Death's Shadow

I agree this is one of the best Midsomers, and compares well to just about any detective series.

In the beginning we see a group of school boys doing something. It's not clear what is going on, and it's not clear why there is an adult there. Is that one of the boys grown up? Is this a flashback? We'll find out later.

Soon a 40-ish year old man is brutally murdered, even though he is terminally ill. There follows another brutal murder. There are red-herrings, as usual, though it is so well done we can't be sure what is a red herring and what is not. There is an intriguing side plot with daughter Cully and a famous producer, and another side plot as Barnaby and his wife are about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. It all comes together with a resounding and satisfying conclusion, complete with HItchcockian reference.

A superb job! Don't miss it.

After the fantastic opening season, the second kicked off with Death's Shadow.

Wonderful English countrysides again are one of the stars of the show, Midsomer is so easy on the eye.

As we're back in Badger's Drift it was nice to get the references to the earlier murders, the Rainbirds etc. and I was glad to see the return of David Whitely and Mr Jocelyne. One criticism I have with the new episodes, is there's no echoes of the past, in an area as bloodthirsty there should be more references.

Poor Mrs Bundy has no luck when it comes to finding bodies, poor dear should give up cleaning.

I noticed here the murders themselves are becoming more elaborate, they've started cranking up the intensity of them.

There is a big change from Series 1, gone is the humour and frivolity, the show is seemingly going in a much darker direction. No comedy double acts, no foolery from Tom or Troy, this episode meant business, and it delivered, this was a brilliant episode, very mature and grown up. Rather dark plot with a very sad story, and a very vengeful conclusion.

I think Richard Briers is utterly outstanding, he was simply wonderful, I believed every word he said. The whole cast are excellent, but Briers gives the masterclass. 10/10

I'm watching the se over again and this one I love. I was hoping the Ian character would be killed before the end. He had a nasty att and he was pompous. I've seen him in other things and still don't like him.

I can't quite decide whether this is my all-time favourite episode or if the pilot episode, 'The Killings at Badger's Drift', (also penned by Anthony Horowitz) is as good. Regardless, this is an (equally) genuinely tense and sinister tale with an utterly satisfying denouement. The cast is first-rate. Definitely one of the high points of this long-running series.

I found this to be a scintillating effort in the series. We are introduced to a group of boys who are in club. They do something that isn't clear, and, of course, will come into play later. We now move ahead to present time as Barnaby is celebrating his 25th anniversary. He and his wife have been by a certain church in a nearby town. She has requested redoing their vows as a celebration. At their first wedding, Barnaby had to run off and deal with a crime. A young man who has been diagnosed with a brain tumor is decapitated one night and the detective and his partner are thrust into the center of some weird goings on. There is a land development issue and the neighbor's are feuding with a man who owns the property, claiming he is ruining their little town. Without going into great detail, there are lots of secrets. There are also some strained relationships that are making approachability quite difficult. We also get a closer look at Barnaby's daughter, Cully, who is an aspiring actress. She seems to be cast frequently in particularly bloody plays like Macbeth and the Duchess of Malfi. Anyway, there is threat hanging over everything and a deep dark secret that is eventually revealed.