Midsomer Murders (TV Series) A Dying Art (2016) User Reviews

The art of murder

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 4 February 2016]

As this episode opens wealthy landowner Brandon Monkford is holding the grand opening of his new woodland sculpture park; it doesn't go according to plan as he is found murdered on one of the sculptures. Inevitably there are plenty of suspects; he was planning to close a business run by his daughter and her partner, his wife was involved with another man, a local artist is upset that his work wasn't selected for the park, another sculptor claimed that he hadn't been paid, a group of villagers objected to the park and there was a surprising beneficiary in Brandon's will. As the investigation progresses more murders take place; each involving the placing of the victim on the sculptures. A sketch book is found that appears to show each of the crime scenes but it isn't obvious who it belonged to or whether the artist was the killer or merely provided the inspiration for the killings.

This was an enjoyable episode featured the inventive murders one might expect in this series; each fitting in with the episode's artistic theme in a macabre way. There are more than enough suspects; some of them delightfully unpleasant in a way that makes one pleased when they become the latest victim! The cast do an impressive job; most notably Ramon Tikaram who plays the unpleasant sculptor Lance Auden, David Bamber who plays Mrs Monkton's lover, Saskia Reeves who plays the Monkton's maid and Adrian Scarborough who plays her husband; an unexpected beneficiary of the will. When the killer is revealed it won't surprise viewers who subscribe to the theory that it is always somebody who appears to be a pleasant person and is played by somebody familiar! That said the killer's motives aren't far-fetched when we learn the details. Overall a pretty good episode that sound please fans of the series.

A solid episode, good performances.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 7 February 2016]

A new (hideous) sculpture is unveiled in the glorious, picturesque village of Angel's Rise. Celebrations are marred when a body turns up, after all, it is Midsomer.

I'd argue A Dying Art was a good, above average episode, I enjoyed it, but the 'artistic' themed murder in every case was perhaps a little overdone, although it did tie in well to the story.

Great acting, Cherie Lunghi and Saskia Reeves, both put in excellent performances, but as a lifelong fan of Ramon Tikaram, I enjoyed his performance most of all, he was brilliant, and cast pretty much against type, showing just how good an actor he was.

8/10, good story, bumped up by Ramon Tikaram's performance.

Good and solid episode in an unimpressive season

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 3 December 2019]

As a "Midsomer murders" fanatic I have not been a fan of 18th season whatsoever. "Habeas Corpus" was dull, "The Incident at Cooper Hill" okay at best and "Breaking the Chain" the weakest of the three. I'm glad that "A dying art" is by far the series best (even though not with out its flaws.)

Let's start with positives first.

. The production of "Midsomer" is always great and it is fantastic here as well with a very beautiful direction by Matt Carter and jaunting music.

. The story is interesting and as already said before: the most compelling narrative of the season with good twists, turns and characters.

. The cast does a very good job too. Ramon Tikaram and Saskia Reeves being wonderful with their character work.

. The solution (although not strong) has one of the more convincing motives of the past few years

But...

. It is agreed that the artistic murders side of the story leaves bit cold, because it feels like the screenwriter is trying to be too original for his own good.

. The identity of the killer is also quite predictable here.

. There are also parts of the story (like affairs or villagers against something new) that have been done better in older "Midsomer murders".

Overall, solid, but not perfect episode.

7/10 HK

Life can really be the pits

[pensman · 7/10 · 6 July 2016]

Quite a cast if you are a Midsomer fan: David Bamber (Daniel Fargo) who has been in three episodes now; Adrian Scarborough (Tony Pitt) also three; , Ramon Tikaram (Lance Auden) has now two plus you might recognize him as Mr. Honey in Stella; Saskia Reeves (Summer Pitt) putting in her number two, plus she has been in Shetland and Wolf Hall and Luther; and Cherie Lunghi (Alexandra Monkford) finishes the list with her second appearance. Obviously, I had some great expectations for this episode and it came close. As it begins we get a shot of one of those great English homes, then as the exterior is lit up and we move inside, there is a party going on so we know someone is about to die. Indeed, Brandon Monkford is welcoming people to celebrate the opening of his sculpture garden. As Clemmy Staples moves through the garden with nervous steps and furtive glances, she stops and rests at the base of a large piece of sculpture, and as she turns her head the body of the host is clearly seen (scream and cue the opening credits). This episode is more in the tradition of Midsommer Murders with a large number of unlikable suspects, unfortunately only two more of them are killed when I for one would have appreciated a larger swath of killings.

When Clemmy is interviewed by Barnaby she fails to mention her boyfriend, Brin Dunne, showed up uninvited in the garden that night or that he heads the village group (VASP) opposed to the sculpture garden. But she does mention her brother is engaged to Monkford's daughter. And the family though "upset" believe they will be in the will; but turns out they have been cut off completely in favor of groundskeeper Tony Pitt. Local artist Simeon Rowling is upset, not at the death, but that Monkford rejected his submissions for the garden. Rachel Monkford was absent from her father's big night claiming she was working on the books of the climbing center with her fiancé Killion Staples. A climbing center that is part of the estate but is getting pushed out by the sculpture garden. Then Fabian Monkford would like to sell off the estate and close the sculpture park; but after find out out he's cut off then he decides Tony Pitt has to go. Alexandra Monkford is having an affair with art critic Daniel Fargo; and Clemmy an affair with artist Lance Auden. And Brandon Monkford had decided he didn't want to pay Auden for his work. Whew.

