Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Miniature Murders (2019) User Reviews

Murder in a doll house

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 5 February 2020]

As this episode opens a man is giving a speech at a local museum after donating a collection of doll houses. Not everybody is happy; his estranged wife things he donated them to spite her and a man at the back of the room slow claps him. Then we see the muzzle of a silenced weapon point through the windows of one of the doll houses and he is fatally shot. It is claimed that while he was generous giving away the doll houses he was less generous with the tenants of real houses he owned. There are plenty of suspects; his wife, the man whose daughter died in a badly maintained property rented from the dead man and the man who was jailed for her manslaughter but claims he wasn't the one responsible to mention just a few. As the case proceeds more details emerge and somewhat inevitably more bodies are found.

I thought this was a really fine episode which opened well. A shooting may not seem too imaginative but the way the muzzle emerged from the doll house was very effective then ballistic tests revealed interesting details about the weapon. There were plenty of interesting guest characters; including a children's entertainer who dressed as a purple bird and the maker of exquisite doll houses. As always the number of suspects and motives means the viewer will be guessing till the reveal. While the guest characters are fun it is pathologist Fleur Perkins who provides much of the episodes humour as she gets her own macabre doll house and reveals a surprising passion. Overall an fine episode that fans of the series should really enjoy.

Thought this was a very good episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 4 February 2020]

Hats off to those involved, this was a very good episode, with echoes of the past and a vintage feel. Major fans will recognise the name Beauvoisin, the estate agent from the very early years.

Much better than last week's episode, this had a great story, gorgeous direction, including those delightful opening credits, and some terrific guest performances. Eleanor Bron, Clare Holman and Joanna Page were all excellent, but for me the standout was Annette Badland once again, Fleur is arguably the most interesting character, she's funny, sassy and hugely charismatic, and a biker!!

The only irritation was Jemima, the woman in the bird outfit, a fine performance, but irritating character.

ITV you've spoiled us with all of these new episodes, now please announce Series 22.

Excellent 8/10

Nothing miniature about this episode

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 10 March 2020]

Meant in a good way and in a "witty" reference to the title to indicate that the episode is not a disappointment. Of the recently aired recent 'Midsomer Murders', "Till Death Do Us Part" was surprisingly good (considering that the John Barnaby era has been very hit and miss) but "Send in the Clowns" and "The Point of Balance" were disappointments, great use of their settings and Fleur has been a real high point but nothing special mysteries and very underwhelming denouements being things in common.

"The Miniature Murders" was also surprisingly good. The setting is almost as elaborate as the previous three episodes, but the mystery while not perfect is more engaging and the ending is the best of the four by far and one of the better ones in a long time. It is not 'Midsomer Murders' at its best, not in the same way as the best of Seasons 1-9, but it is a long way from being a lesser episode of the whole show and is not even among the worst of the John Barnaby era.

Could it have been better sure? Yes. Do agree that the circumstance that played a part in the murders to happen could have gone into much more depth. It is introduced briefly then neglected in almost throwaway fashion for too much of the episode, before the viewer being reminded of it out of the blue. There are agreed too moments of premature over-obviousness, especially in the case of a couple of suspects.

Will agree as well that Jemima was a strange character and was more a distracting irritant that didn't gel with everything else rather than interesting. Winter has been pretty bland this season and this was no exception, not as badly as "The Point of Balance".

A shame because the rest of the characters do engage and their conflicts are believable and not too over-familiar. There are plenty of suspects here, without feeling too many, and just as many motivations, that don't convolute the story or come over as silly or trivial. The mystery is not a mundane one and has enough twists and turns to satisfy. The ending is the best one of 'Midsomer Murders' in some time, it is still a bit rushed (the explanation could have done with a few minutes more) and the motive is a fairly ordinary one. At least though the perpetrator was not obvious and was plausible, the overall denouement made sense and wasn't silly, it didn't feel as last minute as others and the motive was not trivial.

