Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Death and Dust (2007) User Reviews

the scenery is the star in this one

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 23 July 2015]

Murder comes in the form of possible mistaken identity in "Death and Dust" from season 10.

Delyth Mostin and Jim Kirkwood are older lovers planning to be married. She is divorced and he is a widower. The match is met with opposition. For one thing, Delyth's children are practically having nervous breakdowns over it; Delyth rejected a local farmer who is obviously unhappy with the union; Kirkwood's ex-mother-in-law thinks he might have had hurried his wife's death from cancer. Then there is Delyth's volatile ex-husband, who lives in Wales.

On the home front, Joyce and Cully want to enlarge the patio; also, Cully's serious boyfriend is around, and he's afraid Barnaby doesn't like him.

Good episode, but the best part for me was the Welsh scenery, in part viewed from a helicopter. It's absolutely stunning. The scenery is always good in the show, with its pretty towns and houses, but the terrain here is something to see.

Very visual, good story, and of course Welsh hymns.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 12 September 2018]

Death and Dust sees Barnaby and Jones investigate a case which ultimately leads them to the mountains of Snowdon. It's a very intriguing episode, the journey from rural Midsomer to the dramatic, exquisite scenery of North Wales is a good one, the focus very much on the story, as opposed to daring killing methods, or outlandish twists, this is simply a very good murder mystery. The Helicopter chase is very dramatic, gives the episode a big budget feel, even if it is a little unrealistic it lends itself pretty well to the dramatic conclusion.

It's nice that the setting moves from the rural Shires to the dramatic mountains of Snowdonia, it's that switch up that gives this episode a very fresh feel. The acting is very good from the strong Welsh cast, for me it's the late Gareth Thomas (Blake himself) that dominates the screen, a hugely commanding, charismatic, and much missed talent. Some nice touches of humour, the patio ensured a few laughs.

Did they have to have 'Canon lan' belting out as soon as we moved to Wales!

Enjoyed this one very much.

Midsomer is pretty but Wales is stunning

[boxyfella · 8/10 · 17 March 2022]

A personal favourite, if only for the stunning Welsh scenery and the introduction of WPC Stephens. I always like it when they leave the confines of Midsomer for an episode. The story itself is decent enough, although the killer's motivation is a little tenuous. I liked the subplot about the doctor's first wife possibly being 'helped on her way' and perhaps more of that as a possible motive could have been made. Good to see the return of Simon from The Axeman Cometh, and, of course, things will get very serious between him and Cully. He's good for her. Good performances from all of the supporting actors.

Love this show

[vantamn2 · 10/10 · 2 September 2017]

The music, the scenery, the actors, the dialogue---what a great show. And the actors are REAL. They don't have to be uber thin and attractive to be so genuine and good!! I highly encourage you to watch this series. DCI Barnaby is so wonderful!!! British acting is the most realistic approach to the business.

Bendigedig!

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 10/10 · 16 November 2020]

As much as I love the show and the usual twee scenery of the home counties, viewers will love the breath-taking ruggedness of North Wales as well a predominantly Welsh cast showing off their skills to a national (and international) audience. The storyline is good and it is great to see sone great humour back in the show again. A great watch and, like s9e8, a bit different from the norm to keep the show feeling fresh. If you enjoy this then give Welsh detective drama Hinterland and Hidden (and Keeping Faith) a watch too. Several of the guest cast appear there too.

Pleasant enough episode.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 10 September 2010]

Midsomer Murders: Death and Dust starts as David Mostyn (Daniel Evans) visits his mother's, divorcée Delyth (Sharon Morgan), house & finds her in bed with local doctor Jim Kirkwood (David Yelland). The two decide to use the occasion to announce their engagement to each other, neither David or his sister Megan (Jenny Livsey) are impressed. The news becomes widespread knowledge in no time & the entire village is talking about it, the following night during a rain storm Jim lends his car to fellow doctor Alan Delaney (Simon Wilson) to make a house call, a fallen branch blocks the road & while out trying to move it Delaney is deliberately run over by a pick-up truck. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes) are on the case, Barnaby suspects murder but also suspects that the intended victim was Jim Kirkwood as his engagement to Delyth has angered some, angered them to point where they are prepared to kill...

