Customer Reviews

Midsomer Murders: Set Nine

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Midsomer Murders Set 9 is actually comprised of four episodes from Series 8:
Episode 1 - Things That Go Bump in the Night,
Episode 2 - Dead in the Water,
Episode 4 - Orchis Fatalis, and
Episode 5 - Bantling Boy.

Episode 3 - Ghosts of Christmas Past, the Christmas Special was included in the previous set.

There are three more episodes in the eighth series (Second Sight, Hidden Depths, and Sauce for the Goose), and once again, we will have to wait for another set to see them. In England these were released in sets of 10 episodes (at $100 to $200 US per set). If they want to issue fewer episodes per set in the U.S. to keep the price down on each set, they could still have issued multiple sets at one time, covering an entire series.

With that said, this is still my all-time favorite mystery series. I still haven't completely adjusted to Barnaby's new assistant, but I'm liking him better with time. Well-plotted, well-acted, with interesting guest stars.

These four programs, 100 minutes each, constitute the first half of Midsomer Murders eighth season. The murders, and there are a lot of them, happen in the villages of Midsomer County. The landscape is idyllically English, with ample greensward, manicured lawns, carefully trimmed hedges, cosy cottages and perfect gardens. The people of Midsomer County, ranging from working blokes to landed aristocrats, are for the most part well-mannered. Gossip is a cottage industry. If it weren't for all the corpses, the villages and towns of Midsomer County would be a fine place to live. As it is, they're a fine place to die. Because of the corpses, we have Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Barnaby, unflappable, courteous, curious, relentless, with a sly, dry sense of humor that should make a smart murderer wary. DCS Barnaby is played by John Nettles, and it's hard to say who is the more authentic, the actor or the character. The one thing for sure is that it is a perfect fit. Nettles makes the series work. When he as Barnaby comes on the scene, we know we're in for an intelligent, very British, understated and amusing series of lethal riddles and satisfying solutions. At least we were. The last three shows of Midsomer Murders seventh series showed the dreaded influence of American television crime series...the oh-too-serious psychological back-story, heavy-handed and actorly acting, the gratuitous use of sex for ratings, actors who were a bit green and unformed, and a detective sidekick, male or female, who was more luscious hunk than helper.

The weaknesses seem to have been rectified with the start of the eighth season. The mysteries are complicated but we are back to spending more time on clever clues and motivations than on inner angst. I still miss the appearance of some of Britain's fine character actors...they started being phased out several seasons ago...but the acting is back up to the skill level that had become shaky in the last season. Tom Barnaby's sergeant, Dan Scott (played by John Hopkins), is a handsome young man who is competent and conscientious. But now Scott is clearly Barnaby's detective helper and is not, at least in these four shows, used to imply a possible love interest with Barnaby's grown daughter or to mix it up in bed with a story character. Even Barnaby's daughter, Cully Barnaby (Laura Howard), has been toned down and reined in. She'd been getting on my nerves with that gloomy, dissatisfied cloud that followed her around in previous shows. It had reached the point where she even became involved in a couple of the mysteries. Now, along with Barnaby's wife Joyce (Jane Wymark), she's back to simply showing us the smart, loving family Barnaby comes home to when he's not capturing crazed prelates and mad orchid enthusiasts. This return to the roots of what made Midsomer Murders so satisfying and engaging I put to the reappearance of Betty Willingale. She was Midsomer Murders' first producer, then program consultant. After a couple of years away, she's now back as consulting producer. If she's the one responsible, I think it was just in time. Whatever the reason, Midsomer Murders with these four shows from the start of the eighth season gives us a refreshed series.

Things That Go Bump in the Night takes place in Fletcher's Cross. It combines spiritualism, gullibility, lust and slaughter. Not bad for a charming English village.
Dead Water finds Barnaby and Scott in the midst of the annual Midsomer Regatta. Here Midsomer County's well-to-do find themselves dropping like oars.
Orchis Fatalis gives us and Barnaby a chance to learn about the the passion for orchids among the residents of Midsomer Malham. It is a passion that leads to lethal consequences.
Bantling Boy takes place among the wealthy inhabitants of Bantling Hall, and a syndicate which owns a great racehorse named Bantling Boy. As members of the syndicate die, Barnaby must discover why the syndicate is made up of such an odd mix of Midsomer inhabitants.

The DVD transfer is pristine. England's hills, dales, villages and dead people never looked better.

