I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer who said what a wonderful step this episode was. Queer people and POC/Black people have always existed and there have always been some people who did not enthusiastically share their cultures disdainful views of them, and even some who would go to what lengths they could to protect them - that is the reality regardless of opinions
I happened to catch this episode on TV a couple weeks ago, having neither seen nor heard of the show before, I immediately loved a lot of the characters and even more so loved this episodes' conclusion so I went to buy the few most recent seasons of the show to catch up, and I'm completely hooked. As a history lover and a young bisexual woman who's used to being surrounded by people like me in real life (and I live in a notoriously conservative area of the u.s. mind you), but far less used to seeing people like us portrayed in media, and especially so with things set in history, I'm happy to see a work of historical fiction specifically try to tell the stories of multidimensional characters reflective of the reality of people of that time, rather than solely the horrible cultural standards we're left with official record of, standards I fear many of the negative reviewers watch shows set in this era just to feel validated by.
I've used this site for a long time now but only just now made an account for the purpose of leaving a review that I'm a new fan to this show thanks to this episode and I have to admit I'm shocked to see as many negative reviews here as there are, but I suppose I should have known that people inclined toward such hate would have no way to contain themselves - some of these reviews are simply ridiculous though - as if all of the inventions the show constantly features are "historically accurate?" - they aren't, and you've kept watching these many years because historical accuracy has never been necessary for you to enjoy the show, and it's not the reason you now object to Watts liking another man; if you're bigoted just say it with your whole chest instead of trying to invent a justification, same as the people who say it veers too far from the "actual story" as though the multitude of relationships of the numerous straight characters, that have just happened to never be an issue, aren't constantly in the plot line? they are. The show is highly character driven, and you already know that. If the large ensemble of characters that perfectly mirror you and your sexual orientation and race aren't enough to make up for the small inclusion of a few characters you can't completely relate to, feel free to stay mad about it and stop watching as you like. MM will have many more new fans like me as a result of writing such inclusions in the story lines than they will lose over a small very vocal group of people with nothing better to do than go incredibly out of their way to be hateful about something that's harmless
10 Reviews
a+ job of not erasing people who did, in fact, exist
mirandayeatts17 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
We've hit a milestone, please don't mess it up
corynnvictoria21 January 2020
The fact that The Philately Fatality, which has given us more positive gay representation than any other episode, is the second lowest rated episode of all time makes me sad but mostly it makes me angry. One reviewer claims this episode has "an agenda", that there is "a same sex theme in every other episode". That's funny, because, as a frustrated gay fan, I've literally done the math and up until this episode, 6% of MM episodes had LGBT characters and if I'm remembering correctly, only two (vicar from 1x05 and Pendrick's assistant from 11x10) did not end up either a victim of blackmail/outed, jailed for life, or dead (this excludes Dr. Grace, a main character, who, after her girlfriend was needlessly murdered - seriously, they were already going to leave - moved to England by herself, never to be seen again.)
These straight viewers cannot comprehend how important it is to show a thriving gay community in the Edwardian era; to show that we have always been here despite the fact that history books do not always remember us. People are saying that the empathy shown towards these gay characters is not "period accurate". I would encourage anyone who agrees with this line of thought to read historical books such as "Coming Out Under Fire" by Allan Bérubé or watch documentaries like "Reel in the Closet" or "Tab Hunter: Confidential". For as long there have been gay people, there have been straight allies. Yes, even in the Edwardian era gay people found safe spaces, both with other gay people and with straight friends they could trust. Emma Goldman, who has been a recurring historical character on the show, spoke publicly in favour of gay rights!
THE FIRST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED FILM FEATURING A GAY LOVE STORY WAS RELEASED IN 1919, *AT THE TIME THIS EPISODE TOOK PLACE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AMERICAN NOVEL HAD ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED*, WE HAVE **ALWAYS** BEEN HERE.
~ SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT ~
And then there are the people who think that having Watts come out was "unnecessary", that it was "unrealistic", and my favourite, that it "had nothing to do with the mystery story line". I'm sorry were we watching the same episode?? First of all, myself and many other gay fans have seen Watts as gay almost since his first appearance, over three YEARS ago. The fact that other viewers can't "see it" angers them because it forces them to acknowledge that not everything is *for* them. Second of all, his coming out fits perfectly with this episode and to me it seemed like that could be the conclusion as soon as he did a double take with Jack Walker after first interviewing him with Brackenreid. When Watts defended the murder victim to the nosy neighbour and had to take a deep breath to calm himself, I was certain that the episode would end with the reveal of him being gay. How could it not? For what might have been the first time, he was surrounded by gay men who were living ordinary lives just like him. A butcher, a printer, even another detective. He realized he wasn't alone, that he had people he could confide in. Of course that would give him newfound confidence and the desire to be open with someone he knew he could trust.
