Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Death's Shadow (1999) User Reviews

One of the first, one of the best - it's back to Badger's Drift

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 30 October 2013]

Barnaby and Troy return to Badger's Drift to investigate more strangeness. Now, it's the murder of Richard Bailey, a man who had just learned he had a malignant brain tumor. So why kill him? There are some suspects -- Bailey was working on redeveloping some property, Tye House, and making it into a golf course and housing. His childhood friend, Ian Eastman, didn't get the development because Bailey had gone with a bigger firm. And lots of people in town are against the development.

When there's a second murder, Barnaby's ideas about the motive go out the window. What links the murders? The answer can be found many years earlier.

Really terrific story and mystery, with a dash of humor, as Barnaby isn't happy to be back in Badger's Drift. Also, he and Joyce are celebrating their 25th anniversary and rather than go on a trip, Joyce has decided they should renew their vows. Of course, Barnaby's head is firmly in the case. The denouement is a surprise. Very enjoyable mystery, on the dark side.

One of the First classic Midsomer Murders!

[m-james-888-42549 · 8/10 · 3 November 2010]

Land developer Richard Bayly is planning to turn Tye House into a golf course and retirement home and to give the sale to a Causton company when he receives news of a brain tumor. That night at a meeting to plan the annual Church's Fete, he breaks the news to all including former school mistress Agnes Sampson, Vicar Stephen Wentworth and his wife Angela, real estate agent Ian Eastman who went to school with Wentworth and who was expecting the sale of Tye House, and Eastman's wife Brenda.

The next night is when Bayly's found in his home savagely beheaded. In the meantime, theatrical director Simon Fletcher returns to Badger's Drift while holding a workshop in Causton which Inspector Barnaby's daughter is a part of. However, Fletcher is deeply troubled and holds a dark secret. But what is it and is there a connection with Bayly? Death's Shadow was the first full episode I saw and I must say this holds the standard by which every episode I expect to follow, though I am sometimes disappointed. Anyway, I must say I enjoyed every moment of this episode and there's plenty of suspense and other mystery aspects like some very good red herrings and clues here. There's also plenty of humor and the subplot about Cully and her workshop with Simon Fletcher as well as Joyce wanting to renew her wedding vows with Barnaby on their wedding anniversary. One of the funniest parts here involves a woman cheating on a jigsaw puzzle by cutting the pieces! This thankfully doesn't have much gore in it though there is One glimpse at some blood and the second murder creeped me out. Whether or not you guess the solution to the mystery, the revelation is still amazing and the music played during the explanation of the first murder is a little chilling in an odd way and adds to the atmosphere. My only problem is during the memorial service for Bayly but that's all I can say. And I also think David Whitely, who returns from The Killings At Badger's Drift, seems a little out of character. Or maybe it is just me.

The director Jeremy Silbertson died in 2006 which is quite sad because his pairings with screenwriter Anthony Horowitz lead to some of the best episodes during the early season and Death's Shadow is a fine example of that. The whole episode and not just the mystery is good though and it's a must for fans of Midsomer Murders or people just curious about the show. This is One of my favorites and I really recommend this.

"I've had my fill of Badger's bloody Drift, to hell with it." More quality Midsomer Murders.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 22 June 2007]

Midsomer Murders: Death's Shadow is set in the leafy picturesque Midsomer village of Badger's Drift, there a rich property developer named Richard Bayly (Dominic Jephcott) has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour & faces a potentially life threatening operation. It's not long before the whole of Badger's Drift knows even before he has a chance to announce it at a local meeting to discuss the restoration of the village church St. Michael's. After the meeting has ended he ask's to see vicar Stephen Wentworth (Richard Briers) alone to talk about something important, the next morning & Richard is found brutally decapitated in his own home. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Sgt. Troy (Daniel Casey) are on the case & have not so fond memories of Badger's Drift after their last murder enquiry there, Richard's death seems connected to the redevelopment of a local landmark Tye House, the huge amounts of money surrounding it & the wealth of opposition against it but the case turns out to be more complicated than that as dark secrets from the past return to haunt the residents of Badger's Drift...

