Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Silent Land (2010) User Reviews

Spooky goings on in Midsomer!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 22 September 2010]

This episode opens with Joyce taking her daughter Cully home after a concert, as she drives she sees a figure in the road ahead and swerves causing the car to crash. Meanwhile the nearby cemetery Jeff Bowmaker is leading a 'Ghost Walk', during which one of his group thinks she saw something strange in the bushes. In the morning a body is found in the cemetery and when Joyce hears about it she is worried that she hit somebody the night before and fatally injured them. The dead man worked for the local council and the village library but didn't seem at all popular with the locals. Once it has been established that he was in fact murdered just about everybody in the village is a suspect. While the investigation progresses it becomes clear that the victim isn't the only unpopular character about; Mr Bowmaker is certainly unpopular with the men of the village but is distinctly popular with a couple of the ladies including his landlady and the local historian who was investigating the abandoned Victoria TB hospital that adjoined the cemetery.

This was a fun episode and it was nice to see Laura Howard return as Cully even if her role was fairly small. Danny Webb was great as Bowmaker, his character had some great lines such as, 'You should do something about that cold… like die!' As is always the case there were more suspects than you can shake a stick at and the person who did it was far from being the most suspicious character.

Joyce is sure she hit something with her car

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 1 August 2015]

In "The Silent Land," Joyce and Cully are in the car late at night; Cully is asleep, when Joyce swerves to avoid someone in the road, and there's an accident. Both women are all right physically, but Joyce is positive that she hit someone in the road. When a man is found dead close to the road, she's sure she killed him.

The man is the village librarian everyone loved to hate, Gerald Ebbs, and he's found in a graveyard where he was the voluntary caretaker. These are very old graves of TB patients from an old sanitarium which is no longer used.

Ebbs was always fighting with Jeff Bowmaker, a sleaze who takes tourists on "ghost walks" through the cemetery, when he's not sleeping with either his landlady, Alice Carver, or Faith Kent, a historian.

Another one who couldn't stand him is Ian Kent (Aden Gillett), Faith's husband.

A nervous Joyce, who is still wondering what she saw, goes on the ghost walk; it is then that there is another murder. Barnaby soon thinks he has the solution to Joyce's late-night encounter.

I liked this episode. One reason is that I went on several ghost walks in Savannah, and they were really fun.

"The Silent Land" is on the spooky side, so it's very atmospheric, and I always enjoy the family involvement of the Barnabys.

The ending is an eye-opener for Barnaby.

A sombre episode

[james_89 · 7/10 · 5 August 2010]

Joyce Barnaby is driving her daughter Cully home from a concert when she takes her eyes off the road to turn the radio down, noticing Cully is asleep. She looks up to see a figure in the road, she swerves to avoid it and crashes. The next morning Gerald Ebbs, a man whose only meaningful relationships are with dead people, is found dead in the old cemetery. His corpse appears to be kissing a grave. Did Joyce run him down or did someone kill him? This is a particularly dark episode, and is a lot better than the nonsense that was Blood on the Saddle. Its just so much more involving when characters and their situations are believable. The characters here are all very well developed. Peter J Hammond is a very experienced writer. It explores grief as a central theme, and does so very effectively, but is livened up by a charlatan ghost tour leader and other interesting locals.

My only complaint is the very low body count! A really good episode of Midsomer Murders is rare these days, so i was really pleased with this one. Peter J Hammond is the shows best writer.

But Peter... more bodies next time please.

It's a pretty good episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 20 August 2020]

Joyce is convinced she's bit something or someone as her and Cully return home after watching a folk singer. Barnaby and Jones investigate some spooky goings on at a Village with an interesting past.

It's pretty good, it starts off well, has a decent story, and a good ending. The only thing I find distracting about this episode is Nettles himself, I know it shouldn't be an issue, but John either looks incredibly tired or a little off colour, his eyes look so heavy, and I feel this is one episode that lacks some of his usual energy.

The best part has to be the dramatic ending, the scenes inside the hospital are pretty good. Some decent characters, but none are very memorable, the one shining light is Danny Webb, who is brilliant, he's cheeky and sarcastic, and very funny, he really does make it.

