Midsomer Murders (TV Series) A Rare Bird (2012) User Reviews

A few ruffled feathers

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 12 January 2012]

As a fairly keen bird watcher I expected to see all the usual clichés about the hobby… and wasn't disappointed! The story opens with somebody watching a couple arguing; the man is not happy when his wife says she is pregnant as he had a vasectomy before they met! He is a member of the local bird watching club and tempers are running high there too as one of their number claims to have seen a 'blue-crowned hoopoe' which would put him in the lead in their annual listing competition; the trouble is other club members don't believe him so he storms out of the meeting. Later that night he is killed; was it because of his denial of the other man's bird sighting or was it the father of his wife's child… or perhaps something else altogether? As the episode progresses we are introduced to a large variety of suspects with an equally large number of motives. In fact just about every non-regular character is somewhat suspect.

This story was typical Midsumer; rather silly but also rather fun. Any body who knows anything about British bird-watching would either have turned off in disgust or laughed heartily as the club members searched for the fictitious 'blue-crested hoopoe' and casually mention birds they see which are North American and would cause a stir if seen here… perhaps a minor quibble considering this is Midsomer! The cast did a good job as always, particularly Neil Dudgeon who is great as John Barnaby. There were enough suspects and motives to keep me guessing until the end.

A Vote for John Barnaby

[susanhudek53 · 8/10 · 28 March 2018]

I enjoyed this very much..the birdwatchers are quite a weird bunch. I'm at the other end of the spectrum. I quite like John Barnaby. Of course he isn't like Tom because he's a different person altogether. It wouldn't work to have an actor come in and mimic John Nettles, so the dynamic of John Barnaby and Jones would have to be different. I haven't got to the seasons where Jason Hughes leaves the series but I'll miss his character and his relationship with John. This series is so great for giving us screwball characters and this episode doesn't disappoint.

A fun mystery for Barnaby and Jones.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 8 August 2020]

Another episode which proves beyond believe just how crazy the inhabitants of Midsomer are. There have been a few stories to focus on ornithology, we have a good mix of eccentric bird fanciers here.

There is a good deal of humour throughout this episode, to the point of almost being slapstick at times, the double entendres will have you laughing, and are in keeping with the story.

I love the ballet imagery throughout, and well as the terrific music. Genevieve O'Reilly is terrific as the star of the show, she's in good company here, Amanda Lawrence is terrific value, the way she keeps on flashing a bit of leg will have you in stitches.

Nothing too heavy or serious here, just lots of fun, 8/10.

Murder among ornithologists

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 3 April 2016]

This is a good entry into the very long Midsomer Murders series.

The Midsomer-in-the-Marsh Ornithological Society has an annual contest. The winner must have spotted a rare bird. Ralph Ford announces that he has seen a blue-crested hoopoe, not indigenous to the area, and declares himself the winner.

No one else goes along since he has no proof. Ralph is furious. That night, Patrick Morgan is murdered when he meets Ralph after he receives a text from him. Except that it was someone else using Ralph's phone.

Barnaby and Jones are on the case, and find out soon enough everybody hated this guy. His widow, Nina, is a stunning former Russian ballerina who is now pregnant. However, Ralph had a vasectomy so he is not the father.

Then there is another victim. And there are plenty of suspects.

I really enjoyed this one, but I have to agree with another reviewer - the new Barnaby does nothing for me. And you can tell the writers are trying to stuff him down our throats because they added a scene with his wife where they decide to have sex. Sorry, but they don't seem like husband and wife, and while I love their dog, this is not the same wonderful household of Joyce, Cully, and Tom Barnaby.

Also, I think this Barnaby is a little nasty to Jones.

The reviewer suggested the combination of Troy, Tom Barnaby's old assistant, and Jones. I second that suggestion. I know Neil Dudgeon is a good actor, but he doesn't have John Nettles' warmth, and he doesn't infuse the humor into his lines that Nettles did. A lighter and warmer touch was called for.

