Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Sword of Guillaume (2010) User Reviews

good episode and an intro to the new guy

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 27 July 2015]

In this episode, we meet Barnaby's cousin John, who soon (though they don't say so) will take over Tom's job when he retires.

Barnaby is on a bus tour in Brighton organized by Dave Hicks, Causton's mayor, who is not one of Barnaby's favorite people.

Barnaby is suspicious about a land deal that is about to be put through because he figures the Mayor has to be getting something out of it, and it may not be the best for the community.

The land they're buying is basically swamp, and they're building summer camps for children on the far end that I assume doesn't have swamp. It's explained that the land can't take really solid structures.

On the trip, Barnaby runs into the very attractive Jenny Russell, who owns a hotel, Lucy and Trent Terry, antique shop owners, Hugh Dalgleish, a developer, and the negative Reverend Giles Shawcross, who is always spouting doom and gloom. Finally, there is the Lady Matilda Williams and her severely disabled adult son, Richard, and his helper Marcia.

Lady Williams is opposed to the land deal. The land is where her son was nearly killed twenty years early.

Then the awful Dalgleish is decapitated. Barnaby calls in his cousin for help, as he knows the area so well.

Then there is a second murder, and Barnaby begins to come to a few conclusions that will lead to the discovery of the murderer.

Good episode, and a sad one, besides being on the gory side. It's a nice intro to John Barnaby, whom we'll be seeing a lot of later. One thing I liked is that Jones loses his patience and really shows his obstinate and tough side.

A good episode.

[james_89 · 7/10 · 20 February 2010]

After some rather disappointing instalments recently, i was quite impressed with this episode. An impressive guest cast helped bring a brilliantly over the top, Gothic story to life.

That's not to say its perfect mind you. There is an incredibly tedious sub plot about a land deal and the story only really gets quite dark towards the end, when a bizarre and twisted motive for the murders reminds us of earlier Midsomer Murders stories. I prefer a dark and sinister note to run through Midsomer Murders episodes because the team pull it off so well when they do it.

More gory than usual (and better for it!), i was still disappointed with the low body count and the fact that no one dies for 40 minutes! Also, ITV insist on cramming these mysteries with adverts so the running time is down by 15 minutes from the original episodes which doesn't give the writers the time they need to throw in the detail they used to be able to. For example the identity of the culprit is clear from the start and wont surprise anyone, although their motive is harder to fathom though there are plenty of clues given.

I like Neil Dudgeon as a replacement for John Nettles and think he'll fit in well.

Beware the caped swordsman.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 2 June 2017]

A trip to Brighton, Causton's twinned city sounds idyllic, but being Midsomer, it's not long until the axe is wielded.

This episode comes during a rather hit and miss time for the show, several of the episodes before and after were rather poor, but The Sword of Guillaume, not perfect, still shines quite brightly. Nice to see filming at Brighton, and an escape from the Midsomer bubble.

The show is always that bit better when there's a Gothic theme, couple that with a killer that's beheading their victims, this was always going to be one for those that like the darker side of the show.

A good introduction for Neil Dudgeon, a very different character, some nice humour, the show would be in safe hands. Some great supporting actors too, Tim McInnerny, Lucy Cohu, Janet Suzman to name but a few, each doing their bit.

The ending is a bit weak, a little far fetched, but overall it's solid, a good story, perhaps elevated by a particularly strong cast. A return, somewhat to form. 7/10

Introducing John Barnaby

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 11 February 2010]

Usually the town of Causton where DCI Barnaby is based seems relatively crime free compared to the surrounding Midsomer villages, in this episode we see that Causton is actually corrupt at the highest level and not immune to the murders that plague this particular corner of England's green and pleasant land. Barnaby is suspicious of the mayor's motives when he proposes buying a bit of land near Brighton for holiday houses although it appears that the lands low value is due to most of it being susceptible to flooding. This plan is strongly opposed by the council's finance officer who believes her son's injuries were sustained because the people of Brighton wanted revenge for the actions of one of his descendants at the time of the Norman conquest. She is over ruled and several townspeople set off on a trip to Brighton to celebrate the friendship between the two towns. The trip doesn't go as well as planned as one of the group gets decapitated while going for a ride on the ghost train. Unfortunately there is no shortage of suspects as everybody hated the man. Barnaby is soon on the case... John Barnaby cousin of Tom. Tom of course is investigating the goings on in Causton but the real motive may not be the most obvious. Tom is also in trouble at home when his wife learns that a local beauty appears to have feelings for him.

