Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Midsomer Murders, Set 23 Blu-ray Movie Review

Sgt. Jones's Long Goodbye

Reviewed by Michael Reuben February 5, 2014

The fifteenth season (or "series") of Britain's venerable Midsomer Murders marked the final investigations of long-suffering second banana, Det. Sgt. Ben Jones, played with deadpan restraint by the reliable Jason Hughes. With Jones's departure, the casting makeover that began with the exit of original series anchor John Nettles would be complete. Series 15 consisted of six episodes instead of the usual eight, the abbreviated length due either to budget cuts or the difficulty of continuing to devise new stories after so many years of English country skullduggery. As has been its custom, Acorn Media is dividing the series into two sets. Set 23 contains three of the six feature-length episodes from Series 15. The rest will be issued later this year in Set 24.

Perhaps to compensate for the missing episode, Acorn and Bentley Productions (which produces the show) have included the most substantial extras seen on a release of Midsomer Murders since the Blu-ray releases began, including a feature-length commentary for the classic tale of mayhem among the landed gentry, "The Dark Rider".

The Dark Rider (disc 1) Sept. 21, 2011

Fans of SciFi's Battlestar Galactica will enjoy the opportunity to see the former Dr. Gaius Baltar, James Callis, play identical twins—and do it so well that Toby and Julian DeQuetteville truly seem to be different people. Indeed, my viewing companion initially thought that two actors had been cast who happened to resemble each other. (The seamless CG work that lets Callis share the frame with himself helps sustain the illusion.)

The DeQuettevilles are that classic of English fiction, a dotty, inbred family with a history dating back centuries and a massive and valuable country estate on which they can no longer afford the upkeep but would die before selling. To sustain the manor, they've turned it into a tourist attraction. Their biggest draw is an annual re-enactment of a historic battle from the 1600s during the great Civil War in which King Charles II lost his head.

In the present, though, someone is killing off the DeQuettevilles one by one, starting with the eldest living member, old Bentham DeQuetteville (Murray Melvin), who plunges from the roof of the family estate in the episode's opening. Family legend has it that the ghost of an ancestor, Sir Geoffrey DeQuetteville, will appear to his descendants in the form of a headless horseman as a harbinger of death. The specter supposedly warned the first wife of Toby DeQuetteville just before she was killed in a riding accident, witnessed by their son Simon (James Clay), who hasn't spoken since. When Toby finds old Bentham on the ground, fatally injured from his fall, the dying man's last word is: "Geoffrey!"

Investigating the suspicious death of Bentham, DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and Sgt. Jones suspect more earthly causes. Toby DeQuetteville may be a mild-mannered sort, but his twin brother, Julian, is surly and grasping and clearly has his eye on the property. Eliminating Bentham would be the first step to inheriting it. Julian's wife, Kerry Fox (Shallow Grave), would obviously enjoy being lady of the manor, as would Toby's wife, Diana (Raquel Cassidy). However, the twins' mother, Izzy (Eleanor Bron, familiar to fans of the original Bedazzled) shows no sign of surrendering the position, and their father, Ludo (William Gaunt), seems hale and hearty—at least until tales of the headless Sir Geoffrey's materialization begin circulating, at which point he becomes a quivering mass of fear.

The DeQuettevilles also have enemies outside their manor walls. The neighboring estate is owned by the Fleetwood family, whose history also dates back to the Civil War, except that the Fleetwoods were on the opposite side from the DeQuettevilles. For the Fleetwoods, however, history belongs in a museum. You can tell from the thoroughly modern home occupied by Harry and Sasha Fleetwood (Paul Ritter and Natalie Mendoza from The Descent). They would like the DeQuettevilles to stop disturbing the peaceful countryside with all these noisy tourist activities. But how far will they go to get their way?

DCI Barnaby's investigation acquires an unexpected personal dimension when he learns that his wife, Sarah (Fiona Dolman), has been recruited to referee this years' re-enactment at the DeQuetteville estate because of her expertise as a historian. In a situation where booby traps are being sprung and gargoyles are plummeting from rooftops, Barnaby would much prefer that Sarah be elsewhere.


