Miss Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis, Girl with a Pearl Earring) is back with more intriguing mysteries and exquisite fashion. A private detective in 1920s Melbourne, Phryne has a knack for being in the right place at the right time--and she's usually armed with the right weapon. Aided by her maid, Dorothy "Dot" Williams (Ashleigh Cummings, Tomorrow, When the War Began), Phryne ventures from the city's mansions to its brothels, gaining admirers and enemies along the way. Often assisting their investigations are Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (Nathan Page, The Secret Life of Us) and Constable Hugh Collins (Hugo Johnstone-Burt, Cloudstreet). Jack finds Phryne's eager interest in his cases exasperating, but he comes to rely on her crime-solving instincts--and is increasingly captivated by her other charms. John Noble (Fringe, Sleepy Hollow) guest stars in this series of the hit Australian drama. 13 episodes, 12 hrs, Blu-ray or DVD discs, SDH.
Episodes
Disc 1
Episode 1: Murder Most Scandalous
Jack's ex-father-in-law- the deputy commissioner of police-is implicated in the murder of a prostitute, and Jack and Phryne combine their efforts to get to the bottom of the case. While Jack plays it by the book, Phryne goes undercover as a showgirl at a gentleman's club, where her fan dance starts to make the feathers fly.
Episode 2: Death Comes Knocking
A seance to contact a soldier killed in World War I leads to two murders in Melbourne a decade after the war's end. Despite the claims of the spiritualist conducting the seance, Phryne prefers to rely on the memories of three army veterans to find out what really happened on the battlefield in France.
Episode 3: Dead Man's Chest
Phryne begins by looking into a burglary at the home of an establishment family fallen on hard times-but ends up investigating three murders. Although a local ring of smugglers seems implicated in the crimes, Phryne finds the family has more than a few secrets that it's desperate to keep hidden.
Episode 4: Deadweight
The police try to channel an outbreak of gang warfare into the boxing ring, but when someone stabs a gang member to death, Phryne and Jack get embroiled in the dangerous world of fight-rigging and illegal betting. Constable Collins goes a step further, pulling on a pair of gloves and stepping into the ring himself.
Episode 5: Murder a la Mode
Phryne goes for a fitting at an exclusive fashion salon and finds that another customer has been killed with her own hairpin. It's the latest in a series of disasters for the salon, but Phryne finds that while haute couture is facing hard times, another profit-making enterprise is on the rise.
Disc 2
Episode 6: Marked for Murder
The captain of a local football team is found hanged before a game against the crosstown rivals, who appear to be the likely suspects. However, Phryne and Jack find evidence that the man may have killed himself and have to figure out why someone might want to make a suicide look like a murder.
Episode 7: Blood at the Wheel
A pioneering female racing driver dies after her car is tampered with, and the race against a rival men's team looks set to be abandoned. When it emerges that she was strangled after the accident, Phryne decides to get behind the wheel of the investigation into the woman's death.
Episode 8: The Blood of Juana the Mad
Medical students assembled for an anatomy lecture are shocked to find the cadaver they expected is actually the fresh corpse of one of their professors. The mystery deepens after a valuable 16th-century manuscript belonging to the professor vanishes. Now estranged, Phryne and Jack step around each other as they try to diagnose the case.
Episode 9: Framed for Murder
The on-set death of the leading man jeopardizes the future of The Bride of Babylon, an Australian silent movie trying to fend off competition from Hollywood. As an investor in the film, Phryne is called in to investigate. When the director is also killed, Phryne decides to direct the proceedings herself.
Disc 3
Episode 10: Death on the Vine
A vineyard owner hires Phryne to look into a suspicious death, but by the time she gets to the remote town, he's dead, too. The locals are hostile to her inquiries, especially the town's police sergeant, and Phryne calls a certain detective inspector from Melbourne for help.
Episode 11: Dead Air
A bookkeeper and budding announcer at a city radio station is found choked to death, the latest in a succession of incidents threatening to put new stations out of business. In a reversal of roles, by the time Phryne is brought in to investigate, Jack has already established himself as an undercover newsreader.
Episode 12: Unnatural Habits
When the body of a drowned and bound young woman is traced to a nuns' home for "wayward girls," the new chief commissioner-stressing the need for diplomacy in dealing with the church-takes Jack off the case. It's left to Phryne to expose the goings-on behind the convent walls.
