Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Dagger Club (2015) User Reviews

Death at the spin of a wheel

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 29 January 2015]

The latest series of this light hearted crime drama opens with two women receiving roulette wheels in the post; each appears to come from somebody they know and both contains instructions not to touch the spinner. Inevitably they ignore the instruction and as the wheels spin they each receive a fatal electric shock. These two bizarre deaths match those in the first book written by a deceased local crime writer; and both women have connections to him; the first provided the artwork for his books and the second had a piece of that art on her wall. Clues lead Barnaby and Nelson to the Luxton Deeping Crime Festival… where the late author's lost final manuscript was due to be unveiled. The manuscript has gone missing though and as the first victim was the only person to have seen it, it could be a key motive… it isn't the only possible motive though.

This is a typically silly story; so if you enjoyed previous stories you'll probably enjoy this. The initial murders are enjoyably bizarre but require some suspension of disbelief; we must accept that both victims ignore the warning and that they actually hold the roulette wheels while they spin rather than standing back while waiting for it to stop. The various characters at the Crime Club and family of the book's author are typical of Midsomer; a mix of unpleasant or flawed characters who are likely either be later victims or proved innocent and apparently nice people; who fans of the show will suspect the most! Inevitable the first two murders aren't the last; one of the later victims proves to be a real surprise thanks to a twist I won't spoil here. Overall I found this enjoyably silly; if you like your crime gritty you'll probably be disappointed but if you like it slightly ridiculous and preferably in attractive surroundings you'll probably like it.

The Wheel of Death

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 19 May 2017]

A modern classic, one of the best stories from Midsomer for a little while, a complex story with a fair amount of intrigue, told and concluded in Agatha Christie-esque style.

The opening is a particularly good one, I don't think you'll find a more unique murder method in the show's history, it didn't remind me of a technique used in The Big Four (Agatha Christie fans will know what I mean.)

I thought the filming and camera work was particularly good in this one, very slick, almost film like. Great set of realistic characters, and some fine performances, notably from Lia Williams and Una Stubbs, the latter so often sweet and ditsy, it's great to see her move into different territory.

I love the conclusion, it felt as I mentioned earlier somewhat Agatha Christie, with all the suspects gathered together.

All in all this was an impressive start to Series Seventeen.

Death by roulette wheel

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 27 September 2016]

Suzie Colebrook, a talented artist, receives a large box at home. She opens it to find a roulette wheel from a friend, and a card that says, "whatever you do, don't spin the wheel." Of course she does...and gets blown up.

Suzie was the alleged girlfriend of a writer of thrillers, the late George Summersbee, and she illustrated his books, the Jed Dagger novels.

Meanwhile, there's a crime fiction festival going on, arranged for by Maggie Markham Summersbee, the wife of George's brother Nick, a doctor. He's written George's biography. It turns out that George's daughter Bella is his sole heir, not his estranged wife.

Meanwhile, there is supposedly another book somewhere, but no one can find the manuscript. There's a second murder via roulette wheel, and Barnaby realizes (thanks to Nelson) that the murders follow killings in the Dagger books.

Lots of people want the missing manuscript, but some feel it is a fake. It will take Barnaby time away from his beautiful new baby to solve this one.

I thought this was pretty good, and it is nice to see Barnaby and Sarah so in love with the baby. Nelson again shows he is an excellent partner to Barnaby. The denouement is interesting when the whodunit is finally revealed.

The Dagger Club

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 30 August 2022]

At the Luxton Deeping Crime Festival, the unveiling of a newly discovered novel by deceased Midsomer crime writer George Summersbee is jeopardised when the manuscript is stolen and local artist Suzie Colebrooke is electrocuted by a booby-trapped roulette wheel. Can new father Barnaby untangle a web of jealousy and obsession to find the killer?

Fairly routine MSW bolstered from some bizarre death scenes, one of them getting pressed by printing press. They will print on anything these days. He's hot off the press!! It's nice to see Corrie's Georgia Taylor. The late Una Stubbs also stars. It's still an enjoyable episode, though. No matter how average, it's hard not to be bowled over by its quirky charm.

A classic Midsomer Murders episode.

[dsmoscowrent · 10/10 · 18 February 2015]

The new Season 17 of my most favorite series Midsomer Murders contains only 4 episodes - what a disappointment for a real fan of the series. I hoped that there would be at least 6 new episodes - but no, only 4, and that's really disappointing. But there is one good thing - the start was pretty good, they started with a classic episode of Midsomer which contains everything we like about the series - bizarre murders with a roulette, a whole gaggle of suspects, red herrings everywhere, and all these twists and turns that make Midsomer Murders so special. This electric roulette stuff might not be so logical but it pretty sure is very ingenious and elaborate. The episode also contains a certain degree of drama which also makes it really good. The plot is very well built, logical, keeps the viewers electrified, and of course brilliant unmasking of the killer in the end (certainly the killer turns out to be the person whom you would have never thought to be capable of such a terrible thing as murder). All in all it's a perfect start for the new season, considering the fact the further episodes are going to be extremely dull and boring. This episode is the only from the whole series that I would like to watch later once again.

The Disappointments Club

[harrykivi · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

When looking back to "Midsomer Murders" the sixteenth season stands out as one of John Barnaby's best. The 17th series unfortunately isn't great, that being said decent and enjoyable enough. "The Dagger Club" is not one of the strongest outings, though it's still kind of fun.

Starting with good:

. The production values are wonderful as always with beautiful direction by Alex Pillai and haunting music.