Murder of Innocence (disc 1) Mar. 21, 2012

Having served his time in prison, Grady Felton (Jack Pierce) returns to the town of Midsomer Binwell. His welcome is anything but warm. As a teenager, Felton was convicted of murdering another teen, Daniel Denning, son of a wealthy landowner, Ted Denning (Ian Redford). Felton always insisted he was innocent, and with youthful bravado, he threatened death to everyone responsible for his false conviction. He even wrote a death list published in the newspapers. It included the prosecuting attorney, his defense counsel, members of the Denning family—and Sgt. Jones, who was then a constable handling his first murder case.

Ted Denning, along with his gamekeeper (and possibly more), Mandy Gideon (Sharon Duce) and her two hot-headed sons (Sam Callis and Rubert Hill), plus Ted's daughter Deirdre (Lisa Dillon), all want Felton run out of town, but Barnaby sensibly replies that Felton has every right to be there. Then people on Felton's list begin to die, and Barnaby becomes especially concerned, because his own sergeant may be next. Particularly frustrating, however, is that Grady Felton has a solid alibi for each of the murders.

As if Barnaby didn't have enough to worry about, he is dreading an upcoming police inspector's physical qualifying exam. Exercise isn't Barnaby's idea of a good time, and he is less than thrilled with the athletic coach, Gareth Dunbar (James Michie), who is Mrs. Barnaby's latest find. Barnaby would much prefer to have Jones as a jogging partner, but the busy sergeant doesn't have time for him, until Barnaby stumbles across some personal information about Jones that provides the ideal quid pro quo (as in "I'll keep this to myself, but only if you help me out"). Since we so rarely get to see Jones in his private life, what Barnaby discovers may be the most memorable portion of "Murder of Innocence".


Death and the Divas (disc 2) Jan. 2, 2013*

(*For some reason, the broadcast order of Series 15 was changed. Although "Death and the Divas" is referred to as "episode 3" in the behind-the-scenes featurette, it was not the third episode to be broadcast. The next episode in Series 15 after "Murder of Innocence" was "Written in the Stars", broadcast on Sept. 25, 2012, which will presumably appear in Set 24.)

Who knew that DCI Barnaby loved Hammer-style classic British horror films from the Sixties? Mrs. Barnaby does, and she takes her husband for a surprise visit to a festival in Midsomer Langley featuring the films of one his idols, Stella Harris (Sinéad Cusack). Barnaby is thrilled, but he little suspects that death will not be confined to the screen.

Stella Harris' career ended abruptly in 1970, when her ambitious sister, Diana (Harriet Walter), stole both her big Hollywood break and her stuntman/producer boyfriend, Cy Davenport (Henry Goodman), whom Diana eventually married. Diana went on to have a son with Cy named Scott (Joseph Beattie). Scott found his power couple parents so suffocating that he eventually fled to England and the home of his Aunt Stella, who had returned to a quiet country life, marrying a decent man (now deceased) and raising a daughter, Emma (Anna Wilson-Jones). Emma now has a daughter of her own, Rosie (Alice Sykes), by a father who is out of the picture, and Stella adores being a grandmother.

The Midsomer Langley festival was organized by a career horror geek named Colin Yule (Pearce Quigley), and it would have provided a nostalgic evening's thrill for Stella, who was invited for a personal appearance. But Stella is upstaged at the last minute by the surprise arrival of her sister and brother-in-law, who have returned to England for the first time in forty years, supposedly to retrieve Scott.

Just across the way, journalist Eve Lomax has been murdered. She was writing an unauthorized biography of Stella Harris, probing into all sorts of family secrets. Stella so disapproved of these activities that Ms. Lomax was disinvited from the film festival. When her body is discovered and the police are called to the scene, Sgt. Jones is surprised to learn that his boss is already nearby. Even more remarkable is the presence of the local coroner, Dr. Kate Wilding (Tamzin Malleson), another closet horror afficionado. A coroner with ghoulish tastes in entertainment—who would have guessed?

Because of Dr. Wilding's and DCI Barnaby's shared passion for Stella Harris films, they quickly spot that Eve Lomax was killed in a style intended as a homage to the vampire classic they were just watching. Soon, more deaths occur, each of them staged in a way that recalls one of Stella's films. Stella herself seems an unlikely culprit, since the crimes require the kind of youthful strength and agility Stella no longer possesses.

