Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Electric Vendetta (2001) User Reviews

all over the place

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 25 January 2014]

A dead man is found in a crop circle, and thus begins "The Electric Vendetta" from season 4 of Midsomer Murders. The man had received some sort of electric shock. One man, Lloyd Kirby, who has an interest in extraterrestrials, puts this down to an alien visit. Barnaby isn't so sure.

Then another one is found, a local burglar, as was the first one. He was also found in the crop circle, also electrocuted and his body moved, again like the first one.

Then there's a third death by electrocution, and he's found in his car. It's going to take Barnaby a while to work this one out. To do that, he has to go quite a way back in time.

Well, as I've said before, you can't do a show for 15 years or so and have them all be winners. But if I didn't know about some later excellent episodes, I would have said that this script showing up in the season 4 was a bad sign. It is all over the place.

First of all, there were too many subplots. There is a reason for that, which I can't explain without giving it away. I'll say this - just as there were too many murders (it doesn't end with three), there were too many subplots. You've got an unhappily newlywed couple, a woman sleeping with every guy in town, crop circles, a dying woman, thieves, and at the beginning of the movie, there's a duel between two young men. You don't find out what that's about until the end.

So I throw up my hands at this one. I think extraterrestrials were involved in the story -- writing the script.

Not one of the best

[Schweizer85 · 6/10 · 23 December 2020]

Another good episode with a good cast and amazing production values, filmed in stunning locations. The issue with this episode is that there's just too much going on; we start with two dead bodies which are pretty much forgotten about as the episode progresses. The subplot completely takes over, which, although entertaining, doesn't give us any clues about whodunnit. Very entertaining scene with Barnaby & Troy locked in the electrified house, but it felt like the whole plot surrounding this took precedence and the conclusions were just added in as an afterthought, with one death not even explained. Not one of the best but if you're into the older episodes starring Troy then its worth a watch

The totaled M-B

[ss124-661-382111 · 8/10 · 7 February 2017]

Pretty good episode. This is my second time through the series. Seemed like a big waste destroying that Mercedes. It was evident that the second electrocution happened at the silver melting site when they showed the electrical panel all burned up. Therefore Ripert was involved. You must remember that Directors are always looking to fill time. Hence, Troy's encounter with Sally. The funeral at the end. Also required is Sally's cleavage. Based on the melt value of Silver in 2001 when this was filmed,and assuming all that stuff was sterling and not plated I doubt if he could have gotten 1000 pounds in Holland. Hardly worth the effort.

Not a Very Electric Episode

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 19 February 2016]

This series is so good that when an episode doesn't pass muster, people get a bit cynical. I have to agree, however, that this one is a bit too much to find a pleasant work. It involves, first of all, a man who believes in extra-terrestrials and who tries to sell the idea to the locals and visitors from out of town. There are crop circles which are held up as evidence. One day, the naked body of a man is found at the center and the speculation begins. The problem with this episode is that there are just too many disjointed stories. When things come together they don't actually fit very well. There is a subplot that has nothing to do with the UFO thing. At no time is there that moment where Barnaby puts it all together. You can't win them all.

Fie on the critics of this episode!

[wrdalton · 9/10 · 25 April 2015]

In response to Peter Andrews, it was apparent to me from my first viewing that Eddie Fields' body was dumped in a crop circle by his accomplice in burglary and the attempt to melt down the stolen silverware, in the course of which Fields died by electrocution. That accomplice is the same man who would later dump Lloyd Kirby's body in another crop circle, each time for the same purpose - to make it appear like another UFO death, and point blame at the person responsible for the first crop circle body to be discovered.

I really thought the whole storyline, with all its convolutions, was brilliantly conceived. One of my favorite episodes.

A follow-up episode please to tie up the loose ends

[safenoe · 6/10 · 2 February 2016]

I agree with 2 of the reviewers that this episode was I guess all over the place, with no real coherency when it came to typing up the loose ends. I'm still a bit perplexed as to why one of the first two guys ended up on the crop circle (legend has it that it got lost in editing!).