I had a realization recently that I have been watching this show for almost half my life. It has let me down more times than I would care to admit, especially when it comes to LGBT representation. As a lesbian, I was heartbroken when Lillian was killed. I think most people think that if they write a gay character, then gay people are represented. But if that gay character, and the one after that, and the one after that ends up miserable or dead then it just creates a painful and degrading atmosphere for any fans who might see a bit of themselves in those characters. And, despite what some of these reviewers may tell you, *that* is not realistic. We existed, we had places we could go and be ourselves, we had friends, we were *loved*.
Through Frankie Drake Mysteries we know that Watts has a successful career and a happy life. To have that knowledge when it comes to a gay character means the world. I love this episode and I appreciate it so much and I know I'm not the only one. I just hope this current rating of 6.8 does not have a negative effect on what, for me, has been the best and most interesting storyline in years.
These straight viewers cannot comprehend how important it is to show a thriving gay community in the Edwardian era; to show that we have always been here despite the fact that history books do not always remember us. People are saying that the empathy shown towards these gay characters is not "period accurate". I would encourage anyone who agrees with this line of thought to read historical books such as "Coming Out Under Fire" by Allan Bérubé or watch documentaries like "Reel in the Closet" or "Tab Hunter: Confidential". For as long there have been gay people, there have been straight allies. Yes, even in the Edwardian era gay people found safe spaces, both with other gay people and with straight friends they could trust. Emma Goldman, who has been a recurring historical character on the show, spoke publicly in favour of gay rights!
THE FIRST WIDELY DISTRIBUTED FILM FEATURING A GAY LOVE STORY WAS RELEASED IN 1919, *AT THE TIME THIS EPISODE TOOK PLACE THE FIRST OPENLY GAY AMERICAN NOVEL HAD ALREADY BEEN PUBLISHED*, WE HAVE **ALWAYS** BEEN HERE.
~ SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT ~
And then there are the people who think that having Watts come out was "unnecessary", that it was "unrealistic", and my favourite, that it "had nothing to do with the mystery story line". I'm sorry were we watching the same episode?? First of all, myself and many other gay fans have seen Watts as gay almost since his first appearance, over three YEARS ago. The fact that other viewers can't "see it" angers them because it forces them to acknowledge that not everything is *for* them. Second of all, his coming out fits perfectly with this episode and to me it seemed like that could be the conclusion as soon as he did a double take with Jack Walker after first interviewing him with Brackenreid. When Watts defended the murder victim to the nosy neighbour and had to take a deep breath to calm himself, I was certain that the episode would end with the reveal of him being gay. How could it not? For what might have been the first time, he was surrounded by gay men who were living ordinary lives just like him. A butcher, a printer, even another detective. He realized he wasn't alone, that he had people he could confide in. Of course that would give him newfound confidence and the desire to be open with someone he knew he could trust.
I had a realization recently that I have been watching this show for almost half my life. It has let me down more times than I would care to admit, especially when it comes to LGBT representation. As a lesbian, I was heartbroken when Lillian was killed. I think most people think that if they write a gay character, then gay people are represented. But if that gay character, and the one after that, and the one after that ends up miserable or dead then it just creates a painful and degrading atmosphere for any fans who might see a bit of themselves in those characters. And, despite what some of these reviewers may tell you, *that* is not realistic. We existed, we had places we could go and be ourselves, we had friends, we were *loved*.
Through Frankie Drake Mysteries we know that Watts has a successful career and a happy life. To have that knowledge when it comes to a gay character means the world. I love this episode and I appreciate it so much and I know I'm not the only one. I just hope this current rating of 6.8 does not have a negative effect on what, for me, has been the best and most interesting storyline in years.
Superb Episode Exploring Intolerance
jlthornb515 January 2020
An important and thought provoking episode of Murdoch Mysteries delving into the morals, beliefs, and prejudices of the time. Some may well be uncomfortable with this story but it is a very real story of humanity and society. What some reveal on this site in their review of this episode is reflective of the prejudice, fear, and ultimately hate of the people for those who live a different lifestyle. This is an episode that will be challenging for some but which will offer an opportunity for them to examine their own cold judgmental attitudes and a chance to grapple with their own fear of what they do not understand. A superb script and fine acting once again demonstrates how sometimes this series takes on difficult issues and makes us all look at ourselves as supposedly more enlightened than those who lived more than a hundred years ago. Intolerance still exists and is evident in some of the other reviews of this episode. Well done, worth watching, and deserving of thoughtful consideration and personal reflection.
