Everything Miss Fisher, The Foxy Lady Detective

Mr. Butler: "Have you ever known Miss Fisher to do anything she didn't want to do?" | #foxypedia

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (299)

If I recall correctly, Bert and Cec always appeared as a pair in the books and on screen. There were very few scenes featuring them separately. Therefore, it’s fitting that they showed up as the VIPs at Miss Fisher Con together 10 years ago and will again this year. In the interview last time, they shared how they met on set and became instant good friends and recounted funny behind-the-scenes stories during the filming of the show. I can’t wait to see them again next week!

To learn more about this year’s Miss Fisher Con (July 22-24, 2026, Las Vegas) and all the fun we had the last 10 years in various regions of the U.S., visit MissFisherCon.com

(Posted 18-Jul-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (298)

One of Phryne’s superpowers is safecracking. She calls it “a shady trick” taught by her father. As for why and how Henry Fisher acquired such skills, it is anyone’s guess. Anyhow, according to Wikipedia, the first known safe dates back to the 13th century BC found in the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Over the centuries, the material used and mechanism applied continues to evolve and improve, but there has yet a known uncrackable safe. It’s just a matter of how long it would take to breach the barrier.

Some of us may own a safe, but very few have the need to actually crack one. Still, it’s fascinating to watch a real-life professional lockpicker demonstrate techniques for cracking locks and safes – a session first presented at Miss Fisher Con in 2018 (Portland, Oregon) and an encore this year (July 22-24, 2026, Las Vegas). How you chose to apply the knowledge acquired is entirely up to you. Visit MissFisherCon.com for more details.  

(Posted 11-Jul-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (297)

When asked about Phryne Fisher, Kerry Greenwood said that she wanted a glamorous, powerful, and unapologetic female action hero who never needed rescuing. Not all of us readers/viewers are born adventuresses (or adventurers) like Phryne, but we are inspired to be more like her when facing adversities in life. And that is the legacy of Kerry Greenwood through 23 books, 34 TV episodes, and 1 movie installment.

In loving memory of Phryne’s creator, there will be a session dedicated to “The Life, Legacy, and Literary Works of Kerry Greenwood” at this year’s Miss Fisher Con (July 22-24, 2026, Las Vegas) with “A discussion of the Miss Fisher fandom and how it emerged and evolved, augmented by some colorful and delightful anecdotes from a pre-recorded interview with Kerry’s life partner, David”. Visit MissFisherCon.com for more details about this session and the con in general.

(Posted 04-Jul-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (296)

Since the show was titled Murder Mysteries, naturally someone (and usually more than one) was murdered in every episode. I posted a series called “Miss Fisher Murders and Murderers” back in 2016 where I tallied the body count and methods of murders in each installment. Aside from the mine explosion set off by Nicholas Mortimer in S2E13 Murder Under the Mistletoe that killed over 20 miners, poison was the most commonly used weapon in the three seasons claiming many lives, including the very first victim, John Andrews, in S1E1 Cocaine Blues.

Before Inspector Robinson confirmed that Andrews was killed by rat poison found in the sugar bowl for his morning tea, the house staff apparently had already buzzed with gossip. I guess it was hard not to draw the conclusion of foul play from the appearance of “purple in the face” whether Aunt P prying or not. According to an article on NIH website (National Institute of Health in the US), the symptoms could appear as quickly as 30 minutes following exposure to the toxicity, and I assumed even faster if it was ingested directly as in John Andrews’s case.

Good news for us murder mystery fans who were born with inquiring mind like Doctor Mac (but hopefully wouldn’t get us into trouble, not too often anyway), we were to satisfy our curiosity by learning more about “The Lively Science of Death by Poison” at this year’s Miss Fisher Con, taking place July 22-24, 2026, in Las Vegas. Visit MissFisherCon.com to find out more about the content of this session plus other entertaining and educational sessions hosted by our talented fellow fans.

(Posted 27-Jun-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (295)

We all love the iconic MFMM opening theme music by Greg J. Walker. The jazzy, 1920s-style tune is catchy, upbeat, and “perfectly captures the show’s joyful, liberated, and adventurous spirit” (according to Google AI Overview). Walker also composed the fantastic soundtrack of the movie, Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears, which regrettably does not include “Nothing but Diamonds” featured in the official trailer.

Co-written by Abraham Dertner, Sarah Louis McIntosh, and Izzy Warner, the separately released single has the “cinematic vibe” coupled with “empowering message” (using the diamond metaphor to represent inner strength, enduring pressure, and emerging brilliant and unbreakable). The powerful vocal delivery complements the lyrics perfectly while the mysterious identity of the performer deepens the intrigue. My research renders that it’s sung by an electronic/pop artist who simply goes by the name ATO. Whoever you are, thanks for introducing Miss Fisher to the big screen and wider audience.

