This was a particularly good outing for the new duo of Barnaby and Winter. A story that in some ways felt like a throwback to the earlier times in the show's history. Slightly more realistic killings, it didn't seem like they were going to bigger and more extravagant crimes. A great set of characters, some with the eccentricities that we've not seen for a few years, the neighbourhood law enforcement scheme seems a we bit far fetched in all fairness. Winter is proving to be a good replacement for the nondescript Nelson, and his relationship with Kam is proving interesting. A fantastic cast was put together here, it's obvious why Frances Barber is so much in demand, she is a class act. Finally Vicki Pepperdine has made an appearance, a comedy hero of mine, she's a fine straight actor, and possibly the star of the show, even Neil Morrissey, an actor I'm not really a fan of was very good. I thought the previous episode was excellent, and that trend has continued her with Crime and Punishment
12 Reviews
I keep asking myself how anyone is still alive in Midsomer
blanche-214 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
A man is killed due to a hit and run, which is crucial to the case in "Midsomer Murders: Crime and Punishment."
After this death, the man's sister, Ingrid (Frances Barber) begins a neighborhood watch in Bleakridge Village. They're a tough bunch and hold a hard line and a lot of people don't care for them.
Barnaby and Winter come on the scene when a butcher, Angus, is murdered while investigating some burglaries.
It turns out to be a complicated matter when an old, burnt car is found that has been missing for two years, there's another murder, and the burglar and his stash are discovered when someone sought to exact revenge.
I know someone said it was a recycled plot, but still, I enjoyed it. I'm intrigued by a possible relationship between the new coroner (Manjinder Virk) and Winter (Neil Hendrix). Like the shows with John Nettles, we're getting back to a nice blend of mystery and personal lives on the show.
After this death, the man's sister, Ingrid (Frances Barber) begins a neighborhood watch in Bleakridge Village. They're a tough bunch and hold a hard line and a lot of people don't care for them.
Barnaby and Winter come on the scene when a butcher, Angus, is murdered while investigating some burglaries.
It turns out to be a complicated matter when an old, burnt car is found that has been missing for two years, there's another murder, and the burglar and his stash are discovered when someone sought to exact revenge.
I know someone said it was a recycled plot, but still, I enjoyed it. I'm intrigued by a possible relationship between the new coroner (Manjinder Virk) and Winter (Neil Hendrix). Like the shows with John Nettles, we're getting back to a nice blend of mystery and personal lives on the show.
Who is targeting members of the Neighbourhood Watch in a remote village?
Tweekums4 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The Bleakridge is the most remote village in the Midsomer area and we are told it used to have a crime problem; this ended two years previously when, following the death of a man in a hit-and-run incident, his sister set up the Bleakridge Watch to patrol the village and identify trouble makers
it is clear from the start that The Watch it determined to make sure those in the village follow their rules
as Barnaby describes it; The Rural Stasi.
As the episode starts one member notices that the butcher's shop is unlocked; when the rest of The Watch turn up they enter the shop and find his body in the freezer. When Barnaby and Winter arrive they learn that the dead man had been tasked with finding out who had been stealing from the homes of Watch members. Initial investigation throws up a few suspects including the publican whose business was threatened by the over-zealous actions of The Watch and a man who hasn't been out of prison for long. Of course there are more secrets to be exposed before the various crimes are exposed.
This was an entertaining enough episode although it was somewhat hampered by the fact that it was hard to believe that any village would tolerate a neighbourhood watch that acted like a private police force I know 'Midsomer Murders' isn't exactly renowned for its gritty realism but for me this was just a bit too unlikely too early the story. If you can get past this there are plenty of decent twists, some more obvious than others as well as some amusing moments. The identity of the killer isn't too obvious and there is also the matter of who is committing the burglaries. This is the second episode featuring DS Winter and so far I'm not that keen on the character; he seems a little too full of himself; especially around pathologist Dr Kam Karimore hopefully he will improve in time. Overall I'd say this episode was entertaining despite a few details I wasn't that keen on.
As the episode starts one member notices that the butcher's shop is unlocked; when the rest of The Watch turn up they enter the shop and find his body in the freezer. When Barnaby and Winter arrive they learn that the dead man had been tasked with finding out who had been stealing from the homes of Watch members. Initial investigation throws up a few suspects including the publican whose business was threatened by the over-zealous actions of The Watch and a man who hasn't been out of prison for long. Of course there are more secrets to be exposed before the various crimes are exposed.
