“Murdoch Mysteries” marked the rare occasion where a mystery solved was a double tragedy for viewers.
The surprise reveal on Wednesday’s episode of the Canadian mystery drama was that Julia Ogden’s character, police officer Julia Martin, has been keeping a secret that husband Owen has been using to punish her.
The reveal seemed set to ruin Owen’s desire to build a case against wily city planner “Mr. Yunji” Yamada, who has been racking up huge fines for building illegally atop a hill in Victoria.
Julia was trying to unravel a murder case when Owen beat her up.
The episode was originally titled “Owen’s Bulge,” in keeping with the name of Murdoch’s private investigator but was later changed to avoid misleading viewers, according to Variety.
Bryan Horst, who plays Wyatt Bennet, said the name was changed to avoid confusing the audience, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The episode ended with Owen telling Julia he knows about their deceit.
Viewers were relieved to have caught up on the entire series after this revelation, but said they hadn’t realized what was going on with Julia, who has become increasingly frustrated with her boss.
“I thought Julia was so nice and someone you could see yourself with, but she’s just a mean guy, that she’s trying to break the news to Owen that she is romantically involved with another officer,” one viewer wrote on Twitter.
Owen also has a history of undermining Julia and treating her with abuse.
“She’s such a scene-stealer, and it turns out she has a secret of her own. Super exciting!” another viewer posted.
The episode ended with Julia, with her wedding ring still on, coming to the realization that Owen had been damaging their marriage and told him she was divorcing him.
“Everyone is better off without him,” Julia said.
The Canadian series has been on since 1991 and has aired a total of 20 seasons.
Last month, it added another big name to its guest stars. Canadian actress Kelly Hu joined the cast as Yan Shouwu, a graduate student with learning disabilities who is recruited to be Julia’s patient and confidante, according to Deadline.
Hu currently stars on the CBS drama “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.”