(Posted 06-Jun-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (294)

Dot’s heartfelt parting words are essentially our love letter to Phryne. The “Dutch doll” look-alike lady detective with “pink cheeks, bright green eyes, shiny black hair cut in a cap” (as described by Kerry Greenwood in Book 11, Away with the Fairies) is sassy, witty, fearless, resilient, adventurous, passionate, compassionate, and so much more. We adore her and strive to think, act, and even dress like her. We make and/or read posts online inspired by her and attend annual conventions to celebrate her (Miss Fisher Con). If you haven’t done so, check out MissFisherCon.com to find out how to join the Adventuresses’ Club and be part of this warm and welcoming fandom for everything Miss Fisher.

(Posted 30-May-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (293)

No doubt that the ruthless Fredrick Burn aimed to humiliate the police by calling Jack a ball boy, essentially playing a supporting role for Miss Fisher the lady detective. Of course, Jack was not goaded by such ridiculous nonsense, and nor was he rattled one bit when the Commissioner forbade him to solve cases with a civilian. He cleverly deputized the said civilian a special constable of the Victoria Police Force – problem solved.

In my opinion, Burn’s description actually had an iota of merit. According to Google AI, the key skills for a ball boy included agility, speed, and precision in handling balls to maintain the flow of play – in Jack’s case, handling the unpredictable volleys served by Phryne during their joint investigations. These two were indeed a match made in heaven.

(Posted 23-May-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (292)

The Penny Dreadfuls Showdown: Flower Maiden Marie from S1E9 Queen of the Flowers vs. Constable Neville Martin from S3E6 Death at the Grand. Someone ought to introduce these two romantics. I think they would make a fine couple with their shared fanciful mind and appreciation of sentimentality.

(Posted 16-May-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (291)

Phryne makes parenting seem effortless, and Jane is delightfully astute, so it all works out at the end that no one gets kicked out of school. (Although those two mean girls should have been, at least getting suspended along with Jane). Real life scenarios, though, tend to be messier. On Mother’s Day, I take my hat off to all mothers and guardians who do their best to love, care, and guide their children/wards – without the TV scripts to help them maneuver complications.

(Posted 10-May-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (290)

The sex education of Dorothy Williams. The “Eew” at the end was adorable. Wonder if she ever shared this newly acquired knowledge with Hugh when he finally came back from the fishing trip.

(Posted 02-May-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Come join Bert and Cec (Travis McMahon, Anthony Sharpe) and fellow Adventuresses/Adventurers at Miss Fisher Con 2026 in Las Vegas, July 22-24. There will be lots of fabulous fashion, sensational sessions by various guest speakers, and of course, the singing and the dancing and the mad parties. (Shandies optional) Visit MissFisherCon.com for details and to register now. Everyone is welcomed!

(Posted 18-Apr-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (289)

As a policeman, Jack probably didn’t often have the luxury of heading to bed at nine with a glass of hot milk and a good book. When he did, though, Zane Grey seemed to be a fitting choice with themes like adventures in the wilderness, moral heroism, code of chivalry, etc. Although published in the United States as early as 1903, there’s no clear record when his books first became available in Australia, but according to Google AI they were extremely popular Down Under during the 1920s.

In contrast, DH Lawrence’s most famous book “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” was banned in Australia from 1928 until 1965. Of course, it didn’t stop Phryne from reading it in public, like on the Ballarat Train on her way to pick up the Hispano Suiza. Jack was not wrong about her choice of reading material, but it didn’t paint a full picture. Apart from DH Lawrence and “Erotica of the Far East” (as shown to Hugh in S1E6 Ruddy Gore), she was rather widely read. As described by Miss Kerry Greenwood in the book series, Phryne often borrowed books from the library to study the subject matter related to the cases she worked on. For example, in Book 4 Death at Victoria Dock, she read about Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and the Revolution for hours to brush up on her knowledge of the historical background and current affairs. Also, whenever Jack quoted Shakespeare, she was able to get the reference without missing a beat. Brain and beauty, that’s our Phryne.

(Posted 11-Apr-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (288)

In contrast to Dot’s innocence, Phryne obviously was well aware of this dangerous criminal organization. As for whether, how, or when she had encountered the Camorra, my research rendered somewhat murky results.

According to Google AI, the Camorra and associated Italian organized crime, often referred to as the “Black Hand”, gained a presence in Australia during the 1920s, but they operated mainly in Sydney and North Queensland. The mafia that Jack and the Melbourne police had to deal with was a different group called “The Honoured Society” (also founded around 1920s) with Italian roots in Calabria vs. Naples for the Camorra. Gangs were territorial, so they probably didn’t intermingle much. Still, they were often loosely grouped together in early Australian reports.

The young Phryne had left for England at the beginning of the Great War (Note: She drove ambulance during the war and was involved in some secret “low-key” mission with Group Captain Lyle Compton in Madagascar), which was slightly before either criminal entity had fully established their power in Australia, so it was unlikely that she had first-hand experience dealing with them then. My assumption was that since opening the Lady Detective Agency, she had acquainted herself with the city’s underbelly via newspapers and information supplied by Bert and Cec. However, she must not have taken on any cases directly related to the “Camorra” until now (S3E3 Murder and Mozzarella); otherwise, Dot would have been exposed to it – at least have heard of the word.