Perhaps the secret lies with Eve Lomax's landlord, Patrick Tilman (David Bark-Jones), a shifty fellow who was always sniffing around her, to the eternal scorn of his wife, Juliet (Pandora Clifford). Or perhaps it's Juliet herself, whose business delivering boxes of organic groceries is clearly more than it seems. Juliet's delivery man, a handsome devil named Perry Stephens (Samuel Anderson), is clearly delivering something more than groceries, but what exactly? Privately, Perry is dating Stella Harris' daughter, Emma; that can't be a coincidence.

By the time Barnaby figures out the answers, the actress sisters are way ahead of him. Screenwriters Rachel Cuperman and Sally Griffiths have obviously studied the relationship in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , and they've engineered an intriguing variation on it (minus the wheelchair). The question itself goes to the heart of the mystery: What did happen to Baby Jane?

Midsomer Murders, Set 23 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Set 23 of Midsomer Murders continues Acorn's practice of 1080p formatting initiated with Set 21, and it also features less aggressive compression, thanks to the use of a BD-50 for the first two episodes and a single episode on the second BD-25. The result is some of the best images yet seen on the Blu-ray releases of this cult favorite. Midsomer Murders' characteristic blend of English rustic and cutting-edge modern (e.g., quaint farms and antique stables with an iPhone in every pocket) is presented with the clarity, detail and depth of field typical of the best contemporary British TV. Colors are vivid but not oversaturated, so that the bucolic countryside always looks its best and the clothing is tastefully understated, except in "Death and the Divas", where certain characters are meant to be overdressed.

"Death and the Divas" also features the one notable departure from the show's usual visual style, as cinematographer James Moss (who also shot "The Dark Rider") has the fun of recreating the snippets of Sixties-style horror films seen in the episode, complete with the distressed look of old film.

Banding, aliasing, video noise, compression errors and other artifacts were nowhere to be seen. These are the best-looking entries in the series to date.

Midsomer Murders, Set 23 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Provided in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0, the sound design for Midsomer Murders continues to be basic and functional, with emphasis on dialogue and sparing use of music. The Blu-ray's track conveys the dialogue clearly, and Jim Parker's signature theme continues to provide the appropriately macabre note of fascination. The theremin version that used to open and close most episodes has now been replaced by electronic instrumentation, but the theme is still instantly recognizable.

Midsomer Murders, Set 23 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary on "The Dark Rider" with Actor Neil Dudgeon and Director Alex Pillai: Moderated by Henry Holland, director and star reflect on both the specifics of the episode and the phenomenon of Midsomer Murders in general. Dudgeon observes that he's fortunate to work on a series where so many notable actors are willing to take roles, so that he always has new and interesting people to talk to during breaks. (He recalls making everyone wait so that Eleanor Bron could finish telling him a story about working with the Beatles in Help!) He also talks about working with Fiona Dolman to create a credible married couple. Pillai describes the episode's logistical challenges, including the "twinning" of James Callis and the headless horseman shots. The commentary is essential listening for any Midsomer Murders fan.



• "Death and the Divas": Behind the Scenes (disc 2) (480i; 1.78:1; 15:45): Hosted by Neil Dudgeon, this featurette includes interviews with director Nick Laughland; Jo Wright of Bentley Productions; actors John Carson (a veteran of Hammer Horror films), Alexander Owen and Thomasin Rand, all of whom appear in the fanciful re-creations of Sixties horror films; Jason Hughes; stunt coordinator Ray De Haan; and Pearce Quigley. Warning: spoilers galore!



• Startup Trailers: At startup, disc 1 plays trailers for Acorn Media, Jack Irish and Foyle's War: Set 7. These can be skipped with the chapter forward button and are not otherwise available once the disc loads.

Midsomer Murders, Set 23 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It may be a long time (if ever) before we see the classic early years of Midsomer Murders on Blu-ray. But as long as the show remains popular enough in England to support the creation of new episodes of this caliber, fans should be happy to see them, especially if Acorn Media continues to release presentations of this quality. Set 23 may contain one fewer episode than previous sets, but it has more extras and offers the best presentation to date. Highly recommended.