"Midsomer Murders" The Maid in Splendour (2004)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Richard Holthouse

Writers:

Andrew Payne (screenplay)
Caroline Graham (characters)

TV Series:

"Midsomer Murders" (1997)

Original Air Date:

25 January 2004 (Season 7, Episode 5)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

DCI Tom Barnaby and DS Dan Scott investigate the shotgun murder of Jamie Cruikshank, a barman at the Maid in Splendour...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Suspect | Police | Sergeant | Detective

Cast

John Nettles	...	DCI Tom Barnaby
John Hopkins	...	Sergeant Dan Scott
Jane Wymark	...	Joyce Barnaby
Laura Howard	...	Cully Barnaby
Barry Jackson	...	Dr Bullard
William Gaunt	...	Michael Bannerman
Frances Tomelty	...	Audrey Monday
Alan Cox	...	Stephen Bannerman
Freddie Jones	...	Benbow
Raymond Coulthard	...	Lawrence Haggard
Sophie Hunter	...	Bella Monday
Dave Hill	...	Clive Cruickshank
Peter-Hugo Daly	...	Wesley
Rachel Power	...	Lorna Bannerman
Leon Ockenden	...	Jamie Cruickshank

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Bentley Productions

Quotes:

[first lines]
Michael Bannerman: Come in.
Audrey Monday: Sorry, Michael. The extractor fan in the dining room has packed up again.
Michael Bannerman: Well, you should speak to Stephen.
Audrey Monday: I did. Yesterday.
Michael Bannerman: All right, Audrey, I'll have a word.
[pours himself a whiskey]
Audrey Monday: It's not good for you, you know.
Michael Bannerman: Oh, it's only a small one. Don't tell Stephen.
Audrey Monday: I meant sitting in this room, looking at those photographs. It's three years, Michael. It's time you got on with your life.

Solid Midsomer Murders mystery.

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Midsomer Murders: The Maid in Splendour is set in the Midsomer village of Midsomer Worthy where the local pub named The Maid in Splendour is the center of speculation as former landlord Michael Bannerman (William Gaunt) has retired & handed the reins over to his son Stephen (Alan Cox) & his wife Lorna (Rachel Power) who are planning to turn it into a posh restaurant. When one of the staff Jamie Cruickshank (Leon Ockenden) is found murdered in some local woods called Hunter's Wood near a rundown cottage DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Sgt. Dan Scott (John Hopkins) have to uncover the truth & find a murderer, however the mystery deepens when Stephen is also murdered with no apparent motive for either...

Episode 5 from season 7 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Richard Holthouse & I liked it but I didn't think it was a classic. The script by Andrew Payne has all the usual Midsomer Murders ingredients particularly the incident in the distant past which makes a motive for murder during the present that a lot of Midsomer Murders episodes rely on, this one only has a couple of murders in it & it's one of those rare occasions that I actually guessed the killers identity fairly early on & although I couldn't be sure I was proved right in the end. This one also has a bizarre plot detail where a man confesses his love for a young girl even though he's old enough to be her Grandfather & it's an odd, perverse & somewhat unsettling scene. The motive for murder here isn't that great, I know people can get possessive but would you kill someone in cold blood because of a girl who at that time didn't even know you existed? I'm not sure I would to be honest with you. As usual this Midsomer Murders is exposition heavy & at almost two hours with commercials you need to concentrate as otherwise the end may not make as much sense as it should. I liked it but then I'm a fan of the show so maybe I'm biased, it's good but not Midsomer Murders best.

This one looks as nice as ever with plenty of rural English locations for those of you who like that sort of thing, The George Hotel in Dorchester in Oxfordshire was used for The Maid in Splendour pub if that sort of fact interests you. Both murders are the same as people are shot with twelve-bore shotguns, there's a bit of blood but nothing too graphic. The production values are high & the acting is very good as usual.

The Maid in Splendour is a good solid Midsomer Murders mystery that I enjoyed although the eventual motives are a little weak & I guessed the killers identity a little too easily, good but not great.