What's the crime? What's the motive? Who are the real suspects? Where is the murder victim? What is the business with the fire? These things are never clear all the way along? This episode is just too obtuse.
3 Reviews
Interesting but confusing
ctyankee18 September 2013
Story starts out with a man getting hit by a car. The driver goes to a phone box and someone is in it. The driver tells the person to call the police and the person in the box said there was a fire up the hill and he called the authorities regarding that. The driver of the car goes to where the fire is to see if he can help.
This episode is very confusing. It is about arson and unexplained characters who do do not want help the police.
I did not like this episode. Most of the people would not talk. Wycliffe and Lucy were catering to the criminals to get info. They did not act like cops who wanted to protect the public. Lucy and Wycliffe gave them excuses like "it could have been an accident" "who are you protecting" tell us this and tell us that. They ended up leaving with no information from the people they question. The people were rude and got away with it. They were not brought to the police station accept for one man who had burns on his hand.
In the end when the plot does not make much sense to me and all the excuses were made by people that knew about the fires, the man that hit by the car and other crimes. Locals made excuses for their actions the story ends and you don't hear what the charges are against the people in fact you don't think they are charged as all. Not a good ending for a story when police Wycliffe and his crew of good detectives were thorough, there should have been a better ending to the story and people should have been held responsible for their cover-up and other actions.
This episode is very confusing. It is about arson and unexplained characters who do do not want help the police.
I did not like this episode. Most of the people would not talk. Wycliffe and Lucy were catering to the criminals to get info. They did not act like cops who wanted to protect the public. Lucy and Wycliffe gave them excuses like "it could have been an accident" "who are you protecting" tell us this and tell us that. They ended up leaving with no information from the people they question. The people were rude and got away with it. They were not brought to the police station accept for one man who had burns on his hand.
In the end when the plot does not make much sense to me and all the excuses were made by people that knew about the fires, the man that hit by the car and other crimes. Locals made excuses for their actions the story ends and you don't hear what the charges are against the people in fact you don't think they are charged as all. Not a good ending for a story when police Wycliffe and his crew of good detectives were thorough, there should have been a better ending to the story and people should have been held responsible for their cover-up and other actions.
Four and Twenty Black Birds
Prismark1012 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A motorist driving through a country lane late at night hits a shadowy figure who suddenly stumbles onto the road. He gets up and rushes off even though he looked injured.
The motorist goes looking for a telephone box. Inside is a young man who claims to be ringing for the fire engine as the nearby farm is on fire.
You can sense that this episode is in trouble. The motorist did not spot the nearby fire or smell the smoke while looking for help.
Wycliffe needs to find the missing farmer, George Totts. He was a loner and also in financial trouble. His faithful dog was killed and the arson was deliberate.
Tott's rather dim farm help is acting suspiciously as well the estranged son of the local vet.
You just know that the neighbouring farmer are involved somehow as they not in the episode just to make up the numbers.
It was all to do with diseased pigs and the neighbouring farmer did not want Totts to report them to the authorities.
In was engaging enough but a flawed story.
The motorist goes looking for a telephone box. Inside is a young man who claims to be ringing for the fire engine as the nearby farm is on fire.
You can sense that this episode is in trouble. The motorist did not spot the nearby fire or smell the smoke while looking for help.
Wycliffe needs to find the missing farmer, George Totts. He was a loner and also in financial trouble. His faithful dog was killed and the arson was deliberate.
Tott's rather dim farm help is acting suspiciously as well the estranged son of the local vet.
You just know that the neighbouring farmer are involved somehow as they not in the episode just to make up the numbers.
It was all to do with diseased pigs and the neighbouring farmer did not want Totts to report them to the authorities.
In was engaging enough but a flawed story.
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