Product Details

• Actors: John Nettles, Jane Wymark, Barry Jackson, Jason Hughes, Laura Howard
• Writers: Caroline Graham
• Format: Box set, Color, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: October 3, 2006
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000GYI3CW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,042 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Midsomer Murders - Set Seven (The Green Man / Bad Tidings / The Fisher King / Sins Of Commision)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Midsomer Murders: Set Seven includes four intriguing episodes from season seven of the long-running, British mystery series, based on a series of books by Caroline Graham. Fans of Midsomer Murders will certainly take note of a big change in the crime drama, as Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) of the Causton C.I.D. loses his longtime junior partner, Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey) to the latter's promotion and relocation. Still, Troy is around for "The Green Man," Barnaby's attempt to crack a case of multiple murders in quaint Midsomer, a supposedly quiet English village in which passions flair and blood flows with astonishing regularity.

"The Green Man" concerns a pair of overlapping investigations with an environmental theme. When an effort to restore a stream uncovers the remains of several people who died in a long-ago, tunnel cave-in, Barnaby discovers that one of the apparent victims was actually placed on the site much later. Meanwhile, adolescent hoodlums harassing an indigent woodsman are turning up dead. "Bad Tidings" introduces Barnaby's new partner, Detective Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins), unhappy about his transfer from London and reluctant to settle in. But he pulls his weight assisting Barnaby on a strange case that begins with the murder of a woman walking home from a flamenco-themed party at the Midsomer Mallow village hall. (A recurring theme in Midsomer Murders of hatred and deception running rampant among trustees of Midsomer’s social and cultural life plays a big part here.) "The Fisher King" resurrects an old, unsolved mystery concerning the death of a man who excavated ancient artifacts, while Barnaby and Scott also try to find out who killed an arrogant millionaire with a wound similar to the one suffered by the titular, Arthurian figure. Finally, "Sins of Commission" is a wild episode peeling back secrecy surrounding sexual and fiduciary scandals surrounding a literary festival. Adding both to the drama and fun is the way Barnaby's wife (Jane Wymark) and daughter (Laura Howard) have a way of getting involved with every investigation. With a likable, low-key hero and creative new forms of Midsomer malice, Set Seven is a winner. --Tom Keogh

Product Description

The cozy villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these contemporary British television mysteries. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, modern master of the English village mystery, the series stars John Nettles (Bergerac) as the unflappable Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. Daniel Casey (The Wingless Bird)) costars as Barnaby’s earnest young assistant, Sergeant Troy. When Troy wins a promotion and transfer, Barnaby gets a partner of a different stripe. Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins, Love in a Cold Climate)) is a streetwise Londoner who mistakenly expects an easy, dull life on the rural beat. Guest stars include Cherie Lunghi, John Standing, Michael Simkins, Henry Ian Cusick, Diana Kent, and Stella Gonet.

The Mysteries
The Green Man -- Troy passes his inspector's exam and is moving on, but not before one more challenging case with Barnaby in Midsomer Worthy
Bad Tidings -- Dan Scott, Barnaby's new partner, gets a baptism by fire with a case in Midsomer Mallow that implicates Cullly and her old schoolmates.
The Fisher King -- Barnaby and Scott follow a maze of Celtic rites, ancient artifacts, and twisted relationships to find the murderer of a Midsomer Barrow landowner.
Sins of Commission -- Murder attends the annual literary festival in Midsomer St. Michael, leading Barnaby and Scott to discover a hotbed of corruption within the highbrow crowd.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sorting out the Viewing order, Great series!, October 14, 2006

By 

andreas838 (Geneva, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Midsomer Murders - Set Seven (The Green Man / Bad Tidings / The Fisher King / Sins Of Commision) (DVD)

Fully in line with my expectations for BBC excellence, the Midsomer Murders series doesn't disappoint. I did find however the Set numbering quite confusing as it didn't seem to correspond to the character developments.

For those new to the series, I would recommend viewing the series in the order in which it was aired, not by the consecutive order of the Set numbers. For instance, "Set 5" is actually Season 1 which aired in 1998. "Set 4" is mostly Season 5 which aired in 2002. Below, is an overview for your viewing convenience.