Episdoe 1 from season 2 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Jeremy Silberston & was a fine way to kick off the second season of this very popular British TV series that I'm a big fan of. The script by Anthony Horowitz as usual contains all the elements one would expect from this classy drama, this one doesn't have a lot of suspects but it does an excellent job of steering you away from the truth & the red herrings that throw you off the scent so to speak are very well conceived & thought out. I must admit I didn't see the end coming at all, Death's Shadow is one of those Midsomer Murders where the final revelation has a dark & sinister edge to it with deliciously twisted motivations. Sure it's a bit far fetched but this is a fictitious drama meant to entertain so a few unlikely moments are more than forgivable. The character's are extremely well written & fleshed out as usual & the dialogue really helps the exposition heavy story flow along. The only problem I have with Death's Shadow is a small one but still a plot point which bugs me whenever I see it, I simply don't understand why Dr. Henson (Mossie Smith) takes so long to tell Barnaby that she was at Richard's house the night he was killed? I mean she has nothing to hide, right? Why didn't she tell him when she first met him at Richard's house the morning after the murder? Since she has a very important community based job with rules & ethics I cannot think of one good reason why she withheld what might have been crucial information & it's never explained why she did. A small point as I've said but one which stands out as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, this is still a great Midsomer Murders mystery with plenty of intrigue, lies, dark secrets, twists & turns, sinister revelations & a great climax. It's all here in yet another classic story, I only wish the makers could rediscover the magic of these earlier stories.

As usual there's plenty of nice locations on show here, Barnaby returns to Badger's Drift last seen in the very first Midsomer Murders story The Killings at Badger's Drift (1997) & the same location is used that of The Lee in Buckinghamshire for the village scenes along with the same church which is in reality located in Bedlow in Buckinghamshire. The murders aren't particularly graphic but there's some blood splatter & someone gets shot with an arrow plus a scene where a young boy is accidentally hanged. The acting is top drawer as usual & Richard Briers is excellent in this.

Death's Shadow is yet another great British Midsomer Murders mystery, these early stories really are excellent & I throughly recommend them to anyone out there who likes a good mystery, easily some of the best crime drama we have produced here in the UK.

"Another winner from director Jeremy Silberston and writer Anthony Horowitz - two of the series' top talents."

[jamesraeburn2003 · 28 March 2006]

Top theatre producer-director Simon Fletcher (Julian Wadham) returns to Badger's Drift after more than thirty years away, but his mind is full of disturbing childhood memories. The main reason for his visit is because he is taking a drama workshop which is being held at the Playhouse in Causton and Chief Inspector Barnaby's daughter Cully (Laura Howard) has got a place. Barnaby and his wife Joyce (Jane Wymark) are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and have decided to retake their marriage vows to mark the occasion. Incidentally, the church they have booked is in Badger's Drift and they meet up with the vicar Reverand Stephen Wentworth (Richard Briers) to discuss the ceremony. Every thing it seems is going well for the Barnaby's.

But as always there is tension in this picturesque Midsomer village. Property developer Richard Bayly (Dominic Jephcott) is planning to redevelop Tye House as an upmarket golf club, which has upset the villagers. Not least former schoolmistress Agnes Sampson (Vivien Pickles) who was outraged when Bayly developed the village school into a block of luxury flats. In addition, Bayly's old schoolfriend Ian Eastman (Nick Dunning), the local estate agent, is unhappy because Bayly elected to give the sale of Tye House to a bigger company in Causton. Meanwhile, it is the eve of the Badger's Drift summer fête and a meeting is held at the vicarage to discuss the arrangements for the day. Here, Bayly announces that he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and will have to undergo major surgery to have it removed. After the meeting, Bayly asks to speak to the vicar alone. The following morning he is discovered brutally murdered in his home -decapitated with a sword.

Barnaby was looking forward to a peaceful ceremony retaking his marriage vows with his wife, but once again he and Sgt Troy are back in Badger's Drift on a case. As Barnaby points out, only two years previously, he and Troy had solved the brutal double murder of the blackmailing Iris Rainbird and her creepy undertaker son Dennis in the village (The Killing's At Badger's Drift 1997). But like the last time there is no shortage of suspects and nobody seems to be telling them the truth. But the question is why would somebody want to kill someone who was as good as dead anyway? To begin with, the Tye House development seems to be behind it all but after two more people are murdered in particularly grisly fashion, they find out about the apparent suicide of a young boy in the woods some thirty years ago. Could this be the key to the mystery?

