Midsomer Murders: Last Year's Model starts in the small village of Midsomer Malham late one night as DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) arrests Annie Woodrow (Saskia Wickham) for the brutal murder of her close friend Frances Trevelyan. Jump forward 'Ten Months Later' as Annie's murder trial at Causton is about to begin, both Barnaby & DC Jones (Jason Hughes) are preparing to give evidence. All of the evidence points at Annie as Frances killer but one or two things just don't quite add up for Barnaby, Frances young daughter Ed (Emily Gloyens) thinks that Annie is innocent & Barnaby's close friend Plu Plunkett (Siobhan Redmond) also feels Annie is innocent. Barnaby feels responsible for Annie's situation & sets out to discover the real truth of Frances murder, as all the evidence goes against Annie in court Barnaby feels the pressure to clear an innocent women he put there...
Episode 8 from season 9 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Richard Holthouse & to my recollection is a unique episode structured like none other in the show's eleven season run to date, while it's quite nice to see the regular format changed a little bit & the makers try something different the overall feeling I was left with after watching Last Year's Model was 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Unlike just about any other Midsomer Murders episode the plot for Last Year's Model revolves around a murder trial, a trial that Barnaby has his doubts about as it progresses & as the leading investigator he sets out to discover the truth, unmask a killer & free an innocent person. This is alright but there are a few plot points that just didn't work for me, for instance the reasons given as to why Annie kept changing her story & constantly lied didn't convince me, I mean if you are accused of murder & looking at spending the rest of your life in prison wouldn't you just tell the truth? The whole idea that Annie lied because she was embarrassed is rather feeble, I'd sooner be embarrassed for a short period of time rather than spend the rest of my life in prison. I'm sorry but I also think that's how any other person would feel. Then they give the true killer's identity away far too early, in fact it's about forty odd minutes before the end & then it's a straight case of Barnaby finding the evidence to prove it. In another Midsomer Murders first there isn't a murder in the actual time-line of the episode since when it starts the central murder has already been committed. If you are interested in series continuity this is the episode in which Ben Jones gets a promotion from Constable to Sergeant.
The look of Last Year's Model is also quite different from the average Midsomer Murders episode as it's set almost entirely in court & in the town of Causton rather than some typical quaint English picturesque village. There's one quite amusing moment here when Jones has to hide in a old ladies wardrobe in order to catch the killer & I was sat there & thought couldn't she have taken her clothes out first? The production values are high as usual, apparently the County Hall in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey became Cuaston Court House where the trial scenes were filmed. The cast do alright too, Thelma Barlow who plays old woman Mrs. Beverley is probably better know for appearing in over 300 episodes of Coronation Street as Mavis Wilton while a special mention goes Rosa Hoskins as Sophie who is a real hottie & probably deserved more screen time.
Last Year's Model is an attempt by the Midsomer Murders production team to do something different & while it's not a disaster I prefer the usual multiple murder mystery themed stories rather than this flashback ridden fragmented thriller style story. Not too bad but not that great, it was different I suppose.
Episode 8 from season 9 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Richard Holthouse & to my recollection is a unique episode structured like none other in the show's eleven season run to date, while it's quite nice to see the regular format changed a little bit & the makers try something different the overall feeling I was left with after watching Last Year's Model was 'if it ain't broke don't fix it'. Unlike just about any other Midsomer Murders episode the plot for Last Year's Model revolves around a murder trial, a trial that Barnaby has his doubts about as it progresses & as the leading investigator he sets out to discover the truth, unmask a killer & free an innocent person. This is alright but there are a few plot points that just didn't work for me, for instance the reasons given as to why Annie kept changing her story & constantly lied didn't convince me, I mean if you are accused of murder & looking at spending the rest of your life in prison wouldn't you just tell the truth? The whole idea that Annie lied because she was embarrassed is rather feeble, I'd sooner be embarrassed for a short period of time rather than spend the rest of my life in prison. I'm sorry but I also think that's how any other person would feel. Then they give the true killer's identity away far too early, in fact it's about forty odd minutes before the end & then it's a straight case of Barnaby finding the evidence to prove it. In another Midsomer Murders first there isn't a murder in the actual time-line of the episode since when it starts the central murder has already been committed. If you are interested in series continuity this is the episode in which Ben Jones gets a promotion from Constable to Sergeant.
The look of Last Year's Model is also quite different from the average Midsomer Murders episode as it's set almost entirely in court & in the town of Causton rather than some typical quaint English picturesque village. There's one quite amusing moment here when Jones has to hide in a old ladies wardrobe in order to catch the killer & I was sat there & thought couldn't she have taken her clothes out first? The production values are high as usual, apparently the County Hall in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey became Cuaston Court House where the trial scenes were filmed. The cast do alright too, Thelma Barlow who plays old woman Mrs. Beverley is probably better know for appearing in over 300 episodes of Coronation Street as Mavis Wilton while a special mention goes Rosa Hoskins as Sophie who is a real hottie & probably deserved more screen time.
Last Year's Model is an attempt by the Midsomer Murders production team to do something different & while it's not a disaster I prefer the usual multiple murder mystery themed stories rather than this flashback ridden fragmented thriller style story. Not too bad but not that great, it was different I suppose.