Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Wild Harvest (2014) User Reviews

Death by wild boar!

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 29 January 2014]

Once again Midsomer provides a rather unusual murder; a land owner is discovered tied to a tree with his innards missing presumed eaten! Suspects quickly emerge; he was having an affair so the wife could have done it; his daughter stood to inherit his estate, there were poachers in the woods and there was some ill feeling between him and an hotelier and his celebrity-chef wife. Before Barnaby and Nelson can start eliminating suspects there is a second murder; the man's daughter is killed after tasting poisoned soup. It seems likely that the real target was chef, Ruth Cameron and once again plenty of people appear to have motives. As the story progresses those with the most obvious motives are gradually eliminated from the enquiry until inevitably the real killer is caught.

As a longtime fan of 'Midsomer Murders' I really enjoyed this episode; the mystery was good with enough suspects and motives to keep one guessing until the end… although I suspect plenty of people will guess; is it ever not a character played by a familiar actor who doesn't appear to have much of a motive?! That isn't say the killer is the only guilty person; entertainingly more than one other character is arrested for lesser offences. As always the acting is solid and features plenty of well-known faces including Sharon Small, Hayley Mills, Arabella Weir and Clive Wood. Amidst the drama there is some humour too; back at home Barnaby and his pregnant wife have to figure out why Sykes the dog isn't eating! Overall this was a pretty good episode that fans are sure to enjoy.

good one and a gross murder

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 24 September 2016]

A wealthy landowner man named Martin Strickland is found tied to a tree and mauled to death by a wild boar. Yuck. There were shots heard in the night, but no one thought anything of it due to poachers. The person who finds him is one Lizzy Thornfield.

Strickland's second wife, Camilla, tells Barnaby that Martin was arguing with tenants of his old family home. It is now a restaurant, and the draw there is Ruth Cameron, a chef like Paula Deen. She's married to Johnny.

Also, Camila says, truffles had been stolen from his land that were worth 10,000 pounds.

Martin last called Angela Linklater, who runs the Stag & Huntsman. She is Johnny's ex-wife (he's now married to the chef) and is the lover of Martin. Camilla tolerated the affair, but then she finds out that Martin left most of his estate to his daughter Amy, who is the commis-chef at Wyvern House.

The autopsy reveals that Martin was covered in truffle oil and eaten by the boar. Yuk again. No one, no women anyway, seem to care that Martin is dead.

Then another murder takes place but the person who is murdered wasn't the real target. Which means the murderer will try again.

Good story with the usual long-ago secret part of the plot, as well as jealousy, blackmail, and murder.

On the home front, we have the dog Sykes refusing to eat out of his new bowl, worrying Barnaby and his pregnant wife.

Good episode.

A solid mystery, revenge, longing, and stolen truffles.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 26 February 2019]

Wild Harvest is a good mystery, with a decent story, and some interesting characters, Chefs are always big characters, and Sharon Small plays the feisty Ruth Cameron well.

The killings are pretty grim, the first one is incredibly macabre, the poisoning is also pretty nasty, it does seem though that more people are concerned by the theft of the truffles, then any of the deaths.

I like the mystery, and the plots, but do find the solution a little bit of a stretch, although the final twist is good.

A good mystery for Barnaby and Nelson. 7/10

A very confusing episode

[janellefricks-09595 · 8/10 · 16 July 2017]

The cross-relationships in this episode were so convoluted, that I got about an hour into it and started over, keeping notes the second time to keep track of who was who. Despite that, I really enjoyed this episode. The setting of the restaurant was a nice change, and I thought the acting was great. Although I really liked John Nettles' Barnaby, I have to say I like this new one just a little better. The same goes for Jones/Nelson. It seems like they are giving this new DS a little more to do than just be the bumbling contrast to the DCI.

The only thing I didn't like about this episode was the (again) rather flimsy motive for murder.

Divorce, inheritance, jealousy

[ctyankee1 · 25 January 2015]

This episode is with the new Barnaby/Neil Dudgeon cousin to the old one.

A man is found dead in the woods tied to a tree. It appears he was eaten by an animal.

The story has a lot of subjects you would not think causes problems. 1. Jealousy between chefs, 2. Stealing mushrooms , 3. Poaching, 4. X-mates and kids

Many things happen in this episode and there is humor as well. It is not so tense that you need a break from watching it. Barnaby's wife is pregnant and Sikes their dog won't eat from his new bowel.

There are past histories between the characters and they hold grudges against each other. Two people die and many people are suspect.

Confession and forgiveness of a past event may have played a part in a nice ending.

Very good "Midsomer Murders" with brutal murders.

[harrykivi · 8/10 · 19 January 2020]

16th season of "Midsomer Murders" is the strongest of John Barnaby era with great "The Christmas haunting", enjoyable- though disappointing "Let Us Prey". "Wild Harvest" continues the series with a delightful episode.

Let's good through the good stuff, shall we?

. The setting to this murder mystery- cozy Wyvern House- is a nice breath after two previous episodes taking place in darker environments.

