Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Blood Wedding (2008) User Reviews

great to see Troy

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 2 June 2013]

For some reason, I've always been partial to Barnaby's (John Nettles) old partner Troy, who appears in this episode. Great to see him.

"Blood Wedding" is a very good Midsomer Murders from 2008, as Barnaby's family is always a nice element in the show. His daughter, aspiring actress Cully (Laura Howard) is getting married, and if anything can go wrong, it will: the caterer goes out of business, the honeymoon is delayed and Cully is upset about it and stops taking her fiancée's calls, Barnaby forgets to pick up the order of service at the printers, etc.

There's another wedding, too, on a posh estate owned by the very wealthy and prestigious Fitzroy family. Things really go wrong there when the maid of honor is murdered. Barnaby and Jones (Jason Hughes) have a hard time questioning the Fitzroys. They're pompous people, believing the law doesn't apply to them, and very uncooperative. However, the detective team learns that the Maid of Honor had been involved with the groom at one point. Then there are two other murders. A photo soon leads Barnaby to a long-ago happening that has now resulted in three murders.

Though the reason for these murders is easy to figure out, ferreting out the murderer and the twists and turns of the family make for interesting watching. Two families - Barnaby's loving one, trying to cope with last minute crises, and the Fitzroy's screaming dysfunctionals, with decades of problems behind them.

And then what a treat - Troy! Very good entry into the series.

Two weddings and three funerals

[ackstasis · 7/10 · 4 September 2008]

It was a Sunday night, 8:30PM. Having been uncomfortably ill over the weekend, I had accumulated quite a substantial pile of untouched homework, including a biology assignment that was due Wednesday morning. Still aching with a sore throat, I decided to precede my study vigil with a brief visit to the family room, where I could stand before the woodfire and absorb some much-needed warmth. Then, disaster! Some careless family member had left the television on, it was tuned to the ABC, and I arrived just in time to witness the opening seconds of 'Midsomer Murders.' From that moment onwards, there was absolutely no question of me doing any study that night: "I'll leave after the first murder"; "I'll leave after the second murder"; "I'll leave after they reveal the killer"; "I'll leave… hell, I'll just stay for the whole thing." I had no alternative in the matter.

Though I wouldn't call myself a regular viewer, I've always admired 'Midsomer Murders' for its professionalism and class. The episode "Blood Wedding" (Season 11, Episode 2) is no exception. Whereas slick, kinetically-edited video games like 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' and its offspring take shallow detectives through shallow crimes and even shallower criminals, this British series allows twice the time for events to unfold, allowing a more thorough and complete exploration of the thoughts and motives, not only of the murderer, but also of the non-guilty suspects, who typically aren't very innocent, either. "Blood Wedding" confronts the issue of the upper-class – a notion altogether rather foreign to this Australian – and the potentially-deadly snobbery and perceived superiority that typifies belonging to a revered British "name." As the upper-class bicker dangerously amongst themselves, Detective Barnaby (John Nettles) finds himself amid the chaos of planning his daughter's wedding.

The mystery itself, penned by David Harsent and directed by Peter Smith, is very well-written, with plenty of red herrings cast out into the open to throw you off the scent. Once the murders get going, and the killer's motives remain ambiguous, almost anybody could conceivably be the next victim, and so you're always prompted to continue watching. The episode's hilarious climax, when both experienced detectives find themselves simultaneously arresting two different people for the same crime (only one of them's right!) really highlights how well the story was able to bamboozle and mislead viewers. For the final minutes, the episode slows down for some local character development, as Barnaby's grown daughter (Laura Howard) finally gets married to her somewhat-neglectful fiancé. Even former partner Sergeant Gavin Troy (Daniel Casey) dramatically drops in to say a quick "cheerio" to long-time fans of the show. "Blood Wedding" is an enjoyable way to spend two hours.

