I admit, this Inspector Lynley Mystery had some delightful moments. For one, the scenery was used to great effect, with the lines of telephone poles fading hazily into the distance and the wind rustling over the great stretches of browned grass of Kent. Additionally, I was charmed by Liza Tarbuck playing a VERY pregnant DI Fiona Knight, Havers's new partner while Lynley is under investigation. I also admit to enjoying a few brief moments of banter between Lynley and Havers.
However, 'Natural Causes' greatly disappointed me, overall. For one, Catherine Russell marks the third Helen Lynley cast in the series, after Lesley Vickarage and Emma Fielding, which completely threw me off--I spent most of the episode assuming she was someone else entirely, and then realized that- wait!- even though she is nothing like her predecessors, this was indeed Helen speaking with a (greasy and lank-haired) Lynley.
The worst part of 'Natural Causes,' though, was the writing. One particular piece of banter between Lynley and Havers, while in the hospital room with DI Knight, simply doesn't make sense; the culprit's actions, throughout the entire story, also don't make sense; and the writers commit the gravest sin of mystery-writerdom: the whodunit is woefully predictable. I had the killer pinpointed within 10 minutes, and I'm HORRIBLE at pinpointing killers. You may want to skip this one and try another that uses the cast and crew to their full potential.
However, 'Natural Causes' greatly disappointed me, overall. For one, Catherine Russell marks the third Helen Lynley cast in the series, after Lesley Vickarage and Emma Fielding, which completely threw me off--I spent most of the episode assuming she was someone else entirely, and then realized that- wait!- even though she is nothing like her predecessors, this was indeed Helen speaking with a (greasy and lank-haired) Lynley.
The worst part of 'Natural Causes,' though, was the writing. One particular piece of banter between Lynley and Havers, while in the hospital room with DI Knight, simply doesn't make sense; the culprit's actions, throughout the entire story, also don't make sense; and the writers commit the gravest sin of mystery-writerdom: the whodunit is woefully predictable. I had the killer pinpointed within 10 minutes, and I'm HORRIBLE at pinpointing killers. You may want to skip this one and try another that uses the cast and crew to their full potential.