. The setting to this murder mystery (Crime festival) I thought was very interesting. Also some twists and turns in the story were neat.

. The acting is good with Una Stubbs being the standout.

. The solution to "The Dagger Club" is satisfying, though not one of shows best.

. There are some charming bits in this episode when the humor and thrills work.

. "The Dagger Club" starts great of with an awesome murder. Suzie Colebrook is murdered by a roulette wheel and the second death shortly follows...

Now to disappointing aspects.

. After certain turns, "The Dagger Club" seems to lose its focus and story becomes bit too silly with some killing methods and plot points.

. There are some tedious parts in the story, where the pacing could have been better.

. Also after "The Christmas Haunting" ,which was also written by Chris Murray and is one of my favorite episodes, "The Dagger Club" feels kind of disappointing with story beats we have seen thousand times before.

In conclude: fine, but not great "Midsomer Murders".

6/10 HK

A book fair in Midsomer Murders

[safenoe · 8/10 · 6 July 2016]

It's refreshing seeing a modern episode of Midsomer Murders, although I haven't see any reference to Facebook yet (then again I haven't seen any season 18 episodes yet). The missing manuscript provided much intrigue and I was kept guessing about its whereabouts.

The twist was a major revelation, with one of the main characters not really out of the picture after all. The subplot of the gambling addict seemed a bit of a letdown but still, that happens in Midsomer at times.

I like the new Barnaby as he's settling in well. Surprisingly, there's still a yearning (understandable I guess) for the DCI Tom Barnaby, and when you watch the older episodes of Midsomer Murders, Tom was quite progressive in his views on homosexuals, as he rebuked DS Gavin Troy when he made politically incorrect comments about homosexuals he came across in Midsomer. So you had the politically correct Tom Barnaby paired with the politically incorrect DS Troy.

Talking about this, it seems a bit trite that some people say this episode is "politically correct" because it has a "token black" character. The prelude to Donald Trump I guess, who has a "politically incorrect" worldview. Surprisingly, there really are black residents in some English villages but maybe they are airbrushed from scripts.

Funny thing is (ironic really), people who decry Midsomer for its racial (read black) political correctness because it detracts from the storyline, probably have no difficulty accepting a Midsomer white character with a Polish or Scottish accent.

Decent start to Season 17

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 26 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 was mostly good, especially "Wild Harvest", with the only disappointment being "Let Us Prey".

"The Dagger Club" is a decent start to generally one of the weaker-faring John Barnaby-era seasons. While 'Midsomer Murders' is no stranger to silliness, most of the time it managed to do so without harming any credibility in the story and without being too ridiculous. Parts of "The Dagger Club" do veer on the ludicrously far-fetched (the roulette wheel murder method was clever and elaborate at first but becomes less logical), while also with a few dull moments due to extraneous padding and using themes done before many times on the show but with much more spark.

Season 17 has also been criticised for introducing diversity, many people arguing that the inclusion was needless. Initially when hearing of it, this seemed like a non-issue blown out of proportion, however seeing the Season 17 episodes one can understand the problem in that the characters in question (and this is including "The Dagger Club") add little, are not very interesting in character or personality and feel out of place (that's what people were trying to say, but admittedly some worded it badly that it can easily be mistaken for bigotry.

Barnaby and Nelson's chemistry has been better in the previous season. Nelson is not the problem, he is a likable character and Gwilym Lee plays him with charismatic charm. It was disappointing however that after Barnaby's character was starting to improve, Season 17 ended up making him too much of a supporting character (with Nelson the leading man) in his own show and he goes back to the too serious and wooden character he was when he first took over. Neil Dudgeon's acting in the role was also getting better but Season 17 saw a tendency for him to sleepwalk through the material and that's the case here. Kate is also bland and with not much personality.

However, the production values cannot be faulted as usual. 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.

Some of the script is gentle and thought-provoking and while the story was problematic there are enough events, colourful characters, red herrings and twists and turns (as well as a great final solution) to keep one intrigued. Apart from a couple of inevitably forced moments, Barnaby's family life subplot is sweet and amusing and again the chemistry between Barnaby and Sarah is warmer and more playful than in Seasons 14 and 15. Sykes is funny and adorable, stealing every scene he appears.

Acting is mostly good, with Una Stubbs and James Lance being terrific out of the supporting cast.

Overall, decent start to Season 17, but while not a 'Midsomer Murders' low point (far from it) it is no classic either. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Enjoyable

[Gump5-175-902689 · 9/10 · 17 April 2022]

Plot extremely creative. The end disappointing.

The middle of the story needed elaboration ..then the ending Would have been more interesting. In summary this was an enjoyable Story. Highly recommend. Like the author so I intend to read the Additional episodes of this series and the pursue the others.

Best Neil Dudgeon MM episode.

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 11 October 2022]

The difference between John Nettles and Neil Dudgeon episodes for me is ND episodes feel like they're missing something leaving me somewhat dissatisfied but still entertained. Could be a lot to do with the writing declining. Not enough twists and turns. I mean brilliant twists and turns like from Poirot, Morse, and A Touch of Frost for some. John Nettles MMs would have you on the edge of your seat This was really at or near JN great episodes quality. Distinct, interesting characters in a fascinating story. Things got very unpredictable as the story progressed with brilliantly placed red herrings up to the very end. And poor Bella (Georgia Taylor) put in one dreadful situation after another. I really enjoyed Georgia Taylor's work especially. Only downside maybe a little bit more Sarah (Fiona Dolman) is always a treat. 10* without much debate for me.