An episode with more than one murderer, it was entertaining enough until the final 30 minutes where I'm afraid loose ends went all over the place plot wise.

Still it was poignant with the kiss and making up of the two Oxford guys at the end, so all's well.

Please maybe have a follow-up episode to revisit events or even an episode reboot?

Unbearably slow

[preppycuber · 23 December 2018]

Way too slow and seemed like the cops were on a holiday. Troy was supposed to get a warrant to check Sally's flat, but he never does it. What's with that?

Midsomer meets The X-Files

[martin-intercultural · 9/10 · 16 April 2019]

I enjoyed the premise of this episode. Crop circles have been indeed quite a fixture in the south of England. Though in terms of the resolution, a bit of lingering ambiguity, X-Files-style, regarding the UFOs would have been nice. Especially after some subtle insinuations were initially made about links with the defense ministry and the prisons system and such. Sadly, it all gets explained away rather too thoroughly and clinically. Which also clashes with the altogether too contrived and sugary romantic story line. (For about ten minutes towards the end, it felt as if I was watching Like Water For Chocolate.) Overall a pleasing tale which would have benefited from a bit of more vigorous editing.

The X files comes to Midsomer.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 26 February 2019]

The Electric Vendetta is a bit of an enigma, a story that is somewhat off the wall, on the surface it's theorising crop circles and alien abduction, whereas in reality it's more to do with a deep seated, long standing hatred.

Some very good performances, best of all veteran Actress Ursula Howells, well known for appearing in A Murder is Announced, she had a lot of presence. John Woodvine and Patrick Baladi are good also.

It's not vintage by any means, but it doesn't deserve real negativity. It is very well made, has strong production values, and is a satisfying mystery. A great start, and a decent ending, make it fairly good episode overall. 6/10

Too many stories, not enough plot

[sherondalewis-20531 · 6/10 · 10 May 2022]

I enjoy pretty much all Midsomer Murders episodes...especially with Tom Barnaby in them. But this one is the first episode that made me said, "Wait..but..." because I was trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Spoilers folks so, be prepared.

It starts with the past: 2 men dueling and fighting for the love of a woman, a sword fight. At Uni. One young man, Crispian, wins with a cut to the cheek of the other guy, with a vow from him that HE will always hunt him down and make their lives miserable because he lost.

Years later... Two lovers, both frolicking in the corn fields until an older gent with shotgun and dog are shooting at things and letting us, the audience know that HE knows that they are there. Whilst walking and enjoying toying with them via shooting his gun nearby, he spots a dead body. Terrible look of shock on his face (no pun intended) and his hands are burnt...also, 2 puncture holes in the back near his bum and a shaved area of the head. Naked.

Well, over at in town, the local UFO believer/lecturer, is given a head's up by the older man's wife to get there within 20 minutes before he calls the police since the area and all the descriptions all comes from what he believes ETs are doing to the humans. Seriously. And this is a prime example that they exist.

Here comes Troy and Barnaby to investigate this strange case of a dead naked, burnt hand man in a corn field. Who was he and why was he there...nude?

We then find out that the old man was_is Sir Harry. And he is the lover of the young lady that was fooling around with his son in law, of whom he can't stand because for only a month he is married to his only child, treats her like crap (as he treats his wife, fellow UFO enthusiast) and wants his lover to stop it! Only HE can have thr affair with her.

The field they were on? Well, that was, once we find out later, Sir Crispian's land where the original dead body was found.

But wait, there is more! While the believers and non believers talk things over about Devils,God,Aliens, whatever, and Harry is fooling around and the young lady has another paramour (a petty thief) someone else gets fried...this time, it is another petty thief, just out of prison (but who was the first one then?) and now, we have 2 fried bodies.

See..you, the viewer, have to figure THAT out. Then guess what? Third body is found. This time, it is that sorry, good for nothing cheat of a son in law. Fried in his car. Electrocuted. Ok..a little different but still. Maybe the aliens decided his car was better for him to get him real toasty and they weren't interested in his naked bits..whatever.

