week right now. It’s annoying that it’s not all on a netflix, but it will feed your addiction and also give you access to various other costume dramas and British tv if you’re into that sort of thing, which of course you are.
Also can we talk about how beautiful Jack is.
I love how after the first few episodes he’s mainly just like ‘You are pretty awesome at this thanks for the help’.
Also there’s an episode in the 2nd season where he asks her to help Hugh out with a case while he’s busy being undercover and it made me so happy. Feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelings
Can we ALSO talk about the (frankly pornographic) amount of sexual tension Phryne and Jack have? Every time I see those two together, especially towards the end of Season 1, my ladypants/parts spontaneously combust.
CAN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT MAC AND HOW I WOULD LOVE FOR HER TO MARRY ME.
Mac is the coolest.
I swear to god, Jack. I have never seen a man look more attractive while saying so little. (Isn’t that how they should all be AMIRITE)
The boxing episode. The episode at the beach where he and Hugh have to go swimming for a clue.
brb swooning
So it looks like both of those are in season 2 WHERE CAN I FIND SEASON 2 I NEED IT NEED IT.
I mean I definitely did not find it by searching the name of the show then ‘streaming’. Viewed it through some sort of official means for sure.
I seriously had a fit of the vapours watching that scene. *fans self*
Just raced down here to say YAAAAAAAAAY I LOVE THESE THANK YOU. Okay now I’ll read it.
If you like flapper detectives, there’s a series of mystery books featuring Dorothy Parker as a cocktail-swilling, quip-spouting sleuth in the Roaring 20s. http://www.amazon.com/Murder-Your-Darlings-Algonquin-Mys...
BRB ADDING THIS TO QUEUE
OK, while adding this to my queue, Netflix thought I might also enjoy “Campion” which is described as “Gentleman sleuth Albert Campion investigates foul play in the stately homes of 1930s England, assisted by his manservant Magersfontein Lugg.”
MAGERSFONTEIN LUGG. Nothing more needs to be said here.
Some friends and I had a Miss Fisher marathon just last Saturday. There were egg pies and sausage biscuits from an Australian joint, as well as mimosa’s and Pimm’s cups. I tried on some of my friend’s cloches, but they were too small.
Sausage biscuits? As in savoury scones? So not Australian but sounds fabulous!
love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love love Miss Fisher. I mean, LOVE. And her hats. Everything, but especially the hats.
(I am a hat person. I have a collection. Because I am precious in that way.)
Miss Fisher changed my life!! She is everything I want to be. I bought red lipstick and when I’m having a bad day, I put it on and ask myself, What would Phryne do? The answer is always kick ass and be fabulous. <3 THANK YOU for writing about this show. I have been BEGGING people to watch it since I discovered it!!
She’s probably something of a badass too, just from the revolver. If that’s a.38 then it’s got a HELL of a kick against a dainty hand. She’s tougher than she looks! (I haven’t seen the show yet, I’m basing this 100% off the revolver.)
I feel like “kick ass and be fabulous” should be a t-shirt?
How I advertise this show to friends and family to get them to watch it: “If Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler had a daughter, she’d be Phryne Fisher.”
It’s been quite successful so far in getting new people hooked on this show.
What a great paring of great minds. Deep into Season 2. So delighted netflix is satisfying my habit.
PBS is picking up Miss Fisher soon, according to an ad I saw on PBS last month. I can’t find anything about it on the web except PBS is selling Miss Fisher DVDs. Such an awesome show!
I really love the fact that the show exists, but I find the mysteries to be a little underwhelming. Still, those clothes! The fun! THE GLAMOUR.
I’ve still got my Australian iTunes account so you can all come to my house and watch it.
Just watched the first episode – it’ll do, it’ll do.
Can we also talk about how much we love Dot? Because I love Dot. So, so much.
Dot and Hugh are the cutest goddamn couple in existence.
I also love seeing Dot negotiate the territory of being a devout Catholic while also really admiring and enjoying being around Phryne (the antithesis of most things Catholic). I love that the series allows her both to expand her horizons, but also remain true to her faith. She’s such a well-developed character.
I love Dot, and the way she’s coming into her own by working with Miss Fisher. Hoping she can negotiate her work/relationship with Hugh balance (trying to avoid spoilers) in s3.
