Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Death of the Small Coppers (2018) User Reviews

Disappointing I thought.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 17 March 2019]

What a real mixed bag this episode turned out to be, I need a rant about ITV's schedulers first, TWO EPISODES is not a series ITV, these have been shown in many places ahead of the UK, WHY? It is no wonder the show is losing viewers by the calamitous transmission dates.

The start, terrific, I loved it, very dramatic, really had my attention. The many references to the past were wonderful, I loved looking out for those, we had The Green Man pub, the folk song, place names, and many others, that was a nice touch. I loved the cast, Mark Benton and Ray Fearon were great, John Light was woefully underused. It was great to see the return of Birgitte Poulsen.

The problem, was just after the half way point it got a little boring, I was yawning and fidgeting, worse though, the ending was utterly absurd, and didn't seem to make sense somehow. A shame, as last week's episode was terrific.

I thought this was average at best. 6/10

Brains and beauty

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 18 March 2019]

This episode opens with the murder of a school headmaster who is also a butterfly collector; he is found pinned to a wall much like the way he pins his specimens. This being Midsomer there are other butterfly enthusiasts in the area; notably a woman who doesn't approve of killing butterflies and is worried about the disappearance of local small copper butterflies. The man also had links to a society of those with a high IQ; which just happens to be staging its entrance exams. One of those attending is Birgitte Poulsen of the Danish police who Barnaby met in Copenhagen... she believes that corruption in the group may be linked to s death in Denmark. As the investigation progresses many suspects emerge with a wide variety of motives... one of which will put DS Winter in real danger.

This was a fairly typical episode of Midsomer Murders; if you like the standard formula you'll probably enjoy this, I certainly did, but if you don't it won't be converting non-fans. There may not be as many murders as usual but those we get are as inventive as they are unpleasant. The story unfolds at a decent pace with new suspects and motives being introduced throughout. The culprit is far from obvious... at least I didn't suspect them till the reveal. The cast is solid and guests include quite a few familiar faces. Danish guest star Ann Eleonora Jørgensen does a good job as Birgitte Poulsen; a welcome return after her appearance in the episode 'The Killings of Copenhagen'. There are some good tense moments; particularly the finale which is tinged with classic Midsomer silliness. Overall I enjoyed this but wouldn't call it a classic episode.

Decent fare as expected from Midsomer Murders

[getinbusiness · 7/10 · 3 April 2019]

I know there are some poor reviews here but I quite enjoyed the episode, was it a classic? probably not, the ending seemed quite rushed and ended akin to what we get from Lewis whereby everyone seems to simultaneously realise at the very last minute who the killer is and converge at the place the killer is attempting one last killing... The motives for the killer were a bit ridiculous, i mean, come on, who kills people just because of a girl your dad broke it off with... There were two backgrounds to the killing, circulous and the butterfly's yet in the end neither had anything to do with the killings... also in terms of the ending, how did barnaby know that Winters was in danger, he would have initially assumed he was with the Danish officer at the old womans house... I also didnt see the value of bringing back in the Danish Officer, didnt really fit with the episode in my view. It looks like the writers were a little short on content so decided to push in a load of different bits and pieces to cover the holes in the plot. In all, I am being a bit persnickety here, it was a decent episode and I enjoyed it. On a wider scale, I am really really missing Kam, the new lady pathologist, for me, just doesnt fit, i mean why in the heck would Winter want to hang around with his boss and his wife on his time off, unless there was a pretty lady his own age to be around. This was particularly evident in the Ghost of Causton Abbey, Winter spending his day off walking around the ruins of an old monastery with Barnaby, Mrs. Barnaby and the pathologist who is twice his age, I know reality is suspended but this is just a bit ridiculous.

Admiral

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 7/10 · 10 January 2021]

A great one for the aficionado with links to several previous story lines, a returning character, several returning actors, a car, a pub, a magazine, a folk song and the story centres in butterflies when the show was first made by chrysalis TV

Loved it!