This was an entertaining enough episode although it was somewhat hampered by the fact that it was hard to believe that any village would tolerate a neighbourhood watch that acted like a private police force I know 'Midsomer Murders' isn't exactly renowned for its gritty realism but for me this was just a bit too unlikely too early the story. If you can get past this there are plenty of decent twists, some more obvious than others as well as some amusing moments. The identity of the killer isn't too obvious and there is also the matter of who is committing the burglaries. This is the second episode featuring DS Winter and so far I'm not that keen on the character; he seems a little too full of himself; especially around pathologist Dr Kam Karimore hopefully he will improve in time. Overall I'd say this episode was entertaining despite a few details I wasn't that keen on.
Neighbourhood watch but not as we know it
Sulla-23 October 2017
OK there are two murders and a fatal hit and run from 2 years earlier. All connected of course. I will not go into details about the murders but they are suitably gruesome.
About half the village are in this Watch scheme headed by the lady of the manor played by the excellent Frances Barber.I found the concept of the scheme very interesting.Patrols are organised. Speeding tickets and parking tickets are issued. They even have the power to give orders to the local pub.
The landlady of the pub, played by the always excellent Katy Cavanagh, also has an interesting sideline. This explained half of the episode title.
In our IMDb cast list you will see a Neighbourhood watch member played by Jo Wheatley.I was amused to see that this lady has appeared in different roles in 10 of the recent episdes. She's a bit like Colin Dexter popping up in all the Morse stories. Look out for her !!
About half the village are in this Watch scheme headed by the lady of the manor played by the excellent Frances Barber.I found the concept of the scheme very interesting.Patrols are organised. Speeding tickets and parking tickets are issued. They even have the power to give orders to the local pub.
The landlady of the pub, played by the always excellent Katy Cavanagh, also has an interesting sideline. This explained half of the episode title.
In our IMDb cast list you will see a Neighbourhood watch member played by Jo Wheatley.I was amused to see that this lady has appeared in different roles in 10 of the recent episdes. She's a bit like Colin Dexter popping up in all the Morse stories. Look out for her !!
Women and men behaving badly
safenoe7 December 2020
Neil Morrissey, who rocketed to fame many years ago in Men Behaving Badly, guest stars in Crime and Punishment. One can get whiplash catching up with all the twists and turns, and we're kept guessing until the very end. One of the themes is when neighborhood watch patrols go bad, as in vigilante bad.
This one was good!
harrykivi30 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
19.season of Midsomer continues to suprise. Crime and punishments is a fine episode with well written script and some good twists. Performances are nice and shining.
But it's hard to think that the village would tolerate that sort ruining of privacy.
And the solution material seems to come from another previous midsomer, but it is 7/10.
Just as good as the previous episode
TheLittleSongbird29 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 bag, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.
Season 18 was mostly unimpressive, with "Breaking the Chain" faring weakest and "Saints and Sinners" and "The Incident at Cooper Hill" not faring much better. The season did have two good episodes, the best being "A Dying Art" and "Harvest of Souls" being a close second.
"The Village that Rose from the Dead" was a very solid and promising start to Season 19. The proceeding episode "Crime and Punishment" (nothing to do with the book by Fyodor Dostoevsky) is just as good and does nothing to diminish the promise set by the previous episode.
Kam once again, and people are probably going to find this criticism rather old, does nothing for me. Dr Bullard is very much missed and while Kate was bland Kam lacks even more personality and still comes across as a condescending know-it-all. Her chemistry with Winter is quite good, but that's it. It is agreed too that the neighbourhood watch stuff was rather silly and far-fetched.
Conversely, the production values however cannot be faulted as usual. 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.
Writing is thought-provoking and some of the quirky and gentle humour juxtaposes well with the dark murder theme and the twists and turns, the episode not feeling overly serious or heavy like some John Barnaby-era episodes as a result. The story is never simplistic, neither is it convoluted, with a surprising ending that manages to just about be plausible rather than convoluted or distastefully over-the-top. The ending and motive are somewhat recycled but luckily it isn't convoluted and doesn't verge on pantomime. The characters are closer to the eccentric and fun characters rather than the bland and pantomimic characters seen in too many latter season episodes, am including the later Tom Barnaby-era episodes too in this.
Winter has more to him and is settling more than he did in the previous episode. Liked the chemistry between Barnaby and Sarah, which has come on a long way since Neil Dudgeon first took over, didn't care for it at all at first but now it has really improved. Sykes is sorely missed however. Neil Dudgeon looks comfortable and doesn't take it too seriously. Frances Barber (have always liked her) stands out in support as does Vicki Pepperdine. Clive Swift's character could have been a little more fleshed out however.
Overall, another strong episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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 bag, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.
Season 18 was mostly unimpressive, with "Breaking the Chain" faring weakest and "Saints and Sinners" and "The Incident at Cooper Hill" not faring much better. The season did have two good episodes, the best being "A Dying Art" and "Harvest of Souls" being a close second.