Does that scene where Barnaby sees a Ghost work? I'm not so sure.

It isn't a favourite, but it's a good watch, I just don't think it's very memorable.

Decent, 6/10.

I Thoroughly Enjoy "The Silent Land" every time.

[Lana_Brock · 10/10 · 18 December 2018]

While this episode is not your typical murder mystery, with it's ghostly inferences. Still, that is why I enjoy it so much. The soundtrack of this episode is incredibly awesome! Reoccurring bits of music, which are soothingly anticipated and some scenes are serene and beautiful. Like with the scene where Barnaby climbs the ladder at the wall of the St. Fedelis Hospital. It is such an enchanting yet somber song and extremely suitable. The music sung by the singer throughout the show is traditional and beautiful.

I love the character Jeff Bowmaker. He's such a charming conartist. The actor, Danny Webb makes the character so believable. He's such a player and vocal troublemaker yet at the same time, you hate to see him murdered in the end.

Being that Midsomer Murders tends to be your typical murder mystery, with interviews and investigations, it is nice to see an interjection of the paranormal...with a real life "ghost" crossing the road at the old hospital as seen by Tom Barnaby himself. What an interesting scene when Barnaby climbs out of the car in disbelief. He must now know what his wife was seeing at the beginning when she had crashed her car. And for such a logical man as him that must have been a hurdle for him to even climb out of that car and search for what he had witnessed in the first place.

The episode ends perfectly with the rain pouring down around the solemn lonely old hospital.

Even though the scenes with Sarah Sharp and Liam Peach had literally nothing to do with the murder, it was interesting to see the scenes. They showed Sarah bossing Liam and he lapping it up obsessively, implying that he may have done anything for her...even kill. Quite the diversion.

My favorite though just has to be Jeffrey Bowmaker. He won me over. I watch this episode over and over. Just for the music and just for the scenes with Jeff Bowmaker, Joyce and Tom Barnaby. The mystery isn't a difficult one. Still, the story is a charming haunted story. That, to me makes it one of the best.

Well executed despite weak plot

[Schweizer85 · 7/10 · 21 March 2021]

Part of the appeal of Midsomer Murders now is the sometimes farcical plots and conclusions; motives for murder sometimes being pulled out of thin air, the series just wouldn't be the same without them

Whilst I think the newer episodes of this series are nowhere near the standard of the earlier ones, The Silent Land is one that I re-watch over and over. Joyce and Cully never cease to irritate me but their involvement in this episode works well. Funny how easily frightened Joyce is yet she decides to join a ghost walk in the middle of the night which involves going in a deserted spooky house............

The characters are well written and well acted, Jeff the ghost tour leader in particular. As always, filmed in an attractive small village, the autumn/winter look really adding to the spooky story. As mentioned, the conclusion is weak, I'm not really sure how Barnaby sniffed the killer out.

Definitely worth a watch though, it's got a real quirky feel to it

Atmospheric but flawed

[boxyfella · 8/10 · 25 October 2021]

I actually quite like this one. I love the sombre atmosphere that pervades the episode. I thought Danny Webb was superb as the roguish Jeff Bowmaker and Tom's initial worries that Joyce might be a killer are a nice touch. But there are some things that grate a little.

It's yet another episode in which we feel sympathy for the killer and while I have no problem with that his motives and unmasking are rather out of the blue. There seemed to be no evidence pointing to him as the killer.

The second killing all seemed rather rushed. It's set up brilliantly where the victim insults pretty much everyone in the pub and far more should have been made of that. I feel it would have been better if he wasn't killed in front of witnesses and the body was discovered next morning causing Barnaby and Jones to look into the goings on in the pub the night before. Perhaps I'm missing something but I don't understand the urgency on the part of the killer to dispatch his victim in such a risky fashion.

I was also disappointed by the ending. A man who loves his wife would certainly tell her that she wasn't deluded and that he too had seen the ghost.

How did Barnaby find the killer?

[preppycuber · 7/10 · 21 January 2019]

I couldn't find any explanation as to how the police identified the killer.

