The Vanished Corpse is the first episode of Murdoch Mysteries: The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs.
Summary[]
The episode begins with Constable George Crabtree narrating an introduction to his first novel. As he begins to type though, the typewriter jams.
George continues to narrate about how near the end of the 19th century, citizens became fascinated with ancient Egypt, while an animation plays of a dark and gloomy mansion marked with an eye, as a group of men in cloaks meet within. He highlights how some were more unscrupulous in collecting ancient artifacts, ignoring the curses that came with them, as the animated characters open a stone casket, which spreads a green gas throughout the room, killing them all.
Detectives George Crabtree and William Murdoch enter the morgue, with Crabtree commenting he'd hoped Fate would give Toronto a reprieve from murder, though Murdoch points out that Fate cares little about their opinions. Instead they have seven murders to solve.
One of the bodies is easily identified as Alderman Achan, and Murdoch muses how all seven men were found dead in the same place, without signs of foul play. Each man was a prominent member of society, and George suggests poison, while Murdoch yells for Julia.
Julia appears in lovely blue evening wear and flirtatiously asks the men to pardon her lateness. She explains she was on her way from the Governor's Ball when a thief tried to rob her. In an animated sequence, it shows the thief strangling Julia, but she fights back, knocking him into the carriage. In real time she states how she'll need to make some repairs to the carriage door, and the thief was unconscious in the holding cell.
They all utter a brief laugh at her anecdote, but Julia gets straight down to business, examining the bodies. Murdoch and Crabtree leave to investigate the links between the men (in animation) and discover they were all Egyptologists. Eventually they were led to a secret parlor where the stone coffin was located.
George is about to crack open the coffin until Murdoch stops him, warning him how all the others who opened it died. Julia appears, now dressed in a revealing red dress, and announces the cause of death as fungal spores, which shut down their livers within several hours. William correctly deduces that the question is whether the spores were placed or a natural occurrence.
Each of the trio place a handkerchief over their faces and push open the coffin, only to find a strange machine that undoubtedly released the spores and killed the seven men.
Murdoch realizes that they not only need to find the person who had committed this awful deed, but also find the coffin's former tenant.
George fantasizes about a 3,000 year old corpse wandering the streets of Toronto (shown in animation) and wonders if they'll be the next to suffer its wrath.
Trivia[]
- This series features fictionalized versions of the characters in the TV series. George is a detective, as well as Murdoch partner, while Julia Ogden is a femme fatale compared with her more demure personality on TV.
- The inspector doesn't appear in this episode, but is introduced in the second one.
Cast[]
Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch
Hélène Joy as Dr. Julia Ogden
Jonny Harris as Constable George Crabtree
Gallery[]
| Murdoch Mysteries The Curse of the Lost Pharaohs |
|---|
| "The Vanished Corpse" • "The Clue of the Hieroglyphs" • "The Long Arm of Villainy" • "Lost Companions and New Friends" • "Attack of the Scarabs" • "The Enigma of the Skull" • "An Unwelcome Surprise" • "Of Impossible Escapes and Joyful Reunions" • "An Unfortunate Turn of Events" • "The Key to Salvation"• "Her Majesty's Last Hope"• "Last Stand for the Empire"• "Humble Heroes and New Adventures" Season 4 |