Elizabeth "Mac" MacMillan is a recurring character of both books and TV series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. She's portrayed by the Australian actress Tammy MacIntosh.
Biography[]
Background[]
Mac is Phryne's best friend, confidant and mentor. Phryne simply calls her Mac. She is a doctor at the local women's hospital and later in Series 3 of the show she is a pathologist. Mac ignores convention and wears men's suits with a flair. She is very smart yet stubborn. Mac and Phryne have a strong mutual respect. Mac is a lesbian, and more than once it is pointed out that in the past has felt more than friendship towards Phryne.
Assisting Miss Fisher[]
Season 1[]
In "Cocaine Blues," it is shown that Dr. Mac works at the Women's Hospital.
In "Death By Miss Adventure," it is revealed that Mac was in a relationship with a woman named Daisy Murphy (Mac first says her name is Daisy Miller but she is referred to as Daisy Murphy for the rest of the episode). Mac goes to Phryne for help after Daisy is killed. Their relationship was a secret as Daisy's mother approached Mac at her funeral and thanked her being "such a good doctor" to Daisy.
Season 2[]
In "The Blood of Juana the Mad," Dr. Mac is a lecturer/professor at the fictional Jude's College. She is giving her senior students an anatomy lecture when she discovers what she had believed to be the dead body of a young woman turned out to be the dead body of Professor Katz. She brings in Phryne and Jack to investigate.
In "Murder Under the Mistletoe," Mac is shown to be a skilled skier.
Quotes[]
Mac: while poking at a brain These kinds of injuries are caused by repeated blows to the head.
Phryne: Boxer rather than street fighter?
Mac: Mmm. More likely it happened in the ring. And these types of injuries to the brain do not happen overnight.
Jack: So Big Arthur lied when he said he didn't know him.
pensive pause
Mac: So shall I just put this brain back where I found it?[1]
Professor Bradbury: escorting medical students into Mac's lab The next generation of bright shiny new things? When are you going to make your contribution to the gene pool, Mac?
Mac: This is my contribution, Professor.[2]
Trivia[]
The television adaptation is different from its literary counterpart. Mac is described in the novels with salt and pepper hair, robust and masculine, while in the TV series has red hair, physically attractive and feminine while wearing men's clothes. Mac in the TV series is also younger than her book counterpart, or at least shows a younger age compared to nearly fifty years from the books.