Brilliant ghost story

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 28 February 2020]

Very suspenseful from beginning to end. One of the best supporting casts of any MM episode. Terrific casting, and performances. Joyce (Jane Wymark) gets one of her biggest parts and was wonderful. Having Cully back really lifted the Barnaby's rapport. Cully is so integral to the episodes. The ghost angle was integrated smoothly. A tight script where everything fell into place nicely as the story went on.

I liked that the killer wasn't revealed until the very end. When everyone isn't killed off, everyone is a viable suspect. The red herrings all were possibilities to the end. Vito S 2-28-20

Have We Run the Course?

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 31 May 2016]

With so many disgruntled reviewers, I wonder if, like so many television series, there is no place for this one to go. Are the characters becoming too stale? Barnaby is pretty much the same guy episode after episode. Jones is constantly flummoxed by Barnaby's expectations of him. Joyce and Cully are pretty boring, although Joyce's role is expanded in this one. I still thought it was OK. The British are fond of tours where a guide takes them from place to place with a sort of theme. I remember taking pub tour when in London and another one through places of worship. Often the stories are a bit suspect. In this one, the central figure does ghost tours in one of the little villages. He is not thought very highly of. Part of it is the economic downturn in the village. He also offers a distraction to some of the ladies whose husbands are dullards and complainers. Anyway, there is something untold here. A man is found, face down on a fresh grave. This is shortly after Joyce has nearly run someone over. She feels she may have hit the man. Banaby thinks she is daft and has no respect for what she has been through. Eventually, reality comes to light, but like so many works of fiction, the writers couldn't come up with a very good conclusion. Still, it was a decent offering. Just relax everyone. Its roots aren't in classical British drama.

Full of hope that it was a vast improvement on a lot of previous episodes, also frustrated that it wasn't better

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 23 February 2017]

As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.

"The Silent Land" is a solid episode with a lot to recommend, and as far as Season 13 goes it's one of the better ones. Much better than "The Made-to-Measure Murders" and especially "Blood on the Saddle", both of which were embarrassments as 'Midsomer Murders' episodes and for episodes for any show. It is actually to me a stronger episode than several Seasons 10-13 (when 'Midsomer Murders' started becoming very uneven) episodes, however it did have elements good enough to make a back-to-form episode but there are a few flaws that bring a potentially great episode to a solid one.

Particularly underwhelming is the ending, the murderer was one that is a surprise and one of the least suspected ones but the motives are flimsy (especially for the first, though it was a little disappointing that that for the second murder was not that much different from the other suspects'). Despite the second murder being satisfying (staged in a quite eerie way too), with one of the biggest examples of a victim who got what they deserved, doing it with witnesses was far too much of a risk.

Much more development could have been given to the first victim, one learns too little about him other than that he was widely hated. The stuff with Joyce at the beginning was so promising and had a real spooky edge missing in 'Midsomer Murders' recently, and it was a shame that that storyline was ditched too early and not properly resolved. Occasionally the writing in the middle third goes round in repetitive circles and feels slightly padded.

However, the production values as always are just great, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.

Scripting has a nice balance of thought, humour and drama, while the spooky atmosphere of the story was wonderfully unsettling and the sombre nature had a poignancy in places. It is involving and atmospheric, and generally less padded than some recent episodes and never gets silly that it becomes parody.

Characters are closer to the more colourful and eccentric characters of the classic era rather than the lifeless ones that too many of the recent episodes had (Bowmaker is especially juicy).

John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Danny Webb is particularly great in support as Bowmaker, and avoids being too pantomimic, a danger with a role so juicy.

Overall, solid but could have been great or more. Still much better than the previous Season 13 episodes and several mid-period 'Midsomer Murders' episodes. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Motive is a bit of a stretch

[stephjones-35526 · 3/10 · 6 September 2020]

The motive is not really believable to me. Unless I am missing something, and I have watched this episode several times, I don't understand how Barnaby figures out who the killer is. There are zero clues that point to the killer's identity.