Tom tries to see what connection the UFO lovers and the Murders have to do with each other. Actually, nothing. Because this story is all over the place. Harry killed the son in law because he was screwing with his mistress(who is screwing someone else). The 2 others? Well, the lead UFO writer of the subject, leader of the tours, confesses to his best friend (and mother in law of dead son in law) that HE helped moved the 1st body because, back to the ORIGINAL scene of the 2 dueling gents in flashback, HE was trying to kill Sir Crispian from the orders of the man he defeated...years ago! He was shocked to death from a contraption of electricity running through out the whole house (which sadly Troy and Barnaby finds out beings stuck in there on day when he takes his dying wife back to hospital to die).

Oh..Lloyd is this man's name, for anyone still in on this thread and/or cares at this point.

Buy then, Lloyd dies, too. Why? Harry's lover and HER thief lover kills him when he goes to his real loves/best friend for life (Harry's wife) secret place that was hers and was going to be the love nest of the now dead son in law. Neck is broken. Out into the cornfield (but still, how did the 2nd man die)? By this time, you have a few murders and murderers here(Harry, the Thief, Sir Crispian with his contraption) and you don't care, really. You are just waiting to see who will die next by whom and does it match the story (another dies and it kinda does but, not really because. Who cares).

Yea...this episode was all over the place. The scenes I like: Poor Troy thought they were being abducted at night by the UFO only to find out the farmer had his high beams on the road (a no no) but, it sure did scare poor Troy "What should I tell your wife, Mrs. Barnaby?" "Tell her I will be a little late..." he was relieved.

No Cully in this one (maybe she is in London with Nico?) But..yea. Love Joyce (always will) and the fact that she knew that Lloyd and Harry's wife were besties since birth, born the same day, buy, they were forbidden to be with each other. He was poor. She was well to do (ish). I probably missed some other parts but...this was...meh. Better than Blood on the Saddle.

The electric Vendetta

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 14 August 2022]

The body of a criminal is found in a crop circle, and the locals blame Extra Terrestrial activity for the death. But Barnaby is not convinced. This is a good episode with some fine mystery regard victims in their birthday suit with two marks in their lower spine. The photography of the crop circle is quite creepy. There's an electrifying (pun intended!) death scene in a car!

The worst Midsomer Murders episode ever? Maybe.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 7 December 2007]

Midsomer Murders: The Electric Vendetta is set in Midsomer Parva where Sir Harry Chatwyn (John Woodvine) owns a farm, one day while out shooting partridge's he finds the dead body of hardened London criminal Ronald Stokes in a crop circle in one of his wheat fields. DCI Tom Barnaby & Sgt. Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey) are on the case, Stokes was found naked with a tuft of hair shaven off the back of his head & two small puncture wounds at the base of his spine which according to local Ufologist Lloyd Kirby (Kenneth Colley) points to extra terrestrial activity. The autopsy reveals Stokes died from being electrocuted but why place the body in a crop circle & why make it look like alien abduction? Then that night another body turns up in a crop circle bearing all the marks of extra terrestrial activity, that of Eddie Fields a local petty criminal. What's the connection? Is there one? Are these deaths the result of aliens or are the culprits closer to home? Barnaby has to figure it out & get to truth...