The Killings at Badger's Drift S 1 x E 1 1998 US Box Set 5

Written in Blood S 1 x E 2 1998 US Box Set 5

Death of a Hollow Man S 1 x E 3 1998 US Box Set 5

Faithful Unto Death S 1 x E 4 1998 US Box Set 5

Death in Disguise S 1 x E 5 1998 US Box Set 5

Death's Shadow S 2 x E 1 1999 US Box Set 1

Strangler's Wood S 2 x E 2 1999 US Box Set 1

Dead Man's Eleven S 2 x E 3 1999 US Box Set 2

Blood Will Out S 2 x E 4 1999 US Box Set 1

Death of a Stranger S 3 x E 1 2000 US Box Set 2

Blue Herrings S 3 x E 2 2000 US Box Set 2

Judgement Day S 3 x E 3 2000 US Box Set 2

Beyond the Grave S 3 x E 4 2000 US Box Set 1

Garden of Death S 4 x E 1 2001 US Box Set 3

Destroying Angel S 4 x E 2 2001 US Box Set 3

The Electric Vendetta S 4 x E 3 2001 US Box Set 3

Who Killed Cock Robin? S 4 x E 4 2001 US Box Set 3

Dark Autumn S 4 x E 5 2001 US Box Set 3

Tainted Fruit S 4 x E 6 2001 US Box Set 4

Market for Murder S 5 x E 1 2002 US Box Set 4

A Worm in the Bud S 5 x E 2 2002 US Box Set 4

Ring Out Your Dead S 5 x E 3 2002 US Box Set 4

Murder on St. Malley's Day S 5 x E 4 2002 US Box Set 4

A Talent For Life S 6 x E 1 2003 US Box Set 6

Death and Dreams S 6 x E 2 2003 US Box Set 6

Painted in Blood S 6 x E 3 2003 US Box Set 6

A Tale of Two Hamlets S 6 x E 4 2003 US Box Set 6

Birds of Prey S 6 x E 5 2003 US Box Set 6

The Green Man S 7 x E 1 2003 US Box Set 7

Bad Tidings S 7 x E 2 2004 US Box Set 7

The Fisher King S 7 x E 3 2004 US Box Set 7

Sins of Commission S 7 x E 4 2004 US Box Set 7

The Maid in Splendour S 7 x E 5 2004 US Box Set NA

The Straw Woman S 7 x E 6 2004 US Box Set NA

The ghost of Christmas Past S 7 x E Special 1 2004 US Box Set NA

Things That Go Bump In The Night S 8 x E 1 2004 US Box Set NA

Dead in the Water S 8 x E 2 2004 US Box Set NA

Orchis Fatalis S 8 x E 3 2005 US Box Set NA

Bantling Boy S 8 x E 4 2005 US Box Set NA

Second Sight S 8 x E 5 2005 US Box Set NA

Hidden Depths S 8 x E 6 2005 US Box Set NA

Sauce for the Goose S 8 x E 7 2005 US Box Set NA

Midsomer Rhapsody S 8 x E 8 2005 US Box Set NA

The House in the Woods S 9 x E 1 2005 US Box Set NA

Dead Letters S 9 x E 2 2006 US Box Set NA

Vixen's Run S 9 x E 3 2006 US Box Set NA

Down Among the Dead Men S 9 x E 4 2006 US Box Set NA

Death in Chorus S 9 x E 5 2006 US Box Set NA

Country Matters S 9 x E 6 2006 US Box Set NA

Last Year's Model S 9 x E 7 2006 US Box Set NA

Four Funerals and a Wedding S 9 x E 8 2006 US Box Set NA

Dance With The Dead S 10 x E 1 US Box Set NA

Set 7 is the first set in line with the actual season numbering. Whilst this isn't a saga, I do think a production of this quality deserves to be viewed in the correct order. Happy sleuthing!

