Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Oblong Murders (2011) User Reviews

Barking mad, but a cracking episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 25 May 2017]

This is an absolutely nuts episode, I'd go so far as to say barking (no pun intended) mad, whete we see Jones going undercover.

It shouldn't really work but it does, the characters are outrageously over the top, almost everyone at the retreat is so over the top, effectively caricatures, as are The Olivers. Simon Day is purely there for laughs, but Christine Bottomley and Charity Wakefield shine through.

The opening scenes are excellent, the use of La Wally made it feel like an opening of Endeavour or Morse, very dramatic but full of impact.

Noted for being the 'shower scene' episode for Jason Hughes, in which he gives fans a view of his rear end. Noted also for being the last episode to feature the long standing George Bullard, who I believe is the show's longest serving member.

An exciting different episode

[lbowdls · 9/10 · 14 May 2019]

This is not the most original theme for a murder mystery, endless series have used the old undercover at a spa or cult cliche. But this does have some unique surprises. Like the person they thought was dead actually turning out to be alive. But other murders do take place. It's especially a bonus to me seeing a sexy side of Sgt Ben Jones with a beard. And taking the lead in some great sleuthing. Well worth the watch this one.

good one

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 19 March 2016]

The Oblong Murders begins with a man listening to Ebben? Ne andro lontana from La Wally, when his door buzzer rings. The man seems pleased to let the person up to his place. When he opens the door, he's stabbed to death. Quite fitting, as the aria ends with the words "I will go, I will go alone and far Through the golden clouds."

We don't find out the meaning of that scene until later in this intriguing mystery. Dr. Bullard tells Barnaby that the daughter of friends, Lucy Oliver, has gone missing. The parents are devastated. She joined a group called the Oblong Foundation and her weekly calls later stopped. They can't get any information.

Dr. Bullard has put in a good word with a dog sitter (his sister) for Barnaby and his wife, and one good turn deserves another. Barnaby sends Jones undercover to the Oblong Foundation. The Foundation is housed in the home of Ruth Lambert, a member of the foundation who is leasing them the house. Her parents died in a terrible boat explosion.

Barnaby ultimately decides that a secret loan made by Ruth's parents has something to do with the Lambert's deaths and possibly Lucy' disappearance.

This was a very intriguing episode, with Jones front and center as Cosmo Jones, a new inductee who attracts Ruth Lambert, still grieving for her parents. This makes Jones terribly uncomfortable.

There are some funny bits here, including Jones trying to hide and later use his cell phone, being stuck in the closet of one of the female organizers, and hearing what goes on in the "love rooms" of the group. And, of course, Barnaby's dog being auditioned by the picky dog sitter who is Bullard's sister. I loved when Barnaby tells his wife that the sitter "has to meet the whole pack - that includes you."

I liked Neil Dudgeon so much better in this episode than I have. Hopefully this will continue. Wow, this show has been going a long time.

Jones goes undercover

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 26 May 2011]

Before the opening credits have begun we see a man open his door to an unidentified person; he is stabbed and not referred to again until well after the halfway point of this episode. The initial case isn't a murder at all but a missing person; at the request of George Bullard DCI Barnaby investigates the disappearance of the daughter of a friend. She had been involved with The Oblong Foundation; apparently a cult although there seemed to be little religious about it. The parents had hired a private investigator who was due to attend a course there until they had a disagreement; this provided Barnaby with a way to see what was happening there… Jones could take the PI's place! Once inside Jones was approached by a woman who was also curious about the missing girl; and by another woman who was just interested in him. As the case continues it looks as if there may have been a murder after all; the parents of the woman that owns the house the cult was based in had been killed in an explosion; it was assumed to be an accident at the time but Barnaby wasn't so sure.

This was another enjoyable episode that saw Jason Hughes take the lead in the role of Jones; it was fun watching him trying to deal with the awkward situations while undercover. As one would expect it was fairly silly although nowhere near as silly as some Midsomer episodes. I liked how the initial killing was almost incidental to the main story; it took place some time before in London and by the time Barnaby and Jones heard about it the case was virtually solved. Away from the mystery Barnaby was trying to get Bullard's sister to act as a dog-sitter, this was a fun little distraction as his sister was played by the excellent Barbara Flynn; her character treated people no differently to how she treated the dogs!

