Country Matters

"Country Matters" from season 9 is a bit different from other Midsomer Murder Fare. It's quite funny.

In the village of Elverton, developers want to put a supermarket in the town, on polluted land. Though people are against it, the positive side of it is that the supermarket people will clean up the site. The town meetings become very heated.

The death of an old man known to several people in the town by different names may figure into this town battle somehow. The man was an environmental consultant who was working with the townspeople and the supermarket people.

Class issues, lots of adultery, rival factions, two budding juvenile delinquents, a single mother, deception, a married couple who make a living in an interesting way, and a horse training stable are just a few of the elements in this mystery. But the mystery isn't the main feature here, it's the story around it, and some of the reactions of Barnaby and Jones.

Let's just say that when people need to make a living in this town, they can be pretty resourceful.

And the ending with Joyce and Barnaby was great.

Midsomer Murders as a series has its up and downs, but when it hits, it can be a true joy to watch. This is one of the two best episodes of the first nine seasons. It has a great sense of humor, a coherent story line, ties up all the loose ends, has a satisfying and plausible ending and follows a process in which we can follow all the footsteps to catching the killer.

Country Matters was slightly out of the ordinary for MM. Obiously the team were a bit bored and made this episode with tongue in cheek! Drily funny, it deals with those grave matter of sex and murder with a bit of frivolity which might be unbecoming the Middle cLasses of Midsomer but makes everything a great send up and a real hoot. One of the best episodes. There is also the use of actors and actresses already known to friends of PBS English series such as Inspector Morse. Because IMDb has never liked a pithy comment where several hundred words will do I have to continue with this just to meet the minimum amount of lines. IMDb would never have allowed Pauline Kael in her more pithily scathing moments to submit her comments!

A proposed supermarket causes mayhem in a village, with half for it, and half against it.

I defy anyone to watch this and not chuckle, it is a very funny, enjoyable episode. It is an engaging enough mystery, with one singular, believable murder, but it's the humour attached that makes this such a joy.

Some terrific one liners and funny scenes, my favourite being Joyce in Tom's pyjamas.

It's one of the more kinky episodes, it's all naughty postcard stuff, Claire Holman and Juliet Aubrey are both particularly great fun.

It's a very unusual, enjoyable ending. This is great fun. 9/10

Barnaby and Jones find themselves in a town where the biggest controversy seems to be a bitter argument over a supermarket that is going to open in the provincial village. We are soon introduced to quite a place. There is S&M, wife swapping, dressing up, and other forms of sexual activity. One woman in particular seems out of character. She is an culinary expert, offering classes, but because her husband died and left her with nothing, she takes the route of supplying sexual favors for some men in the community. Barnaby likes her and doesn't want to see her embarrassed and vilified, but he is a stickler for the law. A man who is enjoying several favors, is found dead. It is later discovered that he was sort of a fifth columnist from the supermarket chain. Anyway, he is stabbed and this leads to a lot of speculation. It seems that there aren't many people in town that are able to keep their pants on. This is played a bit tongue in cheek but I found it entertaining nevertheless.