Still grieving over the death of her son, Aunt Prudence seeks the help of a psychiatrist. Before she realizes what's going on, her house is turned into a sanatorium for "hysterical" women. When one of the women is found dead, Aunt Pru calls Phryne for help. Not only must Phryne find the killer, but she also needs to determine what exactly killed the poor woman.
This is starting to get redundant. There are only so many ways I can find to praise this series. Death and Hysteria continues the long run of fantastic Season 3 episodes. This one has everything I've come to expect - great period detail, fine acting, nice looking locations, and a wonderfully entertaining, well-written mystery with a satisfactory conclusion. But this one has a bit more comedy than some of the other episodes. I'll tip-toe around it similar to the way Phryne did and describe the murder weapon as a device used by women for self-gratification. Add to that a patient who insists on regularly taking off her clothes regardless of the situation and Jack's bumbling temporary constable and you've got some funny stuff. In the end, however, the comedy is dropped and the characters come together, led by Bert of all people, to help Aunt Pru in her time of need. Very touching.
I've watched enough television, movies, and sporting events from Australia over the years that the accent doesn't bother me. But in Death and Hysteria, the characters use a word that I would not have understood had they not literally spelled it out - P A T E N T. With the long A, it sounds completely different. This has absolutely no bearing on the episode - just thought it was interesting.
