Home | Anime | Movies | Soundtracks | Graphic Novels
Midsomer Murders: Series 19, Part 2
Score: 88%
Rating: Not Rated
Publisher: Acorn Media
Region: 1
Media: DVD/1
Running Time: 186 Mins.
Genre: TV Series/Mystery
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH

Features:
  • Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

Midsomer Murders: Series 19, Part 2 adds only two mysteries to the long-running series, but both are enjoyable and show that the writers behind the series still have some new ideas up their sleeves.

In "Death by Persuasion," past clashes with future when a Jane Austen-themed vacation getaway and a drone delivery service are both central elements to a murder investigation. DCI John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and DS Jamie Winter (Nick Hendrix, Marcella) have to investigate a young woman's death and her classic attire points them to a family-run entertainment business where people spend a weekend acting like they are back in the Georgian period. As the pair dig into the events surrounding the death, they also learn of a local pharmaceutical company currently in trials for using drones to deliver their medicines to patients. When the idea that there could be cameras on the drones that might have seen something comes up, Barnaby and Winter talk to the employees and learn of some unexpected connections between the two groups. Throw in familial relations to the local pub owners and a local Jane Austen expert and both the suspects and potential murder victims can be found around every corner.

Series 19, Part 2's other episode, "The Curse of the Ninth," focuses on the superstition of the same name. The curse notes that the ninth symphony is often a composer's last. The composer in question is Michael Falconer (James Fleet, Sense and Sensibility, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and the hazards around the man's ninth symphony start when the lead violinist for Falconer's work, Jacob Wheeler (Callum Blake), is killed. With the first chair position open, Barnaby starts to look at the other violinists that could take the victim's spot. Meanwhile, Barnaby and Winter find out that Jacob had a Stradivarius on loan and it is missing. Could the murder have more to do with Jacob's instrument and not his position? Or maybe it has to do with the award he just won, an award most believe should have gone to pianist Zak Sowande (Matthew Jacobs Morgan). Then again, it could also be anyone from Falconer's son, Dan (Joseph Prowen) to Jacob's own sister (Flora Spencer-Longhurst), both rising violinists in their own right, or even the often drunk older viola player Vernon De Harthog (Simon Callow, Amadeus, James and the Giant Peach, Outlander and, like Fleet, Four Weddings and a Funeral). Much like "Death by Persuasion," this episode of Midsomer Murders is rife with mystery and hidden motivations that will always keep viewers guessing until everything falls into place.

As a side note, the potentially budding relationship between Winter and medical examiner Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk) has a few hurdles in this set. In the first episode, Kam is out of town and another examiner is in her place. While Winter doesn't seem to notice her, the stand-in is hitting on Winter left and right. When Kam does return, Winter seems to have decided to take the plunge and possible rekindle the relationship that started years ago in passing, but when Kam has some other news to bring up, both Kam and Winter will have some decisions to make about their possible future.

Given that Midsomer Murders: Series 19, Part 2 only has two episodes and its special feature only covers the first of those, it's no wonder that this particular DVD has a lower price tag than most Midsomer releases. As a result though, any fan of the series should jump at the chance of adding this particular collection to their library.



-J.R. Nip, GameVortex Communications
AKA Chris Meyer
Related Links:


This site best viewed in Internet Explorer 6 or higher or Firefox.