"Midsomer Murders" Bad Tidings (2004)

Director:

Peter Smith

Writers:

Peter Hammond (screenplay)
Caroline Graham (characters)

TV Series:

"Midsomer Murders" (1997)

Original Air Date:

4 January 2004 (Season 7, Episode 2)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

Barnaby's new Sergeant arrives on the day after the murder of a local shrew occurs, and he is immediately put to work.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Suspect | Stabbed To Death | Odd Job | Field

Cast

John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
John Hopkins	...	Sergeant Dan Scott
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard	...	Cully Barnaby
Barry Jackson	...	Dr. Bullard
John Standing	...	Charles Rust
John Normington	...	Donald Tew
Helen Lindsay	...	Mary Pearce
Michael Simkins	...	Gary Thompson
Hilton McRae	...	Mathew Spearman
Esther Hall	...	Cassie Woods
Helen Grace	...	Lynn Spearman
Ruth Jones	...	Rachael Rose
Christine Moore	...	Shirley Bennett
Daniel Crowder	...	Noel Woods

Certification:

Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Cuddington, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

A&E Television Networks

Quotes:

[first lines]
Gary Thompson: I checked your bank statement, didn't I. That's how I know.
Fiona Thompson: You couldn't have. We don't get a bank statement till the end of the month.
Gary Thompson: Do you realize we're on the verge of bankruptcy?
Fiona Thompson: I have to be allowed to spend at least a little bit of money on myself occasionally, just even to come here tonight. How was I going to go like this? How was I going to do anything? Nothing. I couldn't have done anything.
Gary Thompson: All right, will you keep your voice down. We're in a public place. Anyway, you might like to know that I went to see the bank manager this morning and I got photocopies of all your statements. That's how I know.
[...]

Good Midsomer Murders mystery.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Midsomer Murders: Bad Tidings is set in the Midsomer village of Midsomer Mallow & starts late one night as the local residents committee are holding a themed evening, in this case a Spanish night. Inside the hall & Fiona Thompson (Nina Marc) has an argument with her husband Gary (Michael Simkins) & storms off into the darkness of the night past local resident Donald Tew (John Normington) who hears a funny squeaking noise but can't see what's making it... The next morning & Mary Pearce (Helen Lindsay) finds one of Fiona's high heeled shoes in the grass, it's not long before she find Fiona's dead body having been stabbed to death sometime after she left the Spanish evening the night before. With Troy departed for Middlesborough DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) welcomes his new Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins) to Causton CID, however the formalities will have to wait as Sgt. Scott finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation on his first day...

Episode 2 from season 7 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Peter Smith & is a solid & enjoyable detective drama although once again it doesn't quite capture the magic of the earlier seasons. The script by Peter Hammond is notable because it introduces Barnaby's new Sergeant after Troy left in the previous story The Green Man, I can't say I've taken to him that well as he seems a touch arrogant & just not as likable as the sometimes dim witted Troy & it was no surprise when he only lasted for fourteen episodes & mysteriously left after the character called in sick one day & was never to be heard from again, one suspects all was not well behind the scenes... Anyway back to Bad Tidings & a fair amount of it is preoccupied with the introduction of Scott which it does well enough I suppose, sometimes the actual murder case they are working on seems a secondary consideration but the later stages of the episode redress the balance. The murder plot here is quite good & I doubt you'll ever figure out who did it or why, not even Barnaby does that as the killer is caught in the act rather than found out. There aren't too many suspects in this one & the red herrings are average, I mean that shifty guy with the hand cart who sharpens knifes for a living is the most obvious suspect but you just know it's not him because he's too obvious & Midsomer Murders doesn't do obvious. It all comes together quite well although the motives for murder aren't that great & none of the loose ends are tied up like what happens to the baby & the father now the secret is out in the open. A good story for sure & still very watchable but I wouldn't call it a Midsomer Murders classic.

There's plenty of the English countryside on show as usual, Cuddington in Buckinghamshire was used for several location in Bad Tidings & Warborough in Oxfordshire was used for several other locations. It all looks very nice being shot on film & having very high production values. The acting is strong as usual from a good cast. There are three murders in Bad Tidings & the murders here contain a fair amount of blood, although not seen taking place the crimes scenes & dead bodies are blood stained.

Bad tidings is another good Midsomer murders although I'm missing Troy already, a must for fans & armchair detectives everywhere as it's one of the best murder mystery show's around & even a story like Bad Tidings beats most other crime dramas hands down & it's as simple & straight forward as that, however by Midsomer Murders very own high standards this one perhaps falls slightly short.