Fans of British television are well acquainted with the
series MIDSOMER MURDERS. The series still airs and has been on for over 20
seasons now. A show doesn’t last that long unless it has something to offer and
this one does.
The county of Midsomer seems to be fraught with murder and
when one occurs it’s up to DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) John Barnaby (Neil
Dudgeon) to make sure that the culprit is apprehended. With the help of DS Ben
Jones (Jason Hughes) each episode finds the duo looking into the latest murder
to occur.
The series also presents Barnaby as just another guy, a man
who knows how to do his job and do it well but who also has a home life. There
he and his wife Sarah (Fiona Dolman) are dealing with their newborn child while
trying to live life as normally as a detective’s life can be. In some episodes
she even helps him with information he’s seeking.
The series isn’t like what we expect to find here in the US.
Rather than hour long dramas that actually run closer to 45 minutes each, this
series is composed of what would qualify as feature length film episodes,
closer to 90 minutes running time. In so doing it gives us plenty of time to
digest the actions taking place and to sift through the clues presented in each
new case.
This collection brings together all 15 cases from Series 16,
17 and 18 which is when the character of John Barnaby took over his position.
Each one offers their own little quirks that make them different from one
another. One might have a magician performing in a local church to help raise
money for its restoration, another a book club promoting the latest work of a
deceased pulp fiction author that finds two people electrocuted by a roulette
wheel like characters in his first book were. Whatever the facts of the case
are you can be sure they won’t be your everyday average murder.
The series does what it must do to last this long and that
is entertain. It does that in spades here with cases that hold your attention
and the development of ongoing characters that you come to care for. That’s a
point that some series never strive for and in so doing they short change the
viewer. Here we care about them and want to know more about what goes on when
not solving murders.
As with a number of series like this only one thing bothered
me. Sure, we expect numerous murders in big cities like London but these are
small villages here. If you are to believe shows like this the most dangerous
place to live is a small village in England. Then again if these murders
weren’t happening then we wouldn’t be enjoying a series that focuses on looking
for those murderers would we?
The production values here and great to look at. They
capture the look and feel of these villages in Midsomer County and portray what
appears on the surface to be a calm and laidback style of living. At least if
it wasn’t for people getting killed each episode.
The acting is top notch with each person involved making
their characters believable. Dudgeon and Dolman actually feel like a married
couple enjoying their new child and working together to make sure that feedings
and rocking to sleep happen by one or the other. Hughes portrays a right hand
man to perfection never overstepping his role but providing just the right amount
of assistance needed.
While I’d heard of the series I’d never had a chance to see
it until this set arrived. I’m glad it did. Now I can sit back and enjoy
watching these over and over again, knowing the second time around who the
guilty party is and watching for those tell-tale signs of guilt as the story
unravels. And when I finish I’ll have to go back and seek out previous seasons
to see if they match in quality. With little doubt in my mind I’m guessing they
will.
Click here to order.
Click here to order.
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