S17E4, A Vintage Murder

S17E4, A Vintage Murder: We're here at a festival of sorts, at a beautiful vineyard, full of...vines....and vino. And well now, wait--bodies are dropping like drunken flies--is Joyce Barnaby at this event?! Ah, no such luck, but still, these folks are the very unlucky type of Midsomer residents (haha, as if it's only a FEW unfortunate souls in this county). Familiar, well-acted supporting cast here--this episode's atmosphere is also familiar, so we're off to a good start! Bad neighbors, fueds, sabotage, revenge, grief, and the serious theme of driving while intoxicated promise a full plot on the plate. Still, these appetizers are tasting a bit stale as the main course--a murder, any murder, has yet to be served. Tick tock... Hmm ...Well, Kate and Charlie, our favorite BFFs are having a fun night together at least. These two--their relationship is nice to watch here-- because instead of them constantly just trashing each other as per usual, they do so here with a sibling smile and take-away dinner in front of the telly. And the joke Charlie makes, "That's Ok, I've seen worse," regarding a victim's messy room, a subtle diss to Kate-- It's cute! What's not cute? The first murder victim, but now the bottle is spinning and the mystery begins. So as we all know, nothing pairs better than a glass of white wine than a bunch of red herrings, and we're loaded! Wait, what's this? Our Charlie is finally getting some romantic action (not from sisterly Kate, mind you!)? This episode has everything! Everything including ab update for the Barnaby family as we visit with Sarah in a suit and Betty's new caretaker, aww, another hint at next season's changes? Oh, and "ballet dancers and male egos," best line ever! If you're going to miss any Midsomer episode--do not miss this one! It's velvety smooth, softly balanced, and the perfect nightcap to an otherwise slightly slaggy season. Cheers!

 

S17E3, The Ballad of Midsomer County

 

S17E3, The Ballad of Midsomer County: The beautiful folk ballad of Midsomer County juxtaposed with the mundane Wheels on the Bus for Betty symbolizes Midsomer so well, ha! And that's why we love it: its broad spectrum of emotional... atmosphere... like... eggs and eels, you might say. Now, lets see here, I'm sure there were a few murders in this episode, but, I was more interested in the lovely exteriors and interiors once again. And some more character development is had by our regular cast: John is bored of baby life, Charlie is just a bore, and the gals put up with it all--run the show basically, ha! John makes a big mistake, but hey, at least he tried. And Charlie is no wild one, but at least he can take care of a baby quite fetchingly! And what a beautiful baby is our Betty. Her smiles in the last bit truly knocked out any memory of misguided ramshackle murder from my head. 

S17E2, Murder by Magic

 S17E2, Murder by Magic

So yeah you go watch a magician's act and you know how the guy does his tricks, but the magic is just mesmerizing and you suspend your disbelief about how ridiculous it is...yes, that's how I felt watching this episode of Midsomer Murders! The usual lovely distractions: beautiful church. nice man of God, bad man of God. creepy people acting Pagan in robes with torches and bloody sacrifices, oh, and the ever beautiful scenery! We don't know who done it--we don't care who done it--we're just here for the magic!

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S17E1, The Dagger Club

S17E1, The Dagger Club

It's a beautiful day to take a bicycle ride through the quaint village--but whatever you do, and wherever in Midsomer--do not open any mysterious packages. Or keep valuable manuscripts in your possession.. Or just live. What else is new? Oh, the new addition to the cast: Baby Betty is so adorable and sweet! But the crying, the dirty nappies, the sleep deprivation--not lovely.

Old Kate and old Charlie are still here in this first episode of Season 17. And the ever talented and bright Una Stubbs, may she rest in peace, lights up the episode. The scenery is just fantastic and it gets quite atmospheric towards the end with its dreary cool graveyard and foggy woods and suspenseful string music. Otherwise, there's no new tale to tell. This one's just eye candy!

S16E5: The Killings of Copenhagen.

S16E5: The Killings of Copenhagen.

To mark its 100th episode, Midsomer goes to... Denmark? Because...I don't know. Maybe to prank the fans like Ha! We've really changed the show now, even the language! (actually the show is very popular there). But no, thankfully--here we are...back to biscuits in Badger's Drift! Home sweet home. Beautiful buildings and scenery here. But you know how you feel when see the tin of cookies just to find out that inside is just your Mum's sewing kit? Yep, that's the feeling here in the beginning. Now Sarah's baby is finally due -- I wonder if John will miss the delivery-- don't you? Oh yes, we do. So, the intrigue does thicken up a bit with the characters who own the antique store-- they harken back to the early days of the show with their well acted quirkiness and familiar faces. Then suddenly we're in Denmark and its all Danish this and that just because a dude from the U.K. was found murdered here. Do they not see how pregnant Sarah is? Solve that murder via email, folks! So as usual we get the run around until we get to the actual identity and motives for the murders, but the lady detectives are not as charming as Nelson thinks, though, in fact, yes, Denmark is lovely. We have to wait until the last ten minutes to get to the familiar recipe of amusing absurdity and kooky closure that truly satisfies, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Now on to S17--let's see of the Barnaby's are still living the sweet life with their beautiful baby Betty! 

S16E4, The Flying Club

S16E4, The Flying Club: It's a bird, it's a plane--no, it's a dead man falling from the sky? That's a first for Midsomer (right?). If you enjoy stunt pilots and their airplanes, this one's for you; if not, then it's a snooze. You'll wish you were on vacation with Sarah. 

Now, viewers traveling Midsomer usually do take the highway to the danger zone, but this flight sat on the runway way too long, had way too many lay overs, little on board entertainment, and not a blip of needed turbulence--only to reveal a dull destination, a near crash landing, I almost ditched before the end.

Perhaps I'm being unruly here. There's the bit about Kate's parents, which is a decent enough detour, establishing a bit of historical background for the pathologist. Still,

June Whitfield was the only bright spot on an otherwise dreary trip to the landing. Oh, but, yes, watching Sykes get the first class treatment is one for the scrapbook. In the end, however, the plot's itinerary may have been exciting on paper, but the route taken was like a bad trip. But as this one departs, I'll keep my hopes high for the next.

S16E3, Wild Harvest

S16E3, Wild Harvest: Elegant opening scene unfurls into a chaotic dog eat dog environment. A creepy midnight woods murder and you've got yourself a bloody mystery full of mushrooms and scenic green fields. Akin to Sherlock's Baskerville's Hound, the intriguing theme sizzles out quickly. Sarah is on maternity leave while Sykes is off his usual nosh--I'll take this side on the plate, yes, Chef! Hmm...the plot rests as a bore until well, the boar! Nelson and Dr. Wilding are here, but there's actually nothing wild about that. Oh, I miss Jones. Still, the plot thickens up and gets quite saucy. So, the beginning is not appetizing, but I'd take another serving of this episode as all the ingredients combine. 3 out of 5 stars! And it seems I've developed an excellent palate for murder since I guessed the secret recipe with 20 minutes left to spare--which did indeed leave a good taste in my mouth. Oh, and the final reveal was the icing on the cake! Ah, but I'm sure you'll be a satisfied customer now that my fun puns have eaten up a lot of your time!

Watch it on my blog (link in bio) #midsomermurders #murder #mystery @officialmidsomer #british #acorntv #itv #neildudgeon #fionadolman @fiona_dolman #benjones #detective #detectivebarnaby @_jasonhughes #blog #writer #crime #justice #midsomermurders @mrgwilymlee #tamzinmalleson #katewilding #charlienelson