Episode 3 from season 4 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Peter Smith & one has to say that for my money The Electric Vendetta is probably the worst Midsomer Murders episode to date that I have seen, from the pure brilliance of the previous episode Destroying Angel (2001) to the mess that is this The Electric Vendetta it's a huge contrast. The script by Terry Hodgkinson goes into The X-Files (1993 - 2002) territory basing a lot of it's plot around crop circles & starts off quite brightly with Barnaby having to solve some deaths that point to alien activity, the two bodies found in the crop circles with identical marks having both been electrocuted is a nice hook & to be fair to it the episode only really falls apart towards the end when the body of Lloyd Kirby is found. For a start why did the killer place Kirby in a crop circle? They were going to fly to Amsterdam the next day so why draw attention to yourself? Just hide the body where no-one will find it for at least a day or two & by the time it is found they would have been in Amsterdam living off some tasty profits from stolen gear. It just didn't sit well with me at all & the body wasn't marked like the previous two anyway so what were they trying to achieve exactly? Then there's the infamous production goof in which the body of Eddie Fields is never explained other than he was electrocuted trying to steal electricity for a run down foundry from power cables which is fine but it's never explained who put the body in the crop circle, who made the marks or even how they knew what marks to make on his body & he is completely forgotten about. John Neetles has said in interviews that the explanation was lost in an editing mistake which is doesn't really cut it for me. You can't have a multiple murder mystery & leave one of the death's unsolved especially in such bizarre circumstances. Did no-one actually not watch The Electric Vendetta before it was aired & pick up on this glaring error? Also the endings a bit rubbish, did Troy catch Sally Boulter? What was she charged with? Did she admit it or not? It's a shame because otherwise it's a pretty good episode for the first 70 odd minutes with the usual absorbing plot & I liked how different people were responsible for each of the death's.

During The Electric Vendetta Barnaby & Troy break into a house to search it but can't leave because it's all wired up with electricity, I'm not being funny but that's an illegal search & constitutes breaking & entering. If the owner of the house had made a fuss Barnaby & Troy would have almost certainly lost their jobs because technically they broke the law & you can't have the police breaking the law can you. As usual this looks the business, the real life village of Stanton St. John in Oxfordshire was used as the location of Midsomer Parva. There are four death's in The Electric Vendetta with none being particularly graphic & only one going unexplained. This episode also sees some horrible CGI computer effects as Steve is electrocuted & there's a nice Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1979) homage with lots of floating bright white lights in the sky which turn out to be a combine harvester! The acting is strong as always & Amanda Mealing who plays Sally Boulter is as nice to look at as the picturesque scenery.

The Electric Vendetta is maybe my least favourite Midsomer Murders episode because of a really poor ending which doesn't offer as much closure as it should & a body which is never adequately explained & considering this is meant to be a murder mystery surely that's unforgivable. Having said that The Electric Vendetta is three & a half seasons into Midsomer Murders & so far it's been the only really bad episode which isn't bad going at all.

The first bad 'Midsomer Murders' episode, and of the Tom Barnaby-era it is a very strong contender for the weirdest and most convoluted

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 5 January 2017]

Some may say that "Blue Herrings" was the first bad episode. With me there was enough things to like that made it decent, but it was the first not fully satisfying ones, due to some dull stretches and a final solution that left me cold.

For me, the first bad episode was "The Electric Vendetta". Whether it is the worst ever 'Midsomer Murders' episode is up for debate (remember "Incident at Coopers Hill" and "Night of the Stag" being dire, but they need a re-watch), but it is very much a lesser one. A strong example of trying to do too much and doing little with it, and of having a strange premise that has even weirder execution.

There are things that salvage it and make it just about watchable. The production values are without complaint, with picturesque scenery and as ever the whole episode is beautifully shot. The music also is a perfect fit, and the theme tune is as distinctive and unforgettable as one would expect.

Acting is also fine, especially John Nettles and Daniel Casey and they work so well together. Amanda Mealing (of 'Holby City' and 'Casualty' fame) and Kenneth Colley (wonderful in one of the best 'Inspector Morse' episodes "Second Time Around" and in the Poirot episode "The Disappearance of Mr Davenheim") are to me the most familiar names, and they also give the performances that stick out the most in support. Look out for Ursula Howells too, daughter of composer Herbert Howells and superb in the Joan Hickson adaptation of 'A Murder is Announced'.

On the other hand, "The Electric Vendetta" is significantly let down by the story, in fact it is the story that single-handedly ruins things. The episode feels over-stuffed, underdeveloped and a strange mix of rushed and dull. There are too many characters and too many subplots, some of which feel inconsequential and under-explained to the point of neglect. Continually the episode feels disjointed and convoluted, frequently also falling on the wrong side of daft and bizarre.