Fun, sit back, relax and enjoy

[rosemaryandthyme · 8/10 · 12 March 2012]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and will gladly purchase when the DVD comes out. The birdwatchers were portrayed with the crazy eccentricity that MM does so well. Two actors stole the show; Amanda Lawrence and James Dreyfus. Amanda plays the strong, headfast and lovelorn Olivia Carter carrying a torch for the protagonist. My favourite scene is her ramming her gaudy flower and bird decorated bike into the legs of the middle-aged admirers followed by the haughty pulling down of her skirt down whilst climbing on. The subsequent reaction of the two men to this …..priceless. The last time I saw James Dreyfus was in Gimme Gimme so to see him play such a different character was a joy and he brought so much to the role.

Now the bad news – I cannot stand the character John Barnaby. Sorry I have tried very hard to but he is too smug and patronizing. There is absolutely nothing endearing about him. His condescending remarks to Jones "you would be out of depth in a puddle" and his manner towards him (at one stage buying two ice-creams and then walking off leaving Jones to pay for them) are plain outright annoying. Memo to writers – it's not funny… you are just making him look like a smug prat with a stupid dopey smile. It is also very distracting that there is not one tiny bit of chemistry between John Barnaby and his wife Sarah. They are unbelievable as a couple and they don't gel; something is just not right. In this episode for the first time that I have seen, there is reference to them actually being a "physical" couple if you get my point; but it just doesn't work and seems forced and wrong. It was as if the writers threw it in to remind us that they are couple because they sure don't seem like one at the moment. Nothing against Neil Dudgeon as I've seen him in other great roles, but I just don't like him as Barnaby. At the moment the series is a great showcase for supporting actors like Amanda and James in this episode, which is wonderful. Barnaby is so annoying and Jones is now some tepid background presence so this gives a wonderful opportunity to all these wonderful guest actors to shine. I say send John and Sarah off to another posting..bye guys don't let the door slam on your heels on the way out - and bring Troy back to work alongside Jones. Now that would be perfect.

One of the better season 14 episodes

[boxyfella · 7/10 · 9 December 2021]

Have to agree with the other reviewers on here about Barnaby's attitude to Jones and lack of chemistry with his 'wife', something I've commented on many times myself. I must say the culprit and motivation for the killings caught me by surprise. The guest stars Amanda Lawrence and Paul Nicholls were great, I thought.

Deadly birdwatchers

[wjspears · 8/10 · 19 February 2022]

I agree with the consensus here about this episode of Midsomer Murders. It was a fun show with a number of things to keep me interested.

As a show about birdwatchers, They were portrayed as eccentric, of course. Slightly annoying to non-birdwatchers, and a bit fixated on their hobby. But otherwise seemingly normal. Not your usual stereotype of birdwatchers as being either desperately lonely or slightly loopy. A nice change.

The mystery was pleasingly complex, and the killer was not easy to figure out, but believable when revealed.

Regarding the criticisms here of John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), I don't agree. I find it a little bit tiresome that one reviewer keeps making the same complaint about Neil Dudgeon every episode. This is the eighth episode with John Barnaby. Tom Barnaby is not coming back. Either get on with it or stop watching the show altogether, that is my view.

One of the things that I actually admire and appreciate about Midsomer Murders is their ability to change up the cast--and do so successfully.

For instance, Midsomer has had three detective assistants for "Barnaby". Sergeant Troy (Daniel Casey), Sergeant Dan Scott (John Hopkins) and most recently Sergeant Ben Jones (Jason Hughes). My favorite was actually the rather short tenured Detective Scott. But the transitions between sergeants has been absolutely seamless, as far as I am concerned.

What I may enjoy most about John Barnaby is that he has a wife who has a career that makes it plausible that she could figure into some of the plots on the show. I truly enjoyed Jane Wymark as Joyce Barnaby, wife of Tom Barnaby. But "shoe horning" her into some of those plots was a stretch of believability.

In any event, I enjoyed this episode quite a bit.