Another thing that is great is that Phryne’s namesake is a badass, smart, beautiful, rich Greek cortesean. From….History!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phryne
I had no idea there was a TV series of these! I discovered the books recently and LOVE them. I wonder if I can get DVDs of them in the UK?
So glad to see this series getting some love! The costumes and unresolved sexual tension between the leads are unsurpassed in TV, although S2 wasn’t quite as coherent as S1. Still a terrific, female-centered series that is as much fun to watch as anything on TV. FYI, there’s a petition out there for ABC to pick up S3: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/mark-scott-…
As an Australian working in the film and telly industry here, I’m BEYOND stoked that this show is being watched by so many folks overseas, our industry is teeny tiny (believe me the budget for this show is NOT standard) and it means a lot when a good show is embraced not only here but in other countries.
That said, I do have a complicated relationship with the show in terms of how it translates and reinterprets the books, which I’ve been happily obsessed with for a good decade now. It troubles me how some of the themes and characters from the books have been repurposed or completely erased clearly in order to appeal to a wider Australian audience. The big one is that in the books Phryne doesn’t have any romantic feelings for Jack (sorry to break shipper hearts!) and instead her long-standing lover in among the many, many come-and-goers is Lin Chung, a Chinese-Australian businessman who is also a dab hand at magic tricks (in and out of bed). Kerry Greenwood often explicitly uses Phryne’s relationship with Lin to explore the racist attitudes that snarls through Australian history and culture, and given that in bringing the books to the screen Lin has been replaced as the major love interest by a conventional white man is pretty indicative that, hey, Australia is still a super racist place.
BUT as the author points out there are still a lot of amazing things about the series, it’s totally a great jumping off point to introduce yourself to Phryne, it looks gorgeous, and then you still have all the books to discover, which are just as frothy and delicious and contain oodles of sex, really what more can we want?
MY DEVASTATION AT THE LACK OF LIN CHUNG (and his wife Priscilla – making Phryne his perfectly acceptable concubine and Phryne and Priscilla have an ~agreement~) makes me so sad. I JUST WANT IT ALL.
I HAVE TOTALLY BEEN WAITING IMPATIENTLY FOR YOU TO JOIN ME IN A LIN CHUNG LOVE IN. It greatly depresses me that we most likely won’t see an on-screen Lin (who in my head is played by Chin Han because WHY NOT). Also Phryne and Camellia’s (I’m pretty sure Lin’s wife is Camellia not Priscilla) agreement had me rolling around with joy at the end of Murder in Montparnasse.
(WELL the internet says you are correct about Camellia)
Chin Han as Lin is basically the greatest idea ever, WHY DON’T WE GET MORE LIN CHUNG HELP. And all I really want is for Camellia and Phryne to have adventures and agreements and to be supported by Phryne’s money and Lin’s contacts. YES GOOD.
OMG I was a bit slow to catch up with the second season because I was so disappointed at the lack of Lin Chung. Their relationship is one of my favourite parts of the books!
Aw, I’m sad there’s no Lin Chung! (Not terribly surprised he didn’t make it to TV though.)
I pretty much stopped watching at the Lin episode, I was so angry about it. But I watched some more later on, because I was bored and had ABC iView open.
I did love that someone objected to her sexual behaviour, given that it is SO toned down in the show compared to the book.
And anyone who thinks that racist attitude is gone might take a look at the difference in the way Lin and his family, especially his grandmother, are portrayed in Kerry’s books as opposed to the central casting/stock stereotypes that ended up on the screen in the tv series.
Also, anyone who knows the books could tell you that if Phryne DID develop an interest in Jack, she would have acted on it long before now.
Anyone who thinks there weren’t a lot of women with Phryne’s attitudes in the ’20s. needs a closer look at history…
I love, love, love this series of books – I got one randomly from a used bookstore years ago in the US, and then ended up ordering them all by airmail from a shop in Australia to Arizona. It was NOT easy finding a bookstore that would do it back then, either! I was really happy when they started reprinting them here, but then, I hate waiting, so.
The series on TV is disappointing in that sense (and only that sense, though I missed some of the other characters, including Lin Chung), but it is beautiful and wonderful and incredible on its own behalf. I think of it as an AU version of the books – same characters, mostly, with slightly different situations and relationships.
