Murder Under the Mistletoe
- Episode aired Dec 22, 2013
- 54m
Phryne's Christmas in July turns deadly when trapped inhabitants at a snowed-in mountain lodge find themselves being killed off according to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas.Phryne's Christmas in July turns deadly when trapped inhabitants at a snowed-in mountain lodge find themselves being killed off according to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas.Phryne's Christmas in July turns deadly when trapped inhabitants at a snowed-in mountain lodge find themselves being killed off according to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Cec Yates
- (as Anthony Sharpe)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
And so we have this. Unfortunately, it has the hallmarks of the Straining-for-a-story murder mystery: move to an exotic location, cobble up a reason to isolate the cast (in this case, the weather), and then start killing people off, Ten Little Indians style. It's the kind of story that makes sense only to people who already have a steady diet of murder mysteries. The similarities to Agatha Christie's classic story go much farther than that, but why put spoilers? There's really nothing here except the gosh-wow of Magic Plot Developments, and nothing memorable for anyone to do.
Oh, I guess I can give you this: At the end, the killer confesses all. And you won't care -- about any of it. "Exhibit A" of hack murder-mystery writing.
Murder Under the Mistletoe is Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. You know, a group of people is gathered together and one by one they're bumped off. What makes this episode memorable to me is the very creative murders used by the killer. They're all unique and "enjoyable". It's not every day that you see someone killed with a book, fishing line, and a statue. And, all the murders have the song The Twelve Days of Christmas as the unifying theme. The writing here is especially strong. Very nicely done. The backstory of the mine collapse and the minors who died as a result is a bit too intricate for a show that's less than 60 minutes in length, but the rest is just so much fun it was easy to look past this weakness. I suppose my biggest gripe is with some of the logic - and it's the same gripe I have with And Then There Were None. The killer has a very elaborate plan to murder everyone that requires a lot of set-up and a lot of moving about. How is it that no one notices anything? It's not logical.
I did learn a thing or two from Murder Under the Mistletoe. The biggest revelation for me is the existence of the Australian Alps. I don't know why, but I had no idea there was such a place. I'm not even sure I knew there was that much snow anywhere in Australia. You learn something new every day.
Did you know
- TriviaFour measures in, the closing rendition of "Deck the Halls" mysteriously changes key (D-flat to D-natural) when the camera angle changes.
- GoofsThere's been a mountain snowstorm all night long, yet the water in the birdbath isn't frozen.
- Quotes
[Hugh hangs up the phone from speaking to Dottie]
Detective John 'Jack' Robinson: What's that all about?
Hugh Collins: Miss Fisher's gone on holiday again, sir.
Detective John 'Jack' Robinson: Huh. Anyone dead yet?
Hugh Collins: Only one so far, sir.
- Crazy credits"In loving memory of Mary Eagger" (Mother of producer Fiona Eagger producer, who passed away on July 6, 2013.)
- SoundtracksThe Twelve Days Of Christmas
Traditional, arranged by Frederic Austin (uncredited)
Arranged by Greg Walker (as Greg J Walker)
Performed by Greg Walker (as Greg J Walker) featuring Bobby Flynn & Jane Tyrell
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Filming locations
- Montsalvat artist colony, Eltham, Victoria, Australia(Chalet they are staying at)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime54 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix