And I
continue my pattern of watching a Masterpiece Mystery series solely for one of
the guest stars, like Poirot, Marple, Foyle’s War, and so on – you’d be hard-pressed to find a U.K. actor
without at least one of these types of shows in their filmography. Really, each individual series is pretty
well-made and enjoyable, but I just never get around to watching any of them
from the beginning.
Anyway,
Midsomer Murders is a long-running
series featuring DCI Barnaby and his trusty sidekick (at this point in the
series, it’s DS Jones) solving murders in various small villages in the
countryside. The case in “Death in
Chorus” involves a murdered choir tenor with a number of secrets in his
past. The detectives investigate rivalries,
liaisons, and grudges in their search for the killer.
The
investigation runs concurrently with rehearsals for a local choir competition,
and Laurence Barker, the conductor played by PC, couldn’t be more put out. He’s an obsessive perfectionist with a
definite “let’s not have this silly little murder investigation interfere with
important things like choir practice” attitude.
He’s a stern taskmaster without much sympathy, traits that don’t win him
any points with the police.
While
the writing is a bit rote, this is an enjoyable performance. Laurence’s choral monomania cracks me up (he
literally points out the “upside” of his replacement tenor having a stronger
voice than the murdered man,) and as the episode wears on, we see the cracks behind
the workhorse persona. Aside from his
desperation to win the competition, matters at home are uneasy, and PC handily
portrays Laurence’s frustration, exhaustion, and woe.
This
episode also features Michael Fitzgerald, who previously appeared on Who as the Duke of Manhattan in series 2’s
“New Earth,” and Ronan Vibert, who guest-starred in a Sarah Jane story.
Additionally, every time I see Annabelle Apsion, I’m further reminded
what an excellent actress she is. I
first knew her as the repellant
Monica in Shameless, and that’s
colored my perceptions of her (which I suppose speaks again to her talent.)
Accent Watch
RP. Not too bad, but there are an awful lot of
Scottish ‘OO’s.
Recommend?
In
General
– Maybe. Nice British mystery drama, and
I enjoyed many of the characters.
PC-wise – I think so. PC does fine work here.
Warnings
Violence,
including a few grisly images, and dark elements.
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