Hats Off To Neil Dudgeon

[malabarspiceghk · 9/10 · 25 June 2023]

A fun episode to say the least. Neil Dudgeon has evolved as DCI Barnaby very well. He is a fantastic actor and stepped into the shoes of Tom Barnaby with his own idiosyncrasies and histrionics. I admire the way the producers have managed to introduce new characters (main) without a fuss. The three detective assistants namely Troy, Scott and now Jones have had a seamless integration into the stories. Some of the stories have been quite silly and laughable in the past couple of seasons, but that is understandable given that the show has completed 80 episodes so far and it is not easy to keep the ball rolling with gems all the time. Such missteps are inevitable and quite pardonable.

An average episode!

[harrykivi · 5/10 · 17 January 2023]

" A Rare Bird" is definitely not the best episode of this season, but it manages to be ok at best.

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

. The production values of the episode are great. The direction's fine and the music fits the scenery (really liked the use of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"). The acting's good for the most part, Genevieve O'Reilly and Amanda Lawrence especially stand out.

. There are some effective scenes in the story, the humor is suitably wry at times and the characters are quite compelling. The identity of the killer (Micheal) was a surprise indeed. Sykes is a delight to watch, he is cuter than Paddy.

But....

. The mystery could have been better in pace, there were moments, when the story dragged quite a bit. The dialogue is strangely poetic and occasionally stiff, giving off a bizarre feel. The chemistry between the actors is, agreed, very lacking in some scenes, Neil Dudgeon's always been a hit or miss for me. The motive for the murders is not than interesting at the end of the day either.

Overall, an ok episode.

5/10 HK.

'Midsomer Murders' and ornithology

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 4 March 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", two of the show's embarrassments, faring worst and "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust" being good episodes faring best. "A Rare Bird" belongs in neither extreme, and is a fairly average episode overall, with some things that are done well and others that still don't work.

Starting with the good things about "A Rare Bird", the 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 (don't think "Scene" from Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake' has ever been used so ominously), and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.

The story itself is fun with a creepy atmosphere, wisely on the most part not taking itself too seriously while never descending into over-silliness. The characters are not as dull or pantomimic as most supporting characters this season which is a major plus. The denouement is pretty creepy, even if the murderer's motives were very clichéd. The supporting acting is good, with Amanda Laurence, Genevieve O'Reilly and James Dreyfuss standing out, giving their all in quite juicy roles. Sykes as always steals every scene he's in, he has the cute factor and great comic timing.

However, am also in the camp of not caring for the character of John Barnaby or Neil Dudgeon's acting in this. They're not problems in every episode, but all too often Barnaby is too smug and disdainful and Dudgeon too stiff and lacking in nuance. The chemistry between him and Jones, here a tepid underused presence and still made to look like a dolt (felt really uncomfortable when 'Lady Chatterley's Lover' was referenced), is not there and Barnaby is far too mean-spirited towards him, what could have been witty came over as condescending put-downs.

Believe it or not, there's even less chemistry between him and Fiona Dolman's Sarah. She is charmless throughout and has no warmth while one never gets the sense that they're in love let alone husband and wife, how she speaks to him which is probably where his treatment of Jones comes from is a dead give-away. Dr. Bullard has been very sorely missed since leaving in "The Oblong Murders", even more so when none of his replacements have left a positive impression. Kate is a very bland character with not much personality (Kam, the current one, is even worse though). The script sometimes is fun with the supporting characters but the dialogue between the leads makes one cringe and yearn for the classic era writing.

Overall, average episode. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Bad acting, dancing, and toupees..

[vitoscotti · 3/10 · 11 May 2022]

British mysteries are usually dry and plodding til the middle. Build up steam to a great ending. This was interesting early than took a nosedive the rest of the way. Neil Dudgeon (Barnaby), and Jason Hughes (Jones) were utterly listless and seemed to be going through the motions. They have zero chemistry.

The over acting of the rest of the cast was annoying after awhile. The dancers looked like they had lead feet. I've seen better Russian accents from Boris & Natasha than Genevieve O'Reilly's (Nina) weak attempt. John Barnaby recklessly shoots a rifle disregarding the bullets could end up hitting someone when they land.

A highlight is very sexy Fiona Dolman (Sarah) during her hike in the woods. A very bland MM episode that doesn't make me want to continue with the series.