Beyond expectation

[enkiddu-725-703632 · 9/10 · 29 April 2010]

The best episode of the season! I sincerely enjoyed it, David Lawrence did nice work, his previous episode, "Death in Chorus", was much worse. And I must admit that I do not like to be more clever then the author of a detective story, if I guess rightly who is the murderer I always get disappointed, if I'm wrong and the murderer is a person that I never even thought of - though I'm beaten, but I'm pleased and surprised. This time I was content: the murderer turned out to be the person that I crossed out from the list of the suspects at once! The end was a big surprise to me! One can hardly find "weak spots" in this episode except, perhaps, excessive cruelty in murdering the poor victims. And of course, the tragic story had to take place almost at the same time as Cully's wedding, it couldn't have been otherwise! Still, the story is fresh and entertaining, the mystery "misterious enough"... Maybe only one small point... The relationships between the people are so weird, as if they all are mortal fiends one to another... One murders the friend of the bride so easily, then 2 more people without any regrets, a man is ready to murder his brother for his wife with whom he had been having an affair before the wedding... Strange is all this somehow...

Quality humour on the back of the class system

[mb-155 · 10/10 · 10 December 2013]

Saw what must have been a repeat of this episode a short while back. Wife is very keen on this series and I have to admit being progressively drawn into watching too. What is so good about this particular episode is the humour generated by the English class system coming to life on the back of the longbow and the battle of Crecy and all that.

This sort of knock about stuff really makes me laugh. I can watch those haughty faces (that takes some quality acting) brushing off the police again and again with their laconic, sarcastic, pithy comments.

Perhaps the Fitzroys date back to the Norman era - who knows - their attitude seems to point to that. References to fighting the Welsh. I live on the English Welsh border and we tease each other. Jones' pronunciation of Colquhoun and the reaction to it are typical.

Against this background we have two weddings. The much lower key (lets say Anglo Saxon) wedding and the 'landed gentry' wedding. I don't actually care who the murderer is when the basic plot, production (bring back Brian True-May) and the acting are so great.

Weddings and Family Greed

[ctyankee1 · 13 February 2013]

I enjoyed this episode. This is about a rich family celebrating a wedding. It is a tangled mess. A woman gets killed after the wedding and the police are called.

Barnaby and Jones show up to interview the guest and the family. The Fitzroy family-- Harry Fitzroy is played Charles Edwards who played as Arthur Conan Doyle in Murder Rooms: Mysteries of the Real Sherlock Holmes is the groom. He is cocky and also had an affair with the woman who is found stabbed in his house.

The murders in Midsomer are always gruesome. The Fitzroy family give the police very little co-operation. Another person is killed by an arrow.

There are many twist and turns in this episode. There is a lot going on for Barnaby, his daughter Cully is getting married and her career and his future husband's seem to change a lot of their plans that might interfere with them getting married.

A funny scene in the story is Barnaby's former mate SGT TROY --DANIEL CASEY almost runs a police car off the road. He is known for his bad driving. Troy is on his way to Cully's wedding.

This one has a happy ending which is unusual for this series.

Two deaths, a wedding, and a tricky order of service.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 6 October 2019]

So often when a long running series had a special event such as a death or wedding, the accompanying episode is usually always lacking, in Blood Wedding, Cully's wedding is set alongside a wonderful mystery.

We often get to see the Detectives of Midsomer battle the families of England's upper classes, here Barnaby and Jones tackle a particularly obnoxious family. Family status plays a big part in this mystery, with some incredible ideas of entitlement on show.

There is some wonderful humour throughout, the most of it coming from Jones, it's a belter of an episode for Jason Hughes, fabulous here, no wonder he's a fan favourite. The wedding at the end was delightful, with a return for the much missed Jones, as well as a glimpse of Joyce's parents.

This is definitely a classic episode. 9/10

Jones is pure class

[boxyfella · 10/10 · 30 March 2022]

This is probably one of my top five Midsomer Murders episodes. It's all about class, of course, and the idea of illegitimate children and snobbish aristos has been done on MM before, but never as well as this. Midsomer has a habit of not showing upper crust families in a particularly favourable light, and out of all such families encountered in MM over the years, the Fitzroys are probably the most loathsome. Most of the enjoyment of this episode comes through the aristos and the coppers mutual baiting of each other, although the Fitzroys probably don't even realise they're doing it, and the police do it as a reaction to their treatment at the hands of the Fitzroys, Jones in particular doing it so well. This is possibly Jones' best ever episode, difficult to call between this and The Oblong Murders.

