Aus-Spicious

Time can be a double-edged sword. Sure, it heals all wounds, but it also has the nasty habit of dulling the excitement of something that was once new and fresh. It happens to our bodies, and I'm sorry to report, it happens to TV shows. All this to say that while I still really, really like Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, I found myself unable to get as jazzed for the new season as I did for Season 1 and Season 2.

This isn't really the show's fault. It's not like they didn't try to mix things up. In addition to the usual fun of the murder-of-the-week, we got real arc advancement. Hugh is no longer content to follow Inspector Robinson around like a puppy. He and Dot go through more relationship struggles. And the sexual tension between Phyrne and Jack has reached a boiling point. Plus, they throw in a semi-recurring character in the form of Phryne's irrepressible, irresponsible father, who throws all sorts of spanners into the works of her daily life.

Mr. Fisher didn't really work for me, but the rest of the season was pretty great. Dr. Mac has more screentime, which is always welcome. And the cases run the gamut from murder in the competitive world of Italian restaurants to the tennis courts to a clinic for "hysterical" women. There wasn't an out-and-out bad episode in the bunch; I just didn't find myself wildly consuming them like I did in previous seasons.

By all means, check out Season 3 of the show. It's quite good! But still, I have to admit that bastard Father Time has taken a little bit of the shine off this apple.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries - Season 3: B+