Not helped by one of the murders being completely robbed of an explanation, practically forgotten about, and one subplot doesn't fit at all within the story or the UFO concept. Instead of the ingenious final solutions that the numerous classic episodes have, the ending here is a real let-down and goes about all over the place, with too many loose ends and things left unresolved that leave more questions than answers. There are some quite dodgy special effects as well.

All in all, weird and convoluted, "The Electric Vendetta" is the first bad 'Midsomer Murders' episode and while there's worse it's still a lesser episode. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Lame, lame, lame

[SandVis · 4/10 · 5 July 2016]

This has to be one of the series' weakest episodes. It starts off with a body left in a crop circle and I was expecting some sort of clever explanation but what they came up with isn't much more plausible than being abducted by aliens. It was also a daft with lots of plot holes.

SPOILERS FOLLOW: I'm adding this for other viewers who would like to refresh their memory about the solution without having to watch the whole thing again.

Sir Harry Chatwyn finds a body of London criminal Ronald Stokes (spare a thought for the poor actor who had to lie there naked but doesn't even get a credit!) at the centre of a crop circle in one of his fields. He's naked, a bit of his hair has been shaved off and he has puncture wounds in his back. Local Ufologist Lloyd Kirby claims that the man was abducted by aliens but the autopsy reveals he was electrocuted. Later the body of another criminal, Eddie Fields, is found in the same place.

Barnaby and Troy discover that the house of Sir Christian Aubrey is wired with high-voltage electricity. You can break in but once you're inside you can't touch any door or window handles without being electrocuted (as another reviewer noted Barnaby and Troy's actions are very dodgy, plus they're made to look idiotic because they don't know that they can just use a wooden object to prise the window open). Sir Christian tells them that his old love rival, Peter, Marquis of Ross, never got over the fact that Christian won a duel for the hand of Isabel, whom they both loved (never mind the fact that she should have made the decision herself and not string them both along!). Peter keeps sending people to try to kill Christian, so he's had to fortify his house. Ronald Stokes was electrocuted when he broke into Christian's house so he called Lloyd Kirby for help to dispose of the body and Lloyd couldn't resist dumping it in the field and making it look like an alien-abduction victim.

Petty criminal Dave Ripert and receptionist Sally Boulter are trying to steal and melt down a cache of silverware. Eddie Fields was helping them but got electrocuted so Dave dumped him in the cornfield too. Sally is hiding the silverware in a cottage on Sir Harry's land (she's sleeping with him). Lloyd and Harry's wife, Beatrice, were childhood sweethearts but Beatrice's parents forbid them to marry. So she entered into a loveless marriage with Harry. Lloyd left for Australia but when he came back he and Beatrice became friends again. When Lloyd goes to the cottage to meet Beatrice he stumbles upon Dave and Sally with the stolen silverware so Dave kills him and dumps him in the cornfield too.

The other victim is Harry's boorish son-in-law, Steve Ramsey, whom Harry electrocutes in his car after Steve's tryst with Sally in the cornfield. Harry hated the way Steve treated his daughter, Lucy.

Who killed Eddie?

[martisterin · 1/10 · 26 January 2021]

I had to watch this a second time and take notes because I thought that there was a loose end. There is! we are never told who killed Eddie Field, the second body in the crop circle. I think that I might have spotted his name on one of the crosses at the cemetery.

One of the most confused episodes thus far in the series

[professor_of_gamez · 4/10 · 3 May 2022]

Very disappointing. Too many murder victims and suspects. The writers had trouble keeping track of who murdered who, and why. So what hope did the VIEWER have of following any of this?

With the exception of the murder we witness, it's not THAT clear who else murdered each of the victims (in fact one of the victim's murder is listed in the "goofs" section, as no one was ever blamed for it).

It was never satisfactorily explained who did the crop circles, why they did them, and what, if any, tie they had to the murders.

Missed the mark on this one.

One of the worst if not the worst.

[harrykivi · 3/10 · 1 May 2020]

"The Electric Vendetta" is an episode, on which I change my opinion about constantly. Last time I watched this episode, it became my least favorite "Midsomer Murders" of all time. Today's re-watch fared much better than the last time. I still don't think "The Electric Vendetta" is a good episode though.

