History Characters / MurdochMysteries

* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: He holds Arthur and Violet hostage in their own home, forcing them to not only fire all the servants so no one will reveal his presence their, but also to wait on him hand and foot.

* {{Pride}}: [[spoiler: She expresses a desire to prove that she's just as smart as

* KnightOfCerberus: Any time either Amelia or Dorothy show up in George's life, both he and the audience know they have something horrible in mind for him.

* AgentScully: His usual role, as he has to scully Crabtree's outrageous ideas. However, Murdoch is a deeply religious man. In one episode, he had a NearDeathExperience and did not try to deny it.

* DirtyCop: The first example of a dirty constable within Station House Four.[[note]]Though admittedly he was a transfer from the much less reputable Station House Three.[[/note]] Throughout his tenure, he has been shown to be sloppy, violent, disrespectful towards his superior officers, willfully involved in cover-ups, has little problem taking bribes from criminals, and even [[spoiler: seemingly tries to assassinate, and ''actually'' assassinates Fabritzio Pullia under orders from a lower member in his gang]]. It says a lot when Inspector Edwards and [[spoiler: Chief Constable Stewart]], both of whom are corrupt in their own ways, use him as one of their go-to henchmen. Downplayed slightly in that, whenever he's not actively being a hindrance for the other members of the constabulary, he is mostly a normal cop who does his job like Crabtree and Higgins.

* Greed: Seems to be Tucker's main motivation. He is willing to take bribes for the sake of enriching himself, explicitly asks Murdoch about being paid extra for prison transport work, and [[spoiler: assassinates Fabritzio Pullia after getting paid off by one of his gang members]].

* DatingCatwoman: We finally meet Meyers' wife in Season 15. She seems to be a respectable British Canadian, but she's actually [[spoiler:an Austro-Hungarian spy who was selected to seduce Meyers and get access to the British Empire's intelligence network. Britain's native network was considered too difficult to infiltrate directly, but as a British dominion Canada was considered a weak point.]] Meyers' wife goes so far with this as to [[spoiler:be married to him for nearly twenty years, birthing two of his children in the process.]] When she's finally exposed, Meyers [[spoiler:tries to get her to become a double agent for Britain, but she refuses. She'll likely be deported to Austria-Hungary in a spy exchange, but she admits that she really did grow to love Meyers.]]
* EveryoneHasStandards: Even Amoral Spies Have Standards -- When intervenes during Murdoch's investigation of [[spoiler:the microwave laser gun Sally Pendrick is preparing to sell to a foreign power]], Murdoch remarks that Meyers simply wants to get his hands on [[spoiler:the maser]] so that the Canadian and British governments can use it for themselves. However, in one of the final scenes of the episode [[spoiler:after the maser is destroyed]], Meyers tells Murdoch that he's personally not unhappy about [[spoiler:the weapon's destruction]].

* IHaveManyNames: In Season 15, Murdoch and Brackenreid learn Meyers' real name, [[spoiler:Lyle Anderson]], purely by accident. He swears them to secrecy about it.

* IntrepidReporter: Louise works for the Toronto Gazette, and often reports on the doings of the constabulary.

* TheMissusAndTheEx: Louise quickly strikes up this dynamic when she meets Effie Newsome who is now courting George, in the episode "In The Company Of Women." The pair spend most of the episode sniping at each other.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: "Murdoch Without Borders" reveals she sees immigrants as invaders and criminals. Her article in the episode, which pins a Greek man for murder, is one of the few times Cherry intentionally incites uproar in the public.

* BackForTheDead: [[spoiler:She goes into hiding abroad after Murdoch reveals she's the actual perpitrator of various crimes. She comes back a decade later as an even bigger villain but Murdoch burns a literal hole in her head with a microwave laser.]]

** In Season 3, several cases lead to the Pendrick household. Murdoch becomes sure that it's Mr Pendrick who is responsible for frauds, dangerous scientific experiments used for stealing, or even mysterious murders. It turns out he's quite innocent, and his beautiful wife is the one to be blamed. She would be perfectly fine with him being hanged for her crimes. She says she's doing it for the thrill of it.

* ManipulativeBitch: She manipulates many, many through elaborate schemes. One of those is her posing as a woman named Cassie Chadwick and she copies ''another'' con artist and her methods. She puts out a rumour that she is the illegitimate daughter of a WealthyPhilanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Which leads to her engagement with Mr Worthington.