[ummajon2003 · 9/10 · 8 June 2021]

Such a great episode! Had my attention and had me guessing until the end! Love the references to past episodes! The acting was great, scenery beautiful, and riddles were fun! I don't like the Danish character very much, but in the end, her presence was reasonable enough. Jaime finally got some action--although it was not meant to be!

Though many script flaws, a decent episode.

[vitoscotti · 7/10 · 21 April 2023]

I guess the main thing about a British detective mystery is to keep my interest, then have a good surprise ending. "Death of the Small Coppers" met those certainly. But, the script though intriguing, had many holes, and unanswerable clues seemingly penciled in that didn't add up. The earlier episode bland Danish detective (Ann Eleonora Jørgensen as Birgitte Poulsen) popping up in Barnaby's backyard was an extraordinarily high odds coincidence that was hard to overcome for me. And she really isn't that interesting of a character. The highlights of the episode I thought was the heaviest screen time yet of stunning Sarah Barnaby (Fiona Dolman). I thought she was absolutely superb in an enhanced role. Pretty Niamh McGrady as Penny Kingdom energized each of her scenes. Episode had script faults but overall a good viewing.

All it needs

[adrive-1 · 9/10 · 24 January 2021]

This episode has everything a good midsomer murders episode needs. Barnaby and winter and the impressive cast including a guest from the past all work perfectly together.

Should have been better

[wjspears · 6/10 · 25 June 2022]

Others have complained on who the killer turned out to be, and I would like to second the complaint.

There have been too many episodes from the recent past where the killer and his or her motive has been basically nonsensical. There is no real logical motive involved, just the killer seeking his or her own form of bonkers justice. That is the case here.

This is particularly dissatisfying for those who watch the show, picking up the clues being spread out throughout the episode in the hopes of figuring out the killer before the eventual reveal. I am not one of those folks.

But I am someone who would like to believe that by the end, the killings have some discernible reason behind them. The writers are good at creating creative and/or gruesome murders that capture the audience's attention. But I believe that creativity mostly dissipates, if at the end, the reason for the murders make no logical sense.

Great.

[valstone52 · 10/10 · 2 December 2020]

I e this episode and all the other ones with John Barnaby. Yes Tom Barnaby was fantastic, but things do change. For those who don't like the new Barnaby, you can a watch something else. Or rer w Tom, but stop ci, no one is forcing you to watch.

Too many obnoxious characters!

[phlbrq58 · 6/10 · 13 March 2022]

Midsommer always features desperately unhappy people with pasts and desires that force them to lie, kill, cheat and generally behave badly. Frequently a character will induce the viewer to think, " That character will look good dead." This ep is full of em. Smug Barnaby is joined by an equally smug Danish detective for extra condescending attitudes. Not enough murders in this one to suit me.

Despite all this its a decent entry but little of the charm we miss from Tom.

I was astonished about the killer

[Sulla-2 · 6/10 · 19 March 2019]

I was astonised about the killer. I never thought he would have the where with all to cayyr out the muirders the way they occured. WE were not given a clue who wasresponsible.

Thusitha Jayasundera looked younger than she did in The Bill and Mark Benton played Mark Benton.

Still not great

[harrykivi · 5/10 · 19 June 2018]

When the first episode of 20.series wasn't very good, I hoped that second episode would improve and not make these mistakes that "The ghost of Causton Abbey" made.

And the beginning of this episode is very promising. IQ society founder Masesh Sidana is found nailed to the wall like one of his collected butterflies. Also Birgitte Poulson, dectective who was in "The Killings of Copenhagen" comes back and she is in Midsomer to investigate her father's suspicions on Circulus(the IQ society).

Murders are brutal and smart. Grady Palmerston's murder is one of my favorite's of the season. Mystery is filled with fine jokes about Sarah meeting Poulson. Th musical score is beautiful. Most of the characters are fine and the acting is decent too. John Light, though agreed underused, is good, Peter Egan, Mark Benton and Ray Fearon are fine too.

BUT this episode makes the same mistakes that previous one made. Story is even bit more uninteresting than "The ghost of Causton Abbey". And the main reason why it's more boring, is the fact that direction by Paul Harrison is in my opinion kind of dull. Yes, episode is well shot , but that's where the direction stops.

