If William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) were to write this review of Welcome to Paradise, he would probably comment on the stark juxtaposition of the gruesome subject matter against the lighthearted tone of this episode. In a season full of highlights, writer Christina Ray and director Elsbeth McCall’s light-footed yet warm approach to the serial killings of men from far-flung cultures makes this the best episode of the season so far.

Welcome to Paradise may be lighthearted, but that’s not to say this episode is callous or uncaring. In fact, it has a lot of heart, emanating from both the established characters and the new constable, the very likable Teddy Roberts (Kataem O’Connor). It continues to explore the theme of a changing world; moreover, it features a very well-constructed murder mystery. All of this is already on display in the teaser before the opening titles. Murdoch, sporting a new racing bike, tight shorts, and a funny little cap, is on a ‘welcome to Station House Number Four’ bike ride with his new constable, which just happens to take them to the newly constructed long-distance power lines that will deliver electricity to the rural areas beyond Toronto. Cleverly, we see Murdoch nerding out over the power line towers that will play a role in the plot later on (Chekhov’s power lines, anyone?). Their outing is quickly interrupted, though, when a land surveyor finds a dead body, and Murdoch deduces that there must be more than one victim because of the ubiquitous corpse mushrooms (Roberts’s term) or Hebeloma fungi (Murdoch’s).

All Together Now

If there is one thing that all my favourite Murdoch Mysteries episodes have in common, it’s that all the characters are working on the same case, everyone is doing what they’re good at, and all the actors in the main cast get their fair share of good lines. Welcome to Paradise checks all those boxes. Detective Murdoch uses his intelligence as well as his inventions; Inspector Choi (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) leads the investigation and goes undercover; Chief Constable Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) gets to be threatening and funny; Constable Higgins is onboarding Roberts in a very Higgins-like way; and Detective Watts (Daniel Maslany) is not only a good investigator, but also demonstrates his interpersonal skills, along with some hilarious antics. In addition, they all get to play off each other’s quirks. The expressions on Murdoch and Choi’s faces when Brackenreid shifts from Hurd is the killer, case closed to Hurd’s suicide was staged are hilarious, as is Brackenreid’s reaction: No need to look like the cats that got the bloody cream! Of course, an hour or so later, Brackenreid maintains Told you it wasn’t Hurd, which merits another priceless look from Murdoch.

Brave New World

Season 18 has brought us quite a few changes, most of them positive: more cars, power lines, numerous inventions, an inspector of Korean descent, and now the first Black constable. Of course, this Brave New World is also a globalizing one, where people can be scammed from across the globe. Fortunately for viewers, this makes for a powerful story and a murder investigation that Murdoch and the team can really sink their teeth into. Smart detective work, forensics, weeks of laborious and unglamorous police tasks, setting a trap, a car chase, Kung Fu, and some sharp shooting—this episode has it all. Aided by another outstanding soundtrack from Robert Carli, which ranges from up-tempo and merry to suspenseful and bombastic, this episode is infused with tension, humour, and excitement. The wonderful aerial shots during the car chase beautifully capture the vastness of the Canadian woods, effectively emphasizing that Choi could be anywhere and creating a palpable sense of suspense. Plus, Murdoch looks great climbing the tower with his little telescope.

Welcoming

Still, the best thing about this episode is the introduction of Constable Roberts and the way everyone welcomes him. It’s not easy to introduce a new character to the audience and immediately get them to like him. Season 18 has achieved that twice now: first with Choi and now with Roberts. Again, this is clever writing: because his colleagues welcome and like Roberts, we, the viewers, do the same. It also helps that his character is quite well-defined from the beginning. He is portrayed as a young man from a small-town background (Chatham), who loves his family, used to have a dog and knows how to ride a horse and shoot a rifle. He’s sensitive and respectful, can be funny, shows initiative, and is a pretty good cop.

Some Nitpicking

So, do I have anything negative to say about this episode? Not really. If I do, it falls squarely into the nitpicking category. I thought Kung Fu Choi was a bit much—let’s leave the martial arts to Crabtree. Also, the writers keep having to come up with flimsy excuses to get Brackenreid to do field work; it’s not that he’s bad at it, but it’s not exactly the type of work a Chief Constable would typically undertake. The letter from Germany was odd: it was not addressed to anyone in particular (Hello from Germany!), had no signature, and felt very informal. I also wondered about the guy (played by Noah Englmann) accompanying Roberts when he first meets Brackenreid: why was he even in this scene? He simply stands there before sidling away. However, as I mentioned, all this is merely nitpicking and does not at all detract from a wonderful episode.