DEATH'S SHADOW was the first episode in the second season of Midsomer Murders and also the first not adapted from a Caroline Graham novel. Anthony Horowitz whom had adapted Graham's THE KILLING'S AT BADGER'S DRIFT and WRITTEN IN BLOOD for the screen was commissioned to devise a new story. And with DEATH'S SHADOW, he delivered the goods. The story is tightly plotted delivering all the thrills and intrigue one expects of this series. Horowitz is without doubt the best screenwriter to have worked on Midsomer Murders as not only were his story lines well developed, but he also he devised a number of in-jokes and black comedy touches for the show. For instance, the elderly and fragile housekeeper Mrs Bundy (Marlene Sidaway) whom discovered the battered body of her former employer Gerald Hadleigh in WRITTEN IN BLOOD reprises her role here only this time she worked for Richard Bayly and discovered his beheaded corpse as well. Also reprising his role from WRITTEN IN BLOOD is the eccentric solicitor Mr Jocelyn (Timothy Bateson) who was Gerald Hadleigh's solicitor and Richard Bayly's as well. "The last time we met was when one of my former clients had the misfortune to be murdered and now Mr Bayly too" he sighs. There is also some hilarious comedy between Jane Wymark and John Nettles here. When Joyce discovers that a brutal murder has taken place in the village where they are about to retake their marriage vows, she screams "I just don't believe it..When we got married 25 years ago some old woman got poisoned and now when we are about to celebrate are anniversary, someone else gets brutally murdered."

Director Jeremy Silberston - who sadly passed away in 2006 - who helmed both THE KILLING'S AT BADGER'S DRIFT and WRITTEN IN BLOOD once again does fine work aided by a top notch supporting cast with guest star Richard Briers standing out as the vicar who has suffered long at the hands of his bored and nagging wife Angela (Judy Parfitt) who had planned for him to be an arch deacon or a bishop. But she moans at the fact that he's happy as a parish priest. As ever, John Nettles and Daniel Casey are a joy to watch as Barnaby and Troy as is the chemistry between Nettles and Wymark as husband and wife. In addition, every episode of Midsomer Murders that Horowitz wrote, Silberston directed and it is a remarkable combination of two exceptional talents working together perfectly with all the elements gelling perfectly. My opinion is that while Horowitz is the show's best screenwriter, Silberston was its best director as together they invest the proceedings with such a charm for vintage murder mysteries that one just doesn't see nowadays.

A dark tale of lies and revenge

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 25 August 2015]

After the fantastic opening season, the second kicked off with Death's Shadow.

Wonderful English countrysides again are one of the stars of the show, Midsomer is so easy on the eye.

As we're back in Badger's Drift it was nice to get the references to the earlier murders, the Rainbirds etc. and I was glad to see the return of David Whitely and Mr Jocelyne. One criticism I have with the new episodes, is there's no echoes of the past, in an area as bloodthirsty there should be more references.

Poor Mrs Bundy has no luck when it comes to finding bodies, poor dear should give up cleaning.

I noticed here the murders themselves are becoming more elaborate, they've started cranking up the intensity of them.

There is a big change from Series 1, gone is the humour and frivolity, the show is seemingly going in a much darker direction. No comedy double acts, no foolery from Tom or Troy, this episode meant business, and it delivered, this was a brilliant episode, very mature and grown up. Rather dark plot with a very sad story, and a very vengeful conclusion.

I think Richard Briers is utterly outstanding, he was simply wonderful, I believed every word he said. The whole cast are excellent, but Briers gives the masterclass. 10/10

One of the Best So Far

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 8 February 2016]

I found this to be a scintillating effort in the series. We are introduced to a group of boys who are in club. They do something that isn't clear, and, of course, will come into play later. We now move ahead to present time as Barnaby is celebrating his 25th anniversary. He and his wife have been by a certain church in a nearby town. She has requested redoing their vows as a celebration. At their first wedding, Barnaby had to run off and deal with a crime. A young man who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor is decapitated one night and the detective and his partner are thrust into the center of some weird goings on. There is a land development issue and the neighbor's are feuding with a man who owns the property, claiming he is ruining their little town. Without going into great detail, there are lots of secrets. There are also some strained relationships that are making approachability quite difficult. We also get a closer look at Barnaby's daughter, Cully, who is an aspiring actress. She seems to be cast frequently in particularly bloody plays like Macbeth and the Duchess of Malfi. Anyway, there is threat hanging over everything and a deep dark secret that is eventually revealed.