A Ghostly Affair

[sherondalewis-20531 · 7/10 · 28 May 2022]

I really liked this one. The gist: Joyce and Cully goes to an event of a man singing local folk music, to Cully's chagrin. Joyce explains that those songs tells a story and how important they are to the area (or, in general villages). Cully falls asleep and in a split sec, Joyce "sees" someone walk across her path and she swerves to miss them, getting in the ditch.

Both are okay...but not Joyce's nerves, as she tells a non too happy Tom who shows up the next day with a tow truck, that YES, she did she someone and swears she must have hit them. But, they don't find any body-yet.

Whilst home, poor Joyce just needs to know: did she hot someone and is that person dead. And then, what happens? A body is found and poor Joyce is going through the sadness of "knowing" she did it! Now Tom is on the case...and only tells Ben that the person who may have killed the man, left dead at the cemetery, may have been Mrs. Barnaby to the shock of Ben. But atlas, he was murdered by a huge rock over the head, not by the car. Relief? To Joyce, yes and no. Yes because, unlike some people who believe Joyce (jokingly) is the one responsible for murdering people to keep her husband busy, Joyce didn't hit the guy. But, WE, the viewer saw what SHE saw. And that is what Joyce is sticking to!

As for the victim, he was an unliked person that ran the local library and was on some council. Hated by the pub owners, the other librarian...in fact NO ONE liked him. He will not be missed. And, on top of that, he was obsessed with a dead woman from years ago in the cemetery that died from the hospital where there seems to be a lot of ghost activities. Then you have a guide who takes ghost walks tours and lies about said aberrations (slimy character) to try to drum up more business for himself. Between him and the widowed flower shop owner (who also had a grudge against the dead man) anyone could have killed him! Now, the ending about the WHY the killing happened was interesting...and not in the good way. I get it but...yea. What I did like about this episode was that Joyce was determined to find out if she did or didn't kill someone. Even wanting to go on a ghost tour, just to get a sense of what she may or may not seen. That Tom was determined to get to the bottom of what really did happen that night. The backstory of the hospital. What I didn't care for was that Tom didn't believe that there was a ghost (even though, by now, he should believe something, because in the Scott years episode, "Second Sight" he was proven that there are people who absolutely have the gift). But, nope. Not even when HE saw exactly what Joyce said she saw: someone walking right in front of the car and going to the hospital. And didn't tell Joyce that he saw "her". Which kind of sucks. Also, there were only 2 Murders (but that's okay because "Sauce for the Goose" had 1 murder and in the John Barnaby/Nelson years, had an episode with no murders)Murders. Just saying. But, I did like this episode and the people who died pretty much deserved to! Actually, there should have been a 3rd death that was highly deserved but, nope.

Not a favorite.

[harrykivi · 5/10 · 25 November 2022]

"The Silent Land" is not a favorite episode of mine, but I still find enjoyment in it.

Let' s start with the good aspects, shall we?

. The production values of the episode are great as usual. The direction's solid, the director has created a moving atmosphere. The music fits the scenery extremly well and the acting's pretty good for the most part. John Nettles and Jason Hughes are terrific, have always adored Jane Wymark. Out of the very good guest stars Danny Webb delivers a fantastic performance.

. The story has its moments. The death scenes (especially the one on the staircase) are memorable. The humor is charming and the identity of the killler (Adam Peach) was surprising.

But....

. The first victim is, agreed, too much of an underdeveloped character to be intrigued by. The audience learns almost nothing about him, to be honest. The story starts off very well with Joyce crashing her car, but that side of the plot could have used in a more effective way. The murder mystery lacks of good twists and turns and at times can come off a bit "been there, done that." The solution of the mystery was quite disappointing indeed. The motive for the murders are very weak, to put it mildly.

Overall, an average episode.

5/10 HK.

Slim motive(s) and unbelievable killing

[Pegasus-10 · 4/10 · 29 October 2013]

The motive for the first killing was really a stretch. And the fact that the murderer killed the second victim in full view of someone else was not reasonable (and the motive was dumb, too, since at least one other person could have been killed for that same reason.) Would be terrible were it not for the likable main characters. Like many other episodes, this one suffers from not having recurring characters other than those directly affected by the crimes, or the Barnaby family and the police. How big is that county anyway, that you never run into characters from previous episodes? It's one of the more annoying aspects of a generally enjoyable series.

