Midsomer Murders

Usually I am a big fan of Midsomer Murders. The mysteries are always so well thought out, the characters bring their quirky serious meets humorous personalities to the table. Unfortunately Set 23 of the series was a bit a of a let down for several reasons. 

 

My first gripe with the set is that the first episode, The Dark Rider, has horrible cut scenes. It looked like very sloppy editing which kept pulling me out of my investment with the episode, which could have been quite good. 

 

In this episode we find a family, with old money, who are dying one by one when they see the headless horse riding ghost of an old family rival. What made the episode interesting was that no one was actually being murdered, or so it would seem, but rather dying from coincidental accidents. What thickened the pot even more is the fact that Battlestar alum James Callis plays a set of identical twins with very different personalities. Alongside Callis is Eleanor Bron, better known for her role as the wicked Miss Minchin from Alfonso Cuarón’s 1995 film A Little Princess. Right as soon as I saw her I had my suspicions. Too bad my concentration was occupied by bad editing on this episode. 

 

Episode 2, Murder of Innocence was one of those wait and see type of mysteries. A man convicted of murdering a peer in his teens returns to his village to sell his cottage. The locals are in an uproar and want him out. Some even want him dead. Unfortunately, if you’ve watched enough television or film you pick up on the fact that if you spot the only familiar face on the screen, chances are this will be your killer. I didn’t even mind that, it was the way the episode ended. Very poor finale that made me wonder who such a show with great quality control could let something as absurd as this episode slip through production. 

 

Finally the set ends with Death and the Divas, the sets only saving grace in which two sisters, one an actress and the other a former actress, find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery which finds the victims killed in ways torn straight from their films. 

 

I quite liked this one as it pokes fun at itself a lot. The opening title is made to look like an old Hammer film and references abound. The suspects are hilariously damaged and the mystery is hard to solve, even as you put all your effort into it. This may be the only real reason to check this set out or wait for it on Netflix. 

 

Bonus features include Audio Commentary for The Dark Rider with star Neil Dudgeon and director Alex Pillai and behind-the-scenes featurette for Death and the Divas.