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Recap / Murdoch Mysteries S 2 E 3 Dinosaur Fever

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The dead body of a young paleontologist is found in the jaws of a reconstructed dinosaur.


Tropes:

  • Blackmail Backfire: The episode's blackmailer survives, but faces accessory to murder charges for covering up the crime.
  • Imagine Spot: Murdoch has a nice one at the end of the episode. He fantasises about his son and wife who both share his passion for science, in this case palaeontology.
  • Science Marches On: An out-of-universe example leads to a quite noticeable error in the episode: One of the prominent settings is the gallery of the museum, which features a mounted skeleton of an Albertosaurus (the Victim of the Week is found in its jaws). The skeleton is quite clearly mounted according to the modern interpretation of dinosaur posture — body held parallel to the ground, with the tail extended out behind to balance the head. However in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, paleontologists believed that two-legged dinosaurs walked upright, with their tails dragging along the ground.
    • Another scene has sketches of a Triceratops and Stegosaurus in the background. Much like the above example, they are depicted with the modern interpretation of dinosaur posture, moving the front legs directly under the body. By contrast, during the time the episode is set, it was believed the forelimbs splayed out out to the sides much like a modern lizard.
  • Technician vs. Performer: Blake and Sutton, the feuding paleontologists. Blake is a flashy showman with a large staff but has little talent (he's a geologist by training and found his first dinosaur by accident). Sutton is irritable, a poor speaker, and underfunded, but has more skill.

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