The very first scene has a masked cat burglar--The Creeper--in the darkened bedroom of an elderly lord and lady, stealing personal items.
The elderly woman groggily wakens, and thinking it is her husband who is up, asks for the glass of water and a kiss. When the cat burglar obliges with both requests, we know that this episode is going to have a whimsical vibe to it--that Midsomer Murders can do so well.
Who the Creeper is--it seems to me-- is telegraphed fairly early on, just as it is also clear, early on, that the cat burglar is not the murderer.
It is always nice to see haughty lords and ladies getting their comeuppance from civil servant, DCI Barnaby!
Almost the whole Chettham family are snobs. But the grand dame, My Lady Elizabeth Chettham (terrifically played by Barbara Jefford) is particularly obnoxious.
The murder mystery itself is admirably complex, with evidence and motives being revealed in small doses. Everyone has secrets, and they want it kept that way--the police have No Business prying into personal affairs!
But when even Barnaby's superior, CC Richard Lovell (Paul Shelley) is being less than candid with him, Barnaby's reaction is priceless--a mixture of impatience and civility.
The elderly woman groggily wakens, and thinking it is her husband who is up, asks for the glass of water and a kiss. When the cat burglar obliges with both requests, we know that this episode is going to have a whimsical vibe to it--that Midsomer Murders can do so well.
Who the Creeper is--it seems to me-- is telegraphed fairly early on, just as it is also clear, early on, that the cat burglar is not the murderer.
It is always nice to see haughty lords and ladies getting their comeuppance from civil servant, DCI Barnaby!
Almost the whole Chettham family are snobs. But the grand dame, My Lady Elizabeth Chettham (terrifically played by Barbara Jefford) is particularly obnoxious.
The murder mystery itself is admirably complex, with evidence and motives being revealed in small doses. Everyone has secrets, and they want it kept that way--the police have No Business prying into personal affairs!
But when even Barnaby's superior, CC Richard Lovell (Paul Shelley) is being less than candid with him, Barnaby's reaction is priceless--a mixture of impatience and civility.