It's not just the case that's good. Fleur is still an absolute pleasure to watch, just love her humour which meshes very well with everything else and is actually funny (personally didn't think it overdone). One of the best things to happen to 'Midsomer Murders' in a while and really brightens it up to stop it from taking itself too seriously. After one of the show's better denouements, we are also treated to a coda where Fleur has one of her shining moments where we see in action what one of her hobbies is.

Like every episode, "The Miniature Murders" is beautifully shot and the scenery is picturesque while also having atmosphere in the darker moments. The music is as haunting as ever, the title theme unforgettable. It's a thoughtfully scripted episode and the acting is strong. Neil Dudgeon has grown as Barnaby as has his chemistry with Fiona Dolman, and it was great to see Clare Holman again. Annette Badland shines most though. The miniature setting is put to good use and the murders being well staged.

Overall, good. 'Midsomer Murders' has done better but it's been a lot worse too. 7/10

Nearly Perfect

[ummajon2003 · 9/10 · 9 June 2021]

The opening scene was classic Midsomer: both delicately creepy and lovely. Wonderful camera angles, a sense of history, and an immediate murder. The mysterious death of a young woman. All supporting cast with acting skills and in depth characterizations. A few jokes here and there. Excellent background music throughout. Quaint atmosphere from the miniatures and doll houses. Did I mention the beautiful direction by Toby Frow? So fresh and unique. Eye catching scenery, exteriors, and interiors. Katy Brand was the (short-lived) star! Fluer, the delight, the force, as usual. Solid writing, especially the scene with Fluer and the father. Even the ending. Just perfect.

A stand-out Midsomer episode

[paulwalteruk · 8/10 · 10 February 2020]

This stood out as one of the best ever episodes of Midsomer, simply because it was different and looked as though someone had used their imagination and a bit of care to come up with some fresh camera angles, music and approaches.

Midsomer has followed the same rigid and staid formula for years. But this episode had a bit of zip and pazazz in it, while maintaining the basic Midsomer genre.

It really was very refreshing not to have the same old music, but to have some musical variety and, most of all, violins!

And it did seem that there was an effort to make the camera angles a little less like the cameras are anchored to the ground by a five tonne block.

And, dare I say it, it was good to have black characters playing more than a token part.

Well done director Toby Frow and team!

An improvement on the previous episode!

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 30 December 2019]

"Midsomer murders" has been a joy to watch for many years ( and still is), but I was little worried about the future of this show-there hasn't been a lot of series which have stayed on air for over 20 years. Every single good or very good "Midsomer murders" episode, especially nowadays, is a treat. Nice that "The Miniature murders" is one of them.

Let's go through the good stuff first (and there is much to love here).

. The production values of this episode are usually great. The direction by Toby Frow is smooth, charming. The director even creates some genuine creepiness to his craft, which was awesome to see.

. Story of "The Miniature murders" is compelling, having a lots of characters, twists, interesting subplots, charming humor.

.The ending is overall satisfying and well executed.

. The acting is mostly very good with few exceptions . Liked Claire Holman, Katy Brand, Rosalie Craig the most (Even though Anette Badland's so amazing as Fleur). Elanor Bron's performance didn't really work for me and felt the most flat of this cast.

There are still some aspects that didn't work for me.

. There are moments where jokes do come of forced, leaving me wondering what the laugh was all about.

. Lara Wokoma's death (which happens prior to this episode) is suddenly forgotten about (not a single clarity is given to this case). Even though it's essential to this mystery.

. Also the Wokoma family is too much of a suspect early one, which throws suspicion off these characters,which was a shame, really.

Overall: Solid, but could have been better episode.

7/10 HK

Annette Badland

[sailboater-62475 · 9/10 · 4 November 2021]

Annette Badland Back on a motorcycle. She rode one in a few episodes of All creatures great and small. The first time around. She rode an Old BSA I believe.

