Dead Letters, S9E2

S9E2, "Dead Letters," was a rather drab episode, but passes the good enough mark. Aside from a few interesting bits, it's a low brow, sleezy character carnival, which I don't usually enjoy. But we've got the handsome faces and commanding voices of Tom Barnaby and Ben Jones to keep us viewing! Joyce makes a brief appearance, but even she seems a bit bothered by the whole dog and pony show.

The only character that lightened up the place with her sweetness was April Gooding, artfully acted by Sophie Thompson. And the well-known characters of Iris and Dennis Rainbird (S1E1 Badger's Drift) are seemingly resurrected (until we find out they're merely just identical relatives of the deceased--confusing? Of course, not. Convenient? Definitely!). Still, the late great Elizabeth Spriggs and the top man Richard Cant convincingly portray them in their familiar haughty and creepy styles. The ending bit when the culprit is captured was one for the books--a parade and a kangaroo costume both? Stupendous! The murders were violent, yet not overly gruesome. There's scenes of skimpy dress spanking (did I just type that?) and cringeworthy bits about a promiscuous village doctor (who is quite the ladies' man-- though inexplicably!), dirty cheating spouses, and gross suggestions of underage girls being raped. Ugh, I change my mind--this episode is not good enough at all. It's just bad. Just scroll this post to get the feel for the episode. We have the good and then the bad including the gross and the fun, take a stroll to see it all! 

Well, there's always this handsome devil:

And some lovely exterior scenery to boot:

And interiors:

Gross bits:

And at last, the fun:

Be sure to check out my INSTAGRAM account @omae.zing for funny Midsomer memes!

Until next time! 

The House in the Woods, S9E1

Now this is what Midsomer Murders is all about!  Season 9's first episode, The House in the Woods, is a fantastic episode-- creepy yet delightful, a good mystery too. Not only that, but it's very special! It's when we meet BEN JONES. Jones, Jones, Jones, everyone! After Troy, he's Tom's best sidekick. In fact, Tom is impressed with him from the get-go! He's smart, he's polite, he's Jones! Jason Hughes is perfectly cast here, making he and John Nettles a classic dynamic acting duo.

First Glimpse of Jones !

The Start of a Dynamic Duo

Tom really really really likes Ben Jones!

Impressive!

Yay!!!

Where is Scott, you ask? He's called in sick and we never hear from him again!

Scott, who?

Joyce is here volunteering her time at the Midsomer Museum, making her way all around town to document and discover its historical sites. Haunted houses, ghostly screaming, and a few twists to keep you on the edge of your seat (whether its to figure out the case or to stare into Tom's blue eyes--it's your call).

One of the top 5 episodes of the series, I just loved it. There is a cringe worth scene between a couple getting frisky in a car, but it is is brief, and only her thigh is shown. But it's fine to fast forward once you get the gist of their relationship. A couple of murders shown, not bloody, just disturbing, avert thine eyes as usual!

Loads of beautiful building exteriors and scenery in this one. Scroll to Stroll, and enjoy!

EXTERIORS:

INTERIORS:

EXTRA BITS:

Tom in the Driver's Seat

Say WHAAAAAT?