* ApologeticAttacker: Downplayed. He apologizes to [[spoiler: Julia while strangling her in "Why is Everybody Singing?"]], but given everything else he's done, it's hard to imagine that he's actually sorry.
* ArchEnemy: He's become this to Murdoch ever since James Gillies' death. As of Season 15, his body count and number of appearances rival Gillies'.

** In Season 17, [[spoiler: Fellows orchestrates a scheme to kill Murdoch before he can investigate the disappearance of the man whose body he used to fake his own death previously, and sets it up so that the wife of a criminal Murdoch arrested will take the fall. What he did not prepare for was Murdoch surviving this attempt, and deducing his scheme [[ItMakesSenseInContext through a musical formed by his subconscious.]]

* Outlaw: Becomes one by the end of "Murdoch Escape Room" and decides to start dressing the part when he returns in "Rawhide Ralph", for no particular reason. Julia tauntingly remarks that he's a hotel detective who's dressing himself as a cowboy.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Clegg does this to a German scientist who helped develop the weapon he plans to use to assassinate UsefulNotes/WilliamHowardTaft. [[spoiler:The scientist's asisstant, who was like a son to him, pays him back in spades.]]

* ShameIfSomethingHappened: They blackmail money from Toronto's waterfront businesses while threatening this, and follow through on anyone who investigates them. They also visit Brackenreid at his home, and have a friendly chat with Margaret under the pretence of asking for directions...while staring directly at the wounded Inspector.

* DrivenToSuicide: In Season 15, Dorothy reveals that Amelia hung herself out of despair at being repeatedly rejected by George. Dorothy makes one final attempt on George's life to avenge her, but is ultimately thwarted and arrested.

* BeingEvilSucks: Tucker shows some shades of it from time to time. He is generally not trusted and disliked by the constables of Station House Four, and his relationship with his wife seems to be strained at best. This is most evident in "For the Greater Good", where he appears to have some misgivings about [[spoilers: endangering Constable Crabtree and assassinating Fabritzio Pullia. It is implied that, despite liking the extra money in his pocket, he is not entirely comfortable with being under the thumb of the mob]].
* ConssumateLiar: Twists the truth in "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", telling Murdoch that Constable {=McNabb=} was the one who left the door open, resulting in a murderer sneaking in to kill a suspect; when in fact it was him, acting under orders from [[spoilers: Chief Constable Stewart]]. Thankfully, Murdoch doesn't believe him, and instead plays along to figure out what he's up to.
* DirtyCop: The first example of a dirty constable within Station House Four.[[note]]Though admittedly he was a transfer from the much less reputable Station House Three.[[/note]] Throughout his tenure, he has been shown to be sloppy, violent, disrespectful towards his superior officers, willfully involved in cover-ups, has little problem taking bribes from criminals, and even [[spoiler: seemingly tries to assassinate, and ''actually'' assassinates Fabritzio Pullia under orders from a lower member in his gang]]. It says a lot when Inspector Edwards and [[spoilers: Chief Constable Stewart]], both of whom are corrupt in their own ways, use him as one of their go-to henchmen. Downplayed slightly in that, whenever he's not actively being a hindrance for the other members of the constabulary, he is mostly a normal cop who does his job like Crabtree and Higgins.

* Greed: Seems to be Tucker's main motivation. He is willing to take bribes for the sake of enriching himself, explicitly asks Murdoch about being paid extra for prison transport work, and [[spoilers: assassinates Fabritzio Pullia after getting paid off by one of his gang members]].

* JustEatGilligan: Many problems since Tucker's move to Station House Four would've been solved if Inspector Brackenreid or Acting Inspectors Crabtree and Murdoch just fired him or had him relocated to another Station House when they had the chance. Justified in that they likely wouldn't want to fire anyone from the Station House without explicit proof, and [[KeepTheEnemyClose it's safer to keep Tucker around where they can keep an eye on him anyway]].

* PlausibleDeniability: The main reason he gets off after being involved in [[spoilers: Chief Constable Stewart]]'s cover-up scheme. He was ordered by a superior to open a door, but he claims he had no idea that would let a murderer inside.

* ApologeticAttacker: Downplayed. He apologizes to [[spoilers: Julia while strangling her in "Why is Everybody Singing?"]], but given everything else he's done, it's hard to imagine that he's actually sorry.