Dollhouses and murder

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 25 June 2022]

The Midsomer Museum of the Family is packed with visitors to see a collection of miniature dolls houses donated by a real estate mogul - only for the businessman to be shot dead in front of the crowd. Barnaby's investigation uncovers evidence of unsafe living conditions for the victim's tenants that would have given plenty of people a reason to kill - as well as a mysterious death that a man was imprisoned for, despite protesting his innocence. An above average entry with an inspired background of dollhouses, memorable suspects and an engaging storyline.

Mini-Midsomer Murders

[safenoe · 8/10 · 20 May 2021]

By far this episode was better than the previous one, The Point of Balance.

Annette Badland (Fleur Perkins) has a more prominent role in this episode, and we see a more of a wild side to her.

Just as Neil Dudgeon was born to play David Cameron in a biopic, it goes without saying that Rosalie Craig (who played Carys Nicholson in this episode) is primed to play Angela Rayner.

Unusual story line

[lyndavanleeuwen · 6/10 · 24 July 2022]

I don't understand who was the Nico whose body was hidden in concrete? What was the reason for him being killed?

Another complicated series of murders!

Not kid friendly

[sherondalewis-20531 · 10/10 · 30 September 2022]

This was a pretty good episode. For anyone that has seen the early years of MM with DCI Tom Barnaby, you'll know he has run into the real estate agent, Olive Beauvoisin, a few times...now, years later, her great-nephew is the center of this investigation as the murder victim! Alexander Beauvoisin is a real estate agent that has been murdered whilst presenting dolls houses at the Midsomer Museum. On the other side of said event, you have Mrs. Barnaby with daughter Betty enjoying a kid's entertainment party. The Old running joke is that if Mrs. Barnaby (Joyce) was nearby, there would be a death (and maybe SHE did it, LOL). Well, since that Mrs. Is enjoying quality time with Tom, John has to contend with finding out this mystery as to who and why killed this man...was it the soon to be ex who hated that he just changed the locks and got snuggly with a younger women? The contractor who was blamed for the buildings (that turned out being slums) the dead man owned and served time for, that caused the death of a young Landy? The father/son moving company that lost said loved one to the slum shady Alexander Beauvoisin? The exquisite doll house maker that was promised by the great aunt to live on said property that was once owned by her, only to be told to pack up and leave by him?

The bird lady, Jemima, who was in love with her ex employee (faithful to a fault) who was given a building and now, since he's dead, she doesn't need to pay..could she have done it?

With soo many people that has motive, it is an interesting whodunit and an interesting ending. It is nice that a relative from the early years comes back for a visit (albeit, short) to Midsomer.

Love Fleur...she is an awesome pathologist who takes no crap and means what she says. Would have loved it if Barry Jackson (George Bullard) was still alive so we could see them two team up on a case (and, possibly, motorcycle riding). Betty looks adorable. Paddy is cute (but he's no Syke).

Overall, I enjoyed it...even if there are some aspects that didn't come together.

Father Brown did it

[catschwambach · 8/10 · 21 May 2022]

Episode itself is decent enough in the new-Midsomer style, plenty of possible suspects and extra layers of why thrown in. The thing that bugged me was the music box intro, the doll house cinematography, and even using doll houses for crime scene reconstruction was done years before in Father Brown, The Smallest of Things. It's one thing to just have a murder about dollhouses, it's another to borrow so much without attribution...

Great episode. Thought a lot of Fleur would ruin it.

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 22 June 2023]

Not so much I dislike (Annette Badland) Fleur Perkins (though she's very bland). Her predecessors in the role were so much more entertaining than she is. The story would have been nuch better with the previous pathologists having this episode's enhanced role. Fleur's friendship with the dangerous looking storage facility father and son dragged down the story a bit. Some very solid writing that made me want to keep viewing. The doll house duality with reality worked well. Numerous strong performances. Eleanor Bron as cranky battle-ax Maxine Dobson, pretty redhead Rosalie Craig as Carys Nicholson, and Katy Brand as wonderfully flakey Jemima Starling. Highlight scenes were stunning well put together Joanna Page as Holly Ackroyd revealing she was a private detective in a sexy black oufit, and Barnaby riding off with Paddy the dog in a passenger seat motorcycle.