Death in Chorus

Again, music and art are the background for an intricate story line. Evidently Midsomer musicians are serious competitors as also evidenced in S5. E3, Ring Out Your Dead.

The piece sung by the chorus in this episode is "Fair Phyllis" (1599) by John Farmer, and is beautifully performed. I don't know if Jane Wymark and Barry Jackson actually lent their voices, but we know Jason Hughes has a very nice voice, as we hear in one scene.

Good supporting cast of many familiar faces. The gentle humor and John Nettles's delivery give it charm. The Bucks architecture and countryside provide their usual elegant background.

The Midsomer Worthy amateur choir is thrown into panic when baritone Connor Simpson is killed on the eve of the prestigious regional Four Choirs competition. A birdwatcher is also murdered shortly after, and DCI Barnaby and DC Jones uncover bitter rivalry and tense marital relationships as they try to establish if there is a connection between the two cases. Peter Capaldi guest stars

A standard episode with the usual eccentric characters though there's a slight darker tone and intriguing look at choral singing. There's an amazing scene where Barnaby, prone to have breathing after just taking a few steps, jumps in the water to save a lady from drowning.

Don't be fooled by the chorus setting. This is a tremendous episode. Had a inkling who the villian was, but the ending was a big surprise. Lots of glammed up Joyce in this one. A roll of camera film takes multiple days to develop for anybody yet urgent police work? Lots of bad toupees and overacting but a treat to watch. Vito S 12/18/19

As a choir makes its way toward a competition that they never seem to win, there are all sorts of goings on among their members, particularly, their dictatorial director. A couple murders are committed and as a result, several wounds are opened. There is unrequited love, a plot to get money through a conspiracy, and all the fallout from that plot. It involves Jones joining the choir to get an inside look. This is possible because he actually has a pretty nice voice. But more fundamental is a history of jealousy and deceit, and actions that bring about the attempted murders of people who have done nothing but get in the way. One is a woman who is being drugged for some reason. She is seen as profligate but doesn't really have any control over what is happening to here. There is also a strange murder of a man who is simply photographing owls in the woods. Confusing. A bit. But the conclusion is quite satisfactory.

Death in Chorus marks the show's first landmark, and the fiftieth episode is a particularly good one. As you watch it, it has a feel of a special. It's a great story, with some really dark moments, it boasts a strong cast, and sees the return of two actors that starred in classic early episodes Annabelle Apsion and John Shrapnel.

It's a super cast, Peter Capaldi, Sara Stewart and Ronan Vibert, despite the many brilliant performances, it's Vibert that steals the show for me, he is excellent in this, his conversation with Barnaby is a great scene.

Some truly good moments in this one, the show is famous for its brutal killings, but it doesn't often go down the route of psychological cruelty, it does that here to a very strong degree, what happens to poor Carol is incredibly dark, with Sara Stewart being so lovely it makes it more effective.

There are plenty of laughs, and of course there's the real bit of nonsense, George's skills as a conductor make him look like he's trying to swat away a plague of wasps. The ending is a little corny.

A very strong episode indeed, 9/10