When I first watched HH of M & S in 1984, this was never one of my favorite
episodes - but seeing it a few times since, it's grown on me a bit more, and it certainly isn't the worst.
The story revolves around a painter who fakes his own death in the opening scenes, after concocting a plan with his wife - he's looking to get the artistic recognition he feels he deserves
(once he's believed to be dead), and his wife is simply after the financial rewards his death will hopefully bring them.
Their plan gets slightly derailed though when his wife (played by singer Michelle Phillips of Mamas & Papas fame) becomes romantically attached to the London art dealer who's handling the now-lucrative sales of her supposedly-dead hubby's work.
There's certainly some mystery here, but not a great deal in the way of suspense, & the story becomes more of a love triangle than anything else.
Circumstances soon conspire to push the conspirators' original plans into a slightly different direction, as the police close in on the deception.
The story never really seems to take off in the way it should, and there's something missing here, despite good work all round.
Look out for Alan Lake in one of his final roles (sadly screened posthumously, just a few short weeks after his tragic death), and a young Neil Morrissey as a beat copper.