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Midsomer Murders - Echoes of the Dead [DVD]

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There is a fierce rivalry between traditional and digital photographers in the village of Luxton Deeping. When the photographic society's committee decides not to accept digital images at the annual photographic exhibition, matters take an ugly turn and there is a confrontation. The following day, photographer Lionel Bell is found murdered in woodland, strangled with the cord of his light meter. As the detectives begin to investigate, evidence seems to implicate Barnaby in the murder and he is taken off the case. He is replaced by DI Martin Spellman, a colleague disliked by Tom, who appears more interested in his upcoming wedding than the case. When another photographer is murdered, Barnaby continues his investigation unofficially to discover who is framing him and bring the guilty party to justice. A quiet spa weekend at Swavely Manor proves far from relaxing when Tom and Joyce arrive and a female client is found murdered in the flotation chamber. Barnaby interrupts his spa treatment to investigate with Jones. The mystery deepens when the victim's husband disappears. As Tom worries about his future and health, one of the hotel proprietors is also murdered. When the case is finally solved, Barnaby announces his impending retirement. His successor is announced to be his cousin, John Barnaby, who is a newly appointed DCI at Causton CID. Echoes of the Dead", as already mentioned, is quite a disturbing and dark episode, as well as one of the most intense, I really felt an incredible tension and some fear when you are concerned about just one question: "Who's next?" It should be noted that the episode is too brutal and cruel for a cozy series.

The villagers of Midsomer Barton are celebrating the annual Oak Apple Week when the body of a woman is found in a stream. The return of the festival queen event, after a hiatus of eight years, seems to be a link to a series of murders. Barnaby and Jones investigate and find some familiar faces from the past. The launch of the latest sparkling wine, which is produced by the Carnarvon Estate Winery in Midsomer Vinae, loses all its fizz when wine critic Nadia Simons gives it a very harsh review. Moments later, guests who had been sampling the vintage start collapsing. Owner William Carnarvon suspects the Farmers' Wives' Association of trying to destroy his business. Kate Wilding tells Barnaby and Nelson that the glasses had been laced with slug poison. There are many suspects and motives and the detectives set out to piece the puzzle together. In the remote hamlet of Goodman's Land, local postman and Lothario Dave Cutler is murdered during his early postal delivery. Barnaby and Troy, together with WPC Jay Nash ( Gillian Kearney), start investigating and discover Dave had had numerous affairs with women in the village. A witness later recalls having heard strange 1950s dance music before the murder. When a local man's wife, an antique dealer, and a businessman ( Alan Howard) all become victims to the killer as well, the detectives need to find a possible link to connect the murders before Jay gets into a perilous situation herself. Celia Imrie also appears. The script is a mess with weak dialogue and characters, who are not very interesting to be honest. Neil Dudgeon gives his worst performance as John Barnaby, he is not into the story and comes off arrogant towards his partner. Most of the subplots go nowhere and the violence in the story is quite to take at times. The solution (Mr. Orchard is the murderer) is very obvious and the motives for the murders are laughable at best. John Barnaby does not even figure out the killer's identity!

Cast & Crew

My main complaint about the episode is actually its predictability, the killer is solved almost immediately, and despite the fact that I had other versions, I was not at all surprised by the ending, and this ending is one of the most predictable in the series. Adam Asoba is found murdered, having been boiled to death in one of the vats at the newly opened brewery of the famously cursed abbey in Midsomer. Dr. Fleur Perkins, a new pathologist, tells Barnaby and Winter that Adam Asoba was living under a false name, and that he actually died three years earlier, under the name Adam Dumont. Adam’s widower, Kwame Asante, turns up at Adam’s house admitting the truth. It seems that he and Adam had big debts, and the only solution for them was for Adam to fake his death so that Kwame could start a new life by collecting a life insurance. The first murder seems to be the end of it, but when Emani Taylor, the woman responsible for the new brewery, is also murdered, Barnaby and Winter must look deeper to find the killer. Several skeletons are discovered in a tunnel during a canal restoration project near Midsomer Worthy. DCI Barnaby begins his investigations and discovers that one skeleton has modern dental work. Meanwhile, DS Troy has been promoted to Inspector. He begins his last case in Midsomer, investigating the murder of a teenager, Simon Mayfield (played by Henry Cavill), who had been shot with a gun that he and his friends had been using the previous night. The two detectives discover their cases are linked, and uncover a web of lies, affairs, and domestic arguments alongside a mysterious recluse with a hidden past.

