In Why is Everybody Singing, Thomas Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) sang, I rarely shout out body parts or what goes down the drain. Fast forward one year, and we get an episode dense with doggy-doo drollery, thankfully offset by loving jabs at the main characters, a solid—if somewhat quotidian—murder mystery, thought-provoking discussions about morality and justice, and a couple of cute dogs to boot.

The opening scene slickly introduces two storylines: the death of the richest man in Toronto and the murder of the executor of his estate, as well as the return of Detective Watts’s (Daniel Maslany) friend Olivia Leeming (Tommie-Amber Pirie). The two threads soon become interwoven, as Olivia is fined for creating a lewd image in public by another returning guest star, morality officer Iona Berger (Lucy Hill). The starving artist is engaged by Station House 4 as a sketch artist, creating a poster of a missing Havanese dog named Charlie, who is a witness in a murder investigation and, incidentally, the heir to his master’s fortune.

The Letter and the Spirit of the Law

The Watts-Leeming-Berger triangle offers plenty of opportunities to discuss the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. Watts and Berger, in particular, have diametrically opposed worldviews and philosophies. While Berger feels they should always adhere to the letter of the law, Watts would rather turn a blind eye, wait for an opportunity to help. He says, Plato argued justice is not merely about laws or external systems, but the harmony of the soul. Although she tells him, turning a blind eye is not what you’re being paid for, Detective, his approach ultimately rubs off on her and she’s beginning to see his philosophy has a… degree of merit. Being around the dog—more on Charlie in a minute—has softened her a bit. Through a nicely understated performance, we learn that her tough exterior masks the loneliness of a single woman new to a big city. She’s not made of stone, after all, judging by her reaction to the rather flattering nude drawing of Watts. Let’s just hope this doesn’t set her—and Watts—up for heartbreak in a future episode.

The theme of morality runs as a subtle throughline in the entire episode, probing what is ethically acceptable and how people should treat each other. George and Effie’s—overlong, although Effie voicing what looks like a Curious George doll is cute—dialogue about the foreign fruit salad and the snobby hostess who served it, shows that George is much more accepting and respectful of other people’s idiosyncrasies than Effie. The killer, bookkeeper Miss Vosper (Diana Bentley), responds to the question of why she didn’t kill the dog with, I’m not a monster, Detective. Killing a man is easy enough, but what kind of woman would kill a defenseless dog? Meanwhile, dog breeder Miss Sandler (Stefanie Drummond) remains true to her lover, Christopher “Pookie” Landell (Connor McMahon), regardless of his charges of fraud and impending disbarment, and she will ensure that the unsympathetic but ultimately innocent Howard MacDonald (Mark Edwards) is well taken care of, despite his attempt on the dog’s life.

Poking Fun

The slightly silly but not entirely unheard-of premise of a pet inheriting a fortune is neither questioned nor explained. It serves merely as the starting point for a murder investigation and an exploration of right and wrong. And for poo jokes—quite a lot of poo jokes. Additionally, it offers opportunities for poking fun at the main characters. Detective Murdoch (Yannick Bisson) seems delighted by the notion of nose prints, but he’s less enthusiastic about George’s suggestion that the dog could aid in their investigation. He’s also not thrilled with George’s idea for a story called The Constable and the Canine, thinking no-one would be interested in it (a nod, of course, to Hudson & Rex, the other Shaftesbury show run by Peter Mitchell where Hudson’s first name is Charlie). Nor does he agree that Charlie carries himself with a certain aplomb, as evidenced by his gruff remark: They look the same. Still, ever since A Murdog Mystery, Murdoch doesn’t abhor dogs anymore; that role is now firmly in the hands of Inspector Choi (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee). Can you blame him, though? Look at the size of that scar a Papillon dog gave him!

Smooth Transitions

Surprisingly, although Julie Lacey has been a producer for Murdoch Mysteries since the very first season, Heir of the Dog is only her third writing credit. She clearly knows these characters like the back of her hand and understands how to construct a murder mystery investigation, smoothly transitioning from one scene to the next, one suspect to another, and one clue to the next. However, at times, the storytelling feels a bit too smooth, as Lacey glosses over a couple of plot problems. For instance, Watts and Berger just happen to pursue a sausage thief who leads them to the dog. Effie still has the key to the office—you’d think the police would be able to go there anyway, since it’s a murder scene. But they needed a reason for Effie to be there, so she could conveniently find the murder weapon (at least Murdoch jokes about the need to hire taller constables).

Despite these plot contrivances, it’s a solid murder mystery, featuring a couple of red herrings, believable motives and suspects—the supporting cast makes the most of their roles. The sets are simple but effective in conjuring up a lawyer’s office, a hair salon, and stables. Plus, ‘Murdoch Vision’ is back, employing a vignette effect to simulate a glimpse into Murdoch’s mind. Ultimately, though, I don’t believe the episode will make any Top Ten lists. It simply doesn’t offer much action or excitement, and the carefully inoffensive poo jokes make it feel a bit old-fashioned (and while Murdoch Mysteries may take place in the past, it’s rarely old-fashioned).