The lack of Lin Chung, and that complicated relationship, is a disappointment, but then the show would have lacked the tension of will-they/won’t-they that tv producers seem to really want between male and female leads. I would much prefer to have that tension gone, as it’s so BORING, but if it means that we get this beautiful show, I’m happy. :
I am one of those Americans who loves this series. I ordered Season 2 on Amazon UK last year and waited until March. 2014 to receive the DVD’s. I even went so far as to subscribe to AcornTV in early Feb. because I did not want to wait for the overseas shipment to arrive. Yup, I am hooked on this series, and I am not one who watches much television. We are waiting with anxious breath for any word regarding Series 3. It is hard to imagine that they will possibly not renew this wonderful program. Phryne & Jack have an extremely large following here in the States.
I’m so reluctant to watch this series because I love the books so much. As Hayley points out, some things have been changed. And they left out Lin Chung? Flabbergasting! When I think I can watch it in a less critical vein, I will, if only for the costumes.
And let’s not forget about the Corinna Chapman series (six, so far) by Greenwood. A hefty baker in modern-day Melbourne with a Sabra lover and intricate crimes, Corinna also lives in a wonderful apartment building based on a Roman insula. I actually like this series better than Phryne because it’s grittier but it’s certainly less fabulous.
Lin Chung isn’t left out, he appears in two episodes and has the unique aspect of being Phryne’s only repeat lover in the tv series. He does get misplaced as Her primary lover, though. He is a lovely, and delicious character! I have not read the books, and like most everyone else writing responses am obsessed with the series! I suspect the viewership is probably mostly women, I can’t get my husband to watch with me. He gets overwhelmed by her feisty personality which is what I find most addictive about the show. She is awesome! I’d love to be friends with a lady like that, non-stop fun!
This is a weird feeling for an Australian when Americans are waiting for something we produced. It’s usually almost always the other way around.
Although not really the same, there’s another Australian series on Netflix called McLeod’s Daughters.
It gets pretty soapy towards the end, but it’s about a farm helmed by ladies and is located in some of the most beautiful countryside.
It’s worth a watch just for the horses and outside shots.
They filmed a scene in the laneway beside my house about 18 months ago, I was so, so excited!
I would legit be so excited to live somewhere that could be considered historically accurate enough to be a Miss Fisher location (also hello to a fellow, I presume, Melbourne Toastie!).
Yes, it was a huge honour! At that time we were living in one of the white terraces over the road from the Melbourne Uni colleges. Many cobblestones.
So excited to see an Aussie series getting some love! I adore Miss Fisher, though it’s a pity the Chinese-Australian love interest got changed, I had no idea that was the case, not having read the books.
Also I think shows like this illustrate the importance of our government broadcaster the ABC, I can’t see this kind of thing getting much play on our commercial networks, sadly. They’ll just poach it when it becomes really popular, grrr…
Quick correction, Lin is indeed in the TV series, but he doesn’t stay for long, only a few episodes before getting married off.
I love Miss Fisher and I love this article! Here in the UK the show has been edited (read hacked) to pieces and shown on a tiny channel rather than being the prime time gem it should have been. Even so, loads of us are watching it and loving it. It fills such a gap in current tv. Thanks for this support of the divine Ms F.
I just started watching this last night, and THAT IS THE EXACT MOMENT I FELL IN LOVE WITH HER TOO.
Also, totally dressing Miss Fisher-inspired next time I go out. I…don’t even have to buy anything.
Joining your Phryne Fisher Appreciation Society right now! I love this series so much. It’s not very well known in the US so it’s so great to be able to talk to other people that watch it! I just discovered it recently so now I have to read the books too.
Favorite things:
– Phryne’s lipstick (any suggestions on what lipstick I should buy to replicate hers?)
– It’s so delightfully sex-positive – so, so unusual especially with female characters! I think I ready somewhere that Kerry Greenwood wanted to write a woman character who was something like James Bond in terms of relationships.
– The setting – I like the 1920s but don’t know much about Australia during that time period. All the details are fascinating.
– Dot and Hugh – so cute.
– Doctor Mac! So dashing in her tweed suits.
– Cec and Bert, communist taxi drivers
– Professor Sprout aka Aunt Prudence!
It’s just all so wonderful!
For Phryne’s lipstick, Ruby Woo by MAC is a pretty good pink-based red.
Love the show? read the books, even better!
seriously? need to get my hand on a hard copy then. thank you~
I would really want to see a proper kiss between Jack and Phryne…did I ask too much? LOL love the show… is there a season 3 coming out anytime soon?
