Last Man Out

I usually do not enjoy the sport themed ones, and the only reason I liked this one was you guessed it, JONES JONES JONES! But other than that, it was a loser. Hammy actors, obnoxious cheerleader atmosphere, boring plot, shallow writing, and just not charming enough. Zero likable characters. Especially unpleasant was Parth Thakerera as Fitz. He was just "not charming enough" as well. Wish Jones had returned to a much better episode, points for him alone. Ok, a few credits to John Bird (St. John) and Susan Jameson (Germaine). Funny bit at the end with Jones and Winter sharing complaints about John won me over.

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 latest season, Season 19, got off to a promising start with "The Village that Rose from the Dead", and that promise also came over in "Crime and Punishment" and "Last Man Out" which are just as good.

Kam once again, and people are probably going to find this criticism rather old, does nothing for me. Dr Bullard is very much missed and while Kate was bland Kam lacks even more personality and still comes across as a condescending know-it-all. Her chemistry with Winter is quite good, but that's it.

"Last Man Out's" ending mostly works, but it almost doesn't at first due to the physicality of the murderer being hard to swallow and raising question marks as to how they were able to do it. The attempted murder motive is pretty flimsy too.

This said, the identity of the murderer is a big surprise, it's a suspenseful ending that doesn't feel resolved too conveniently or by chance and the motive(s) on the most part are believable. The murders are more fun and imaginative than most murders in the John Barnaby-era episodes, and the characters are more pleasingly eccentric than the bland and pantomimic ones.

Paddy is a worthy replacement for Sykes, a very endearing and cute character if a little lacking in Sykes' (who one will miss dearly) scene-stealing comic timing. It was wonderful to see Jones again, and he is well used, the cricket setting is also used to full potential.

The 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.

Neil Dudgeon took a while to get used to when he first took over, but Season 19 has proved that he looks comfortable as Barnaby and doesn't play the character as heavily and somnambulist like he did initially and in some of his latter episodes. Winter is also settling in nicely. Susan Jameson is particularly impressive of the uniformly solid supporting cast.

Summing up, after two very good episodes "Last Man Out" doesn't disappoint. 8/10 Bethany Cox

One of the best episodes in a little while. Very well written, a truly interesting story, boosted enormously by the return of Jones. There was something about this episode that had a very traditional feel, echos of Midsomer Murders from years gone by, even the music was excellent. It's been a while since we've had a Cricket themed episode, it fits so well with the beautiful village theme. The quality of this episode reminded me of Dead Man's eleven from the early years.

Winter has been developing really well, but even he seemed a little pale in comparison to Jones, not sure what it is about him, but he just has so much charisma. Particularly well acted by the supporting cast, Susan Jameson is fantastic, she rather steals the show. A brilliant ending, so fitting for an episode of this quality.

A truly high quality episode, lots of tension, a great story line, and great performances. Been a while since we've had one as good as this, 9/10

Overall it's interesting and engaging. Jones's return is welcome, though he might be a bit old for a cricket player on a championship team, but that's not my biggest cringe with this episode. Cringe 1 - those awful cheerleaders - I actually look away when they're on. Cringe 2 - how in the world does a tree NOT grow and obscure cuttings made 20 years earlier in its bark? Cringe 3 - the female actors were cringeworthy because they really weren't very good (Germaine was more wooden than the tree). OK, maybe the return of Jones is the only good reason for this episode....

"Last Man Out" is not a bad episode. However, like "Breaking the Chain" (episode 18.3), it's hard to imagine that a small and supposedly quiet county like Midsomer having semi-professional sports. In this one, there's a cricket league...complete with hot cheerleaders and pyrotechnics. In such a setting, this seems very silly...like they're running low on ideas.

Now, if you put this aside, it's a decent episode and gives you a chance to see DI Ben Jones (Barnaby's assistant in some prior seasons) return as the same character...though this time working undercover. He's investigating gamblers determining the outcome of matches...and he's trying to find the man in charge of this conspiracy. As for Barnaby, he's investigating a murder that appears linked to this cricket league...when yet another is killed. What's going on here and are the two deaths related to the gamblers?

As I said above, aside from the silliness of big-time gamblers throwing what are essentially minor league matches AND it being in Midsomer, the show is exciting and interesting. Not among the best but competently made.