Here are some graphs that I made about the number of times Jack and Phryne call each other, and how. Notes about how it was collected below!
On the left, we have the total number of times Jack calls Phryne:
“(Miss) Phryne Fisher” (3 times)
“Miss Fisher” (156 times)
On the right, we have the total number of times Phryne calls Jack:
“Detective Inspector Jack Robinson” (13 times)
“Inspector (Jack) (Robinson)“ (84 times)
“Jack Robinson” (5 times)
In the graph, we can see quite clearly who calls each other more and what are they preferred words when referencing each other.
When analyzing the data by season, we can see how Phryne starts to use “Jack” more and more through the seasons and uses less of formal terms, especially in season 3. Jack, on the other hand, remains mostly constant, and even calls her “Phryne” less in season 2 and 3 (Although I think this will change when I add the movie to this graph haha).
Notes on the graph by season: This graph actually shows the average number of times they call each other per episode, as it would be difficult to compare it fairly otherwise since season 3 has fewer episodes.
Here we can see the data by every episode in the series. It’s interesting to note how much it varies through episodes, and I don’t think it’s directly correlated to the amount of screen time they share in each (I collected this data as well, of course, but I am still thinking of how to show it properly). It also doesn’t seem to be much correlation between the number of times each calls another in the same episode, especially in later seasons. Now let’s separate this graph by season so we can see it a little better!
Episode 1 and 2 are one of the few episodes Phryne doesn’t say “Jack”, apart from the final moment on episode 2 where he asks her to call him so. She immediately starts using it quite often, but Jack holds on to saying “Phryne” only in very specific moments. Although most episodes have Phryne calling him more, S1E7 (Murder in Montparnasse) and S1E10 (Death by Miss Adventure) have the opposite pattern, even having Jack call her “Phryne” twice.
As consequence of what happens in S2E7 (Blood at the Wheel), we can see how in the next episode Phryne shifts back and starts calling him “inspector” again. S2E12 (Unnatural Habits) is the episode Phryne calls him “Jack” the most (15 times) and the episode Jack calls her “Miss Fisher” the most (11 times), probably since they are indeed keeping very close company these days ;)
Season 3 shows a more constant number of “calls” per episode, although there are still some (I’m looking at you, Death & Hysteria) where Phryne and Jack hardly call each other.
I hope you found this interesting/useful! I added below the graphs for Phryne and Jack separately in case anyone finds them easier to understand (:
Notes: I counted every time one mentioned the other, be it talking to them or referring them to someone else. Most formal entries, such as when Phryne says “Detective Inspector ... “ or Jack says “Miss Phryne Fisher” occur when they are referring to each other to other people.
Every word in parenthesis on the legend indicates that it was optional when I counted that category. For example, I counted on the same category if Jack says “Miss Phryne Fisher” or “Phryne Fisher”.