There has indeed been a “proper kiss” between Jack and Phryne. I can’t remember the episode, but I remember the circumstances. The protagonist (a murderer who would have recognized Phryne if he had seen her face) walked into a restaurant where Jack and Phryne were sitting. Phryne couldn’t stop looking at him, even though Jack (who was sitting beside her) called her name twice. He gave up, turned her toward him and laid a big, sexy kiss on her and kept on kissing until the person moved out of her sight. I wish I could remember the episode, but I sure remember the kiss.
The episode you are referring to is in S1, Murder in Monparnasse. The scene is a good one!
Just finished watching the final episode of season 2 on Acorn video. I’ve got my fingers crossed that there will be a season 3. Love this series!!!
Well Said Elyssa Goodman, and well written. I have often wondered, and written about the same issues about women in my college days. It is amazing how women are represented on TV and in modern music.I love Phryne and her many different sides – so much like the rest of us strong outspoken type.
Sadly though we live in such a patriarchal society that when I go to a restaurant the waitress says: “Can I get you guys something to drink” without even considering what is coming out of her mouth. I look at the waitress and say:”Well I am not sure about you, but I am a gal, not a guy.” Or if I am in a particularly fun mood, I will ask the waitress if she would consider saying to all the guest, no matter their gender: “Can, I get you gals something to drink.” The look on the contorted faces of the various waitresses lets me know that at least I got them thinking – because of course they would never dream of offending any of the patrons.
Anyway Cheers, and let me know if I can write to anyone about getting another season.
Oh my gosh I am so happy to see fellow fans of the Honorable Miss Fisher. And yes, shahea Campion is just as refreshing (just where *are* these types of shows here in America??.. quite embarrassing really). Anywhoo, I also DEMAND yes DEMAND some network SOMEWHERE, preferably with the same three letter Acronymn "hint, hint our ABC…" to take up this wonderful, refreshing show. And to Netflix before I implode: SEASON TWO D#@N IT. NOW!!!!!
Finished season 2 a few weeks ago, can only get it on sky in Ireland, I so hope they make a 3rd series. I so hope Phryne and Jack get together. It is a brilliantly written show and the costumes are amazing. Love it, love it, love it!
The second series is already on Acorn TV and it is wonderful. If you do not know Acorn it is only 49.99 per year and only needs Roku and wireless. I love this series and will read the books soon. I like Covert affairs but not too many other American programs. Thank you for the web site.
Kindest regards,
I ran across Series 1 on Youtube a few months ago and subscribed to Acorn TV to watch both series 1 & 2. Then I bought the DVD of series 1 and took it with me when I went to visit my 21 yr old daughter (in college across the country). Daughter is a tough customer–likes few movies and almost no TV series. She adored it. Every day we went sightseeing and every evening we watched Phryne do her thing. The character really resonated with my daughter and she loved the unrequited Jack/Phryne relationship. "I love Jack, but if they let them get together, I will be so mad."
Have just become of fan of Australian TV in general–watch as much as I can on Hulu.
The sets are fabulous. Love the show.phryne is great, and Dot, but so is Jack. I hope it continues, though it must be expensive.
I am an American living in Florida and I love this show! Americans are ready for this show! It would be such a hit! I can’t believe the show was cancelled. I really hope they decide to renew it before the actors move on and it’s to late. It needed more time to be discovered here. I have been paying abc1 monthly just to watch it. I will cancel now unless this show is brought back. It was a serious mistake by the powers that be to cancell this show.
I made a mistake in my comment. I pay Acorn TV to watch this show.
Good news everyone. Phryne is back for season three: http://www.sistersincrime.org.au/content/phryne-b…
Just another huge Phryne fan – this one from Switzerland… I actually discovered the books in audiobook format, read to perfection by Stephanie Daniel, and fell in love with the unapologetic heroine. Kerry Greenwood wanted to write something like a female James Bond – and boy, did she ever, and she surpassed Ian Fleming by far, imho, by also tackling many social issues. And of course Phryne is much more stylish! 🙂
I also adore the TV show (thank you, internet, for making location mostly unimportant) – the clothes, the settings, and most of all the characters. <3 I just had to separate TV from book version, since there are some big differences (and not just that the mysteries often have little more than the title in common). But I can understand and live with most of the changes. I have even come to ‘ship Phryne and Jack, finding their relationship utterly delightful – just as long as the TV makers don’t betray Phryne’s core by giving them a conventional HEA. That’d be one compromise too far, imho. Her polyamory/non-monogamy (as toned down as it might be in the show) is the perfect symbol of her non-conformity and central to her character (and such a refreshing change from the usual relationship formula), and right now Jack wouldn’t be able to handle that, which is why they’re not giving in to their attraction/love.