IQ society setting is interesting, but the mystery is so much more than just a setting. Also, lot of untied ending at the end. Even though I felt that Chris Murray offered us a bit better solution than in "Death by persuasion" , there's still some things that are not clear.(for example why the killer killed victims like that person did). The identity of the killer is far-fetched indeed. Most of this episode's subplots about butterflies, relationships also fall in cliched line as well.

"Death of the small coppers" is average, enjoyable murder mystery, but in terms of Midsomer Murders in 20.series , it is still unimpressive.

Final verdict 5/10.

HK.

Cops out and not really a butterfly of an episode

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 21 April 2019]

Actually quite liked the previous 'Midsomer Murders' episode "The Ghost of Causton Abbey". Would be lying if stating that it was one of the show's best episodes because it wasn't, while being far away from a low-point. When it comes to the John Barnaby era, which was very hit and miss and leaned towards the disappointing that episode in my mind is in the better half, while being light-years away from the best of the Tom Barnaby episodes, which quality-wise were more consistent until becoming more uneven around Season 10 onwards.

"Death of the Small Coppers" however was sadly a return to the disappointing standard. Not one of the worst episodes, it's nowhere near as bad as "Echoes of the Dead", "Night of the Stag", "Shot at Dawn", "Second Sight" and "Blood on the Saddle", but underwhelming still. A case of starting off very well and then going off the boil too early and ending frustratingly. When in its prime, 'Midsomer Murders' was one of my favourite examples of the mix of light-hearted and not always for the faint hearted, a perfect balance of both being achieved in the best episodes. "Death of the Small Coppers" got the not for the faint hearted down pat but falls short when it comes to the light-hearted, which actually has been a general problem with the John Barnaby-period episodes.

There are good things that make "Death of the Small Coppers" watchable. It started off very, very well with lots of intrigue, drama and charm and reminded me of prime 'Midsomer Murders', thanks to the numerous references to the past as pointed out previously. The murders are some of the show's most imaginative, the somewhat outlandish but truly unique second murder especially. The picturesque and unnerving atmosphere that made prime-'Midsomer Murders' so watchable is nailed to start with.

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 haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. The acting generally is not bad, with Ann Eleonora Jørgensen making a welcome return and Annette Badland's Fleur (the best pathologist since Bullard by a mile) continues to be a joy. Peter Egan plays one of the episode's more interesting characters to the hilt, even if it's not always subtle. Mark Benton and Ray Fearon also come off well. Who can't help love the Barnabys' dog as well? Will always miss Sykes though.

Will agree too on the other hand about John Light's underuse, quite badly rather than slightly too. Winter is not as bland as he was when he first joined, and is less unlikeable and cold like he was in "Curse of the Ninth", but he does not make much of an impression here, while Neil Dudgeon tends to play Barnaby too seriously and doesn't always look at ease. Some of the dialogue is thought-provoking, diverting and amusing but would have benefitted from having more of a gentle and lighter touch. There are far bigger problems however. The further "Death of the Small Coppers" progressed, the duller, more uninteresting and sillier it became. The faults that "The Ghost of Causton Abbey" also are present here, except much worse.

Characters and subplots did feel too many, and they should have been much better explored and followed all the way through instead of feeling incomplete. Maybe also could have focused a little bit less on the IQ Club and my attention did waver due to the mystery being sluggishly paced and not having enough turns and too much being under-developed. Like the previous episode but worse, enough to almost warrant its own paragraph, the biggest problem for me was the ending. 'Midsomer Murders' is no stranger to disappointing endings, and although not one of the worst ("Blood on the Saddle", "Second Sight", "Night of the Stag" and "Echoes of the Dead" are worthier candidates for that title), the ending here is one of the more slap-in-the-face recent ones. The previous episode's ending did leave me mixed, but the identity of the murderer was just about buyable. Something that cannot be said here, it just felt so last minute and random, but the absurd, almost irrelevant "they killed for that?"-like motive, the far too rushed and crammed in pace and the ludicrously over-the-top way it was staged were what doomed it. Other candidates would have been much more plausible and their motives appeared stronger.

