User Reviews

Midsomer Murders: Birds of Prey is set in Midsomer Magna where Sgt. Troy (Daniel Casey) is assigned to look after PC Sarah Pearce (Candida Benson) a wildlife liaison officer investigating stolen birds eggs, meanwhile DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) is called when a car in a lake is discovered to have the dead body of Julian Shepherd (Robert Morgan) inside. The autopsy proves that he drowned, but not in the lake as it first appeared. Barnaby does some digging which leads him to an inventor named Charles Edmonton (Richard Todd) who he had invested a lot of money with, then another local resident Edward Darwin (Anton Lesser) turns up dead & soon after Charles himself dies. Somehow Barnaby is sure the death's are connected...

Episode 5 from season 6, the last episode of season 6 in fact, this Midsomer Murders was directed by Jeremy Silberston & is another fine addition to this British crime drama series & a fine way to round of season 6. The script by Michael Russell which sidelines Troy for most of the episode has all the usual ingredients we have come to expect, the neatly woven red herrings that actually work, the eccentric Midsomer character's that give the show that extra bit of life & charm, a high body count, plenty of mystery & a killer who I'm sure the majority of viewers will be a surprise. The actual motives are a bit dull as it all basically comes down to money, there's no sinister dark secrets or over-the-top explanations here which is a shame because I prefer the twisted & unusual motives but money's as good as any I suppose & the rest of Birds of Prey is excellent. As usual at the 2 hour mark you have to be patient with it as it's very exposition heavy with lots of dialogue that if you don't pay attention too the final revelation will probably not be as effective or possibly not even make any sense. Another great murder mystery & it's as simple & straight forward as that.

As usual Birds of Prey has high production values & is very well made by people who cared about the finished product, the cinematography is stylish & the unmistakably English country locations are well represented. The murders aren't graphic & only one is shown where a guy has an African spear stuck into his chest & this particular sequence has one of the single most coolest pieces of incidental music in all of TV history, it's annoyingly catchy & funky! The acting is to the show's high standards, I love the look John Nettles gives to his wife at the end when she says she's booked an Elephant back trip around Africa!

Birds of Prey is another great Midsomer Murders mystery, I used to love these for the twisted & dark motives so the bland 'murder for money' plot revelation here is a tad dull although up to that point Birds of Prey had been excellent & the ending works well enough so I shouldn't really complain. Should I?

I really liked this one up until the denouement. I still can't understand how the killer was unmasked. I know that Mrs Hamilton tells Barnaby that Naomi killed her husband which prompted the police to search Naomi's place and find the car which killed Eddie Darwin but how on earth did Mrs Hamilton know? Even if she had witnessed her husband's murder, Naomi was wearing a mask. That's my only gripe really. I liked the subplot involving Darwin and the two elderly ladies. Anton Lesser was very good as Darwin. Has any character in Midsomer Murders ever been more despicable?

To start right off: the sixth season of "Midsomer murders" - if to leave out "Painted in blood" and "A tale of two hamlets"- hasn't been the most successful season of the series. So, I am glad to say that "Birds of prey" ends that season on a pretty good note. This episode is not as good as the two previous ones, but it´s still quite watchable.

Let's start with good.

. As usual, the production values- directing, music are all top notch. Agreed that the use of Arabic music was clever here. Acting's also good with no bad performances.

. The story of "Birds of prey" is hugely compelling with colorful characters, grisly murders (the third being most elaborate), lots of twists and turns. Even though, I have never been a fan of bird watching, it is depicted interesting enough to keep one watching.

. The solution was a mix of intrigue, horror and humor, which I really enjoyed.

But...

. There are red herrings surrounding one (natural?) death, which left me cold and felt more done for the audience.

. The solution, though well executed and scary, seemed too convenient for some character, like it was rushed or something.

Overall: pretty good, though not perfect.