After a successful day at the races for the racehorse, Bantling Boy, it is not long before one of the horse's owners is found murdered in the horses' stables. The victim, Bruce Hartley, had been in dispute with the other owners of Bantling Boy, having had a heated argument with them over an offer to buy the horse. Things get worse for the other owners when a series of further killings follow, before a darker motive is revealed and the detectives bring the culprit to justice. Not only does this make things tiresomely predictable, but presumably to make things more suspenseful, the producers often make the murders especially grisly--as if preying on the most vulnerable of society is not disturbing enough. Note: the blood-red drips behind the letters of the title have returned, after having been changed to multi-color for two series. No.

See also

Neil Dudgeon is a great actor, but unfortunately his first two Midsomer episodes were frankly terrible, as they were written by the dreadful Michael Aitkens who simply writes pantomime characters and simplistic stories.

Spoiler Alert: Reading this critique may affect your enjoyment of this episode if you have not seen this episode. Lucy Oliver, daughter to friends of George Bullard, disappears from a manor house being used by the Oblong Foundation, a New Age cult organisation. Bullard asks for Barnaby's help in finding out what happened to her. The Oblong Foundation is renting the manor house from Ruth Lambert, who inherited the house from her parents after they were killed in a boat explosion. DS Jones, who has recently returned from an undercover policing course, joins a group of Foundation inductees under an assumed identity. He becomes increasingly uncomfortable when one of the female inductees, along with Ruth herself, seem to be emotionally drawn to him. Meanwhile, Barnaby looks into the death of Ruth's parents, suspecting murder, and believing the events all to be linked. These suspicions seem to be confirmed when one of the Foundation leaders is found stabbed. When the case is finally solved, George Bullard announces his retirement. Not a huge lover of the characters in this one, Malcolm and his parents, almost nonsensical, utterly unbelievable, Pam Ferris was utterly wasted, and again her character as head of a Donkey Sanctuary seemed a wee bit silly. I did really like Sarah Smart's Jo Starling on the other hand, such a likable actress, she always adds something. Tara Cavendish ( Felicity Dean) is found beaten to death near a disused quarry belonging to her husband Robert Cavendish ( Robert Hardy). Tara was seen leaving the house early in the morning, but when she failed to return from a walk with their dog, Robert starts to get worry, and reports her missing. Barnaby and Troy start to investigate. Nine years ago, only weeks before Robert Cavendish decided to shut down his own quarry, an explosion occurred. Matthew Draper, an employee who works for Robert Cavendish, was killed in the accident. And as further inquiries ensue, Barnaby and Troy are drawn to investigate the death eighteen months previously of Robert's former housekeeper, Emily Beavis. Emily’s sister, Doreen Beavis, and witnesses Colin and Christine Cooper ( Imelda Staunton), may hold the key to the case. Toby Jones also appears.Upon his death, Karl Wainwright, owner of the Easterly Grange Hotel, leaves an estate with a number of beneficiaries, including hotel manager Gregory Chambers, his wife Suzanna ( Samantha Bond), and hotel chef Tristan Goodfellow. One by one, they meet grisly deaths. Gregory is found dismembered in woodland where he had been foraging for mushrooms, Suzanna is killed with a shotgun and Tristan eats a meal of mushrooms that includes the deadly Destroying angel. Kenneth Gooders ( Jonathan Coy), the solicitor handling the estate, is also killed when his large drinks cabinet topples over and crushes him. A cryptic new script for Gregory's former Punch and Judy show may provide Barnaby and Troy with some answers. Martin Wroath is found dead in his home in Midsomer Worthy. He had been shot with a shotgun using an elaborately rigged wire leading from his foot to the trigger. First appearances suggest suicide, but the autopsy reveals that he had been drugged. The police conclude he was murdered. The investigations lead to Dr. Jane Moore ( Isla Blair), an old friend of Tom's and a psychologist at a local mental health clinic who knew the victim. More deaths follow when one of Jane's colleagues is found hanging in the clinic grounds and the local marching band leader is strangled. Meanwhile a series of mysterious rope thefts occur around the village, and an attempt is made on Tom's life. Instead I'm going to concentrate on how this series has been depleted by the loss of John Nettles and the Barnaby family. I don't understand why they would let the young lady go and live in said crime scene. But, whatever. When you have a show with such dastardly crimes that are often bloody, deal with dark secrets, etc., you have to have characters that can add attractiveness, some levity, some camaraderie, some warmth to the proceedings.

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