Chief Inspector Barnaby and Sergeant Scott have certainly settled into a comfortable relationship while investigating some dastardly murders in and near the lovely and comfortable little English village of Midsomer. To me, they are every bit as good together as were Barnaby and Troy, his former partner. Again John Nettles, as Barnaby is so very good as a very wise and mellow Chief Inspector investigating with his young and subtly humorous partner Seergent Scott as played wonderfully by John Hopkins. I really feel they have become a very good team bouncing off each other wonderfully--Scott with his rather droll humor and Barnaby with his very wise and extremely nice manner.
The dead body count is not nearly as high as in some previous episodes; however, the stories are extremely engrossing; they kept this viewer guessing just who might have done the nasty deed(s) through out the episode until all was revealed. I really loved the episode entitled "Things That Go Bump in the Night" which is filled with voices from the grave, bludgeoned heads and slit wrists, lustful "men of the cloth", hysterical widows and mediums able to do spooky voices--the actress that plays the bereaved widow is really good being at one moment beside herself with grief and the next moment very funny indeed. "Orchis Fatalis" is another good episode with folks being strangled, poisoned and pitched-forked to death because of a rare orchid. In that episode there is also an appealing gardner that is ploughing more than folk's yards. Plus all of the episodes are filled with some great characters that are played by some wonderful British actors that I have seen many times in other presentations. (one example being Diana Quick)

Obviously, per usual, I really enjoyed Season Nine of the "Midsomer Murders" series; it certainly maintains the high standards that were set by the first seasons.

Because we are such fans of the British Mystery, we had to include the latest offering of Midsomer Murders in our collection. We have all of them and this one is, as always, excellent. Everyone in the cast is superb - how they can come up with good stories, week after week, is amazing. If you don't have these, get them. Can't wait for Set 10!

We thoroughly enjoy almost all BBC murder mystery series and this latest Midsomer does not disappoint. We like the new "Troy" though we liked the other one too and happily daughter Cully seems to have more screen time. All in all an excellent series that delivers consistently good performances.

As a note, Borders started selling this boxed set on August 14. The quality of the disks is excellent, as are the episodes, which are very well done.

Both my wife and enjoy this series very much. We will soon have the whole series. We view them often.

We love the the Midsomer Murders with John Nettles and cast. You get a real picture of life in a small English village. The countryside is beautiful and the mysteries fun to try and solve with Barnaby and Scott.

I love this series. I am a fan of the BBC mysteries (morse, frost, lynley, cadfael,christie,rosemary & thyme,cracker, waking the dead, foyle, etc). This is one of my all time favorites. The stories are always interesting and keep my attention. I prefer the British mysteries because they aren't as violent or riddled with sex as American series. They prove that you don't need those two elements to produce good tv. The only negative thing I have to say is that this set has no closed captions--come on, can't you spring for this. When we watch the series on tv, we have captioning. That said, I can't wait for set 10.

I hate to admit it, because I really enjoy this series and the characters in it. I'd hate to see it come to an end, but maybe it needs to do so; for the benefit of the cast, if nothing else.

I can't help but feel that the actors have gotten sick to death of their characters, and it shows. The only characters that still have much life are Inspector Barnaby and especially his junior officer, Daniel Scott. That is probably due to the fact that the former is played by an amazing veteran actor who obviously believes in the theatrical adage, "The show must go on," while the latter is played by a young actor relatively new to the series.

Unfortunately Joyce has become more and more listless, a shadow of her former self. Her gentle personality and astounding patience with the crazy conditions of her marriage now seem more like major depression. Her daughter Cullie is hardly much more energetic. Considering that I enjoyed the dynamics of their family very much, and the way these secondary characters managed to get into the spirit of the who dunnit, I feel like there's been a death in the family. It seems to me that the actors have come to feel that their characters are dead end material, nothing new to do. Maybe they need to be a little more front and center. Sort of a mother-daughter investigation team "helping" the inspectors. They definitely need more to do. Cully was shifted to a retirement center for old horses during one of this set. What does that tell you?

While it seems to be becoming clear that Cullie and Dan Scott are "meant for one another" and that he is a younger version of his mentor, it seems surprising to me that the authors have not put this relationship more to the fore. I realize, as one reviewer pointed out on one of the earlier sets, that this move may merely have been designed to pull in a younger audience, but I see no reason that it should not be usefully developed. It need not be simple pandering to "the young." Most of us enjoy a story of young love, even if we're a little passed it ourselves--are we ever?! I could certainly see the situation as more of a "Father of the Bride" meets Agatha Christie. After all, just how did Joyce and the Inspector get together? What types of problems occurred. What advice would they give the "kids?" What would Daniel do if Cullie were in danger. He did a splendid job of rescuing her in the first season of which he was a part, but the characters have "settled in" as one reviewer pointed out. They aren't even engaged yet, let alone married for 20 years for pete's sake.

I also feel that the murderers and their crimes are not nearly as goofy as they were. Which is amazing, since one of the shows of Season Seven was totally wonderful and wacky. "Sins of Commission" had so many surprising twists and turns it was delightful.

It's not as if the talent isn't there, either. Some of the guest actors have made several appearances throughout the years, and their various characters have been splendidly crafted. One of the most amazing things about British cinema and TV is the fact that their thespians have amazing skill and talent. For such a comparatively small dot on the map, England has given us some very fine actors. Maybe the fatigue I sense isn't that of the cast but of the writers. I just wish that this series could regain some of it's liveliness again. Come on writers: get to work on it.