I’m about 6,000 kilometres too far from Toronto to make it to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Merry Murdoch Mysteries in Concert: Sugar Plum Murdoch, but I would have loved nothing more than to be in that audience. Luckily, this episode is so brimming with music – and delightfully crowded with classic Murdoch characters and moments – that it’s a worthy stand-in for anyone watching from afar.

This year’s Christmas special is unusually intricate, weaving together a theft, a murder, a charity event, a toy craze, a ballet performance, and a full cast of returning and episodic characters without ever feeling overstuffed. Everything in Noelle Girard’s playful script is connected, and everyone is participating in the same story, whether they realise it or not. Director Katie Boland keeps everything brisk. Detectives Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Watts (Daniel Maslany) move rapidly from one person of interest to the next, each interview adding meaningfully to the puzzle. Something is always happening in the background that has some bearing on the story; no scene is wasted.

Untangling the Web

What looks at first like a simple holiday caper becomes something more layered. The monstrously ugly Rinkinkin dolls are not just mood dressing or a Labubu-style send-up; they contribute directly to the mystery. Higgins’ (Lachlan Murdoch) desperate attempts to buy one for his daughter Jordan (Emblyn Murray) unknowingly lead him into the same web Murdoch is untangling and provide the detectives with valuable clues. Jordan’s sweet gift provides the emotional turning point for prima ballerina Anna Pavlova herself (Nicole Volossetski). Even Watts’ casual beheading of a doll while Murdoch interviews Mr. Knight (Dave Foley) turns out to be relevant in the denouement.

While the story and direction make this a strong episode in their own right, it’s the musical score, the plethora of references, and the cast that make it truly stand out.

Robert Carli’s Nutcracker Tapestry

Robert Carli’s score – a range of his own A Merry Murdoch Christmas compositions, renditions of classic Christmas themes, and lots and lots of Tchaikovsky – is not merely accompaniment; it acts almost like another character, shaping tone and pacing. The influence of The Nutcracker is everywhere: in the Rinkinkin scenes, in the Snowflake choreography, in Murdoch’s DIY music box, in Margaret’s (Arwen Humphreys) ambitious plan for a charity ballet.

The Starbright Club features a jazzified version of the Christmas standard Good King Wenceslas, which also pops up as a lively chase theme and a slow, tuba-heavy motif when the thief is caught. Carli slips in Jingle Bells during a comedic exchange between Teddy Roberts (Kataem O’Connor) and Henry Higgins, and of course, Steven Page of Barenaked Ladies fame plays a 1913 version of himself and is threaded cleverly into the story before he ever sings. His song Christmas in Toronto was written exclusively for this episode and subtly mixes in some notes from Oh come all ye faithful. As with last year’s special Measure of My Dreams, the closing song is festive without being syrupy – catchy enough to become an earworm and strong enough to stand on its own. It’s already on my playlist.

Spot the References

If there’s one thing I enjoy about Murdoch Mysteries, it’s trying to catch all the references. And this episode is full of references, both musical and narrative. When Steven Page is first turned down by Violet Hart (Shanice Banton), a subtle line from the Barenaked Ladies song Jane plays under the scene. Watts’ remark, It’s been one week since I started singing lessons, nods directly to another BNL song, One Week, and his line Get the kids out of the hall during the chase after Mr. Knight refers to the two members of Canadian sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall who play a role in this episode: Dave Foley and Scott Thompson, who plays Richmond St. Clair, the decorator. Finally, St. Clair’s line I can’t think straight seems to be a reference to Thompson’s gay Kids in the Hall character Buddy Cole.

The script includes several throwbacks as well. The two men fighting over a Rinkinkin who end up in the cells are TSO conductor Gustavo Gimeno and CEO Mark Williams Jr., reprising their roles from Season 17’s Rhapsody in Blood. And then there are small nods to Christmas movie Jingle All the Way, where Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a father trying to buy a Turbo Man doll, and to Sex and the City – Ruth Higgins-Newsome (Siobhan Murphy), like Carrie Bradshaw, uses her oven as storage.

Strength in Every Performance

One of the pleasures of this year’s special is how well it uses its cast. Noelle Girard has an excellent grasp of what feels typical for each of them, and the script gives everyone multiple moments that play directly into their strengths. There are too many hilarious lines, comedic moments, and facial expressions to mention, so I’ll limit myself to the very best: Murdoch’s look when Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) calls his gift-wrapping machine frivolous, Watts continuing his streak of putting his hat in weird places – this time in that same machine, after which it emerges perfectly wrapped – Violet’s deadpan and very Watts-like I’ve bought myself something extravagant… I’m making myself wait until Christmas morning to find out, Henry as Murdoch’s mood-swing catalyst, Margaret’s exasperation, and the collective bow at the end of the dance performance. Also lots of Ruth being Ruth: not wanting to give up the tiara, her unique style of ballet, her curtsies, and her complete belief that Henry had a music box made just for me in Russia – apparently using same-day across-the-globe delivery.

Take a Bow

Sugar Plum Murdoch is a vibrant, tightly woven, and musically rich addition to the series’ holiday tradition. With its dense storytelling, deft character work, layered references, and a finale in which the entire cast dances – well, almost the entire cast; I’m not sure what Watts is doing, but he looks delighted anyway – it sends you into the season humming. It’s well on its way to becoming a new holiday classic.