** In Season 17, [[spoilers: Fellows orchestrates a scheme to kill Murdoch before he can investigate the disappearance of the man whose body he used to fake his own death previously, and sets it up so that the wife of a criminal Murdoch arrested will take the fall. What he did not prepare for was Murdoch surviving this attempt, and deducing his scheme [[ItMakesSenseInContext through a musical formed by his subconscious.]]

* MasterOfDisguise: Disguises himself as [[spoilers: a blind violin player in "Why is Everybody Singing?" to discretely assassinate Murdoch. Later disguises himself as a constable in order to sneak inside Murdoch's hospital room and finish the job]].

* Villain Song: [[spoilers: Gets his own in "Why is Everyone Singing?", in which he delights at being able to kill Murdoch and bring their rivalry to an end.]]

!!Government Officials

[[folder:Terrence Meyers]]
[[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/meyers29_6270.png]]

->'''Played By:''' Creator/PeterKeleghan

A top-level spy working in Canada's best interests. Terrence Meyers is of course not his real name, but he uses it when he interacts with Station House 4.

* FatalFlaw: Pride. [[spoiler:The Toronto Constabulary catches him by making him think they believe Murdoch's neighbour is responsible for framing the detective. Fellows is desperate to be taken seriously as an intelligent man, and his anger at their assumption makes him walk into their trap.]] In Season 17 [[spoiler: his reasoning for returning to Toronto and targetting Murdoch again is that the detective was on the point of discovering that he faked his death, but Murdoch points out that even if he had, it would still have been beyond the Toronto Constabulary's abilities to track him down. The implication is that his pride meant he was ''looking'' for an excuse to return and finish the job.]]

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:Fellows escapes Murdoch at the end of "Manual For Murder". When he reappears in "Kill Thy Neighbour", Murdoch finally catches him and he's sentence to hang for murdering Murdoch's neighbour. He gets away with it with help from Murdoch's neighbour's wife -- who he manipulates into seeking revenge against Murdoch and Julia, and taking the fall for the crime. He is again arrested in "Why is Everybody Singing?"]]

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Fellows seemingly leads an obvious trail telling the Toronto police where he intends to flee to, but it's all a smokescreen.

* FakingTheDead: Heavily implied in "Rawhide Ralph." He seemingly falls into a vat of acid, but [[spoiler:the audience sees him talking to the corpse of an older man who looks like him, saying that the man will "come in handy." Fellows likely threw the corpse into the vat, knowing that it'll disfigure the body and the Murdoch family can't closely examine it.]]
* FatalFlaw: Pride. [[spoiler:The Toronto Constabulary catches him by making him think they believe Murdoch's neighbour is responsible for framing the detective. Fellows is desperate to be taken seriously as an intelligent man, and his anger at their assumption makes him walk into their trap.]]

* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: [[spoiler:Fellows escapes Murdoch at the end of "Manual For Murder". When he reappears in "Kill Thy Neighbour", Murdoch finally catches him and he's sentence to hang for murdering Murdoch's neighbour. He gets away with it with help from Murdoch's neighbour's wife -- who he manipulates into seeking revenge against Murdoch and Julia, and taking the fall for the crime.]]

* YouAreInCommandNow: The second time Brackenreid temporarily leaves his Inspector job, Murdoch takes over until Brackenreid returns. He also takes the lead in a couple of episodes when Brackenreid is missing and in danger.

Murdoch's superior and the boss of Station House 4. Married with two kids. Likes scotch.

** ''Frankie Drake Mysteries: A Cold Case'' reveals this eventually becomes ''literal'', as at some point before the 1920s he was promoted to Chief Constable.

* TheBigEasy: He spent time in New Orleans before following Violet to Toronto. While he was thera, he learned the techniques he used to fake his death and trick Violet into thinking he was dead. He also learned to cook jambalaya while he was there, and cooks it for Violet and Arthur when he holds them hostage.

[[folder:Susannah Murdoch]]

->'''Played By:''' Nigel Bennett

->'''Played By:''' Dakota Goyo

--> '''Played by:''' David Hewlett

--> '''Played by:''' James [=McGowan=]

->'''Played By:''' Kate Greenhouse

* TrademarkedFavoriteFood: Is excessively fond of baked goods, especially pretzels.