While this episode was fairly silly it was still a lot of fun and provided a nice introduction to cousin John who is due to take over the series when John Nettles retires from the show. Neil Dudgeon was good in the role and will hopefully be able to carry the series when he takes over. Lucy Cohu was great as the sexy temptress Jenny, I can see why Joyce was a bit jealous and Tim McInnerny was good as the obnoxious Hugh Dalgleish till he lost his head anyway. The actual culprit was not much of a surprise nor was the fact that their motive wasn't the corruption case as first suggested.

A pivotal episode

[alarchdu · 9/10 · 22 October 2015]

This is one of the most excellent episodes of the series, and entirely watchable. It is very revealing, in that it not only introduces Nettles' replacement, but gives the first solid idea as to Midsomer's location. And watching it again, after seeing later episodes, and then reading other reviews, gives it more depth.

It has been long-clear that Midsomer is located somewhere south of London, and it actually filmed using several adjacent villages (shot from different angles) in that region. In this episode, the location of Causton is clearly given as north of Crawley, about the same distance from it as Crawley is from Brighton (and within commuting distance of London). The area was also one of the first conquered by the Normans during the 11th century (not too far from Hastings), which may give some explanation for why it is one of the most violent, psychotic and deadly locations in England.

Most reviewers have commented that the episode is unusual in that it takes so long for the first murder to occur. But the opening scene shows the removal of the future murder weapon a Norman sword - from the tomb of the founder of a local noble who died 900 years earlier. Symbolic.

The sword itself is anachronistic, not typical of the swords used by the Norman conquerors. Although the murder (or the later usual murders) is revealed to actually have the strength to wield such a sword, the weapon itself would not have been able to inflict the death wounds shown (implied, actually)as the episode unfolds (a blunt, rusty soft-steel sword designed as a thrusting weapon would not see good service as a weapon on decapitation).

The juxtaposition of Tom and John Barnaby is impressive. The new Barnaby, Tom's younger cousin, is shown to be more thoughtful and analytical, less impulsive and opinionated, and more eager to do well than his older cousin.

I think everything in the episode showed no obvious signs of being rushed or of threads left hanging, as I have seen in many previous episodes. Scenes I thought were missed I now realize could not have been shot easily in the time allowed, and without slowing the pace.

This is a "must see" episode, that shows Jones losing his cool, and the differences between the two Barnaby's (and why John is less a replacement for Tom, but a different view of a similar and younger personality.

A fine episode!

[harrykivi · 6/10 · 20 November 2022]

The 13th season of "Midsomer Murders" is the last season with John Nettles and sadly not one of the better seasons. It's not awful, just a mixed bag. "The Sword of Guillame" starts the season of on a fine note, which is still quite impressive (when one starts to think about the 13th season of "Midsomer Murders".)

Let´ s start with the good aspects, shall we?

. The production values of this episode are great as usual. The episode is well-directed and the music's solid. John Nettles and Jason Hughes are wonderful in the leads, but the guest stars are also strong. Neil Gudgeon does well in his debut as John Barnaby, he is quite charming. Tim McInnery, Janet Suzman and Brian Capron are pretty good too, but Mark Gatiss and especially Lucy Cohu are fantastic in their roles. Wish we would have seen more of her...

. The story has good amount of wry humor, gory deaths, twists and turns in it. For the most part the narrative is enjoyable.

But....

. The mystery does take a while untill it gets started, making the episode drag quite badly at times. The solution (Marcia being the killer) was not surprising and the motive for the murders felt lacklustre at best. Also, agreed, the subplot about the mayor was not as interesting as it could have been.

Overall, a decent episode.

6/10 HK.