As an aside, other than referring to the notorious Mafia group, the term “camorra” in Italian can also signify a “racket” (an illegal, dishonest scam) or a mentality of arrogance, appropriate descriptions for Papa Antonio the padrino and Roberto Salvatore the two-faced snake.

(Posted 04-Apr-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (287)

It was rather sweet when Cec revealed that his best mate had a crush on a woman named Tatiana who worked in the cloak room at a Communist Club where the two Read Raggers visited. Bert was obviously smitten even though he tried to downplay it by claiming that “She hemmed me trousers, that’s all”. Later when Tatiana said that she must quit her job to become a new person with a new name because she knew too many secrets of the club leader, specifically his plan of treason, Bert proposed marriage to her without any hesitation.

Thankfully, the proposal was interrupted before she could respond as it turned out that she had not been truthful about her identity and her past. I wonder what hurt Bert more, the fact that she was a White Russian whose father was a General serving as an advisor to the White Army against his communist comrades, or the realization that she didn’t reciprocate his love? In Bert she found shelter of safety, for which she believed that she would “come to love” the provider in exchange. I am glad Bert didn’t settle for that.

(Posted 28-Mar-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (286)

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day* with a post featuring the feisty Father O’Leary. In S3E8 Death Do Us Part, he crashed the Wren Science Prize party, yelling “Poppycock!” among the scientists who believed that science triumphed over God and later knocking Quentin Tode down for claiming “There is no God”. Dot was scandalized by such violence and having doubts about being married by him. While Hugh promised that he would “sort it all out”, Phryne tried to lighten Dot’s mood by jokingly attributing the incident to the Father’s “Irishness”.

According to Wikipedia, the common stereotypes of Irish people included hot-tempered and eager for physical confrontation. Father O’Leary checked both boxes here. Thank goodness that he was also open-minded enough to accept Hugh’s “spiritual counsel” later and reach his own conclusion of “God invented the miracle of science”. Needless to say, his earlier outburst of “Pismires and spiders be in your marriage bed” was withdrawn, and the young couple could now sleep comfortably.

********************

*St. Patrick’s Day is a religious and cultural holiday held on March 17, the death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the island in the 5th century after being enslaved there as a youth. It was originally a solemn observance with church services but later evolved into a cultural celebration of Irish heritage with parades, music, food, drinks, and green attire. Legend has it that St. Patrick used the shamrock (a three-leafed clover) to explain the Holy Trinity, so it is widely recognized as a symbol of Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day.

(Posted 17-Mar-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (285)

Jack’s sulky remark wasn’t out of nowhere. In Book 2 Flying Too High Chapter One, Miss Kerry Greenwood spent pages describing how Phryne performed the wing walking stunt on a Gypsy Moth. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to witness it on screen, likely due to budgetary and safety concerns. I debated where to include the excerpts here but eventually decided against it as it wouldn’t do the story justice. Go read it and experience the thrill yourself.

In the spirit of Women’s History Month, I did a bit of research inspired by Phryne’s daring-do. While I couldn’t find anything about the first female Australian wing walker, I did learn that Lillian Boyer was one of the first American women who performed numerous aerial stunts that included wing walking, automobile-to-airplane transfers, and parachute jumps between 1921 and 1929 (see Wikipedia), merely three years after the earliest recorded instance of a public wing-walking by an American man named Ormer Locklear in November 1918.

(Posted 14-Mar-2026)

[foxspirit1928]

Miss Fisher Snippets (284)

It was no secret that Dot was not enthusiastic about Phryne’s driving, but to be fair, very few was. Judging by her next sentence – “But all it really gives me is a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach” – she likely never took the lesson. Jane was too young when she went to the continent to further her education, but I wonder she was brave enough to have Phryne as her driving teacher when she reached the driving age.

Anyhow, women obviously were legally allowed to drive in Australia by 1928, but did you know that the first woman in Australia to drive a motor car was Mrs. Florence Thomson, wife of a dentist in Adelaide? According to a newspaper clip from August 17, 1929, Mrs. Thomson said that she taught herself to drive in 1902 because there was no one to teach her. She would jack up the car in the motor shed and wrestle with its mechanism. After gradually gaining confidence, she took the car out into the streets on Sundays when there was not much traffic. In 1904, she drove from Adelaide to Melbourne, a trip about 8 hours in modern days but taking her nearly a week to complete as the average mileage was 86 (miles?) a DAY! Later that year she became the first woman to drive from Adelaide to Sydney. Then she finished sixth in a Dunlop reliability road race from Sydney to Melbourne as the only women contestant with about 30 men.

On International Women’s Day, we solute Mrs. Thomson for being a pioneer. To quote Phryne from S2E07 Blood at the Wheel, “Lady drivers of the free world thank you”!

(Posted 08-Mar-2026)