This is a really good story, and one of my favourites, despite my revulsion at the killers. Yes, most killers are nasty, but has there ever been a nastier pair of killers in Midsomer?
A lot of the fun in this episode is watching Barnaby and Jones rattle the upper crust family's cages - a familiar theme in Midsomer. Why is it whenever someone kills to protect the good name of the family, they don't realise that the ensuing scandal involving a conviction for murder would be far more damaging? Still, if they did we wouldn't have a story, and this is one of the best. There is also some good fun at the Chief Constable's expense, much to Barnaby's amusement.
The guest stars are wonderful, Jenny Agutter, Barbara Jefford, Julian Wadham and especially Rik Mayall put in great performances.
DC Stephens is wasted in this episode. In fact I was beginning to think she wasn't in it until she appears in a scene lasting less than a minute.
There are a couple of things I didn't quite understand. How did the Creeper know that the Rembrandt drawing was a fake? Also, I'm not sure how much William Chettham actually knew. In the big denouement at the end he seemed genuinely shocked at the actions of his wife and mother, seemingly also not knowing that Freddy was the gangster's son. But earlier there is a scene with the Chettham family and Jack Filby where they are all trying to persuade Freddy that he must not reveal 'the big secret' to Barnaby. What secret was that? That Freddy was the gangster's son or that he was Jack's? If the latter, it wasn't exactly a big secret.
A lot of the fun in this episode is watching Barnaby and Jones rattle the upper crust family's cages - a familiar theme in Midsomer. Why is it whenever someone kills to protect the good name of the family, they don't realise that the ensuing scandal involving a conviction for murder would be far more damaging? Still, if they did we wouldn't have a story, and this is one of the best. There is also some good fun at the Chief Constable's expense, much to Barnaby's amusement.
The guest stars are wonderful, Jenny Agutter, Barbara Jefford, Julian Wadham and especially Rik Mayall put in great performances.
DC Stephens is wasted in this episode. In fact I was beginning to think she wasn't in it until she appears in a scene lasting less than a minute.
There are a couple of things I didn't quite understand. How did the Creeper know that the Rembrandt drawing was a fake? Also, I'm not sure how much William Chettham actually knew. In the big denouement at the end he seemed genuinely shocked at the actions of his wife and mother, seemingly also not knowing that Freddy was the gangster's son. But earlier there is a scene with the Chettham family and Jack Filby where they are all trying to persuade Freddy that he must not reveal 'the big secret' to Barnaby. What secret was that? That Freddy was the gangster's son or that he was Jack's? If the latter, it wasn't exactly a big secret.