On the whole, watchable but underwhelms after a good start. 5/10

Totally unbelievable killer

[frukuk · 1/10 · 31 August 2019]

A totally unbelievable killer and no real charm to this episode.

Somebody Stop Him

[balldave · 3/10 · 1 September 2020]

Oh lord what a monotonous ending ! The worse overacting by a killer in the history of the show! I understand that the killers will generally act differently when discovered but this was right painful to watch ! Nothing at all like his usual persona...All screaming and eye popping ...that's not acting !

Death Of The Tiny Policemen?

[volare12 · 4/10 · 24 November 2021]

That's what I thought the title of this episode meant, when I first saw it in print - after all, "copper" is slang for "policeman". I was intrigued by the possibility of a visit to a Midsomer village that would have a diminutive constabulary. I can't say I'd ever heard of the "Small Copper" butterfly species before, and so I was somewhat disappointed to learn that the title referred not to humans but to insects. Frankly, my imagined plot line would not have been much more absurd than the actual explanation behind this story's murders.

The story itself is kind of amorphous - it comprises several elements that never really mesh together well, making the episode feel unfocused and all over the place. There are the missing Coppers of course, and we get a bit of "Collectors vs. Conservationists" debate. Also on hand is an exclusive and elite high IQ society, which is currently auditioning new membership candidates via a difficult exam. And for good measure, a mystery involving international espionage is also thrown in, bringing back a character from a previous case whose family history is somehow connected. All interesting plot strands in their own right, but bizarrely, the murders wind up not really having to do with any of them.

As other reviewers have already pointed out, the solution of the case comes out of left field - the murderer turns out to be someone whom we barely even see for most of the episode. The ways in which the character chooses to dispatch the victims would require a lot of time and effort to set up, particularly for the second and (attempted) third murders. When was the person able to do all this? And even more perplexing, WHY do it? The motives, when revealed, are extremely dubious and frankly, lame.

Some of the acting is enjoyable though - Ellie Haddington, Ray Fearon and Peter Egan turn in good performances, Mark Benton makes an amusing oddball, and Ella Kenion has a very funny scene in which her character displays an inordinate amount of glee at a time when it seems not quite appropriate. Fiona Dolman also gets some nice moments as Sarah, whose work is effectively integrated into the plot. On the other hand, a performance in the big denouement confession scene is so OTT as to be truly cringeworthy. Let's just say I wouldn't want it on *my* acting reel.

Overall grade for this one: C+

A Great Comic Relief

[malabarspiceghk · 1/10 · 6 July 2023]

What a dreadful episode. This is the worst of the worst. The whole premise seemed so daffy, silly, nutty and only the Brits can come up with a theme that borders on the insane. The killer was a surprise though, but not adequately backed up by any solid motive or clues. The motive itself was so demented that it worked out more like a comic show. The makers now bank on sensationalism rather than solid story telling. There is a noticeable downslide of the series since the past couple of seasons. I guess, I have to endure watching it because this series has been on air for donkeys years and I love a some of the character. I have only I hate the most is the uppity pathologist. She's abhorring to say the least.

Got to be joking

[guildwayne · 4/10 · 15 January 2022]

This story -and its immediate predecessor Ghost of Causton Abbey-showed. Imaginative script writing for methods of murder. Most players performed their roles well -especially Mr Egan and Ms Jorgensen.

On one point however I must dissent from several of my learned colleagues on this forum. If criticisms of this show had any credence then the producers and casting directors needed to make this show more appealable to viewers. In this context what makes this show cringe worthy and how can it be eliminated? One key DISASTER was the appointment of Ms Annette Badland to the ongoing role as pathologist. What a show with allegedly falling ratings does NOT need is another fat ,grumpy ,ugly old bag with a face like an old boot. I would not be surprised if the casting people made the decision to engage her at 3 oclock in the morning with a flaming hangover. What can they have been thinking? Honestly, her scenes just about ruin the otherwise fine work that this show has genuinely earned.