I also really enjoyed Cully's wedding subplot, with Jones offering advice, and the stress Joyce and Tom were put under. The scene where Barnaby and Jones try to break into the printers was laugh out loud funny. It was great to see Troy back, however briefly, and to see the running joke about his driving still going.

Incredible Arrogance or Follow Your Arrow

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 24 April 2016]

There are a couple things going on here. For one, we are made privy to a birth out of wedlock that leads to incredible anger from a powerful man. The wedding is a powerful affair where the rich flaunt their wealth. They are really ugly and arrogant people. After the wedding, a woman is found impaled in a wall, a sword through her chest. Barnaby must get information from people who feel they are too important to be bothered. There is a little society that uses archery as a pastime, but great tension lives within them. We know people are withholding secrets from the past. Meanwhile more dramatic stuff takes place. Barnaby it's almost killed by one of the archers, although it is blamed on a defective arrow. Interestingly, nobody cares for anyone else. Suffice it to say, this is a pretty good episode because nothing is obvious and there are a lot of possibilities. The concluding scene is quite wonderful. We also are treated to the wedding of Cully Barnaby and all the last minute gyrations of that affair.

Good solid Midsomer Murders episode.

[poolandrews · 7/10 · 7 July 2008]

Midsomer Murders: Blood Wedding starts as Beth Porteous (Elizabeth Dermot Walsh) becomes Mrs. Fitzoy as she & Sir Edward Fitzroy (Charles Edwards) tie the knot in a lavish wedding ceremony. The newly wed couple's joy soon turns sour though when soon after at the wedding reception their Maid of Honour Marina Fellows (Beth Chalmers) is found brutally murdered having been impaled to some wood panelling with a huge knife. With over one hundred guest's present DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & Detective Sergeant Ben Jones (Jason Hughes) have their work cut out to find the killer, then while investigating the case the Fitzroy's estate manager Robin Lawson (Martin Wenner) is also found brutally murdered. With a killer on the loose & his daughter's wedding to plan Barnaby starts to feel the pressure...

Episode 2 from season 11 (according to the IMDb anyway but here in the UK they aren't really shown in any particular order) this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Peter Smith & after several very disappointing episodes such as Shot at Dawn (2007) one has to say that Blood Wedding is approaching something like a return to form for the series although the consistent brilliance of the first few seasons is still a distant memory. The script by David Lawrence presents a decent murder mystery, luckily it abandons the recent Midsomer Murders trend of having over forty odd minutes worth of pointless exposition before the first murder & here the first victim is killed relatively early on which is good as it gets the story going straight away. I mean have a dead body turn up to get the story moving & then have all the character exposition revolve around Barnaby's investigation, it makes the episode so much better & more enjoyable to watch. The body count is reasonable with three murders & I must admit I didn't have a clue who the killer was & even though their motives are flimsy (They did it to save the family name & avoid embarrassment? We live in 2008 not the dark ages...) the plot works without any major holes or problems. Some of the character's are a bit surplus to requirements, the housekeeper, the cook & the crazy Vicar who bizarrely whips himself over Marina's murder are all totally forgotten about by the end. The red herrings are pretty good, there are various sinister meetings between character's which are meant to raise suspicion & your never quite sure about them which Midsomer Murders was excellent at doing & while there aren't too many huge plot twists Blood Wedding is much better than the last few Midsomer Murder episodes. Unusually there is a soap opera type feel about Blood Wedding as Barnaby's daughter Cully (doesn't she look old now compared to when the series started?) prepares to get married & a fair amount of this episode is spent on that including a funny subplot about a gay wedding planner called Maurice who comes up against Barnaby!

After not appearing in Midsomer Murders since The Green Man (2003) at the start of season seven Baranby's ex Sergeant the much liked Gavin Troy returns to the series although he only appears in a small cameo right at the every end for two or three short scenes. There is a brief name-check for St. Malley's school from Murder on St. Malley's Day (2002) from season five that fans will probably pick up on. The body count is three, someone is impaled on a large knife, someone is shot with an arrow & someone has a hat pin inserted into their ear, while not particularly graphic there is some blood shown & there is an odd scene showing a Vicar whip himself! A rabbit has it's neck broken too so animal lovers beware. As usual the photography is first class using locations around Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire.

