User Reviews

The ninth season has been a really good one so far with not a single bad or even decent episode. "Murder on Mosquito Island" continues the season with an entry, which is not great, but extremly watchable.

Let's start with the good aspects, shall we?

. The episode looks and sounds wonderful, the production values of the show have never let me down. The acting's good too. Alexandra Roach and especially Sam Throughton do particularly well with their roles. Ralf Little also continues to be likable as Neville Parker and I liked that he does not moan about his allergies as much as he did in the previous episode.

. The murder mystery is very intriguing indeed with welcome humor and solid twists. Really liked the subplot regarding JP and Rosey.

But...

. There are times, when the script is not always neat and does get a bit too predictable for its own good. For example: if characters mention they have a place to go to before going on a deserted island, the audience get a pretty good idea what's going to happen soon, right?

. The solution to the mystery is however the biggest problem. It, agreed, feels to have come out of nowhere. Malcolm turning out to be the killer was not a bad idea, but the motive why he did it really came out of the blue. There certainly were clues that Neville knew, but the audience did not, which was not fair.

Overall, still a good one.

7/10 HK

I completely agree with the reviewer who said that the resolution of this episode is ridiculous. The idea that the victim would suddenly decide to turn a treatable wound into his own redemption-by-suicide and also try to protect his assailant by leaving misdirecting clues may not be entirely out of the realm of possibility, but it certainly stretches credibility to the breaking point. But what really wrecks it is the fact that NO evidence exists to prove that any of what DI Parker conjectures actually took place! It's pretty much all in Parker's head, courtesy of his dubious posthumous psychological analysis of the victim. Yet, when confronted, the murderer - if you can even call the person that, since according to Parker's theory it was ultimately the victim's own actions that did him in - immediately admits to being guilty. Ugh. Give me a break.

I've enjoyed all the displaced-from-Britain DI's on this show so far: Ben Miller's Richard Poole, Kris Marshall's Humphrey Goodman, and Ardal O'Hanlon's Jack Mooney - they've all been distinct, interesting and engaging characters, with the refreshingly non-neurotic Mooney being my favorite. I was completely invested in each of them on their arrivals, but I can't say I'm feeling the same about Ralf Little's Neville Parker. Little is a good actor (and nice to look at, to boot), but right now Neville seems too much like a recycled DI Poole for my taste, with his climate-challenged idiosyncrasies and his anxiousness to get off Sainte Marie. He's at least more cheerful than Poole, and hopefully the writers will give the character more of his own path. In the meantime, could somebody just get the guy a can of anti-bug spray already? His allergies and medical issues are as much torture for the viewers as they are for him.

I've been a big fan of DIP from the beginning, but I do feel like the formula is beginning to get a little stale. Some of the plots feel like retreads of earlier episodes, and the "tradition" of gathering all the suspects together at the end, Agatha Christie-style, seems mostly unnecessary. I do still enjoy the supporting regulars, but J. P.'s story line is now starting to feel too similar to Fidel's way back when. I'm warming up to Madeleine, but I hope they will start letting her do more than just stand around and react. I may be in a minority but I have liked Ruby since she first showed up - her character is a unique addition and I think Shyko Amos does a great job in the role. The Commissioner and Catherine are delightful as always, and I wouldn't mind seeing a little more of them. I'll keep watching, but I hope the show is not on a downward trajectory.

Is this show starting to repeat itself? The actual mystery here feels similar to another, as does JP's predicament - didn't Fidel way back in S2 go through a similar one? Even Neville feels a bit too Richard Poole-esque for his own good.

I'm not warming to Ralph Little as the lead. They need to tone down his little 'quirks' which mean he veers from being a prat one minute and genius the next.

He's not helped by the fact that nearly a whole series later they've still done nothing to flesh out the character of Madeline. I feel sorry for the actress because other than a vague hint of an ex back in S8 there's been no development, she remains paper thin as a character. With it now being announced that the lovely Florence is returning in S10, Madeline it seems will remain a mystery.

Not a great episode, despite Alexandra Roach popping up as one of the suspects.

Neville is less itchy and scratchy this time round thankfully. Still, when Commissioner Patterson had a heart-to-heart talk with Neville about his idiosyncrasies and his future on the island, you could sense it was the producers wondering the same. Was there a massive creative blunder in portraying Neville as the itchy and scratchy type? We know Neville is back for season 10. Sadly we can't say the same for Aude Legastelois, who replaced Josephine Jobert at the end of season 10. Jobert returns in season 10, and I assume this means Aude hasn't been asked back. Awkward.

The "solution" to the crime had way too much conjecture. Way too much. I'm surprised this part of the script got through the editing process.

I love the show and enjoy the new Chief Inspector but the story line for this one was ridiculous. The victim was stabbed and instead of trying to save his own life, he proceeded to help the murderer get away with it by creating a murder scene pointing to intruders from a boat...according to the Inspector he did this because he suddenly felt guilty about being an a-hole to the person who stabbed him (actually lanced him with a spear). Such a stupid plot. Really hated this episode.