Episode 13: Murder under the Mistletoe
Phryne and company head to a chalet to celebrate "Christmas in July," but when they get there they find one of the residents dead, electrocuted while hanging festive lights. Two other deaths quickly follow, though not before Jack and Constable Collins arrive on the scene and Phryne begins to figure out which of the chalet's residents might be the next victim.
- Series 2 promos
- Behind-the-scenes clips
- Season's Greetings
- Photo gallery
Details
Packaging: Boxed set
Run Time: 727 minutes, plus bonus programming
Format: Widescreen
Number of Discs: 3
Language: English
Subtitles: No
Color or B&W: Color
CC: No
SDH: Yes
Region Code: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1080i/16:9
Rating: NR. Contains violence, sexual situations and nudity.
Press
"A blockbuster hit"--The Sydney Morning Herals
"Witty and elegant"--The Australian
"Stylish...blithe and snappy"--The Seattle Times
Disc 1
Episode 1: Murder Most Scandalous
Jack's ex-father-in-law- the deputy commissioner of police-is implicated in the murder of a prostitute, and Jack and Phryne combine their efforts to get to the bottom of the case. While Jack plays it by the book, Phryne goes undercover as a showgirl at a gentleman's club, where her fan dance starts to make the feathers fly.
Episode 2: Death Comes Knocking
A seance to contact a soldier killed in World War I leads to two murders in Melbourne a decade after the war's end. Despite the claims of the spiritualist conducting the seance, Phryne prefers to rely on the memories of three army veterans to find out what really happened on the battlefield in France.
Episode 3: Dead Man's Chest
Phryne begins by looking into a burglary at the home of an establishment family fallen on hard times-but ends up investigating three murders. Although a local ring of smugglers seems implicated in the crimes, Phryne finds the family has more than a few secrets that it's desperate to keep hidden.
Episode 4: Deadweight
The police try to channel an outbreak of gang warfare into the boxing ring, but when someone stabs a gang member to death, Phryne and Jack get embroiled in the dangerous world of fight-rigging and illegal betting. Constable Collins goes a step further, pulling on a pair of gloves and stepping into the ring himself.
Episode 5: Murder a la Mode
Phryne goes for a fitting at an exclusive fashion salon and finds that another customer has been killed with her own hairpin. It's the latest in a series of disasters for the salon, but Phryne finds that while haute couture is facing hard times, another profit-making enterprise is on the rise.
Disc 2
Episode 6: Marked for Murder
The captain of a local football team is found hanged before a game against the crosstown rivals, who appear to be the likely suspects. However, Phryne and Jack find evidence that the man may have killed himself and have to figure out why someone might want to make a suicide look like a murder.
Episode 7: Blood at the Wheel
A pioneering female racing driver dies after her car is tampered with, and the race against a rival men's team looks set to be abandoned. When it emerges that she was strangled after the accident, Phryne decides to get behind the wheel of the investigation into the woman's death.
Episode 8: The Blood of Juana the Mad
Medical students assembled for an anatomy lecture are shocked to find the cadaver they expected is actually the fresh corpse of one of their professors. The mystery deepens after a valuable 16th-century manuscript belonging to the professor vanishes. Now estranged, Phryne and Jack step around each other as they try to diagnose the case.
Episode 9: Framed for Murder
The on-set death of the leading man jeopardizes the future of The Bride of Babylon, an Australian silent movie trying to fend off competition from Hollywood. As an investor in the film, Phryne is called in to investigate. When the director is also killed, Phryne decides to direct the proceedings herself.
Disc 3
Episode 10: Death on the Vine
A vineyard owner hires Phryne to look into a suspicious death, but by the time she gets to the remote town, he's dead, too. The locals are hostile to her inquiries, especially the town's police sergeant, and Phryne calls a certain detective inspector from Melbourne for help.
Episode 11: Dead Air
A bookkeeper and budding announcer at a city radio station is found choked to death, the latest in a succession of incidents threatening to put new stations out of business. In a reversal of roles, by the time Phryne is brought in to investigate, Jack has already established himself as an undercover newsreader.
Episode 12: Unnatural Habits
When the body of a drowned and bound young woman is traced to a nuns' home for "wayward girls," the new chief commissioner-stressing the need for diplomacy in dealing with the church-takes Jack off the case. It's left to Phryne to expose the goings-on behind the convent walls.
Episode 13: Murder under the Mistletoe
Phryne and company head to a chalet to celebrate "Christmas in July," but when they get there they find one of the residents dead, electrocuted while hanging festive lights. Two other deaths quickly follow, though not before Jack and Constable Collins arrive on the scene and Phryne begins to figure out which of the chalet's residents might be the next victim.