I do think it’s a pity Lin Chung didn’t stick around – Phryne (true to her name) is perfectly cut out to be a concubine, and I always enjoy the descriptions of Chinese-Australian culture, including the casual racism, which is all-too-familiar even today. I also miss Phryne’s sister from the books – the show does quite a good job including queer characters (in comparison to most other mainstream TV at least), but it’d be nice to see one as a regular part of the cast.
In any case, I can’t wait for series 3, and I sure hope Kerry Greenwood will keep writing the books! (Oops, this came out much longer than expected, my apologies, but I’m just such a fangirl… My apologies.)
Just another huge Phryne fan – this one from Switzerland… I actually discovered the books in audiobook format, read to perfection by Stephanie Daniel, and fell in love with the unapologetic heroine. Kerry Greenwood wanted to write something like a female James Bond – and boy, did she ever, and she surpassed Ian Fleming by far, imho, by also tackling many social issues. And of course Phryne is much more stylish! 🙂
I also adore the TV show (thank you, internet, for making location mostly unimportant) – the clothes, the settings, and most of all the characters. <3 I just had to separate TV from book version, since there are some big differences (and not just that the mysteries often have little more than the title in common). But I can understand and live with most of the changes. I have even come to 'ship Phryne and Jack, finding their relationship utterly delightful – just as long as the TV makers don't betray Phryne's core by giving them a conventional HEA. That'd be one compromise too far, imho. Her polyamory/non-monogamy (as toned down as it might be in the show) is the perfect symbol of her non-conformity and central to her character (and such a refreshing change from the usual relationship formula), and right now Jack wouldn't be able to handle that, which is why they're not giving in to their attraction/love.
I do think it's a pity Lin Chung didn't stick around – Phryne (true to her name) is perfectly cut out to be a concubine, and I always enjoy the descriptions of Chinese-Australian culture, including the casual racism, which is all-too-familiar even today. I also miss Phryne's sister from the books – the show does quite a good job including queer characters (in comparison to most other mainstream TV at least), but it'd be nice to see one as a regular part of the cast.
In any case, I can't wait for series 3, and I sure hope Kerry Greenwood will keep writing the books! (Oops, this came out much longer than expected, my apologies, but I'm just such a fangirl… My apologies.)
Heard about it from Australian fans of “Castle” a couple of years ago and was ecstatic to find it on Acorn TV several months ago. Now I own series 1 & 2 on DVD and have gotten both my brother and my 21 yr old daughter hooked. My daughter’s not really into TV, but we ended up watching all of series 1 over the course of a couple of days.
This is one American who is so, so grateful that Phryne and Jack and the crew are coming back for at least a 3rd series–hopefully a few more after that.
For me there is so many elements to love about this series. I love the way they included the issues that existed at the time concerning women’s rights issues and religious issues. I found it refreshing the way they brought the issue of being different religions in the developing relationship between Miss Williams (Dot) and Constable Collins. An American version would never have put that in. I love the way they deal with the fact that homosexuality was a punishable crime at the time. This is only my second experience with Australian television and I am impressed. Most programs that I see here in the US that were original BBC productions I really don’t watch. It just isn’t the same. I really hope they come back for a third season and I’m just fining the first season now.
We’ve just discovered Miss Fisher and friends very recently on Netflix. As an American who abhors most stuff on tv, I was immediately hooked. Everything about this series is first class, intelligent, compelling, provocative, luscious. The sexual/sensual tension between Phryne and Jack is deliciously tantalizing! So refeshing after most depictions of “relationships” and “hooking up”.
Costumes! Plot! Characters! This series has it all. I love love love it. I’m telling all my friends about Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries. Thank you for the investment in quality entertainment for those of us who hunger for and truly appreciate it.
