Saints and Sinners

When in its prime (a vast majority of Seasons 1-9), 'Midsomer Murders' was a great show and one that is watched and re-watched frequently. Seasons 10-13 became more uneven, with three of the show's worst episodes coming from Seasons 11 and 13, but there were a few solid episodes and "Blood Wedding" and especially "Master Class" were gems.

After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same on the most part. Season 14 was a disappointment outside of "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust", with "Echoes of the Dead" and "The Night of the Stag" being show low-points. Season 15 was inconsistent, being a case of starting promisingly and then took a three-episodes-in-a-row strange turn with "Written in the Stars" before finishing on a good note. Season 16 was mostly good, especially "Wild Harvest", with the only disappointment being "Let Us Prey". Season 17 was a mixed, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.

Most of Season 18, from personal opinion, was rather unimpressive (apart from the surprisingly good "A Dying Art"), and this is including "Saints and Sinners", to me one of the season's weaker episodes. Usually am on the same page when it comes to the general consensus of individual 'Midsomer Murders' episodes, but there have been exceptions and sad to say "Saints and Sinners" is one of them.

It is certainly not without merits, even the worst 'Midsomer Murders' episodes have redeeming qualities (though embarrassments like "Blood on the Saddle", "Night of the Stag", "Echoes of the Dead" and "Second Sight" came very close to not).

Production values cannot be faulted as usual. It's beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. The murders are pretty fun and the characters are not too pantomimic or bland in general. The story has its intriguing elements.

Cast is very good, Neil Dudgeon doesn't look stiff or sleepwalk through Barnaby and Gwilym Lee continues to have a likable charisma. The supporting cast are very strong, Julia Sawallha and Malcolm Sinclair being the standouts.

However Still not a fan of Kam at all, she has little personality and continues to be a condescending know-it-all and not exactly professional. Nelson is despite the likable presence of Lee has bland material this time round and takes too much of a back-seat.

"Saints and Sinners" story is let down by two things. It does have some real credibility-straining stretches, particularly with the whole stuff about the "protestant martyr". The ending was a let-down, the late reveal of the killer and their motives didn't work and instead felt rushed as a result as cramming in too much information in a short time, confused and like an afterthought. It's pretty bland at times, with an over-familiarity of some of the situations and twists, some of which having been done before in earlier episodes and done with much more spark. Clues are very little and begs one to wonder how it's figured out and tied together.

Scripting has been better balanced before, one misses the gentle humour of 'Midsomer Murders' in its prime and wishes that it wouldn't take itself too seriously so often.

All in all, okay episode but lacking. 5/10 Bethany Cox

What a good episode and great guest stars. Malcolm Sinclair was terrific as an obsessive reverend. Ruth Sheen a marvelous actress unfortunately had a minimal role..a waste of her great talent. Julia Sawalha another wonderful actress who doesn't seem to age much, every time I see her I think of Saffy from Absolutely Fabulous. Her role here was minimal as well. The constant bantering between Nelson and Karimore is fun and a nice aside to the grisly murders. I like Neil in this role, it didn't' tAke long for me to get over the departure of John Nettles...which surprises me. The only reason I gave it just 6 stars is because I knew from the beginning who the murderer was so the ending was not a surprise.

Midsomer Cicely is the scene of a great Archaeological dig, where it is believed that the bones of a Saint are discovered, naturally being Midsomer, a body turns up.

I was quite impressed with this one, it felt like a throwback to the past somehow, the storytelling, the killings, the format somehow, it all seemed to work quite well. The murder methods weren't as far fetched as usual, it was a sensible episode. Some of the clues were kept til the very end, which was a bit of a cheat, but intriguing.

I don't know how much I'm buying into the body language between and flirting between Nelson and Doctor Karrimore, they need to do something with Nelson, he's still feeling rather flat as a character, maybe a bit of romancing would help.

Julia Sawalha was great (she's not looking any older,) Ralf Little did a pretty good job, but Malcolm Sinclair was utterly brilliant as Reverend Corby, such a fun performance from him.

Pretty good on the whole, liked this one, 7/10

Archaeological digs have been done numerous times on "Midsomer Murders". It's all good if it's a quality episode as this certainly was. Very complex plot with many twists and turns but not hard to follow. I enjoyed the numerous excellent supporting actors. Seems some were made purposely almost timid to throw the viewers off track. DS Charlie Nelson (Gwilym Lee) and Dr. Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk) are developing a very interesting sometimes rocky sometimes not rivalry and friendship. The tennis competition was a nice touch. Having Kam involved in the climax in great peril made a strong ending even better. Wife Sarah Barnaby's (Fiona Dolman) role is declining is the only complaint about a stellar episode.

A Saint's bones are discovered during an archaeological dig, causing a stir in the village of Midsomer Cicely. However, when the dig's leader is murdered, DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson are presented with a complex investigation as they hunt for the perpetrator. As the duo unearth more evidence, they soon discover that it is not only skeletons that have been long buried in the hallowed ground.

Ok episode, not too standout, but it's interesting enough to keep you watching. There some nice inventive murders (crushed by a headstone, spear through the back). Dr Karrimore gets a little more scope.