Blood Wedding isn't up there with the very best Midsomer Murders but it's a good solid episode that has a slightly forgettable murderer & plot but Cully's wedding & Troy's small cameo make it one for the fans.

Class Gass

[darbski · 10/10 · 10 July 2018]

***SPOILERS*** Hadn't seen an episode in quite a while, much less one I 'd never seen. It was terrific, in my opinion. All the usual elements are there, of course, plus a couple of new wrinkles. The acting, of course is top drawer, and the subplot's undercurrent of class distinction is very clearly brought to the fore in the ending of this very fine drama. I've always found it intensely curious how Tom Barnaby puts up with snobs who are so blantantly vacant. I know you see this coming: as an American, i find so-called class differences disgusting, and treasonous. In England, apparently, they still get away with it - pity. As far as the subject family "protecting" the 'family honor', they didn't have any honor to defend in the first place, it was a happy ending. Cully's wedding was a forgone conclusion, even with all the twists and turns; some very funny. I loved it. Of course, I hope the marriage works out, but long term? ...oh, well. I like all of this series, and of course Barnaby as the coolest detective still operating. I say this is a strong 10.

Side story is more interesting than the mystery

[Paularoc · 7/10 · 25 September 2012]

At a posh wedding reception, the Maid of Honor is found murdered and the police are soon on the scene. That must have been a real buzz kill for the bride. Two additional murders soon follow. One of the murders is somewhat too graphic for my taste and I could have done without the rabbit bit. In Midsommer Murders, the wealthy and/or titled seem most often to be boring, arrogant and generally unlikable, and this episode is no exception - a nasty and pathetic lot all of them. At least DS Jones gets a couple of good zingers in. The investigation into the murders is not as interesting as the side story of the preparations for Cully's upcoming wedding; although her marriage does seem to be getting off to a somewhat shaky start. Also fun was that Jones romances one of the staff, Sally Fields, at the manor. Emma Cunniffe does a nice job as Sally; she is an actress I don't remember ever seeing before and then I saw her two days after watching this in Place of Execution. As another reviewer has said, it was a nice touch having Gavin Troy return to attend Cully's wedding. A satisfactory entry into the series but not one of my favorites.

John Nettles at his finest

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 19 January 2020]

Totally satisfying episode. John Nettles shows a talent for comedy. The wedding and Troy's cameo were masterful. The uppity snobs all were played well. Wish Martina wasnt killed off so early. Sad to read Cully will only appear s couple more times. Vito S 1-19-20

Castle, knights and honor - in a word, a purely English murder

[znatokdetectiva · 7/10 · 22 September 2020]

In my opinion, this episode can be called a "purely English murder", since it has all the necessary components: an aristocratic family, an ancient family name, a castle, a joust, high-sounding speeches and, of course, a purely English motive. There's a lot to love about "Blood Wedding". The atmosphere is good here, the intrigue is quite on the level and is one of the most classic in the genre (although I personally did not have enough coherence of murders). The jousting is quite spectacular, Kelly's wedding is a nice storyline, and the appearance of Troy gives the episode even more humor and positivity. However, there are drawbacks. The murders, in my opinion, are too brutal, even brutal, I would say, and in fact none of the characters evokes sympathy. In addition, the episode somewhat lacks the originality of the best classic series Midsomer Murders. In conclusion, a strong," purely English " episode, but not perfect. 8/10

Cully's wedding saves an otherwise dull episode

[missjennaya · 5/10 · 11 November 2022]

This has to be one of my least favourite favourite episodes. The murder plot lacks any creativity and the culprit is predictable very early on. The characters are one dimensional and forgettable.

Cully'a wedding makes for a nice distraction, although even she is rather overly dramatic and melancholy for most of the episode, as she gets stroppy over her fiance being booked for a major gig. Not sure what she expected to happen when she agreed to marry a musician.

