Villainess Review: Miranda Hurst (Motive)

A show that I really enjoyed binge-watching was the Canadian crime drama, Motive, which was a rarity in the world of procedural crime dramas, as it was shown in the "howcatchem" format. As you know, the howcatchem, or "whydunit," is the opposite of the standard whodunit; in a whodunit, the viewer (or reader when it comes to literature) has to figure out the identity of the killer along with the characters involved, and that person isn't revealed until the end. In a howcatchem, however, the killer is shown committing the murder in an early scene, with that person's identity already exposed, and the viewer/reader follows the protagonist's pursuit of said killer.

An episode of Motive often began with the killer and victim revealed, but even then, some things aren't revealed until later. This was definitely the case with "The Scorpion and the Frog," from the series' fourth and final season, and in the episode, the killer is quickly introduced as Henry Price, a psychiatrist. His victim is Dawn Richards, a roller derby player, and she is found with a necklace stuffed down her throat. The method is recognized by detective Paula Mazur, as she arrested a woman named Miranda Hurst for using that same act of symbolism after killing her roommate, Brita Morris. The arrest took place three years prior, though back then, Miranda voiced her innocence in the crime.

Sure enough, Paula visited Miranda in prison, where Miranda again voiced her innocence and claimed that a male assailant who forced her to watch. A prime suspect in Dawn's murder was Peter Carver, who was Price's patient, due to the fact that Peter had an obsession with Dawn. Peter ended up actually confessing to the murder, and it was a day later that Miranda was actually released on bail, due to her lawyers demanding a new trial. Paula and fellow detective Angie Flynn sensed something was up, so they looked into Price, and sure enough, they learned that he perform his duties as a psychiatrist at the same prison where Miranda was locked up.

It all came together; Miranda bonded with Price, who had feelings for her, and voiced her innocence in Brita's murder, leading Price to commit a copycat murder to create doubt and clear Miranda. Price murdered Dawn and then drugged Peter into confessing, and while Angie and Paula were putting two and two together, Price arrived at a cabin and met Miranda, with the pair celebrating the success of their plan and were about to drink wine together. At that moment, however, Miranda suddenly jammed the bottle opener into Price's throat, and gave an evil smile as she looked down at Price and unleashed her necklace! The necklace revealed the truth: Miranda really did kill Brita, and she used Price's affections to manipulate him into committing a copycat murder to get her released, with Price now seen as a loose end that she just tied up. Once the detectives arrived, Miranda attempted to claim that Price attempted to attack her, but Paula wasn't buying it; she handcuffed and arrested the malevolent madwoman.

"The Scorpion and the Frog" aired on April 19, 2016 and was the fifth episode of Motive's fourth and final season. First off, I love the title, because it's named after a fable that I'm immensely fascinated with. We all know it: a frog, looking to cross a stream, encounters a scorpion who offers to help. The frog refuses, fearing that the scorpion would sting him, only for the scorpion to state that he would not do so, as he would endanger both of their lives if he did. The frog accepts the scorpion's help, but as they reached the midpoint, the scorpion stung the frog. When the frog asked why the scorpion stung him, the scorpion's response: "I'm a scorpion. It's in my nature." The fable is a lesson in human nature, and it definitely applied to Miranda Hurst, who was played by Stephanie Bennett.

Out of all of the villainesses I've seen on the series, Miranda Hurst is my all-time favorite. She started out as this woman who claimed to be innocent, but the climax sees Miranda remove the proverbial mask and reveal her true personality as a psychopath. Miranda was insane, manipulative, and bloodthirsty, and in all regards, Stephanie Bennett played Miranda's evil traits wonderfully--it was a truly amazing performance. Just months later, Bennett played another villainess, Charity Julius, in The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery, and fans of the Descendants films (and I'm among them) recognize Bennett as Snow White.

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Click here for Miranda Hurst's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!