The Night of the Stag

Barnaby and Jones investigate the murder of a local revenue agent where the phrase "shake him like a British nanny" is somewhat apropos. As far as a murder mystery it was rather run-of-the-mill but the second act really stank.

So, a bunch of fat, ugly, drunken neanderthals dress up with antlers and go "a courting" to the neighboring village. Though apparently in the one village some of the local sluts actually welcome the attention there were also a couple attempts at outright rape (including the leading "stag" offering up his own daughter). If that is what passes for local culture I say evacuate the few decent folks and just napalm the rest. Who scripts this crap?

It's a very nice episode, of the good old kind like the early episodes. The villains are suitably villanous, at least one of the murders is very creative, the seemingly unrelated subplots converge nicely, and there is a very satisfying confrontation at the end. Bonus points for village fete and bucolic countryside. I liked the beekeeper with his bees, and the way they symbolically tied the episode together. I LOVED the over-the-top temperance preacher, he was hilarious and spot-on. And notice: the only potential rapists in the story are the villain-in-chief and his ridiculous buddy-buddy, neither of which succeeds in raping anybody. If people paid attention they would notice that the women of the opposite village open their doors for the men when they arrive on the stag night, and literally and rather enthusiastically jump into their arms. Is it adultery? Possibly. Do their husbands approve? Probably. Do we care? Not in the slightest.

A VAT inspector goes missing as he hunts for an illicit cider still responsible for brewing The Beast, a potent local drink. At the Midsomer Abbas spring fayre which celebrates its friendship with Midsomer Herne, Barnaby and Jones sample the local cider, while temperance preacher Norman Grigor calls on residents to repent of their drunken ways.

Suddenly, Barnaby is violently ill as the body of missing man Peter Slim is found floating in the cider vat. Pathologist Kate Wilding says the victim's injuries look like he was shaken to death by a giant, and as their inquiries continue, they discover the area is steeped in bizarre local traditions.

A steady and passable MSM episode which features an OTT Elmer Gantry-like Reverend who opposes the local illegal firewater, a typical bizarre death in a vat, a humorous scene where Barnaby and a few others get sick due to drinking the cider and it's because it was contaminated with the dead man, and some nice scenic views of the field. Personally I prefer Neil Dudgeon over John Nettles who squinted a lot and went out of breath even when climbing out of the car, but the main appeal of the show is the eccentric characters, the setting and grand yet bizarre death scenes.

Fabulous story line and brilliantly cast and acted.

Some of the new woke may not like the subject and try to cancel culture but this is excellent. What beautiful scenery to boot.

This seemed like a story from a different TV series. Starting with everyone puking at the beginning of the episode due to the beer having gone bad thanks to a dead body in the vat. I have to think most people would notice sour beer when they taste it, not several pints later. I know I would.

That was the first hint, seeing everyone throwing up. Not a typical beginning to a Midsomer Murders episode. Then it just got weird, as some of the married women were clearly looking for extra love from other married men, and it was leading up to the town elders calling for a Stag Night.

It was obvious to me that the dirty fat old guys wanted to attack the young women, but the old fat girls were thinking they were the objects of attention. Maybe that point was intended as humour, but it came across as nasty and gross that everyone was willing to participate, no matter the consequences.

The ending and revealment of the murderers was anti-climactic. The villagers and their life priorities were pretty disappointing and low class, from Stag Night to killing tax men. The final scene was way over the top, and really over-acted by everyone. It seemed like they were trying to turn a really awful bit of fiction into MacBeth, and everyone worked extra hard to seem a lot more terrified, passionate, sincere, and excited than they needed to be. Seemed like a train-wreck.

When John Nettles was on as Barnaby, this kind of thing would never happen.