Linda in Taos
Just came here to say Lin Chung is HOT and I am very disappointed to learn that his character in the show is so different than the one in the book, because I thought him a perfect match for Phryne
Bomb Girls, Bletchley Circle, Crossing Jordon, Sharon Raydor on “Major Crimes”, Mary on “In Plain Sight,” Rosemary and Thyme (not my favorite, but, there it is!), and, of course, Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek Voyager. Lot’s of strong women, although not as well dressed. This was just to name a few.
I just came across & watched every episode of the first two seasons. (Have new empathy for international fans of American shows.) So while I’m late to this, I don’t care, because omg this show. Clothes! Feminism! Phryne & Jack & Aunt Battleaxe! and all of the great supporting characters. (Re. season 2 finale: anyone else get creepy 10 Little Indians/And Then There Were None vibes?)
It’s just so well-done, & very well-cast. (Apologies if this comes out too actory or pretentious – sleepiness is causing word-choice issues.) The core actors are so precise (e.g. the perfectly executed eyebrow-twitch/head-move/gaze-shift sequence) yet emote with such depth, that even when their characters are being ridiculous, I always buy it but still respect & root for them. That kind of nuance, plus intelligence & style, are a few reasons why MFMM feels so refreshing (at least to this American). Also I like to think that I can do an Australian accent now.
I have watched every episode of this amazingly well done show on Netflix. I find it interesting that there are complaints about how the show doesn’t follow the books. Who cares? I’ve read them all. Yes, Dot is prissier, Hugh is bigger, there’s a Mrs. Butler, Lin Chung plays a bigger role in Phryne’s life, etc., etc. Think of them as the same characters, just in an alternate reality. I prefer the television episodes the most because of the sweet, sexy attraction between Jack and Phryne. They are just affectionate friends in the books and Jack’s description makes him sound so bland. Hooray for the script writers!! (Not to mention casting.) Nathan Page brings that man to life in the most gorgeously understated way. Dot and Hugh are the perfect foil for the fabulous Phryne whose style we all wish to emulate and the well-tailored, anything-but-nondescript Jack who, in the midst of brilliantly solving heinous crimes every week, haven’t yet discovered they are falling in love.
Perfectly said! As soon as I discovered this gem of a series, I loved it and started devouring the books as well. I love the books too, but for different reasons. I think of the two as Maggie does- same characters, in “alternate realities”. It allows me to fully enjoy both the show and the books without getting so worked up that they’ve changed things from the books, and I actually have come to love the show better, I believe! Much of this has to do with the glorious costumes and fantastic cast, who all seem tailor-made for their roles. I’ve practically worn out my DVD player watching and rewatching these shows (especially S2 & 3 – the chemistry between Phryne & Jack really sizzles as the series progresses). I just adore this show and the direction it took in series 3. Hope if there’s more, it continues in the same direction. A beautiful and well-made show.
I know several Americans ( US) who absolutely love Miss Fisher but none probably as much as I do. I found this series sometime in April 2015 and now it is early June and I have watched season 1 and 2 probably 6 or 7 times, each episode. I know much of the dialogue by heart but that doesn’t deter me any. I have to have a fix of Phryne and Jack every night before bed. Jack is so sexy and just a slight tilt of his head or a very slight lift of his lips ( not a smile) but close to it and I am in seventh heaven. The chemistry between the two is wonderful leaving many of us wanting for them to “get together” even a kiss would be nice but that would break the tension which is the best part. I like to go back and watch the endings over and over just to see the relationship between Phryne and Jack. And what other wonderful characters: I love Mr. Butler and Bert and Ces. The characters of Dottie and Hugh are perfectly acted- they are like old friends. Hoping that Season 3 hits the states soon. Great acting and a really good script- it feels so real. And Nathan Page has become my new heartthrob.
I totally agree with you!!! I have the hots for DI Jack Robinson! I want to find my “Jack Robinson” out there…
Same here. I’ve watched this on Netflix I don’t know how many times, scrutinizing the clothes and sets. Actors are all gems. Nathan Page is the new “hot”.
I totally agree with you!!! I have the hots for DI Jack Robinson! I want to find my "Jack Robinson" out there…
Yes yes yes I want to see more of Miss Fisher and Jack teasing as they may you I’d like it to go a little further doesn’t have to be born but definitely risque. like going after her to England and bringing her back or her coming back and the two of them getting together ..something for heaven sakes she’s been with enough other men let’s have it with Jack, after 3 years don’t you think he deserves it. please at least one more year if not two.. I’m an American and I love it and look forward to it , please and thanks