Midsomer Murders: The Maid in Splendour is set in the Midsomer village of Midsomer Worthy where the local pub named The Maid in Splendour is the center of speculation as former landlord Michael Bannerman (William Gaunt) has retired & handed the reins over to his son Stephen (Alan Cox) & his wife Lorna (Rachel Power) who are planning to turn it into a posh restaurant. When one of the staff Jamie Cruickshank (Leon Ockenden) is found murdered in some local woods called Hunter's Wood near a rundown cottage DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Sgt. Dan Scott (John Hopkins) have to uncover the truth & find a murderer, however the mystery deepens when Stephen is also murdered with no apparent motive for either...
Episode 5 from season 7 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Richard Holthouse & I liked it but I didn't think it was a classic. The script by Andrew Payne has all the usual Midsomer Murders ingredients particularly the incident in the distant past which makes a motive for murder during the present that a lot of Midsomer Murders episodes rely on, this one only has a couple of murders in it & it's one of those rare occasions that I actually guessed the killers identity fairly early on & although I couldn't be sure I was proved right in the end. This one also has a bizarre plot detail where a man confesses his love for a young girl even though he's old enough to be her Grandfather & it's an odd, perverse & somewhat unsettling scene. The motive for murder here isn't that great, I know people can get possessive but would you kill someone in cold blood because of a girl who at that time didn't even know you existed? I'm not sure I would to be honest with you. As usual this Midsomer Murders is exposition heavy & at almost two hours with commercials you need to concentrate as otherwise the end may not make as much sense as it should. I liked it but then I'm a fan of the show so maybe I'm biased, it's good but not Midsomer Murders best.
This one looks as nice as ever with plenty of rural English locations for those of you who like that sort of thing, The George Hotel in Dorchester in Oxfordshire was used for The Maid in Splendour pub if that sort of fact interests you. Both murders are the same as people are shot with twelve-bore shotguns, there's a bit of blood but nothing too graphic. The production values are high & the acting is very good as usual.
The Maid in Splendour is a good solid Midsomer Murders mystery that I enjoyed although the eventual motives are a little weak & I guessed the killers identity a little too easily, good but not great.
Episode 5 from season 7 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Richard Holthouse & I liked it but I didn't think it was a classic. The script by Andrew Payne has all the usual Midsomer Murders ingredients particularly the incident in the distant past which makes a motive for murder during the present that a lot of Midsomer Murders episodes rely on, this one only has a couple of murders in it & it's one of those rare occasions that I actually guessed the killers identity fairly early on & although I couldn't be sure I was proved right in the end. This one also has a bizarre plot detail where a man confesses his love for a young girl even though he's old enough to be her Grandfather & it's an odd, perverse & somewhat unsettling scene. The motive for murder here isn't that great, I know people can get possessive but would you kill someone in cold blood because of a girl who at that time didn't even know you existed? I'm not sure I would to be honest with you. As usual this Midsomer Murders is exposition heavy & at almost two hours with commercials you need to concentrate as otherwise the end may not make as much sense as it should. I liked it but then I'm a fan of the show so maybe I'm biased, it's good but not Midsomer Murders best.
This one looks as nice as ever with plenty of rural English locations for those of you who like that sort of thing, The George Hotel in Dorchester in Oxfordshire was used for The Maid in Splendour pub if that sort of fact interests you. Both murders are the same as people are shot with twelve-bore shotguns, there's a bit of blood but nothing too graphic. The production values are high & the acting is very good as usual.
The Maid in Splendour is a good solid Midsomer Murders mystery that I enjoyed although the eventual motives are a little weak & I guessed the killers identity a little too easily, good but not great.