In the highly anticipated 300th episode, William Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) and Julia Ogden (Hélène Joy) are reunited once again. If this episode is any indication, Julia’s prolonged absence may have been a blessing in disguise, breathing fresh life into both the show and her character.

In its long history, Murdoch Mysteries has done some memorable things to celebrate its milestone episodes. In its 100^th instalment, Murdoch and Ogden finally get married after many seasons of ups and downs in their relationship. The 200^th episode featured a gathering of prominent innovators of the early 20th century, including Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, and Marie Curie. And the 250^th chapter pays homage to classic film noir, being uniquely filmed in black and white. Writer and showrunner Peter Mitchell and director Eleanore Lindo resist the temptation to go as big as all that for the 300^th instalment—although I suppose you could argue that an international conspiracy to cause World War I is plenty big. Rather, they focus on the reunion of everyone’s favourite husband-and-wife detective team and on all those typical elements that make Murdoch Mysteries almost a genre unto itself. I loved the return of ‘Murdoch Vision’ where he solves the crime in his mind, as well as all the other quirks that make William and Julia so enjoyable to watch: their very different relationships with alcohol, his frugality, her taking the lead in their romantic encounters. I also enjoyed Robert Carli’s lovely variations on Murdoch and Julia’s theme music that is heard throughout the series as a soundtrack to their romance.

When Life Gives you Lemons

We’re already ten episodes into Season 18, and this is the first time Julia is featured. I’m sure that when Hélène Joy announced last year that she wouldn’t be available for the first part of the season, it led to some head-scratching for Peter Mitchell and the other writers. However, it seems that they were able to turn a writing problem into an advantage. Dr. Ogden’s absence forced them to come up with some innovative storylines and opened the door for compelling new characters like Inspector Choi (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Constable Roberts (Kataem O’Connor). Most importantly, it turns out absence really does make the heart grow fonder. It’s been a long time since I enjoyed Julia’s and William’s interactions quite as much; I confess I had a silly grin on my face while watching this episode—much like Murdoch himself, I might add. The chemistry between them is still there. Julia’s character seems refreshed somehow, and of course it helps tremendously that she’s an integral part of the story here. Despite her misgivings and eye-rolling about the working holiday—Oh, dear Lord; I’m going to dinner with an extremely distracted husband; your idea of a vacation is very strange, William—she is awfully quick to offer her services as a coroner: I’ll need hot, clean water, and as many towels as you can muster, and a very sharp filleting knife. Should she ever return to Toronto, I hope it would be to work with Murdoch again. It just makes for better stories. Even the guest cast knows it: You and your husband are crime solvers. I would expect no less.

The World’s Greatest Detective(s)

This week’s story is set in the Cotswolds, with the Caledon Mountain Trout Club in Inglewood, Ontario, doubling as an upscale English countryside inn. In true Murdoch fashion, the romantic reunion is quickly interrupted by a murder. (It’s called Murdoch Mysteries, after all, and not Murdoch’s Love Life.) With a grand location like that, it’s hard not to think of this as an Agatha Christie-type mystery, with a collection of quirky characters, global repercussions, and a brilliant detective. Well, two brilliant detectives, actually. Murdoch teams up with his hero, Detective Ronald Perle (Donal Logue), who recently retired from the Metropolitan Police and is American, although that doesn’t make him any less of a police officer. Together, they investigate the murder of a young woman (Caitlin McNerney) and uncover a conspiracy by a shadow government planning the murder of Franz Ferdinand of Austria to plunge all of Europe into war.

Meanwhile in Toronto…

I would have liked to learn more about the conspiracy, the victim, and why the killer turned against his master and his son. Fleshing out these details would have left no time for the subplot, however, and you can’t very well have a 300^th episode without the Brackenreids, Watts, Effie, Violet, and Henry. So, Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) plans a surprise birthday party for his wife, Margaret (Arwen Humphreys) at Violet Hart’s (Shanice Banton) Starbright Club. The story is hardly earth-shattering, but the actors make the most of their small parts. Detective Watts (Daniel Maslany) has no lines, other than some grunting, but is still pretty funny as he seems to be turning into a one-man slapstick routine. Effie Crabtree (Clare McConnell) is very cute fangirling over singer Eudora Nadeau (Taahira Duff, better known as Aqyila). Margaret is equally starstruck, so Thomas must give her a not-so-gentle push to help her regain her speech. I also quite liked his line, Toronto Constabulary. Shut your mouth. But surprisingly, the best line of the episode goes to Violet: Effie! You might want to crouch down! – I am! – Well, crouch downer. Ultimately, the subplot is entirely forgettable, but it still adds to a wonderful episode that leaves us wanting 300 more.