The saving grace of this episode has to be the beauty of the setting. I'm usually partial to episodes with grand estates and aristocratic families (Vixen's Run for example - as silly as the plot is, at least the characters are entertaining), however this isn't one I would choose to watch again.

Jones on top form again

[depaysement · 8/10 · 7 May 2020]

Other reviewers have given good clear synopses of the story. I very much enjoyed Jones's role here - I was worried he was getting too close to someone who might (in the way of these shows) turn out to be the murderer, but happily it wasn't so. I also enjoyed his taking time to listen to Cully's concerns about her wedding. I found that subplot less fun than many, mostly because Simon seemed to have reverted to age 19 with his concern being far more about going on a gig with his band than with his wedding and honeymoon. I spent a fair bit of time saying "Dump him" but of course it all turned out peachy. My favourite part of that subplot was Jones and Barnaby's attempted break-and-enter, and of the main plot, his winding up of the snobbish creeps in the Fitzroy household. It was fun seeing Troy again, albeit briefly, too. I still can't fathom how he ever made inspector!

A massive improvement

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 12 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.

"Blood Wedding" was a great episode and not just one of the best Season 11 episodes but also better than any episode from the previous season. It is a massive improvement over the Season 11 opener "Shot at Dawn", which was a huge let-down in almost every department apart from the production values, music, acting (as the actors do what they can) and the opening scene.

Flaws for "Blood Wedding" are hardly any. The murderer's motives are old-fashioned and pretty flimsy and the rabbit scene was a little gratuitous.

However, the production values as always are just great, 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.

There are some thoughtful and humorous moments in the script, which is generally well structured and crafted, and the supporting characters are entertaining enough. The story is very compelling, very easy to follow and one of the show's tightest paced and to-the-point episodes in a while. Really appreciated the first murder happening early on and that we didn't have to sit through at least 30 minutes of exposition (which varied in how interesting and necessary it was in most of the previous season and in "Shot at Dawn"). More red herrings, clues and twists and turns than with some of the previous episodes, and the characters are back to the colourfully eccentric ones.

Cully's wedding subplot was lovely and well-balanced and how great it was to see Troy again, with even a reference to his notoriously careless driving. The murderer's identity was a surprise and actually the last person personally suspected, there is a brilliant attempt just before all is revealed at the audience being deliberately misled into who the killer was.

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.

All in all, great episode and massive improvement over the season opener. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I've Missed Troy!!

[ambervwortham · 10/10 · 22 September 2020]

It was such a delight to see Inspector Troy again, if only for a minute. His appearance was too brief, but I'll take it. I loved his character in the show, and was gutted when Daniel Casey left the show (which I'll never completely understand). Frankly, this episode was worth a rating of 10 just to see Cully get married, and to see Troy again.

Very good indeed!

[harrykivi · 8/10 · 7 June 2021]

The eleventh season of "Midsomer Murders" is not a great season in my opinion. The season started off with "Shot at Dawn", which is easily one of my top 5 least favorite episodes of the show. That being said, "Blood Wedding" on the other hand is a very good entry to the series. It is not amazing in my eyes, but is still so much better than the previous one.

Let's start with the good aspects, shall we?

. The production values are great as usual. "Blood Wedding" looks very good and the music fits the scenery. The acting's pretty good all around. Jason Hughes and John Nettles continue to be fantastic as the leads. Jane Wymark, Laura Howard, Barry Jackson are good and it was nice to see Daniel Casey in a long time. Out of the strong guest stars Charles Edwards, Elisabeth Dermot Walsh and Martin Wenner do particularly well.

. The murder mystery is extremly intriguing here with great twists, turns and red herrings in every step of the way. The solution (Ned is the killer) was a huge surprise. The humor is always spot on and charming. The subplot about Cully getting married was adorable too.

But....

. I agree that after that compelling of a mystery, the motives for the murders were quite underwhelming. "The family honor" motive does fit to the episode, but feels rather tame at the end of the day.

. The editing is not amazing all the time as well. For example: one scene regarding Robin Lawson getting thrown off the stairs felt like a rough cut.

Overall, very good if not a favorite.

8/10 HK.