Mon 13 Jan 2020
A TV Episode Review: DEATH IN PARADISE “Murder on the Honore Express” (2019).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV mysteries[9] Comments
DEATH IN PARADISE “Murder on the Honore Express.” BBC, UK. 10 January 2019 (Season 8, Episode 1). Ardal O’Hanlon (DI Jack Mooney), Joséphine Jobert (DS Florence Cassell), Don Warrington (Commissioner Selwyn Patterson), Tobi Bakare (Officer J. P. Hooper). Created by Robert Thorogood. Director: Paul Logue.
Death in Paradise is a comedy-mystery set on the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie. The leading characters have changed over the years, but the cast as listed above make up the staff of the police department as of the beginning of the eighth season. (A ninth and tenth season have already been announced.)
And as far as traditional mysteries are concerned, this one is as good as episodic TV can get. It isn’t quite a “locked room” mystery, but it is a murder such that there is no possible way for anyone to committed it. When a bus makes its final stop, a man sitting at the far back is found stabbed to death. None of the other passengers moved from their seat, and no could have gotten on without one of them noticing.
The small police force are stopped, but that does not stop hem from following up all the leads they can. Quite curiously, though, all of the passengers are discovered to have motives, including the driver.
Adding to the viewer’s enjoyment of following the investigation along is the humorous byplay between the main characters, with a new one joining the team next week. Saint Marie may be dangerous place to live for some, but it certainly provides a colorful backdrop to the stories. (The series is filmed in Guadeloupe.)
This the only episode of any season of the series I’ve seen so far. I probably shouldn’t started with Season Eight. I accomplished that only by mistake. What watching the first episode of this most recent season did do, though, was to convince me to go way back to the beginning. I have a lot of catching up to do!
January 14th, 2020 at 7:25 am
You do. We’ve seen all the episodes. The Commissioner’s role has grown from occasional nuisance to appearing pretty much every episode. There have been three lead Inspectors. Florence is the second Sergeant (there is a third, new one, now that she has left). The Commissioner’s niece joined the team as the latest Constable (she is next to him in the picture above) and amusing comic relief, though she is smarter than that description would indicate. The only original cast member left other than the Commissioner, though again only a part-time presence, is Catherine, the restaurant owner and current Mayor (far right in the picture), whose daughter Camille was the first Sergeant to leave.
Some of the mysteries are better than others, but it is always worth watching for the gorgeous scenery and the array of British (and occasional American) guest stars, much as they appear in episodes of MIDSOMER MURDERS, NEW TRICKS, and other episodic mysteries. Yes, at times you can use the “most well known guest star is the murderer” trope as in MIDSOMER, but not always.
The first Inspector was Richard Poole, played by Ben Miller, always serious and in a suit. (I won’t give away his exit, in case you do watch it.) Humphrey Goodman (played by Kris Marshall) was his replacement (seasons 3-6), and much more relaxed and laid back. He left for an old love. Ardal O’Hanlon (Jack Mooney) replaced him in series 6 and stayed on. He’s a widower with a daughter back in England. All the Sergeants are French speaking, more or less glamorous women.
January 14th, 2020 at 11:45 am
I love when a comment is longer than my own original post. Thanks, Jeff! I learned more from you about the show than I did reading its entry on Wikipedia.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:01 am
My picks for the best episodes of the series::
http://mikegrost.com/c70.htm#Paradise
The show always has beautiful scenery, costumes and color photography.
But some of the scripts and their mystery plots fall flat.
Still, the best episodes sparkle.
January 14th, 2020 at 11:50 am
Having started season eight, and knowing the characters as they were as of then, I think I’ll stay with it through to the end, and only then head back to season one. I think for an hour show, the puzzle aspect in this one was very well done.
January 14th, 2020 at 2:38 pm
Series 9 started last week in the U.K. Ardal O’Hanlon is leaving at some point and is being replaced by Ralf Little who joins the cast during this series as Detective Inspector Neville Parker from Manchester who is dispatched to San Marie when a woman from his home city is murdered on the island. There is a series of Death in Paradise novels by the show’s creator Robert Thorogood, four have been published with a fifth in the pipeline. They feature the original detective Richard Poole. I have only read the first one which has a very clever Locked Room Mystery with a surprise murderer even though there is a very limited number of possible culprits. I have watched every episode of Death in Paradise since the start. Every time one of the main characters is replaced it always takes some time for me to get used to their replacement but when they are in turn replaced I miss them. Even Officer Ruby Patterson (who took over from Officer Dwayne Myers) I don’t like at all to begin with but I have really warmed to her now.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:24 pm
It certainly sounds as though I’ve found a treasure trove of good shows to watch. I don’t image that it’s the kind o series that will appeal to everyone, but it suits me just fine. And thanks, Jamie, for letting me know about the books. I will go about finding them, starting with the first one. I can never resist a Locked Room mystery, especially when it’s done right.
January 14th, 2020 at 8:54 pm
An entertaining series that I admit I don’t always make much effort to watch, but am usually rewarded when I do.
January 20th, 2020 at 1:53 pm
Jeff Meyerson is correct, except I would suggest that all the Sergeant characters are performed by rather gorgeous actors. I suspect they are chosen with care in this regard.
August 6th, 2020 at 11:52 am
[…] As you may recall, I unwittingly started watching this series with season eight, and I’ve continued on with it. There are now but two more to so, and then I will go back and do things properly and start way back at the beginning, with season one. […]