‘Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Death by Design’ & ‘Come Die With Me’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

‘Death by Design’

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season two premiere of ‘Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries’.
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It is definitely safe to say that modern society views mediocrity as a terrible thing, when in fact… it is not, especially in regard to television. For when mediocrity settles into the T.V. landscape, brave souls that are eager to leave their mark upon the pop-culture world, seize the opportunity and put forth a series that shakes things up and wows audiences everywhere and for proof… look no further than the crime drama. For these days, this genre features nothing but whip smart detectives and gritty and bleak storylines on just about every network out there and being mired in that has indeed brought forth innovation, and in the case of Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, a chance to return to the genre’s roots and what makes it so great.

For this AcornTV series, one that follows the personal and professional life of Private Detective Peregrine Fisher, is set in the 1960s. A time where the world was eager to embrace free love and hope and wild times in both storytelling and everyday life and setting this series in the 60s, removes the technology and the present-day angst that has sanitized and darkened the genre and allows for us to celebrate the best parts of the crime drama. For now, Peregrine and her beau Detective James Steed, must rely upon ingenuity and an attention to detail and good old-fashioned hunches and interrogations to solve their cases. Which made season one of this series downright refreshing and it would seem that the series is going to seize upon that further in its second year.

Because all of those elements were on full display in ‘Death by Design’ and ‘Come Die With Me’ and that made for a pair of supremely engrossing tales. Because offering up a pair of stories that focused on old school detective work leaves one guessing as to who exactly committed the two atrocious crimes present in this two-hour premiere, and as an added bonus, the exotic nature of said crimes truly sucks one into the story. Since the death of architect and a flight attendant aren’t crimes that you see all that often and the wonder of these two tales doesn’t end there. Because this is a cozy crime drama at heart, one filled with lighthearted and comedic moments to keep the story out of the darkness and truth be told, some of those comical moments genuinely leave you laughing out loud because they’re just that darn good. 

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‘Come Die With Me’

But while that alone could carry this series and make it enjoyable through and through, what truly makes this premiere worth one’s while, is the sheer fact that it has some unique depth to it. For these stories are in fact, quite prophetic and reflective in nature. Because all of the crimes featured in this premiere are committed by women. Which is not a gimmick of a vilification of women by any means. No instead, their actions come about out of marginalization and repression, speaking volumes to how badly women in the 1960s, wanted to be free of the stereotypes and stigmas and societal norms that were demanded of them and imposed upon them, to the point in this instance where murder was the only way to escape that particular oppression and that really is powerful and poignant. And a sobering reminder that the women’s liberation movement was inching toward the mainstream and what’s truly amazing, is that the series finds a way to take this powerful observation and make it relevant to women’s struggles today.
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Because Peregine is at her core, a woman ahead of her time. One that believed the gender gap and patriarchy was outdated in the 1960s and she is often eager to shatter the glass ceiling at every turn and show to the world how old-fashioned its views toward women really are and sadly, her actions and the moments she encounters, feel a little too familiar at times. Which in essence means that this series is indeed holding up a mirror toward the modern world and how women are treated in 2021 and seeing and hearing actions from men that delegitimatize the skill set of a woman or pigeonhole them into a stereotype in a manner that echoes what we read and hear and see everyday, really does give the viewer pause. And it reminds us that we have to be better in such matters and work harder to ensure that women are finally recognized as the equals that they are, and that makes this premiere brilliant when all is said and done.

Simply because you just don’t see crime dramas take the time to offer up a history lesson, much less commentary on the world outside of the impact and the power of murder. But all of that is present here and that really is a wonderful thing, since it truly allows for this series to stand out and stand tall for that matter as well. Plus, we’d be foolish to not point out that both of these episodes are filled to the brim with simply incredible performances, since the supporting cast is the one that tends to offer up that flawless comic relief and of course, Geraldine Hakewill and Joel Jackson absolutely steal the show as Peregrine and James respectively, and their fascinating love affair, one filled with surprises in this premiere, really is quite captivating. If anything, this is simply a perfect way to kick off a new year of mysteries for Detective Fisher and it will be quite interesting to see what kinds of wild and unique cases and colorful commentary awaits us and Ms. Fisher as season two rolls along. Until next time.

The first two episodes of ‘Ms. Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries’ are streaming now on AcornTV, and to learn more about the show and its star, check out our interview with Geraldine Hakewill, right here.

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