Ep 9. Belly Speaker

Belly Speaker is the ninth episode of Murdoch Mysteries season one, which premiered on February 22, 2008.

The episode begins with a horrific incident at a vaudeville theater, where a ventriloquist performs an act with his dummy. In the middle of their act, the dummy's head explodes, killing the ventriloquist in front of a horrified audience. Detective William Murdoch is called in to investigate the strange and mysterious death of the ventriloquist.

As Murdoch begins his investigation, he discovers a number of strange and unusual things about the ventriloquist and his dummy. The ventriloquist, named Samuel Clemens, was known for being a difficult and temperamental man, and had a reputation for being difficult to work with. Furthermore, the dummy, named Grenadier, seemed to have a personality of its own, which was both creepy and unsettling.

As Murdoch delves deeper into the case, he discovers that Grenadier was not just any ordinary dummy - it was a highly-advanced automaton, operated by a series of hidden gears and levers. Through his investigation, Murdoch discovers that someone had tampered with Grenadier's mechanics, causing it to malfunction and ultimately leading to the death of its owner.

Murdoch's investigation leads him to a number of suspects, including Clemens' assistant, the theater owner, and even a rival ventriloquist. As he gets closer to the truth, the case takes a dangerous turn, and Murdoch finds himself in a perilous situation that could claim his own life.

Overall, Belly Speaker is a tense and gripping episode of Murdoch Mysteries, with a number of unexpected twists and turns. The episode features excellent performances from the cast, particularly Yannick Bisson as Detective Murdoch, and the writing is smart, nuanced, and well-paced. Fans of the series are sure to enjoy the mystery and intrigue of this thrilling episode.