Episode 5 from season 10 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Sarah Hellings & is a reasonable episode without being particularly distinguished in any way. Death and Dust is one of those Midsomer Murders episode where it takes a good twenty odd minutes for the first murder, sure there's plenty of exposition & scene setting but I prefer the episodes where things start with a murder & things get going straight away. Then there's the fact that there's only one murder in the entire episode which, again, means there's a lot of stuffy dialogue that seems to go on forever at times. The motives for murder in Death and Dust are alright, it basically just boils down to money so it's hardly original or as darkly twisted as episodes of the earlier seasons of Midsomer Murders would throw up & seems somewhat forgettable & bland in comparison. Not much else to say about Death and Dust really, for those interested in that sort of thing PC Gail Stephens makes her very first appearance in Midsomer Murders & has gone on to become a regular character while Barnaby's daughter Cully's boyfriend impresses his soon to be father in law by extending his patio.

Death and Dust is set partly in Wales & to be honest the views are nice enough but it doesn't look that different from the show's normal settings. With only one death this episode is tame. The climax also features Barnaby in a helicopter flying over the Welsh mountains although once he spots the killer with Kirkwood why does the killer still try to throw him off the cliff? Once you have been spotted wouldn't it be better to try & make a run for it? It's not like Barnaby isn't going to see you throw someone off a cliff is it? I also believe Death and Dust is the only Midsomer Murders episode to feature Llama's. The acting is fine as usual from a strong cast.

Death and Dust isn't vintage Midsomer Murders but it's watchable enough, only one murder goes against the episode & fairly mundane motives for that one murder doesn't help make this anymore memorable. Decent enough, fans of the show should like it but I can't see it topping any favourite list's.

One of the more tame episodes

[Schweizer85 · 8/10 · 12 May 2021]

A pleasant watch, a case of mistaken identity always being an interesting feature of Midsomer Murders

As other reviewers have picked up on though, Jones was sent on the walk to keep an eye on the Doctor, it's not credible that he would let him out of his sight at all. Of course this was so they could create the dramatic final scene but it's not at all in keeping with Jones' normal behaviour who is normally a very savvy and switched on police officer.

Brilliant performance from Stephanie Cole, the highlight of the episode. I thought her suspecting the Doctor of helping her daughter to die was a great addition to the plot.

This episode is fairly plot/dialogue heavy and may to some viewers appear to lack pace. The views of North Wales were stunning.

Not a classic, yet much better than some of the later episodes nonetheless.

Pretty good

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 11 February 2017]

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.

Season 10 started off decently with "Dance with the Dead", though that was marred by uneven pacing and padding. "The Animal Within" was an improvement, being very good and highly entertaining. "King's Crystal" was mostly solid and diverting but expected the final solution to be much stronger than the rather too ambiguous and incomplete one in the episode. "The Axeman Cometh" was also decent, but also marred by the pacing and padding as well as being over-stuffed and underdeveloped in places.

"Death and Dust" is neither classic or average or less 'Midsomer Murders' and is for me up to this point of Season 10 the second best of the season after "The Animal Within". It does fall short of being great.

The dialogue does ramble a little in places, the pacing while better paced than most of the previous Season 10 episodes could have tightened up on occasions with it in particular taking a little too long to get going and I also have a preference for the darker and more twisted motives, this one felt a little clichéd and unsatisfying.

However, the production values as always are top notch, with to die for scenery, 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.

Meanwhile, the script is on the most part smart and thought-provoking with some nice humour, a melancholic air and a dark grimness. The ending wraps things up neatly, without going overboard in that factor.

John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Can't fault the supporting cast either.

Overall, pretty good without being great. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Nothing spectacular, but good enough.

