As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.
"Shot at Dawn" was a pretty poor start to Season 11, and is down there as one of my least favourite Tom Barnaby-era episodes (in a list that comprises of the likes of "Second Sight", "The Electric Vendetta", "the Straw Woman" and from memory "Blood on the Saddle") and perhaps one of my least favourite 'Midsomer Murders' episodes ever. It is an episode that starts off with a great opening sequence but falls rapidly downhill.
There are a few positives for "Shot at Dawn". The production values are without fault, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
Donald Sinden, George Cole and Samantha Bond do what they can with weak material, Bond for example having some very stilted and clumsy "humorous and cutting" lines, and John Nettles and Jason Hughes also try very hard to enliven proceedings. As aforementioned, the opening scene is harrowing and poignant and it was a shame that the rest felt like a completely separate episode.
Was really disappointed in how Barnaby and Jones were written and how their chemistry never got the chance to shine. Barnaby is out of character and Jones is woefully underused, and because of the material being so lacking their chemistry (a huge part of 'Midsomer Murders' charm) barely comes through.
That's not all. The script, which usually is of very good quality with previous 'Midsomer Murders' episodes, is sluggish and clumsy, and the characters are lifeless, usually in the show the characters are colourful and eccentric and that was not the case here. After such a promising start, the story rapidly descends into tired predictability, scenes and subplots that are not that interesting and some add little, leaden pacing with an exposition-heavy first forty minutes that feels like an eternity and far too much sheer ridiculousness (including the pub fight and a serious contender for the most outrageous attempted murder in 'Midsomer Murders' history). The final solution, identity of the killer and the motives were not a surprise at all, among the show's most obvious.
On the whole, pretty poor and hugely disappointing. 3/10 Bethany Cox
"Shot at Dawn" was a pretty poor start to Season 11, and is down there as one of my least favourite Tom Barnaby-era episodes (in a list that comprises of the likes of "Second Sight", "The Electric Vendetta", "the Straw Woman" and from memory "Blood on the Saddle") and perhaps one of my least favourite 'Midsomer Murders' episodes ever. It is an episode that starts off with a great opening sequence but falls rapidly downhill.
There are a few positives for "Shot at Dawn". The production values are without fault, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
Donald Sinden, George Cole and Samantha Bond do what they can with weak material, Bond for example having some very stilted and clumsy "humorous and cutting" lines, and John Nettles and Jason Hughes also try very hard to enliven proceedings. As aforementioned, the opening scene is harrowing and poignant and it was a shame that the rest felt like a completely separate episode.
Was really disappointed in how Barnaby and Jones were written and how their chemistry never got the chance to shine. Barnaby is out of character and Jones is woefully underused, and because of the material being so lacking their chemistry (a huge part of 'Midsomer Murders' charm) barely comes through.
That's not all. The script, which usually is of very good quality with previous 'Midsomer Murders' episodes, is sluggish and clumsy, and the characters are lifeless, usually in the show the characters are colourful and eccentric and that was not the case here. After such a promising start, the story rapidly descends into tired predictability, scenes and subplots that are not that interesting and some add little, leaden pacing with an exposition-heavy first forty minutes that feels like an eternity and far too much sheer ridiculousness (including the pub fight and a serious contender for the most outrageous attempted murder in 'Midsomer Murders' history). The final solution, identity of the killer and the motives were not a surprise at all, among the show's most obvious.
On the whole, pretty poor and hugely disappointing. 3/10 Bethany Cox