. The production values are usually wonderful with a great direction by Renny Rye and beautiful scenery.

. The murder of Martin Strickland felt very clever and it's one of the most brutal death scenes in the series.

. The story is compelling with lots of twists, turns and charismatic characters. The identity of the killer was suprising- neat.

But.....

. Motives for the murders are not THAT hard to figure out and if you have paid enough attention to the story, you'll guess them easily.

. There are also some commonly used tropes in this episode that have been used in other shows with more neatness.

Overall: very good, but not amazing episode.

8/10 HK

Wild Harvest

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 29 July 2023]

When wealthy farmer Martin Strickland is discovered bound to a tree, doused in truffle oil and mauled to death by a wild boar, the investigation leads DCI Barnaby to tyrannical celebrity chef Ruth Cameron at the upmarket Wyvern House restaurant. However, secrets from the past surface after the murderer strikes again, and the repercussions are felt further than they were originally intended.

Solid episode with a killer using poison herbs and it's all linked to revenge, love and truffles. Hayley Mills stars and lends her charm to the proceedings. There's plenty of twists and layers of intrigue. The forest location is really good.

Restaurants are murder!

[wjspears · 9/10 · 25 March 2022]

Murder mysteries revolving around high end restaurants are often some of my favorite mysteries. They can be challenging to figure out and fun to watch.

The owners, chefs and staff are often so "full of themselves" that they couldn't possibly eat any of the food they are serving. They invite us to watch and see which pompous a-- is going to die gruesomely!

The deaths are often shocking, A kitchen knife plunged into someone's heart. Someone falling over gagging, face contorting as they die after eating or drinking something that was laced with an exotic poison, that no one has ever seemed to have heard about, especially the police. No one, of course, except the murderer!

And the suspects are often a glorious array of characters. From jealous family members and supposed friends. To other restaurant owners happy to have one less competitor. To disgruntled customers, who didn't like the food or the service!

"Wild Harvest" doesn't use all these ingredients, and tosses in a few not listed. But it blends the ingredients wonderfully to create an enjoyable and memorable Midsomer Murder mystery.

Need to re-wind - often

[marklaw-37806 · 6/10 · 10 March 2020]

Plot was seriously over-complicated and made what should have been easy viewing a real slog. Not what we want from MM. We want interesting characters, light-hearted banter and a murderer caught.

One of the better episodes of Season 16

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 18 March 2017]

When in its prime (a vast majority of Seasons 1-9), 'Midsomer Murders' was a great show and one that is watched and re-watched frequently. Seasons 10-13 became more uneven, with three of the show's worst episodes coming from Seasons 11 and 13, but there were a few solid episodes and "Blood Wedding" and especially "Master Class" were gems.

After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same on the most part. Season 14 was a disappointment outside of "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust", with "Echoes of the Dead" and "The Night of the Stag" being show low-points. Season 15 was inconsistent, being a case of starting promisingly and then took a three-episodes-in-a-row strange turn with "Written in the Stars" before finishing on a good note.

Season 16 got off to a very good start with "The Christmas Haunting", introducing us to Barnaby's new partner Nelson. "Let Us Prey", while not a terrible episode at all, was a disappointment and very problematic. Luckily Season 16 returns to form in its best episode yet "Wild Harvest".

Production values cannot be faulted as usual mostly, apart from some rather amateurish camera work at the start. It's mostly beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.

With such a grim case, with one of the most brutal first murders of the entire show (the visuals and description are enough to make one squirm), "Wild Harvest" had the danger of being too heavy and serious as well as too dark, actually it was very nicely balanced with the amusing and quite charming subplot with Sykes, who is still adorable, gifted in comic timing and a definite scene stealer (actually much prefer him over Cully).

The story benefits from the intriguing setting of the culinary world, put to great use, and is neither simplistic, convoluted or padded. Nor is it too heavy or overly silly, like some John Barnaby-era episodes have been. Some of the themes are rather typical of 'Midsomer Murders' and have been done better elsewhere, but are not too predictable or obvious, just that it has been done with more spark or atmosphere. The identity of the murderer was a real surprise, even if the motive was more guessable.

Characters are closer to the colourful and eccentric characters than the bland and pantomimic ones, especially when compared to the cartoonish murderers of "Death in the Slow Lane" and "The Night of the Stag". Personality-less Kate is the sole exception. There are many suspects, without being too many, and very little felt inconsequential, excepting the slightly confused twist regarding the fate of Sharon Small's character which would have fared better as what it seemed to be.

Neil Dudgeon is much more comfortable than he was in the previous two seasons, though he continued to have uneven moments since "Wild Harvest". Gwilym Lee is settling in very nicely, he is likable and isn't a dumbed down idiot like Jones became and the chemistry between him and Barnaby sees a much better treatment of him from Barnaby. The supporting cast are all strong, with Sharon Small standing out, and it was great that Sarah is written with more development and charm and that her chemistry with Barnaby is here more loving and playful than the condescending and non-existent one it tends to be.

All in all, very good episode and one of the better ones of Season 16. 8/10 Bethany Cox