A very interesting episode

[enkiddu-725-703632 · 10/10 · 28 July 2010]

This particular episode left in me some very contradictory feelings. On the one hand, it's full of some improbable and far-fetched things, first of all, did the authors of the episode every consider how heavy a real (!) medieval sword might be? It's not a toy and a woman would hardly be able to carry it, I don't even speak of hiding it in an invalid wheel-chair! Then, how did Marcia get into the horror-house or whatever it was? How was she able to make a very professional blow cutting the head off? I am an amateur of medieval role games that might include swords too and can assure anyone that to make a good exact blow without practice is almost impossible. She might have been training somewhere of course, but still it's very implausible. Those who know how to handle a sword will understand me. But all that doesn't mean that the episode is bad - on the contrary, it's just super, this time Aitkens did not disappoint me. The plot is very original, the motives for murders are very unusual, the situation itself has very little in common with previous episodes which gives it a touch of freshness. The actors give a very convincing performance. And I agree with previous comments, the medieval subject in this film makes it very mysterious. For the first time in the last two or three seasons I am totally content. The MM team has done an excellent work! P.S. Someone might complain that the first murder again happens very late, almost in the middle of the film, but it's the personal mark of Aitkens - in his episodes that I consider the best in the MM series (except Secrets ans Spies) the first murder always happens very late. This episode is no exception! And many other moments usual for Aitkens are present in it, so even if I hadn't known who'd written it I would have guessed all the same!

While not among the best episodes, still pretty good

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 20 February 2017]

As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.

The previous season was a very mixed bag, with no disasters but no classics. The best of the episodes being only decent while showing signs of greatness. "The Sword of Guillaume" is a pretty good episode, without being among the best of 'Midsomer Murders', as far as Season 13 goes it's definitely one of the better episodes of the season which never reached classic level and one or two of the episodes were show low-points.

"Sword of Guillaume" starts off uninteresting, with a lot of padding and a subplot that just isn't that compelling at the end of the day. Despite an interesting method of murder, the first murder especially does have loose ends regarding the probability and practicalities of the murder (one of the show's most improbable perhaps for reasons highlighted in previous reviews). A couple of the overtones while intriguing grow slightly tired.

However, the production values as always are just great, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography, with a creepy look in the murder scenes, the murders being significantly less tame and fairly interesting. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.

Scripting has a nice balance of thought, humour and drama, while the story gradually becomes one of the show's darkest and twisted in a while and once the first murder is intriguing. The medieval theme has a real sense of mystery, as do the themes used, and one loves the interplay between Barnaby and Jones as well as the addition of Barnaby's brother John (who would not long after take over as the lead).

Characters are closer to the more colourful and eccentric characters of the classic era rather than the lifeless ones that too many of the recent episodes had, as well as the motives while slightly silly closer to the twisted ones rather than the dull and far-fetched ones recently. The identity of the murderer was not a shock, with a good deal of clues that quickly add up, but still nicely done.

John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Neil Dudgeon here brings the lightness of touch and cheeky demeanour often missing when he took over. In support, Tim McInnerny (as one of the show's most loathsome first victims), Mark Gatiss, Janet Suzman, Lucy Cohu and Saskia Reeves give great performances.

In summary, pretty good if not one of the best. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The Cutting Edge!

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 26 May 2016]

Beheadings are the order of the day in this episode. A group of Causton people go to a sister city for a festival, celebrating a centuries' old event. The people on the bus include Barnaby and a host of other citizens. There are some suspicious goings on that whet the appetite of our friendly detective. The plot has several elements, including a paralyzed man, an aloof dowager, a couple of thieves who cheat some people out of valuable swords, a woman with a temper, and several other focuses. Ultimately, a focus forms on the swords and their histories. There are some demonstrators who are unhappy with a right-of-way, who put up monstrously heavy barrier to keep cars out. There is also some clues as to one of the characters being homosexual and shame associated with this.

Sea-ing in a new era

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 7/10 · 13 December 2020]

The first episodes of each series are generally pretty good but with this episode seemingly being filmed in the height of summer and much of it being filmed in Brighton, it just doesn't seem right. The story struggles to fill the new 89 minute length so heaven knows how slow it would have been in previous years. It is rather convoluted, acting as an entrance to a new major character taking over the following year. It's taken 13 years for the new character to even gave a mention. Like many other characters, he dies resemble someone whom has been in the show before. The plot is thin and, unfortunately, a foretasted for many series of the show to come.

Sword of Guillaume

[ummajon2003 · 8/10 · 1 June 2016]

I could not think of a title for this summary. I have just a couple of thoughts.

I've always wondered why on Earth these detectives do not carry guns! I understand it would change the atmosphere of the show to see Barnaby shooting at suspects, but he and Jones walk into so many dangerous situations such as being inches away from a sword pointed at their faces!