* {{Catchphrase}}:

** He often says one or both of his {{Catchphrase}}s once per episode.

* CartwrightCurse: [[PutOnABus A nonlethal version.]] His longest-lasting relationship (with Emily Grace) ended with her leaving him for Leslie Garland. Edna Brooks, engaged to George, has to flee the city with her stepson. Burlesque dancer Nina Bloom breaks things off because she believes he deserves a more respectable woman. They get back together, but she then opts to leave Toronto for her dream job in Paris. George offers to accompany her and proposes, but she ultimately declines.
* {{Catchphrase}}: Not that frequently, but his preferred exclamation seems to be:

* {{Catchphrase}}:

* HiddenDepths: He loves theatre, especially William Shakespeare and opera. [[spoiler:After his recovery from being beaten up, he's taken to painting.]]

* CatchPhrase: He often says "With me, (name or title)" when he's leading someone to evidence he's found or starts on a case with them.

* {{Catchphrase}}: He frequently says, "I'm flattered" whenever someone tries to insult or intimidate him. It's his way of showing to his opponent that he cannot be emotionally shaken by verbal means.

* {{Catchphrase}}: "We own the waterfront." They're more than willing to assault and kill anyone who threatens their claim.

* NoLovesIntersect: Watts clearly desires a steady, committed relationship. He doesn't have a problem with his boyfriend marrying TheBeard to keep his sexuality a secret (which is necessary in a time when homosexuality was illegal) as Jack Walker did, but he's visibly unhappy at Milo Strange dating other men at the same time he's with Watts.

** Violet believes she deserves to be at the top of her career ''now'', in spite of her lack of formal training. [[spoiler:In "Darkness Before Dawn", her attempt to guide the police to a guilty suspect are done in a way to avoid implicating herself, because she bribed the same man into getting her new position.]]

* CharacterDevelopment: Brackenreid starts off as a NobleBigot, but over the course of the series his eyes are opened to the racism and other forms of prejudice rampant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leaving him increasingly outraged and disgusted. By the time of Season 16, Brackenreid is willing to risk his job and reputation to protect people he would've previously been disgusted by, and is disgusted by [[PoliceBrutality tactics]] he previously fully endorsed.

* MyBelovedSmother: A downplayed example. Margaret hates the idea of her son John becoming a policeman because of how dangerous it is and tries to get Thomas to drive him to quit. Her fears are proven justified when John is shot and nearly paralyzed, and she's quite relieved when he recovers and decides to become an actor instead. At the end of "Wheel of Bad Fortune" she [[spoiler:has a vision of him fighting and dying in World War I that leaves her screaming in horror and despair]].

* StacysMom: A young ''Creator/HPLovecraft'' is briefly infatuated with her. Unfortunately for her, she finds [[NightmareFetishist his idea of romance]] horrifying.

* DamselInDistress: Effie is kidnapped and almost killed by Amelia and Dorothy Ernst, who hold her hostage in order the threaten George into marrying Amelia.

* KingmakerScenario: Templeton openly acknowledges that he's a kingmaker, helping people that he expects great things (although not necessarily for himself) to positions of power they might not pursue on their own.

* MyBelovedSmother: A downplayed example. Margaret hates the idea of her son John becoming a policeman because of how dangerous it is and tries to get Thomas to drive him to quit. Her fears are proven justified when John is shot and nearly paralyzed, and she's quite relieved when he recovers and decides to become an actor instead. At the end of "Wheel of Bad Fortune" she [[spoiler:has a vision of himfighting and dying in World War I that leaves her screaming in horror and despair]].

* MyBelovedSmother: A downplayed example. Margaret hates the idea of her son John becoming a policeman because of how dangerous it is and tries to get Thomas to drive him to quit. Her fears are proven justified when John is shot and nearly paralyzed, and she's quite relieved when he recovers and decides to become an actor instead.

* FireForgedFriends: He and Brackenreid are initially opposites who are forced to work together, but they develop a sense of mutual respect when they stumble across a conspiracy and help Murdoch solve it. When Dilbert reappears, he and Brackenreid are on good terms and discover that their backgrounds and beliefs are more similar than they thought.

* TapOnTheHead: [[spoiler:He is knocked over the head by men stealing incriminating records, but he suffers no serious effects.]]

* AscendedFangirl: Ruby and her fellow members of the Murdoch Appreciation Society exploit this by staging a murder with a body that they think died of natural causes so they can spy on Murdoch at work. Murdoch is not happy when he finds out, but they end up getting involved in a real murder case.

->'''Played By:''' Austin Di Iulio