Total Surprise

[kall6695 · 8/10 · 2 May 2022]

The First episode in the second season of Midsomer Murders. Great way to start. Great characters in DCI John Barnaby, goofy sidekick Troy, long-suffering, but amenable coppers wife, Joyce Barnaby, daughter Cully. Some of the murders are inventive but watching one victim die is chilling. All good stuff. Not sure I believe that the killer has the ability to wield certain murder weapons for obvious reasons, but his motive is strong.

Set in Badger's Drift, the site of the first Midsomer murder, it is great to see another village fete going on. Village life in Midsomer County looks so appealing. Also fun to see Cully in another acting scene. Of course there are a few annoying and unsupportive characters that seem like they should have been murdered.

What a way to kick off the second season, considered it an instant favourite on first viewing, still consider it one of the best of the series

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 5 December 2016]

"Death's Shadow" couldn't have been a more perfect start to the second season. Season 1 started off 'Midsomer Murders' very promisingly, with only "Death of a Hollow Man" disappointing somewhat. Not only is "Death's Shadow" on par with the likes of "The Killings at Badger's Drift", "Written in Blood" and "Death in Disguise", it's even better.

As always, the production values are top notch, with to die for scenery, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. It is especially haunting in the flashback leading up to the first murder in the final solution, really bringing chills up the spine.

Meanwhile, the script is smart, thought-provoking and suitably grim, with even some nice humour. Films or television episodes heavy in exposition can be a problem depending on the execution, that "Death's Shadow" was heavy in exposition was not at all a problem and nothing felt inconsequential, everything had a point, everything intrigued. And yes, the references to past cases were great.

Like as was said with "Death in Disguise", The story is one of the show's most complex, darkest, most mature (actually feeling more grown up than before) most entertaining and most ceaselessly compelling. The ending was especially well done, the motive for the murders one of the most believable while never once condoning the murderer's actions (who can with methods so brutal? While not exactly graphic they are execution-like in style) and the lack of remorse from the murderer is chilling. The climax is one of 'Midsomer Murders' most iconic and one of the best. There is a lot going on without being cluttered or rushed, and that nothing is what it seems, or very few people are who they seem adds to the complexity, while there are no out of kilter scenes.

John Nettles and Daniel Casey sparkle together, with Nettles characteristically superb and Casey a great contrast. Jane Wymark brings some welcome humour, which is very amusing, and one feels sorry for Cully. In support, Richard Briers' outstanding performance is just unforgettable.

In conclusion, one of the best of the series, simply brilliant and couldn't recommend it enough. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Top notch episode

[siwoodhall · 9/10 · 5 June 2022]

I can't quite decide whether this is my all-time favourite episode or if the pilot episode, 'The Killings at Badger's Drift', (also penned by Anthony Horowitz) is as good. Regardless, this is an (equally) genuinely tense and sinister tale with an utterly satisfying denouement. The cast is first-rate. Definitely one of the high points of this long-running series.

Murder on the Orient Express? Been Done.

[ummajon2003 · 8/10 · 9 June 2016]

The other reviews of this episode are wonderful and capture every aspect I'd like to have mentioned including the negatives of "insane religious man" trope and "confused gay man" theme.

I'll just add a couple of my own thoughts.

First, it was delightful to listen to Tom as he sang "For Those in Peril on the Sea" at the dinner table. Clearly, John Nettles has a grand singing voice and no doubt a commanding stage presence.

Also, I was disappointed not to see the renewal of their vows--I imagine it as being something charming if they had gone through with it! Poor Joyce, I can relate to how her husband's job so often gets in the way of her wishes. But a Rolls Royce and the Orient Express to Venice is not too shabby!

Not really that great preposterous instead

[lbowdls · 7/10 · 14 June 2019]

You might call it a great mystery but I call it a red herring that is out of left field. But even so, from early in the piece I figure it to be the least obvious, therefore being the most obvious person to be the murderer.