Anyhow, here's yet another episode with Barnaby flirting with another woman. "Don't tempt me," he says to Jenny who comes on to him every chance she gets (totally hypocritical as she is upset her own husband is a cheater--why flirt with a married man, lady?) And why was it so obvious that Barnaby was saddened that she was murdered, come on now, Joyce puts up with too much! It makes me like him less.

Regarding this episode, a funny exchange between Milton and the 2 detectives, "Are all police named Barnaby?" "It makes life easier" quips Tom, a direct answer to all of the fans who roll their eyes as to why a different detective also named Barnaby will take over the lead in season 14.

And how was it that Marcia was able to pick up Richard and carry him up the stairs? Though she was fit it was still silly-- it made me wonder if she was indeed a man! But no, of course women can carry grown men up staircases every night, why not?

An enjoyable episode!!!

Changing of the guard, the beginning of the end.

[poolandrews · 5/10 · 21 May 2010]

Midsomer Murders: The Sword of Guillaume starts as DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) decides to join a coach trip of Midsomer Parva locals to Brighton including Mayor David Hicks (Brian Capron) who Barnaby has his suspicions about, Lady Matilda William (Janet Suzman) also has her suspicions. Various other Midsomer Parva residents join the trip to Brighton including local despised property developer Hugh Dalgleish (Tim McInnerny) who is found with his head chopped off, Barnaby is on the case & teams up with his cousin DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) to investigate the murder & Mayor Hicks dodgy dealings. It seems everyone had a motive to kill Dalgleish so finding the true murderer will not be easy...

Episode 2 from season 13 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Renny Rye & is particularly notable because it features the first appearance of DCI John Barnaby played by Neil Dudgeon who will be John Nettles permanent replacement once he leaves the series at the end of this season, other than that The Sword of Guillaume is yet another average episode in a long line of average episodes. Besides the gimmick of having the two Barnaby's investigate a murder together this episode takes place in both Midsomer & Brighton with the burnt down pier & several other landmark's including Brighton Pavilion & the town hall making an appearance although the sight of Barnaby trying to solve a murder with Seagulls flapping & squawking around him is not one that I warmed to. There's a few eccentric character's here including a guy paralysed stuck in a wheelchair, a gay Vicar who has lost his faith, a middle aged body building maid & an evil property developer who likes to play tricks on people in wheelchairs. It's difficult to take this one seriously & the overwrought biblical, religious & righteous overtones feel tired. Next to nothing happens for the first thirty minutes, seriously this has to be one of the slowest Midsomer Murders around & with only two kills (& the second one coming very late in the game) I did get a little bored. There's a bit of political corruption, fraudulent property dealings, antiques theft (come to think of it, we never find out what happens to those two dealers...) & huge concrete blocks placed in the middle of the road but it doesn't come together that well. The motives for murder are alright, while not as bland as has been the case recently they are a little silly.

After a great opening sequence in an old Gothic Church set against a thunder & lighting storm as a shadowy figure lifts a huge medieval sword in the air which becomes silhouetted against a stained glass window it's pretty much all downhill, sure the Brighton scenes offer something a bit different to the usual settings but, well, put it this way I wouldn't want to go there. The murders here are quite good & pretty strong, both feature shots of decapitated heads & their headless bodies complete with bloody neck stumps. Nicely shot as usual the acting is also pretty good, Neil Dudgeon tries to bring a bit of humour to the role of chief detective with a few one-liners & slightly more cheeky demeanour. Get used to him as it will be his series soon enough. British TV celebs Tim IcInnerny & Mark Gatiss provide decent support.

The Sword of Guillaume is really only notable in that it gives Midsomer Murders fans a first glimpse of Tom Barnaby's replacement, personally I will reserve judgement until he has done a few episodes otherwise this is a pretty average episode only enlightened by a couple of pleasingly gory & brutal murders.

Again Christians as lunatics

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 21 September 2021]

If you get past the obligatory Christian bashing a very solid episode. I'm up to S14 Neil Dudgeon episodes. Came back for this I missed. The John Nettles episodes are so richer, and more enjoyable. This intricate story is paired with a tremendous cast. Each actor is so unique, and work so well together. It will be hard to get back to the dry Neil Dudgeon episodes after this stellar episode.