DCI John Barnaby & DS Jamie Winter, endeavor to solve perplexing crimes in the delightful yet deadly county of Midsomer they investigate murders among a group of doomsday preppers, at a police retirement village, an artisanal bakery, & a drag show.
What We Thought:
Midsomer Murders: Series 23 consists of 4 episodes around an hour and a half each. It also features a fantastic third disc that I will talk about shortly as well. With 25 years under its belt you get exactly what you want from the series, classic whodunit storytelling.
The first episode involves the death of a doomsday prepper. He’s drawn to his bunker by a hoax where he suffocates to death. DCI John Barnaby and DS Winter must investigate a group of preppers who may or may not have been involved with the murder. With some kicked out of the group and an affair brought to light, another murder makes everyone a suspect.
Episode two involves the murder of a recently retired police officer. An old case involving a bank robbery and missing money could be tied to the death. Barnaby and Winter have to solve the old case of the missing money along with another murder all wrapped into the same mystery.
The third episode involves an old mill pushing out organic baked goods. The locals aren’t happy with the new owners reopening the cursed mill and their push for fame and an online and TV following. When locals get poisoned, bodies start dropping and a drowning victim from years passed might have been a murder.
The final episode involves drag queens, a dominoes competition and a sick boy. The drag queens are putting on a show to raise money for the boy to get treatment in Florida, but when the woman putting on the dominoes competition at the same location is killed, who is to blame? Barnaby and Winter must unravel who’s involved and if a secret affair and the sick boy’s mother have anything to do with it all.
But the best part of the Series 23 Blu-ray release is the third disc which features a 25 year retrospective of the show. Former castmates including the original Barnaby talk about the long lasting series and everything involved in the show. It features fans taking a bus tour of the show’s different locations as well as guest stars throughout its run. Like America’s Law & Order franchise, Midsomer Murders has been on for so long that smaller guest stars have turned into bigger stars later on. The retrospective shows Oscar winner Olivia Colman, Orlando Bloom and long before he played Superman, Henry Cavill. I thought that was pretty neat and this bonus feature is well worth the purchase alone. If you are a Midsomer Murders fan, pick up Series 23.
The Nerds Templar 