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 23 May 2021]

As I have told before, the tenth season of "Midsomer Murders" has never been one of my favorites of the series. Even though the 10th season is watchable, it's very inconsistent. "Dance with the Dead", "King's Crystal" and "The Axeman Cometh" are fine in my opinion and only "The Animal Within" being a very good one. "Death and Dust" is not a great episode, when it comes to "Midsomer Murders", but is a solid one indeed.

Let's start with the good aspects first.

. The production values of the episode are great as usual for the series. "Death and Dust" is beautifully directed (the Welsh countryside is breath-taking) and the music fits the scenery. The acting's passable too. Particularly from David Yelland.

. The mystery is intriguing, the story is filled with wry humor and there are some good twists here and there. The ending (with Bryn turning out to be the killer) was very suspenseful.

But....

. There could have been more twists and even murders in the mystery. "Death and Dust" only has one death in it and because of that the story feels too straight-forward at times.

. Also, the pacing could have been better as well. The mystery dragged quite a bit in the middle.

Overall, good, but not great.

7/10 HK.

Ordinary Greed and Excess

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 11 April 2016]

This is a story of a woman who allows her children to go bad. They don't have to look out for themselves and have begun to lust after her fortune. Unfortunately for them, she has found a doctor who is going to make a good life with her. He is seen as an invader into their greed. A couple of them have actually become embezzlers and have been borrowing using an illegal deed. The problem is that they resort to murder but mistakenly kill the wrong man. Anyway, their efforts draw a lot of attention. Their feuding and bickering draw attention to them and that is not a good thing. Barnaby and Jones are caught again in a tussle other crimes confuse the issues.

Helicopter Cop

[skipperkd · 5/10 · 20 April 2017]

I enjoyed this episode because it was easy to follow, without numerous murders and endless characters /suspects. Glad to report there is no gross incest or sibling sex. The setting was new and interesting (Wales). It was fun to see our man Barnaby in a helicopter. I enjoyed the addition of a sharp young computer-savvy constable, PC Gail Stephens (she will show up in additional episodes).

I mark this episode down somewhat because the two coppers screwed up stupidly and dangerously at the end, with no censure, formal or off-the-books. Instead, Barnaby gave them a thumbs up and shouted "Good job!" Moreover, at that scene, Sergeant Jones acted out of character, being typically portrayed as a clever and conscientious chap. This type of plot contrivance annoys me, sacrificing characterization for plot steerage.

I also found it hard to credit the motivation for murder. I felt the script writer could have done a better job with that.

Sloppy police work

[theoriginalantiblonde · 5/10 · 12 October 2018]

Okay episode, the inclusion of the Welsh countryside (and dialect) was interesting. Was nice for once to have only the one murder (you'd think the population there would dwindling big time by now with so many people being murdered on a regular basis). Having only the one murder didn't detract from my interest in, or the sense of tension in, the episode either. No, it was the ending that did that.

DS Jones and the other policeman were on the hike for one reason -- to watch out for the doctor who's life was in danger from an unknown source, yet they both let him straggle way behind the rest of the group, while they sit there looking bored, waiting for to the "stragglers" to catch up. Then apparently forgetting why he'd told the group to stop and wait only minutes earlier to begin with, Jones makes the "big" discovery that the victim wasn't with them when he's asked to take a photo of the group? And then when they finally race in to stop the doctor from being dragged over a cliff, Barnaby gives Jones a thumb up? Talk about shoddy police work -- and plot development. Both of those constables should have been severely reprimanded for not doing their job. Only worth a five from me, and that is stretching it.

Enjoyable but flawed

[vitoscotti · 5/10 · 5 January 2020]

Wales scenic? It's green and hilly but nothing like when Poirot or Morse went to Spain or Italy. Huge screwup by Jones, and he gets commended by Barnaby. Barnaby hangs out of the helicopter like Rambo? Not liking Cully getting close to marriage. Possibly less screen time or adios. The villian's motive was weak. Though, plenty of red herrings. Script was smooth. Flawed story, but a fun watch. Vito S 1-5-20