Another Touching Episode with Inspector Watts
timelord197018 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I'm so glad to see that Inspector Watts is back. From the moment he was introduced in Season 10, I knew there was something special about this character. Watts was always trying to find himself and tried (desperately at times) to understand himself and who is really is.
(1) It started with the search of his sister. The longing to find out why he felt abandoned and unloved. When he finally finds her, he discovers that she did not want to take care of him after their parents died. It was a harsh realism but he knew she was not holding him back from moving forward. It was himself and that brought him peace and closure he required.
(2) When he was investigating a case, he overhears a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The song was very familiar to him and finds out it is a Jewish lullaby. So begins to believe he is Jewish. Not quite sure if that was confirmed but it did not matter. He accepted it and wanted to embrace the new faith he had in himself.
(3) The death of his "adoptive" brothers. That episode was really sad. After feeling abandon by his own sister he found love in his adoptive brothers, whom he protected from their bullies. Only for both of them to be murdered by the same bully. His sense of loss and confusion and not knowing what do next was heart breaking. Over the next several episodes, he ends up trying to "fit in" with his colleagues. He sort of "adopts" Constable John Brackenreid to be his partner in solving cases in which I think was to help John become a better police officer. That is until the impressionable young Constable John makes a big mistake and is almost killed. Inspector Watts is once again lost in his emotions and purpose. This when we see him last.
Which brings us to this episode. This is his first appearance since last season. The case he works with Murdoch deals with a murder of a philatelist (stamp collector). The case becomes very sensitive since the victim is an out homosexual who was murdered during a party he through for his other gay friends. The case becomes so sensitive that Watts and Murdoch discovers a few people who attended a party and one of them happened to be an detective from another police station. Watts and Murdoch are sensitive to the his personal life and try to assure him that discretion will be used; however, Inspector Thomas was not having it. Instead the Inspector arrested him and put him in jail. Watts speaks to the detective to ask for his assistance. The detective agrees allowing Watts to let him out of jail temporarily to assist him in the case and to allow him to visit his mom. With the additional evidence found at the murder site, it was determined no one at the party was the murderer and the murderer was another philatelist. Based on the new evidence, Watts and Murdoch releases the detective and thank him for his help. When the detective ask if all this can be kept between them, a surprising defiant Inspector Thomas states he has no choice but to report him to his Inspector. Which left the detective to quit.
Both Murdoch and Watts were surprised and shocked at the Inspector's decision. Their facial expression shows so much compassion for the detective, shock for the Inspector and probably guilt for being part of the outcome. Let me tell you, I was extremely upset with the action of Inspector on this episode. I was so furious with the outcome. It made on sense to me. He was more than accepting when it came to Dr. Emily Grace being a lesbian. So much so that he kept her secret and protected her until it her partner was murdered and she had to admit it. So I could not understand why he was so angry and so upset that he deliberately ruin a man's life by outing him to his Inspector. I watched this episode last night and I'm still upset by it.
However, the episode ends with a shocked Watts leaving the station and visiting the now unemployed detective at his home. Which I guess left a shock to the audience that Watts is gay himself. I particularly was not shocked but quite happy about it. It was part of his self discovery journey he's been taking since he joined the station.
A lot of people are not liking Watts being gay. I'm loving it. I think the unaccepting of this has to do with the Dr. Emily Grace character. When they made this character gay I was not happy about it. It made no sense. For three seasons she's courting George and when George ends the relationship all of a sudden she finds love with another woman. It just didn't fit. It seemed forced. However, with Watts, everything seemed natural and it was progressed. Based on my points above on his self discovery kind of told me we were going to see this. He's very compassionate to people he cares about. Even the Murdoch tries hard to be judgemental on people's private lives (which we've seen in many past episodes), you can still see he struggles with the faith of morality. Watts on the other hand has no prejudices with anyone. If you are law abiding person then he has your respect. How can you not love this character.
I'm hoping his character does not get written out or some tragic demise happens because of him coming out. I would really be pissed if that happened.
(1) It started with the search of his sister. The longing to find out why he felt abandoned and unloved. When he finally finds her, he discovers that she did not want to take care of him after their parents died. It was a harsh realism but he knew she was not holding him back from moving forward. It was himself and that brought him peace and closure he required.
(2) When he was investigating a case, he overhears a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The song was very familiar to him and finds out it is a Jewish lullaby. So begins to believe he is Jewish. Not quite sure if that was confirmed but it did not matter. He accepted it and wanted to embrace the new faith he had in himself.