One of my favorite episodes

[stephjones-35526 · 10/10 · 10 September 2020]

Definitely one of my favorite episodes. Small technical issue though is the statement that Felix's death was a suicide. His hands are tied behind his back. How can that be a suicide?

know your british actors

[sandcrab277 · 3/10 · 14 July 2019]

From scene one i already knew the murderer. .. yes the usual red herrings were laid for barnaby to chase ... these british who done its are a pitiful lot of writing to drag out the interviews and cast aspersions in all directions and the dci took advantage of the circumstances to deflect redoing his marriage vows ... remember, this the detective that couldn't detect his own allergy to cats ... well done tom

A great great episode

[lewis-51 · 9/10 · 12 November 2023]

I agree this is one of the best Midsomers, and compares well to just about any detective series.

In the beginning we see a group of school boys doing something. It's not clear what is going on, and it's not clear why there is an adult there. Is that one of the boys grown up? Is this a flashback? We'll find out later.

Soon a 40-ish year old man is brutally murdered, even though he is terminally ill. There follows another brutal murder. There are red-herrings, as usual, though it is so well done we can't be sure what is a red herring and what is not. There is an intriguing side plot with daughter Cully and a famous producer, and another side plot as Barnaby and his wife are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. It all comes together with a resounding and satisfying conclusion, complete with HItchcockian reference.

A superb job! Don't miss it.

Very good episode

[Latvian-male · 21 November 2021]

I like scenery and sunny days in village and then dark nights, when murders are done. And those murders are unnecessary cruel and brutal. Exactly in the spirit of Midsomer Murders. The only thing I didn't like that fourth man of that gang of four wasn't killed. I think if other 3 got that fate, this one deserve it too. I really liked the ending when the suspect jumped out of the church tower in front of his wife's eyes. I think the boy's death could be considered suicide, because those 4 boys could remove the ropes from his hands and do everything to make it look like suicide.

Classic Episode

[Schweizer85 · 9/10 · 11 April 2021]

They definitely don't make them like this anymore, this episode encompasses all the values that make Midsomer Murders as good as it was in the early days.

As ever, stunning locations used for filming, was great to see them use the same village for Badgers Drift as they used in the very first episode- same church, same Doctors surgery, as well as the reference to the characters from that episode (the Rainbirds), Richard Bayly's house was stunning !

Small quirks in the episode add to the enjoyment as well, it's a typical insular community whereby everyone knows each others business, quoted by one character as having a ''rumour machine''. The only thing that wasn't credible about that was a character saying she heard about Richard Bayly's illness from the Doctors' cleaner; there's no way Doctors would be divulging patient information as gossip.

The murder methods also step up a gear- a beheading, a burning alive and a bow and arrow killing, the latter happening at a colourful village fete- classic !

A wonderful start to the second series

[hossychristie · 10/10 · 8 October 2023]

"Death's Shadow" remains as one of the best Midsomer Murders episodes ever made, and it was just a perfect and wonderful start of the second series. Jeremy Silberston and Anthony Horowitz make a perfect collaboration as the director and writer duo once again, just like they did with "The Killings at Badger's Drift" and "Written in Blood.

"Death's Shadow" starts with a dream 30 years Prior to the story. A school bell is ringing. Five boys slip away through a gate. The boys are shown throwing rocks at the window at the school. One of the boys is blindfolded, and the others yell and tease. The boy calls for Simon, one of the boys who is with him. Adult Simon goes over to the boy and slips a noose around his neck.

Tom and Joyce are having a discussion with Cully what they will do to celebrate their 25th year anniversary. Cully syggest going on the Orient Express to Venice, but Joyce wants to stay nearby. She don't want to go away at all, and tells Tom and Cully that she wants to retake their marriage vows. They drive to St. Michael's Church in Badger's Drift" where the priest, Stephen Wentworth meets them. Stephen asks why they chose to come to Badger's Drift and Barnany replies that he had noticed the church while he was working on a case here two years ago. Stephen recalls what case Barnaby is talking about, and says he knew Dennis Rainbird quite well.

Richard Bayly is not well and receives some bad information at Dr Henson's office. He has a brain tumour, a malignant astrocytoma. When he is on his way home, he bumps into Ian Eastman, and he wants to know what will happen to Tye House, the Manor Henry Trace previously owned before Barnaby and Troy rode along to investigate the murders of Emily Simpson, Iris and Dennis Rainbird and the shooting of Bella Trace, the last time they were in the village. Richard informs he is going with Erickson's in Causton. Ian gets angry and then he drives away.