Let's start with good. (There isn't much great here).

. The production values are strong as usual in "The Electric Vendetta". Peter Smith does well with his smooth direction and music's beautiful. The cast is decent too. Kenneth Colley is very enjoyable as an ufologist. Ursula Howells' suitably vulnerable. John Woodvine and Amanda Mealing are fine as well.

. Sometimes the humor of the episode works and is quite quirky.

But...

. The story of "The Electric Vendetta" is agreed a convoluted mess, which has way too many characters and subplots in it. Dave Ripert's plot didn't feel important to the narrative with its bizarre direction. Reverand Ellis and especially Dave Ripert were not necessary characters at all.

. The death of Eddie Stokes was weirdly forgotten about and not a single explanation was given to it. The ending of "The Electric Vendetta" does feel rushed and full of untied endings. For example: we never know what happened to Sally. Some special effects are not effective too..

. Also, the episode is quite boring to watch. There are hundreds of more entertaining "Midsomer Murders" that offer way more than "The Electric Vendetta".

Overall, not my least favorite of the bunch ("The Sting of Death" is a better contender for it than "The Electric Vendetta"), but is still the most weird episode of the whole series.

3/10 Hk

Gaius Quintus says, "Barnaby shouldn't be so judgmental..."

[vnssyndrome89 · 5/10 · 23 October 2023]

I love Midsomer Murders, but Barnaby needs sensitivity training.... 6 out of 10 stars Time to Read: 2:30 min

BASIC PLOT: Midsomer Parver is awash in crop circles and corpses. Someone is littering the summer wheat with cadavers. They have odd punctures in their spines, and partially shaved heads. A local man, Lloyd Kirby (Kenneth Colley) is convinced these are signs of extraterrestrial visitation. Can Barnaby and Troy figure out who the culprit is, before more bodies fall from the sky?

WHAT WORKS:

*THE ACTING IS ABOVE AVERAGE Everybody in this episode does a great job, even the ancillary characters are well portrayed.

*THE CASTING IS GREAT Everyone here is just as they should be, from Sir Harry (John Woodvine), to Lloyd (Kenneth Colley), to the goer, Sally Boulter (Amanda Mealing), EVERYONE is perfectly cast. Even the older and younger versions of Sir Christian Aubrey (Alec McCowen), and Peter Rhodes (Peter Penry-Jones), look like each other (they use the real life son of Peter Penry-Jones to play his younger self). Well done, Joyce Nettles!

*IT'S A GREAT STORY The plots and sub plots work together, to weave a cohesive and engaging story. If it weren't for Barnaby's judgmental attitude, it would be one of my favorites. (The same is true about the episode, Death in Disguise (1998). Barnaby's downright disrespectful to the New Agers in that episode, and what's worse, he openly says anyone who's different, should be looked down on, and shunned. That is not just mildly prejudice, that's offensive! In the good old USA, we appreciate, and even celebrate our differences, especially when they lean towards the eccentric. To quote Neil Simon, "Never underestimate the stimulation of eccentricity.")

WHAT DOESN'T WORK:

*THE SECOND BODY IS NEVER FULLY EXPLAINED So, there is no spoiler here when I give my opinion. Barnaby intimates the second body was electrocuted, when trying to steal electricity from the national grid, to melt down stolen loot. Sally Boulter (Amanda Mealing), reinforces this in her conversation with Sir Harry, telling him he was "cooked inside like a steak and kidney pie." (Gross!) This implies Dave Ripert (Nigel Harrison) was with the local crook when he was electrocuted, and put him in the crop circle to cover the accident. Dave had the stolen goods in question, it was his defunct business they were using to melt the stuff down, therefore it was probably Dave who put the guy in the crop circle, after he accidently electrocuted himself. It is a bit confusing.