Dr Bullard's finale, beautiful actresses in this intriguing episode

[safenoe · 9/10 · 6 August 2016]

Dr Bullard (Barry Jackson) was one of the reliable constants in Midsomer Murders, and this is his swansong episode. There's no formal farewell but some nice words he has for the new Barnaby (who I prefer to the original one, yes I know how many like John Nettles) as he and his sister walk off in the countryside in the rain. Quite poignant.

An intriguing storyline, with a missing Lucy Oliver. Several beautiful actresses in this episode: Blaze Leadbetter played by Christine Bottomley, Ruth Lambert played by Charity Wakefield, Susan Crane played by Francesca Hunt, Millie Bullard (Dr Bullard's sister) played by Barbara Flynn (who was excellent in A Very Peculiar Practice).

We also get a cameo of Jones's backside in a shower scene at the Oblong Foundation, so that will generate excitement with his fans.

Season 14's not all bad then

[boxyfella · 8/10 · 30 November 2021]

A splendid return to form after the dreadful Echoes of the Dead. The best season 14 episode so far and one of the best for a long time.

Great to see Jones take centre stage and not be dumbed down or mistreated by the new Barnaby.

The opening sequence is superb, and could have quite easily have come from Morse or Endeavour.

There is far more humour in this one, mainly concerning the sticky situations an undercover Jones gets into. Sad to see George go though. As someone said, none of his replacements have been up to scratch (except Fleur of course).

The bone found by Sykes (in answer to another review)

[shunting · 9/10 · 28 September 2020]

The coroner declared "a spare rib of pork, bbq" so it was addressed.

A solid episode!

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 24 December 2022]

"The Oblong Murders" is definitely the best episode of the 14th season, it's not great, but it is still quite a good entry in the series.

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

. The production values of this episode are great as usual. "The Oblong Murders" is well-directed and the music fits the scenery. The acting is pretty good for the most part. Out of the solid guest stars Charity Wakefield gives a lovely performance.

. The mystery is interesting, there are some clever twists and turns. Having Ben Jones going undercover was a really fun idea.

But....

. The story does get a bit too silly at times with some aspects involving The Oblong Society. The solution (Claire is the killer) is not a bad ending to the mystery, but the motives just feel dull at the end of the day.

Overall, a good one.

7/10 HK.

A good Season 14 episode?

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 28 February 2017]

When in its prime (a vast majority of Seasons 1-9), 'Midsomer Murders' was a great show and one that is watched and re-watched frequently. Seasons 10-13 became more uneven, with three of the show's worst episodes coming from Seasons 11 and 13, but there were a few solid episodes and "Blood Wedding" and especially "Master Class" were gems.

After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same for reasons detailed in reviews for the previous Season 14 episodes. Season 14 on the most part was very disappointing, with "Echoes of the Dead" and "Night of the Stag" faring worst. "The Oblong Murders" however is one of few pleasant exceptions, with things that were major problems in the previous three episodes and since not being a problem here.

By all means "The Oblong Murders" is not one of the best 'Midsomer Murders' episodes or a classic. It is true that the first early murder is incidental to everything else, to me too incidental. Totally get the reasons detailed in a previous review, but the investigation of this murder being completely neglected for most of the episode until later on didn't work. It just to me felt that it had been forgotten about, suddenly remembered and then attempts were made to compensate, the explanation was plausible enough but it just felt underdeveloped, because while it wasn't the main focus it was still important and wasn't treated so.

However, for Season 14 "The Oblong Murders" was a rare good episode and is easily one of the best John Barnaby-era episodes. For one thing, Jones and his undercover subplot features prominently and instead of being a dumbed-down dolt his charm and cheeky humour is back (meaning that Jason Hughes can actually do plenty with what he's given) and the subplot brings some welcome humour sorely missing since the show became uneven and stale. John Barnaby is more support here, but is less humourless and condescending here and functions more as a detective. Neil Dudgeon is more comfortable than he was before.

