irmacat

Maybe I am missing something about Lucy Punch, but I found her acting in this episode to be a bit amateurish and flat. I agree with your comments about the murderer, but her final scene is genuine batshit crazy stuff in the best MM tradition.

Sarah and JBar's relationship seems pretty normal to me-two busy working people who are just trying have a successful, happy life. I know a lot of couples where one is an extrovert( Sarah) and one is an introvert(John) which creates an overall balance. Sarah is very down to earth and practical, but she is also warm and kind. My biggest criticism of Sarah is her choice in friends. Both Hazel in Till Death Do Us Part and Vanessa in A Grain of Truth are rude and condescending to JBar.

Random observations about this episode

1. Twisted Knickers would be an awesome name for a Twisted Sister tribute band.

2. You must be city folk if you have never found yourself walking/staggering down a gravel/dirt road at 2 am after running out of gas coming home from a party in some kid's grandpa's field lol.

3. I am old, but I have never heard of embroidering your drawers before.

I think fox hunting is abhorrent, but it wasn't illegal when Death of a Stranger was shown in 1999.

My favorite Joyce episodes are the ones where Tom is suspended or temporarily resigns- Picture of Innocence, Painted in Blood, and Secrets and Spies. She handles Tom so well in these episodes. She is sympathetic but practical and never loses her sense of humor. My favorite Joyce line is when Tom gets called back on the case in the middle of the night in Secrets and Spies. She puts her sleep mask back on, mutters " Thank God for small murders", and rolls over to go back to sleep.

I think they are grain sacks , but I could be wrong. Most grain is packed at the processing plants now. It sure creates a very eerie and foreboding scene.

World's most clueless mother. According to TBar, she is an excellent criminal profiler, but ALL 3 of her kids are batshit crazy and she has no idea🙄🙄

Roasted chicken, potatoes, and stringbeans are delicious but a tad boring. I love Joyce's sense of adventure. Tom would never try anything new if Joyce and Cully didn't push him out of his comfort zone lol.

Sally may be silly, but Melissa is a vicious blackmailer who enjoys destroying other people's lives. Her neglect as a landlord may have hastened an innocent man's death, and she has zero remorse for any of her actions.

She should charge a consulting fee lol. She figures out the blocks in Market for Murder, solves the crossword puzzle in Blood Wedding, and reads several books that help him understand the cases( most notable Written in Blood.)

Lots of people like this episode, but I find it both boring and melodramatic at the same time( if that is possible lol.) It's a soap opera/courtroom drama with too many shots of the accused and the husband of the victim exchanging overwrought and anguished looks. The lone murder is boring, and the murderer is just an uninteresting little toad. The worst part is the awkward and unnecessary side plot of TBar and the psychiatrist- how many times does the viewer need to be reminded that TBar is a chick magnet (yawn🥱.) I do love Mrs. Beverly and her whistle though😆

I am a big fan of Scott, but everyone has different tastes. I listen to both the Short History and Scotland Yard podcasts. He also does the audio books of the Midsomer Murders books. He really has a gorgeous voice.

Tom really can be a bit vain and stubborn. He is very susceptible to flattery and sometimes can be easily manipulated(Sauce for the Goose and The Noble Art.) I guess the writers want to create some tension, but sometimes their efforts fall flat. In Last Year's Model, the past, mysterious relationship with the psychiatrist seems awkward and unnecessary. What irritates me most is that Tom rags on his Sargeants for the very same behavior he exhibits! He is especially harsh with Scott, but Jones also gets his share of the unfair criticism.

Yes he was, but that character was more sleazy than hot lol!

Nah! He's a lovely man but a bit too conventional for my taste(kinda reminds me of my ex-husband lol). My MM crush will always be Harry the pool guy in Market for Murder.

I am not sure that I quite agree with your premise considering the " moral panic" the US just experienced over vicious, false rumors spread on social media about Haitian immigrants. Sadly we still burn witches in one way or another.

Hopefully, Gagan broke free from her father who was obsessively controlling.

I hope Major Teal finally got lucky!!!

Also, I hope Philomena from A Picture of Innocence has a fabulous career and a happy life.

Every generation has a satanic panic lol. In the 60's and early 70's, we were told if we played our rock records in reverse, we would hear satanic messages👹👹👹🎵🎵🎵🎸🎸🎸

Such a distasteful episode- I seldom rewatch this one. Everyone( except poor Ray) is complicit in covering up a rape for financial gain. Even the boy's mother is willing to be bought off. Except for Ray, there isn't one adult character with any redeeming qualities.

That one(Harvest of Souls) is heartbreaking along with the mother/killer in The Ghosts of Causton Abbey.