The grand village fete is about to be held in Badger's Drift and the committe dicusses the preparations at Stephen's home. Richard then reveals that he is not well, and that he may not make the Fete this year, and at the end of the committee meeting, Richard asks if Stephen has some time to talk with him. After he has talked with Richard, Stephen is seen praying at the church, and Dr Henson receives a phone call, and gets worried. During the night, Stephen wakes up and turns on the light. He tells Angela that there might be an intruder in their house, and Stephen goes downstairs to find out what it is. Stephen closes an open window, and when he goes back to bed, something is seen missing from the wall.

Richard Bayly is found murdered the following morning and two further deaths occur. David Whitley, who also appeared in "The Killings at Badger's Drift is burned alive in his caravan and Simon Fletcher is shot with a bow and arrow at the village fete. Stephen Wentworth was in shock when Barnaby first told him about the murder of Richard Bayly, and he certainly gained Barnaby's trust and twined him around his little finger. It all comes down to the dream Simon had in the beginning of the episode, and it transpires that Stephen was the father of Felix Bryce, the boy who was believed to have taken suicide at the time he was in the woods with Simon and his friends. But without knowing that he was talking to the boy's father, Richard told Stephen that David Whitley, Simon Fletcher, Ian Eastman and himself were all responsible for Felix's death. Stephen's motive for the murders was a good old fashioned revenge, because he felt that they had killed his son. At the climax point at the end of the episode, Stephen leaps from the Church's roof, and commits suicide, something he felt he should have done years ago.

"Death's Shadow" remains as one of my favourite Midsomer Murders episodes. The story is one of the show's most complex, darkest, most entertaining and compelling of all times. Even though the murder of Richard Bayly happens after nearly half an hour, it means very little, because the story itself is so wonderfully written. The climax, and Stephen Wentworth turning out to be the murderous priest, is of the most iconic endings in Midsomer Murders entire history. And when it comes to the supporting cast, Richard Briers steals the show, and in my opinion the perfect actor to play Stephen Wenthworth. In addition to him, I really liked Julian Wadham's interpretation of Simon Fletcher, and Dominic Jephcott was likeable as Richard Bayly.

The Lee and the Holy Trinity Church in Bledlow once again stood in as parts of Badger's Drift, and they are my favourite filming locations in this episode.

"Death's Shadow" is one of the best Midsomer Murders episodes ever made. It will always be one of my favourite episodes, and this episode is a wonderful start to the second series. 10/10 Hossy Christie.

Great

[valstone52 · 10/10 · 3 September 2020]

I'm watching the se over again and this one I love. I was hoping the Ian character would be killed before the end. He had a nasty att and he was pompous. I've seen him in other things and still don't like him.

Midsomer Murders: Death's Shadow-anti Christian

[ctyankee1 · 25 July 2015]

Another episode to make Christians look bad. This episode is in series 2 episode 1 and this is the 3rd one inserted with gay and homosexual content that is not made to look bad but Christian are made to look bad.

Guys that have gone to school together start being murdered one at a time. Barnaby thinks it has something to do with Tye House which is being sold and many of the villagers do not like this because it will bring a lot of strangers in the area and also a golf course was planned.

At first the writers make you think that the men that know each other might be the killer having to do with property, then it switches over to what happened in the school years ago.

The church is planning a festival and the people in the community meet. I could also tell it was a biased bull because a woman was going to tell fortunes in a tent at this church festival. Fortune telling is sinful and forbidden. Churches would not allow it at a feast or on their property but the writers of Midsomer Murder like putting Christians down and raising homosexuals up.

One of the men that is married is caught in bed with a 19 year old boy. He acts like it is okay because the kid is 19 and he explains he is not a "homosexual" and it was just a "business deal" he paid the kid for sex. So I guess age does not matter, marriage does not matter and paying for sex is okay to the writer who wrote this for the character Ian Eastman/Nick Dunning who looks like a young Bill Clinton.

Barnaby is also planning to retake his wedding vows of 25 years. The killings are very violent. A sword is used to cut a head off, a fire burned a motorhome and more. The killer goes before a gold Cross in church and prays and then sets out to kill. He later explains he is not sorry.

No Christian would go pray in a church and then go commit a murder. They try to make it look like the death and resurrection and belief in Christ is meaningless. Midsomer Murder stories are interesting and suspenseful but full of fantasy and farce and sometimes swearing.

The actors are good but I hope now that this series is basically over after 18 seasons they find a more respectful part in a more respectable series or movie.