(3) The death of his "adoptive" brothers. That episode was really sad. After feeling abandon by his own sister he found love in his adoptive brothers, whom he protected from their bullies. Only for both of them to be murdered by the same bully. His sense of loss and confusion and not knowing what do next was heart breaking. Over the next several episodes, he ends up trying to "fit in" with his colleagues. He sort of "adopts" Constable John Brackenreid to be his partner in solving cases in which I think was to help John become a better police officer. That is until the impressionable young Constable John makes a big mistake and is almost killed. Inspector Watts is once again lost in his emotions and purpose. This when we see him last.
Which brings us to this episode. This is his first appearance since last season. The case he works with Murdoch deals with a murder of a philatelist (stamp collector). The case becomes very sensitive since the victim is an out homosexual who was murdered during a party he through for his other gay friends. The case becomes so sensitive that Watts and Murdoch discovers a few people who attended a party and one of them happened to be an detective from another police station. Watts and Murdoch are sensitive to the his personal life and try to assure him that discretion will be used; however, Inspector Thomas was not having it. Instead the Inspector arrested him and put him in jail. Watts speaks to the detective to ask for his assistance. The detective agrees allowing Watts to let him out of jail temporarily to assist him in the case and to allow him to visit his mom. With the additional evidence found at the murder site, it was determined no one at the party was the murderer and the murderer was another philatelist. Based on the new evidence, Watts and Murdoch releases the detective and thank him for his help. When the detective ask if all this can be kept between them, a surprising defiant Inspector Thomas states he has no choice but to report him to his Inspector. Which left the detective to quit.
Both Murdoch and Watts were surprised and shocked at the Inspector's decision. Their facial expression shows so much compassion for the detective, shock for the Inspector and probably guilt for being part of the outcome. Let me tell you, I was extremely upset with the action of Inspector on this episode. I was so furious with the outcome. It made on sense to me. He was more than accepting when it came to Dr. Emily Grace being a lesbian. So much so that he kept her secret and protected her until it her partner was murdered and she had to admit it. So I could not understand why he was so angry and so upset that he deliberately ruin a man's life by outing him to his Inspector. I watched this episode last night and I'm still upset by it.
However, the episode ends with a shocked Watts leaving the station and visiting the now unemployed detective at his home. Which I guess left a shock to the audience that Watts is gay himself. I particularly was not shocked but quite happy about it. It was part of his self discovery journey he's been taking since he joined the station.
A lot of people are not liking Watts being gay. I'm loving it. I think the unaccepting of this has to do with the Dr. Emily Grace character. When they made this character gay I was not happy about it. It made no sense. For three seasons she's courting George and when George ends the relationship all of a sudden she finds love with another woman. It just didn't fit. It seemed forced. However, with Watts, everything seemed natural and it was progressed. Based on my points above on his self discovery kind of told me we were going to see this. He's very compassionate to people he cares about. Even the Murdoch tries hard to be judgemental on people's private lives (which we've seen in many past episodes), you can still see he struggles with the faith of morality. Watts on the other hand has no prejudices with anyone. If you are law abiding person then he has your respect. How can you not love this character.
I'm hoping his character does not get written out or some tragic demise happens because of him coming out. I would really be pissed if that happened.
Well said labenji-12163
tkeator-514821 April 2020
Today's social issues don't relate to 100 years ago
tert7224 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
What happened to a show that is about solving crime and scientific advances? The writers keep shoe horning in these stories that just wouldn't have taken place 100 years ago. And the writers have pretty much destroyed Brackenreid's family with a ridiculous woke storyline. You cannot take today's social issues and make them work back then! Was it right back then? No, it was not. But I'm not watching this show to see social issues, I'm watching it because of the scientific side and crime solving.
Disappointing
jkaw-8026427 August 2021
Watts is suddenly...
gjyyscgnr24 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I understand the historical flirting with modern issues -- Julia's view on abortion, the occasional character who is homosexual, the tolerance of crime lords and prostitutes. I have appreciated how the show generally stuck to period views on most issues.
SPOILER ALERT!!!
But now MM has lost me completely by having Watts suddenly discover his homosexuality. This is a guy who has not-very-subtly flirted with women across several seasons, and even conspired to keep a young lady bicyclist in Toronto so he could spend more time with her. And now suddenly he's gay? Contrived and useless. Good-bye!
SPOILER ALERT!!!
But now MM has lost me completely by having Watts suddenly discover his homosexuality. This is a guy who has not-very-subtly flirted with women across several seasons, and even conspired to keep a young lady bicyclist in Toronto so he could spend more time with her. And now suddenly he's gay? Contrived and useless. Good-bye!
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