Review of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is without a doubt one of my favorite tv shows available right now.

This tv series is based on Kerry Greenwood's series of books that follow the many misadventures of Phryne Fisher. The first book that Miss Fisher appeared in was Cocaine Blues (published in the US as Death by Misadventure).

Miss Fisher is a single woman of means, who live in Australia in the 1920s, but has traveled the world. Instead of social clubs and attempting to find a husband, she instead prefers to investigate murders (usually unasked). She's brash, classy, caring, and talented at finding trouble.

A few reasons that I love this 60-minute dive into dramatic vigilantism:

Her wardrobe. 

Phryne Fisher doesn't dress in stereotypical 1920s clothing that you'd expect to find at your cousin's Great Gatsby themed party. There's no black fringe dress with 4-inch heels.

Marion Boyce is the genius behind the costumes. Her works are both historically accurate and absolutely swoon-worthy. (Not to mention her ability to create dramatic ensembles for Phrynne and still have adorable conservative outfits for Dot).

Variety of strong female characters. 

The female characters are so unique, and each a badass. They are also not portrayed as "strong female characters", they're just badasses who happen to be women.

• Phryne Fisher - the wild card, namesake of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.
• Dorothy "Dot" Williams - Miss Fisher's paid companion. A very conservative, devout Catholic from a good (but humble) family.
• Dr. Elizabeth "Mac" Macmillan - A close friend of Phryne, and doctor in Melbourne. It's alluded that she is a lesbian. (Both via dialogue and her wardrobe). She's not technically affiliated with Phryne's detective agency but is regularly dragged into the chaos.
• Aunt Prudence - Phryne's aunt, who is always concerned about Phryne's reputation.

Phryne's Age

Essie Davis plays Phrynne Fisher, and is 47/48 at the time of this writing. Miss Fisher isn't a wild twenty-something with money doing this murder hobby until she's married. She's an adult woman, happily unmarried, who has chosen to pursue her passions (and occasionally run from her past).

It's an Australian drama. 

I really enjoy seeing masterpieces of entertainment that are produced from places other than LA. Plus it's interesting to see the small differences and similarities. Not to mention, for some reason, I had never thought about Australia going through similar cultural changes during the 1920s.

Let's talk about sex baby.

Phryne is a strong woman who knows what she wants, and often times she wants a handsome man. She is promiscuous and owns that fact, and it's important to keep in mind that she's no more promiscuous than many ladies men in other crime shows.

Beyond the trists, the show handles other sex-related topics wonderfully and doesn't shy away from them. One episode deals with a maid being raped by her employer, and the back alley abortion that nearly kills her. Due to the laws at the time, the woman couldn't go to the police about the men that nearly killed her. Thankfully Phryne was there to help.