The Night of the Stag

I watched Night of the Stag during its original transmission, it's the first episode of the series I switched off before the end as I couldn't bare to watch it. I find myself agreeing quite a lot with the other reviewer on here, I find the whole thing in very bad taste,

I originally had a score of 1 out of ten, on rewatching I've upped it to a 3, the first twenty minutes or so weren't so bad, but after that it turns into a complete and utter mess, I can't even believe it made it through an edit, the last fifteen/twenty minutes are literally unwatchable, even Warren Clarke couldn't save it. The village used looks very pretty, it is the best thing about it.

When this went out I was in fear that Midsomer Murders had run its course, there were definitely a few eyebrows raised after this went out, how contrasting to next week's 'A Sacred Trust,' which is a belter.

A miserly 3/10

This had to be the worst MM episode of them all. Not worth watching.

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.

Good start but cranky

. But the final 30 minutes is hard.

There's nothing enjoyable watching drunks race off to rape young girls.

It has nothing to do with the woke movement as another reviewer gas claimed.

It's difficult to believe that such happenings occurred hundreds of years ago, but today..!! Unless the entire villages are full drunk on Apple cider.

How did this get past the production meeting. Certainly my least favourite thus far.

At least theres a novel murder. An apple shaker. Didn't look too realistic in the flashback though.

Neil Dv must've been wondering what he signed up for. It's a shame George Bullard has left. I liked him. I wonder what happened to his GP wife. Suddenly she was gone.

The new pathologist, soko, crime lab etc etc - not sure. Too young too cocky.

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.