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Even more corpses in Set Seven, but perhaps a little tiredness is creeping into the writing and plotting, October 9, 2006

By 

C. O. DeRiemer (San Antonio, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Midsomer Murders - Set Seven (The Green Man / Bad Tidings / The Fisher King / Sins Of Commision) (DVD)

There's no apparent sign that Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) is undergoing any mid-life crisis, but it may be that Midsomer Murders, now in its seventh season, is. Set Seven contains only four of the seven programs that made up the season. Almost without exception they show signs of strain in the writing and plotting. Although still quite enjoyable mysteries involving the many murders that occur in quiet, well-mannered Midsomer County, they nonetheless, in my opinion, lack a little of the style and cleverness of the earlier shows.

The problems arise, I think, because the writers are beginning to fall back on over-plotting and on plot devices that more often than not are used simply to keep the stories going for the full 100 minutes each. In one of the mysteries we encounter long periods of time spent with an indigent tramp who bonds with the animals in the woods. He's an important plot element, but more time than is needed is spent establishing his goodness. A fox and its progeny become a dramatic element that has little point to the story but is used simply to evoke feelings that have already been established. In another story, murderous, adulterous and larcenous authors stumble over each other in a story so over-plotted it's difficult to keep the issues and the characters straight. In an egregious bit of plotting, several characters' gay orientation is brought in, but simply as unnecessary red herrings. The sexual issue disappears halfway through the story and is never a believeable factor in the outcome. More subversive to any mystery, the murderer is shown performing highly unlikely athletic feats when doing the murdering. In one other of the stories, two of the primary actors are easily confused in medium and long shots. This seems due only to sloppy casting since there is no purpose for confusion of the characters to the plot.

Two other weaknesses, in my view, have been creeping into the series. While the acting remains highly competent, it doesn't seem to me to reach the level of subtlety and skill present in the earlier programs. I'm not talking about the regular, recurring characters, but the actors who make up each separate story. Perhaps it's just that I miss the number of well known actors who made so many appearances in previous episodes. There is almost none of the pleasure of recognition in this set. More seriously, Cully Barnaby (Laura Howard), Tom Barnaby's daughter, is starting to show up as a major cast character. While in previous shows she simply was used to fill in background concerning Barnaby's family, in Set Seven she's given major parts in two of the mysteries. As portrayed by Howard, Cully Barnaby is a rather grim, serious young woman who seldom smiles and who often looks like she's bearing the weight of the world on her shoulders. I don't know whether it's the actress or how the character is written, but Cully Barnaby is just not very interesting. She also seems to be used by the writers to slip in a bit of contemporary open-mouthed smooching with young men who might be murderers, might be boy friends, and who usually never reappear.

Set Seven also gives us Detective Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins) to work with Barnaby. Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey) has passed his exams for Inspector and moves on after the first episode. Scott is from London and is unused to the courteous ways of Barnaby, not to mention Midsomer County's high body count. Hopkins does a fine job.

Don't get me wrong, Midsomer Murders is an engaging murder series which I continue to enjoy. I'm looking forward to the DVD issue of additional sets. I just think the writers might be getting a little tired, and I hope they snap out of it. The DVD picture is excellent. The set includes a map of Midsomer County, cast filmographies and a biography of Caroline Graham, on whose books the series is based.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Fine Addition to this Series, September 15, 2006

By 

Donegal Dan (Southwest United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Midsomer Murders - Set Seven (The Green Man / Bad Tidings / The Fisher King / Sins Of Commision) (DVD)

This new set of mysteries is of the same high quality as the previous ones and also, like them, requires that you pay attention if you want to follow the rather complex plots and characters. It is well worth the effort and while I was disappointed at first when Troy did not appear, the new sidekick is, in my view, a worthy successor and definitely grows on you. His personality is different from Troy's--a little less naive and a bit more cocky--and his humor, as noted in a previous review, is more sardonic but I find that I like him equally well. In all, an excellent continuation of a first-rate series. As a postscript, I might add that my only real complaint is, as it has been from the first, that the characters of Barnaby's wife and daughter seem pretty perfunctory and not a little boring, but fortunately, they do not usually play a big role in the stories.