Murdoch Mysteries showrunner Peter Mitchell wasn’t kidding when, earlier this year, he tweeted: 5 days into season 18 of Murdoch. As David Bowie once said “Ch-ch-ch-changes”. From the opening sequence to Brackenreid’s clean-shaven look, everything feels fresh and exciting—quite a feat for a show now entering its 18^th season.

Quite literally, the new season starts off with a bang. In a first for Murdoch Mysteries, we get a cold open with Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Crabtree (Jonny Harris) participating in a War of 1812 re-enactment. Think explosions, gunshots and epic music. Before the new credits even roll, a fellow re-enactor is stabbed in the back, and Murdoch has a murder to solve. I guess some things don’t change after all.

One change I did not see coming was the opening credits. Way to get me on the edge of my seat! The new opening sequence is much shorter, mainly because it only shows the credits for executive producers Yannick Bisson, Peter Mitchell and Christina Jennings. Gone are the names of actors who don’t even appear in the episode—particularly Jonny Harris, who has been absent from quite a few episodes. Thankfully Robert Carli’s great theme music is still there, as well as the exploding light bulb. I liked the new intro. Did I like it enough to be okay with replacing the old iconic one? I’ll get back to you on that.

The new recruit from the title turns out to be Murdoch’s new boss, Albert Choi (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). He’s taking over as inspector from Murdoch, who would much rather stay busy with Julia away for the foreseeable future. A team player, quick-witted and self-assured, Choi promises to be an interesting addition to the Station House 4 crew. For now, he delivers the funniest line in the episode: I’m being charged with “well, uh”.

New Beginnings for Familiar Faces

It’s new beginnings for many of the familiar characters, as well. William Murdoch needs to come to grips with missing Julia and Susannah, and not being an inspector anymore. This last bit may seem surprising, given 17 seasons of complaining about not getting promoted because he is a Catholic, but I thought it made sense that a man who wants to get to the truth more than anything, and who loves tinkering with his inventions, wouldn’t want to merely direct others from behind a desk.

Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) is now Chief Constable, although that’s not the biggest change. There’s also something different about his face… I found it interesting that he seems older and wiser somehow. He has certainly come a long way in his views on war. He’s still cracking crude jokes, though (you can bring a whore to culture…).

Llewellyn Watts (Daniel Maslany), in Murdoch Mysteries’ shortest stint as Acting Inspector, is proving surprisingly good at running an efficient station house. Also, and he’d really rather they didn’t, everyone seems to want to confide their bedroom secrets to him. Constable Tucker (Kenzie Delo) is getting in deeper and deeper with the mafia, and Effie Crabtree (Clare McConnell) is now Canada’s first woman Crown Attorney. More to come on that in future episodes, I’m sure; I feel a Law & Order-type episode coming on. As for Henry Higgins (Lachlan Murdoch), not only does he actually notice Tucker’s suspicious behavior, he even acts on it. George Crabtree, finally and in an oddly modern phrase, has a case of the morbs. He’s also a big boy now and has left his pillow at home. At least he’s still Kung Fu Crabtree and a good friend to Murdoch.

A Visual Shift

Much like Brackenreid’s face, there’s something different about the look and feel of the show. The lighting seems to be moving away from sepia tones to more vibrant colors. This was most evident in the marketplace scenes, as well as in the station house, which looked like it had a makeover – and not just because of Watts’ plants.

Wow, we’re a long way into this review, and I haven’t even mentioned the actual murder mystery. I don’t think solving the murder was the point of this episode, even though it was a solid enough plot. The writers did a nice job weaving character-driven and job developments into the story. We even got, although somewhat underused – say it with me – Terrence Meyers (Peter Keleghan). Meyers’ part doesn’t have much substance to it; it’s not even a matter of national security. I also liked the anachronistic feel of it all, aided by Robert Carli’s wonderful score. The parallel story of Tucker was handled well, no doubt setting up future trouble for him.

So, Was It Any Good?

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and can’t wait to find out what the writers have in store for us next. You’re going to be introduced to a new world, says Choi. I very much look forward to finding out what that means.