Barnaby has his usual amount of starts and stops and manages to stop the killer from finishing their plan, but it's more through luck than detective work. He doesn't get those insight that his cousin Tom had much to the frustration of his detective sergeants and chief pathologist Dr. George Bullard.

The least they could do is give Sykes a bigger part.

One Of The Best Episodes

[WHicks10023 · 9/10 · 6 September 2021]

This is hands down one of the best of all Midsomer episodes. I was riveted and kept guessing from start to finish. Highly recommended!

Above average

[coltras35 · 7/10 · 26 July 2022]

Art comes to the Midsomer village of Angel's Rise with the opening of a new sculpture park, but when its launch is marred by murder, DCI Barnaby and DS Nelson are called to investigate. However, they must deal with an apparently unexplainable broken locket found near the scene of the crime, a host of suspects, and a complex web of deception. As the crime solving duo inspect further, they find they have to get creative to solve a case where art imitates death and everything has a deeper meaning

An above average MM with the usual quota of bizarre murders, eccentric suspects, and a particularly slimy one as played by Ramon Titakram - his character is one sleaze merchant.

Very enjoyable episode.

[vitoscotti · 9/10 · 7 January 2023]

Just silly enough as "Midsomer Murders" can masterfully push the envelope. But, keeping some sense of tv reality to the story. The one and out cast was a huge upgrade to the previous cycling episode weighed down with bad acting cardboard cutouts in key roles. At first I thought Lance Auden (Ramon Tikaram) was miscast as the ladies man artist. But, he as the episode progressed proved a wise choice with some convincing acting playing a very despicable character. Lovely ladies Cat Simmons (who oddly disappeared the last half of the episode), Cherie Lunghi, and Saskia Reeves beauty energized the stellar episode. Ending was intense but how the heck could an artist get their life's work portfolio stolen and be so mousey about it not reclaiming it or notifying the authorities.

Season 18 at its best

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 14 May 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". Season 17 was a mixed, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.

Most of Season 18, from personal opinion, was rather unimpressive, "Breaking the Chain" and "Saints and Sinners" falling particularly flat. What a pleasant surprise to see an actual good episode in "A Dying Art", calling it Season 18 at its best is saying a lot.

Not that it's without foibles. Still not a fan of Kam at all, she has little personality and continues to be a condescending know-it-all. Nelson is likable enough but takes too much of a back-seat, and yes would have liked to have seen more of Sykes. The story is a good one, which is more than be said for most of the season, and its elements are done solidly, but have been better and with more spark elsewhere. The killer's identity is not a surprise, by 'Midsomer Murders' it's somewhat formulaic.

Production values cannot be faulted as usual however. It's 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.

Scripting is thought-provoking and has a better balance of humour and grimness. The story is the most engaging, least ridiculous, most to the point and least padding filled of the season, with very few if any noticeable loose ends. The death toll is not too ordinary, nor outlandish, and despite the predictable identity of the killer there are far less far-fetched and convoluted motives of the show in general.

Cast is very good, Neil Dudgeon is the most enthusiastic he's been since the end of Season 17 and Gwilym Lee continues to have a likable charisma. The supporting cast is one of the strongest of the John Barnaby-era, with Ramon Tikaram fully deserving of the praise he's garnered and everybody else (with some familiar and talented names present) also being excellent.

Overall, a good episode and one of the few good ones of an unimpressive season. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Sculptural problems

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 10 October 2016]

This Midsomer Murders takes place at a park devoted to sculpture. The artist Lance Auden has heralded the opening of Brandon Monkford's sculptural park; not long after, Brandon Monkford is on top of one of Auden's statues...dead.

Monkford's wife, Alexandra, was having an affair with Daniel Fargo, an art critic, so one of them is right up there on the list of suspects. Monkford's daughter Rachel never wanted this park. She wanted a climbing center. Another suspect.

Then there are a group of villagers opposed to the park for environmental reasons.

Then it is learned that Monkford's groundsman, Tony Pitt, was left everything. He decides to carry on with what Brandon wanted - meaning the park. Guess who the next victim is.

There's another body draped on a sculpture as Barnaby and Nelson attempt to find out who is trying their own hand at sculpting dead bodies.

This reminded me of other episodes I saw recently. I hope this show isn't just becoming a program that has two or three templates and throws different names and organizations into each script. A group opposed to something is nothing new, nor are heirs, illicit affairs, and similar things to the denouement of this story.

Barnaby in this episode has to give a speech about his work to a class, and as he asks people for ideas on what to say, they all tell him the same thing: Every day is different. When it comes time to do the talk, he has to find his own way.

Nelson as usual shows his intelligence but for some reason he takes much more of a back seat than Troy or Ben Jones. I think it's because the writers of the current years haven't built up the camaraderie enough.

I hope they give this town opposition to a place and people who will benefit by the place staying around a rest. It's been used too much.

Ramon Shines Through

[malabarspiceghk · 7/10 · 1 July 2023]

Continuing the course of a lackadaisical Season 18 with some dreadful episodes in the earlier instalments, this one though surprisingly turned up a tard better. The previous episodes were wrought with horrid stories and bad acting. Overall the pace and the mystery was better than the other ones in the series. The episode was propped up a scintillating performance by Ramon Tikaram. It was nothing short of excellent and goes on to prove what a good actor he is. Saskia Reeves as usual was solid. The humour was also back, with Betty and Skeyks providing all the laughs. Hoping the series goes on to be like the earlier Seasons. Overall, a OK episode.