*COPS WOULDN'T GET AWAY WITH BREAKING INTO A KNIGHT'S HOUSE, especially when his wife is dying in a hospice. Barnaby waits until Sir Christian Aubrey (Alec McCowen), is at the hospice with his dying wife, Lady Isabel (Ursula Howells). He then takes Troy by the hand, and breaks in. When he's caught, he wrongfully says, nothing will happen. But if the "local heavyweight," as Troy calls him, wanted to make a stink, I think there'd be repercussions. Surely, Sir Christian's solicitor would have something to say about it, and if there were legal consequences for Sir Christian, regarding his lethal security system, Barnaby's unlawful actions, would mitigate them.

*HAVING BARNABY BE SOOOOO JUDGEMENTAL DOESN'T WORK Barnaby's attitudes about Lloyd Kirby are just plain ugly. He basically says Lloyd should be an outcast, because he has different ideas about the world. Why? Because we should all be the same? Maybe because I'm an American, I find this offensive. In the United States, we value the weirdos, they are tolerated, and even encouraged! (KEEP AUSTIN/PORTLAND WEIRD) We like to see ourselves as individuals, unique from everyone else. But Barnaby seems to think Lloyd's uniqueness is a bad thing. Having Barnaby's ideas and beliefs, be aligned with the reprobates, and the killers of the episode, DOESN'T WORK! Barnaby's judgmental attitudes and ideas, are the same as the murderer, and the town philanderer. Wow! I prefer my protagonists to be more likable (and usually Barnaby is), but in this episode, he needs a lesson from Sir Christian Aubrey (Alec McCowen), and Lady Isabel (Ursula Howells), about how to live and let live.

TO RECOMMEND, OR NOT TO RECOMMEND, THAT IS THE QUESTION:

*I would definitely recommend this episode. As I said, it would be one of my favorites, if not for Barnaby being so judgemental (it takes it down a whole 2 stars for me). But it is still quality entertainment, and that's something you rarely see today.

CLOSING NOTES: *Anyone know the song that's playing as Sally Boulter and Dave Rippert are loading up their stolen loot? Something like 'All Around the World...'

*I have no connection to this production, in ANY way. This review was NOT written in full, or in part, by a bot. I am just an honest viewer, who wishes for more straight forward reviews, and better entertainment. Hope I helped you out.

The first bad Midsomer Murders episode

[hossychristie · 4/10 · 11 October 2023]

The Electric Vendetta" is the first bad Midsomer Murders episode. Some may say that "Blue Herrings" is the first bad Midsomer Murders episode, but I really liked that episode. Even though the deaths in "Blue Herrings" were natural causes and there was no murderer, except of Pru Bennet smothering her aunt Celia to death out of love, the episode itself was very heart-warming. The same can not be said about "The Electric Vendetta" unfortunately.

The body of Ronald Stokes is found in a crop circle by Harry Chatwyn. Stokes is found naked with a tuft of hair shaven off the back of his head, and he also got two small puncture wounds at the base of his spine. The autopsy reports reveals that Ronald Stokes cause of death is electrocuting. Shortly after a man by the name of Eddie Fields is found murdered in the same way, and Steve Ramsey is later electrocuted to death after someone had connected his car to the power supply. Lloyd Kirby is pushed down the stairs and dies, but someone will make Barnaby believe that he was killed in the same way.

"The Electric Vendetta" focuses on the love Isabel has for both Sir Christian Aubrey and Peter Rhodes. 40 years prior to this episode, Sir Christian and Peter had a duel where the winner would win the heart of Isabel. Christian won the duel and Peter could never forget or forgive what had happened. This dub plot is actually one of the good things that makes this story somehow interesting to watch, but that is that. Rest of the episode is unfortunately a mess, and the setting is pretty boring, to be honest.

Ursula Howells, Alex McCowen, Peter Penry-Jones, John Woodwine and Nigel Harrison leave the best impression from the supporting cast in this episode.

"The Electric Vendetta" is the first bad Midsomer Murders episode. There are some elements like the sub plot about Isabel, Christian and Peter that makes the episode enjoyable in a certain way, but that is it. Overall, a bad episode, and this review, that is maybe the shortest I have written, just says it all. 4/10 Hossy Christie.