Another great episode from season 9, and one of my all-time favourites. There's so much that's good about it: the opening sequence was superb, one of the finest the show has produced, and I loved the change of location for much of the action. Fennicombe Bay looks idyllic. This episode also has the best last line by far, as Barnaby wipes the smug smile off Richard Florian's face. There were great performances from the two old-timers, Sam Kelly and Julia McKenzie. I didn't even think the coincidences were as bad as other reviewers suggest.
But it's not quite perfect, as there is one huge thing for me that doesn't quite add up. I'm talking about the sequence on the beach with Barnaby and Jones when Tom realises that Peter Hatchard had to be the murderer because he claimed not to have met Martin Barrett when he went down to Fennicombe Bay. All quite plausible when you think about it: there's no reason why he should have met him, his wife could have dealt with Barrett's enquiry, and indeed in the flashback that's exactly what you see did happen.
But it's not quite perfect, as there is one huge thing for me that doesn't quite add up. I'm talking about the sequence on the beach with Barnaby and Jones when Tom realises that Peter Hatchard had to be the murderer because he claimed not to have met Martin Barrett when he went down to Fennicombe Bay. All quite plausible when you think about it: there's no reason why he should have met him, his wife could have dealt with Barrett's enquiry, and indeed in the flashback that's exactly what you see did happen.