The story is silly in places, with a couple of credibility-straining moments but is more focused, very intriguing and easier to follow but also less obvious than the previous episodes, with a final solution that's actually clever and unexpected even if the motives are not exactly inspired. "The Oblong Murders" bids a sad farewell to Bullard, done well in the episode but the character will be sorely missed especially as his replacements have been nowhere near as great characters (especially the current one). Sykes as always steals every scene he's in.

Production values cannot be faulted as usual, it's beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. 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. The script is better balanced and more interesting than most John Barnaby-era episodes.

Acting is very good with characters much better than the bland and pantomimic ones seen previously, Charity Wakefield and Barbara Flynn fare particularly well out of a strong female cast and all the leads are much better here.

In summary, surprisingly good if not one of the best. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Promising

[ummajon2003 · 6/10 · 13 June 2021]

A memorable opening scene, an immediate murder under the cover of night and an opera song. Then we switch to the congenial Sykes the dog taking a scenic walk in the scenic village. This is Dr. Bullard's swan song and as such, he plays out his most prominent Midsomer role yet: brother to the town's dog whisperer. Actually he's on a mission to find a missing girl. I wish he could've played more prominenty in every episode. This one includes a cast of ecentric characters, all a bit wacky amid a setting of a self-improvement foundation, AKA a silly cult. DCI Barnaby has taken command and he is settling into the role. The new age clap trap is reminiscent of an early episode in the early seasons, except this time, Jones participating undercover makes it easier to sit through. Lovely Autumn atmosphere and manicured gardens move the viewing experience along nicely. Some subtle comic relief (poor Jones caught up in cringe-flirty "Free Love') helps as well. And actually it was actually more like poor Jones, being sexually harassed, "I won't take no for an answer tonight." And yes, Jason Hughes uncovers his rear end. That display and the plot was not very interesting to me, but still, the mystery was solved, and justice dished out. Farewell to our beloved Dr. George Bullard, taking a page from Tom's book, and retiring peacefully to fish his days away on holiday in Ireland. Loved his last words to John: "Tom was a tough act to follow. You're getting there." And rest in peace Barry Jackson, who died only two years later.

A snooze

[mlbroberts · 6/10 · 16 October 2022]

I think I found this one boring because the "leader" of the cult, played by Paul Hilton, was so nothing. Nothing charismatic at all, just sort of there, and I couldn't see any reason anyone would follow him anywhere. I don't know if that was because of the way he was written or the way the actor played him or both, but I watched the episode several times and just never thought anything at all about the character who was supposed to be a cult leader. It never made any sense.

The other characters had some presence at least, even Lucy who was scarcely there at all had more substance than Dominic, the cult leader.

Too preposterous

[vitoscotti · 5/10 · 15 June 2021]

All these beautiful women are going to abandon their lives to follow a wacky cult leader? This was beyond silly. Tough to watch straight through.

The Bone found by Sykes

[majmahon · 21 October 2018]

Sykes found a bone which Dudgeo sent to Forensics and it never featured again.

The motivation for the murders makes no sense

[gregorysorg · 17 January 2024]

This is an interesting and enjoyable episode, made more so - to this reviewer, anyway - by the presence of the very lovely Charity Wakefield in the role of Ruth Lambert. But in the end it is spoiled by a solution to the murders that makes no sense. We learn that the original murders, those of Ruth Lambert's parents in the explosion of their house boat committed by Claire Powell, had been motivated by Claire's desire to prevent the Lamberts from carrying out their demand for the immediate repayment by Claire of the 85,000 pound loan the Lamberts had made to her to finance her and her husband's business. The Lamberts and Claire by mutual agreement had kept the loan secret because it had been made from a large stash of cash that the Lamberts had accumulated and kept hidden in order to avoid tax liability. But they could not have forced its re-payment without invoking the assistance of the courts, which Claire could have prevented simply by threatening to reveal the money's source, thereby subjecting the Lamberts to prosecution for tax evasion. Claire thus had nothing to worry about from the Lamberts, and no reason to kill them.