This one did not make the cut

[eric-839 · 3/10 · 24 September 2017]

We've watched all the Midsomers from the beginning to this point, and this was easily the worst-written episode of what is usually a fun and engaging show.

Many characters and interactions were introduced, but virtually NONE had any bearing on the plot--almost felt as if several scenes were missing. It's typical to have a few "red herrings" in the mix, but this episode was 90% herring and only 10% murder mystery!

Phoney baloney

[atrickyone · 3/10 · 3 December 2020]

Another dimwitted episode written by Philip Hammond. Apparently he's written nine for the series: avoid them now you know. Barnaby identifies the perpetrator by means of ... well he just walks in and accuses them without evidence available to either him or us. Moreover the motive is so trivial it's genuinely stupid. But that's Hammond for you. A stinker of a show.

Another forgettable episode.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 30 July 2011]

Midsomer Murders: The Silent Land starts late one night in the small Midsomer village of March Magna as Joyce 9Jane Wymark) & Cully Barnaby (Laura Howard) are driving home, after being distracted for a split second Joyce loses control of the car & crashes after she swerves to avoid someone she thinks she has seen in the road. Neither Joyce or Cully are hurt & the next day DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) has a look around & tries to work out what happened, meanwhile a local man named Ian Kent (Aden Gillett) is out walking his dog in a local graveyard when he discovers the body of local man Gerald Ebbs. Barnaby is called in to investigate & find out whether Joyce hit him the night before or her was murdered. Nobody in March Magna seemed to like Gerald that much & Barnaby has plenty of suspects to choose from...

Episode four from season thirteen this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Peter Smith & like so many episodes from the previous couple of seasons feels like everyone involved is on autopilot, The Silent Land is watchable enough police murder mystery fare but is rather forgettable & doesn't stand out as a particularly good episode. To be fair The Silent Land gets off a reasonable start with the mystery surrounding Joyce's accident & the murder of Gerald Ebbs occurring early on but then the script goes round in circles & very little else happens until the final ten or fifteen minutes. There's the usual collection character's with oddball traits or sinister attitudes that ultimately go nowhere, Gerald Ebbs as the victim is also a problem as we never really learn much about him & the subplot about ghost's & an old hospital feel like padding & have no great relevance to the outcome. The motive for murder in The Silent Land is a bit different but comes out of nowhere & is a little hard to believe, the killer here won't rank as one of the series best. At almost 100 minutes of pure exposition you have to have patience, even more so than usual as there's only two murders (one right at the start & one right at the end) & almost nothing between them. Even the mystery surrounding whether Joyce hit someone or not is ditched too soon & why is she so upset that she might have hit someone yet seems totally unshocked by seeing someone murdered in front of her at the end?

Using real English location the look of the series hasn't changed that much although that's one of it's positives, the Fairmile Hospital in Cholsey was used for the derelict one here. With only two brief murders here there's nothing that memorable & neither are that imaginative. The acting is solid as usual from a good cast.

The Silent Land isn't a classic Midsomer Murders episode by any means, it's fairly standard fare in fact. It's well made & has a couple of murders along with a few suspects, a couple of affairs & a bit of humour but overall I don't think it's one I would want to watch again in a hurry.

The older episodes are just awful

[Apd227 · 3/10 · 29 August 2022]

I guess it's which actor you see first that you prefer. I saw the newer ones first, so seeing these old ones is quite painful. Tom Barnaby barely opens his mouth and Joyce is quite the silly little wife. I definitely prefer the new actors much more than the old batch. And the story line was quite silly. Who in earth would shag that man? Simply an awful episode all around. And how big could the county be if they're officers for all of it?

I'm almost certain this is 600 characters by now. The previous episode with confederate flags all over the place was equally as repulsive. And really, I've seen so many complaints about the new mrs barnaby but this one is simpleton that gets talked down to like a silly child. Ridiculous.