8/10 HK

DCI Barnaby (played by John Nettles) is called to Midsomer Magna where a local man, Julian Shephard, has been found dead in his car. It is believed to have been suicide since he was bankrupt and his wife and children had left him. Barnaby's inquiries lead him to Casement Hall, the home of an elderly inventor called Charles Edmonton (played by Richard Todd) who apparently has invented a revolutionary fuel free transport system, which the dead man (and others) had put money into but never received any return for their investment. It transpires that Edmonton has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had driven himself to the brink of bankruptcy by pouring all of his money into research for useless projects. When he dies of a heart attack, Barnaby suspects that his wife, Mallory (played by Kate Buffery), who keeps a collection of wild hawks and falcons, her sister Dr Naomi Sinclair (played by Alexandra Gilbreath) and former army officer and accountant George Hamilton (played by David Calder) conspired to defraud the investors as a way of preventing the Edmontons from insolvency. Meanwhile Sgt Troy's work with the force's Wildlife Liaison Officer, PC Sarah Pearce (played by Candida Benson), has provided a vital lead after a man who steals and sells wild birds' eggs, Eddie Darwin (played by Anton Lesser), is killed in a hit and run following his attempt to steal eggs from Casement Hall. It is soon established that Shephard was murdered and questions are also raised about whether Edmonton did really die of natural causes. Another murder follows and Barnaby and Troy (played by Daniel Casey) must establish whether the cheated investors committed the murders in revenge, or if Mallory was behind it in order to protect herself from financial ruin. In addition, there could be a completely different motive entirely...

Overall, Birds Of Prey is another fun and engaging addition to the long lasting Midsomer Murders franchise. The multi-layered plot holds one's attention and it is generally capable of being followed, but don't let your attention wander. There is some charm and humour to be found too where Barnaby's wife, Joyce (played by Jane Wymark), is trying to get him to take her on a holiday to Africa. But, due to his dedication to duty, he cannot really find the time to sit down with her and look at the brochures. Nor is this kind of holiday really his sort of thing. Then, at the conclusion of this case, he comes home to find that she and their daughter, Cully (played by Laura Howard), have gone and booked them a safari in Botswana. As ever the acting is superb all round with Kate Buffery and Alexandra Gilbreath of exceptional note as two contrasting sisters and veteran British actor Richard Todd steals the spotlight in the few brief scenes he has here. The rural locations are excellent and the subplot about wildlife and the illegal trade of rare birds' eggs adds flavour and interest to the plot. On the whole, it plays fair with the audience, although there are one or two unexplained plot turns and the denouement is satisfactory. The sound direction is by Jeremy Silberston who was the establishing director of the series having made the marvellous pilot, The Killings At Badger's Drift (1997), as well as many other classic episodes.

Good plot & cast, as usual. Two separate murders are investigated, one involving a scamming of investors in an invention scheme, and a ring of rare bird egg thieves. Very interesting to watch Barnaby and Troy work through the clues. Only flaw is the two elderly women tolerating Anton Lesser's abuse. Why didn't they call the police? As usual , there is a separate thread in involving Tom & Joyce, while Troy pursues a new romantic interest by taking up bird watching. In addition to Lesser, the guest cast includes other familiar faces from the British TV mystery circuit, including David Calder and Rosalind Knight.

"Birds of Prey" is set in the village of Midsomer Magna where Julian Shepard demands to get his money back after an investment he believes has gone wrong. The project manager Charles Edmonton tries to calm him down, but it never helps. When Julian comes home, he intends to take suicide, but changes his mind. Moments afterwards, a figure of an unknown person is seen Entering his home while he lies in the bath. Julian Sheperd gets murdered and is later found in the water.

The story also centers around Eddie Darwin, a man who stole Jane and Eleanor McPherson's home, and made them to his slaves. He is a man who is showing no respect and demands that they will do exactly as he tells them to do. A while later, Eddie Darwin is seen entering the Edmonton's Estate, and as he opens the freezer, he sees the dead body of Charles Edmonton and runs away. Shortly after, he is run over by a car, and he later dies of the injuries. It appears that George Hamilton tried to blackmail the murderer, and he should never have done that, for he is the last victim to fall by the hands of the murderer.

"Birds of Prey" is a wonderful ending to the six series of Midsomer Murders. The story is dark and intriguing and there are many interesting characters. The sad part is that Troy was not that much involved in the murder investigation as he was occupied with something else. I do have to say it felt strange to see Barnaby solve the crimes without much help from his sidekick. The episode contains twist, turns and red herrings, but as more Murders were commited, few suspects remained, and Naomi turning out to be the murderer did not come as a shock.

David Calder, Alexandra Gilbreath, Rosalind Knight, Shelia Shand Gibbs and Anton Lesser leave the best impression from the supporting cast. We do catch a glimpse of the wonderful church and pond in the Buckinghamshire village of Haddenham during the first ten minutes, and that is my favourite location in this episode.

"Birds of Prey" is a wonderful ending to series six of Midsomer Murders. Even though it felt a bit strange not seeing Troy much involved in the investigation, Barnaby managed to solve the case on his own perfectly. 8/10 Hossy Christie.