The Village That Rose from the Dead

I like the chemistry between the actors, especially the newcomers like Kam. Barnaby and his wife make for a wonderful, credible couple which palpable connection to each other. The cutest dog in TV, Sykes, is dead, but replaced with a new, equally cute one. We have a replacement for Nelson, but I don't think it was necessary, the guy did a fine job. The story revolves around a revival of an abandoned village and the various ideas related to it, which results in a series of murders and an investigation into the sins of the past and present, revealing uncomfortable truths and lies. A very enjoyable episode indeed.

I rather enjoyed this recent installment of Midsomer. A new DS in town and I think he fits in well with the show, unfortunately Sykes is with us no longer. The new DS gets sharply brought into line by Barnaby who likes to maintain the hierarchy but you sense the two will get along just fine. The new DS is known to Kam the pathologist, despite the fact that its a bit odd the local pathologist and a DS hanging around the Inspectors house outside of work, nonetheless its shaping up to be a good gang! The plot was good old fashioned Midsomer, a bunch of locals all intertwined, however in this instance it take a bit of figuring out trying to decipher who is related to whom, sometimes a little close for comfort... Some well known faces in this one and its virtually impossible to figure out the culprit but a plausible motive all the same. An enjoyable episode.

This episode kinda reminds me of the old Midsomer days, with all the village people and often times someone gets killed because there is bad blood between family, or friends. The Village That Rose from the Dead takes me back and has the same blood as some of the original episodes, which is really nice and makes it quite enjoyable. It's a different sort of episode, quite an action packed one I found, not a moment's rest and not a moment not drama filled. It's not a fantastic episode, but it certainly is interesting in some way and you certainly won't get bored. The episode is defintely confusing at times, but I think as long as you pay attention and take in all the characters, plus you don't forget about any character or what the point of their role is in the story, you should be really intrigued. The storyline is amazing, well scripted, and well acted and played out. It's like they were saving the storyline for the perfect chance, because it's just so Midsomer. The episode is a great episode that reminds me of some of the earlier episodes of Midsomer Murders, and I just love the 40's combined with the modern day vibe the episode gives off. Great cast, who all play extremely sharp and involved characters, and in particular Sally Phillips and Hugh Dennis stand out. Caroline Blakiston is fabulous, and everyone does a really stand out job. I really enjoyed the episode, the characters and the storyline, maybe not the plot as much, but it was still very entertaining and definitely worth a watch.

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 bag, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.

Season 18 was mostly unimpressive, with "Breaking the Chain" faring weakest and "Saints and Sinners" and "The Incident at Cooper Hill" not faring much better. The season did have two good episodes, the best being "A Dying Art" and "Harvest of Souls" being a close second.

"The Village that Rose from the Dead" kicks off Season 19, the latest season, and proves to be a very solid and promising season opener. It is easily one of the better John Barnaby-era episodes and the best of the era since Season 17's "A Vintage Murder", which is saying a lot.

Not without problems, though they are very few and nowhere near as big as in many John Barnaby-era episodes. Kam still doesn't do much for me and don't think she ever will, she lacks personality, is condescending and a snobbish know-it-all. The new detective Jamie Winter is not particularly interesting, though to be fair it is his first episode, and rather lacking in personality and chemistry with Neil Dudgeon.

Production values however 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.

Writing is thought-provoking and some of the quirky and gentle humour juxtaposes well with the dark murder theme and the twists and turns, the episode not feeling overly serious or heavy like some John Barnaby-era episodes as a result. The story is never simplistic, neither is it convoluted, with a surprising ending that manages to just about be plausible rather than convoluted or distastefully over-the-top. In fact, as said, it is very suspenseful and engrossing. The murders are clever and the ending is a surprise and hardly obvious or far-fetched either.

Acting mostly is good. Dudgeon looks comfortable and involved, while Caroline Blakiston, David Burke and Sally Phillips are particularly good of a uniformly good supporting cast.

Overall, a solid and promising episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Nineteen seasons - wow. It's like the U.S.'s Law & Order.

It seems to have been a couple of years since season 18 ended and Betty was a baby. The new season opens to some sadness. Then Barnaby is called out on a murder by yet another assistant, Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix). In this episode they seem to be waiting for Nelson to return from some sort of project, so Winter is temporary. If that's the case he's been gone a while since Betty is now running around in the yard.

Apparently, the army took over Little Auburn Village during World War II, and have abandoned it now, some 70 years later. Three groups have submitted ideas for restructuring the town.

Finn Thornbury (Edwin Thomas) and his girlfriend, Corina Craven (Catherine Steadman), had submitted an eco-friendly village. They are killed. Turns out Thornbury had a few secrets.

Other submitters include Sylvia Lennard (Catherine Blakiston) who was a child when the town was taken over; and condo developers Blake (Christopher Colquhoun) and Lucy Resnick (Pippa Haywood). It was to fall to Corinna's father, Roderick, to decide on the best submission. However, he is the next victim and has left everything to his mother. More unfolds as Barnaby and Winter attempt to work out the town's many mysteries.

Good episode, with Neil Dudgeon settling nicely into the role of John Barnaby. I also like the coroner Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk) who actually knew Winter previously.

This episode comes full circle, ending on a happy note you'll see coming a mile away. Very sweet, though - I kind of loved it.