"The Village that Rose from the Dead" was a very solid and promising start to Season 19. The proceeding episode "Crime and Punishment" (nothing to do with the book by Fyodor Dostoevsky) is just as good and does nothing to diminish the promise set by the previous episode.
Kam once again, and people are probably going to find this criticism rather old, does nothing for me. Dr Bullard is very much missed and while Kate was bland Kam lacks even more personality and still comes across as a condescending know-it-all. Her chemistry with Winter is quite good, but that's it. It is agreed too that the neighbourhood watch stuff was rather silly and far-fetched.
Conversely, the production values however cannot be faulted as usual. 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.
Writing is thought-provoking and some of the quirky and gentle humour juxtaposes well with the dark murder theme and the twists and turns, the episode not feeling overly serious or heavy like some John Barnaby-era episodes as a result. The story is never simplistic, neither is it convoluted, with a surprising ending that manages to just about be plausible rather than convoluted or distastefully over-the-top. The ending and motive are somewhat recycled but luckily it isn't convoluted and doesn't verge on pantomime. The characters are closer to the eccentric and fun characters rather than the bland and pantomimic characters seen in too many latter season episodes, am including the later Tom Barnaby-era episodes too in this.
Winter has more to him and is settling more than he did in the previous episode. Liked the chemistry between Barnaby and Sarah, which has come on a long way since Neil Dudgeon first took over, didn't care for it at all at first but now it has really improved. Sykes is sorely missed however. Neil Dudgeon looks comfortable and doesn't take it too seriously. Frances Barber (have always liked her) stands out in support as does Vicki Pepperdine. Clive Swift's character could have been a little more fleshed out however.
Overall, another strong episode. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Math(s) equation: Hot Fuzz - comedy = this episode
lotekguy-127 July 2022
The summoning murder du jour takes our intrepid detectives to a remote town on the edge of their turf. So remote that the cops have always been too far away to deter local crimes. So they formed a citizens' watch group to patrol their hamlet, which drastically reduced the wave of offenses. The downside of their success is that the ones running that show have become rather overbearing. Power corrupts... as they say.
So more stuff occurs involving more people and crimes during the investigation, as is customary for this series. But the imperious committee running the idyllic village with such a heavy hand seemed straight out of the Hot Fuzz (one of my all-time favorite comedies) playbook. I kept waiting for the watchdog members to don black hooded robes and chant "for the greater good" at every turn. They didn't. But even without the laughs of that movie, this turned out to be one of Midsomer's more engaging and satisfying episodes.
So more stuff occurs involving more people and crimes during the investigation, as is customary for this series. But the imperious committee running the idyllic village with such a heavy hand seemed straight out of the Hot Fuzz (one of my all-time favorite comedies) playbook. I kept waiting for the watchdog members to don black hooded robes and chant "for the greater good" at every turn. They didn't. But even without the laughs of that movie, this turned out to be one of Midsomer's more engaging and satisfying episodes.
Interesting story with disappointing ending.
vitoscotti17 February 2023
The story had a science fiction tone with the brainwashed robotic community watch taking orders from power-hungry tyrant leader Ingrid Lockston (Frances Barber) who wasn't shy about overacting. The sheep mentality being led blindly off a cliff is a tool used commonly in British detective mysteries. The community watch premise though absurd to have people with nothing but time on their hands to be 24/7 non- paid police wannabes was intriguing. The story had steam all the way up to a well setup but preposterous "my dear friend" ending with the obligatory villain roof jumper. Nice comedy with the lovely "I'm very professional at my job" shiny black latex clad spanker. Barbara Walton (Vicki Pepperdine) tough not to overact as a church roof jumper.
Crime and Punishment
coltras3523 July 2022
Angus, a member of the Bleakridge Watch, a group of villagers who walk the streets reporting anyone who falls foul of the law, is found dead in his meat freezer. Barnaby and Winter meet Angus's devastated sister and her daughter and learn that Angus was investigating a recent spate of burglaries in the village, but had yet to identify the culprit. Angus' post-mortem reveals strange restraining injuries on his wrists and the plot thickens as Barnaby discovers just how far some people will go for power.
A solid mystery featuring a good performance by Frances Barber as a shrewd leader of the neighbourhood watch. There's some good plot twists, but it's never convoluted and it's straightforward. Neil Dudgeon as Barnaby does really well, balancing that humour and intelligence really well.
A solid mystery featuring a good performance by Frances Barber as a shrewd leader of the neighbourhood watch. There's some good plot twists, but it's never convoluted and it's straightforward. Neil Dudgeon as Barnaby does really well, balancing that humour and intelligence really well.
Old motive, old ending
mtzaremba11 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Possibly one of the weakest Midsomers I've ever watched but I believe this is what you get from the combination of surprisingly low chemistry between actors, repetition of the motive (used previously in 'Vintage Murder') and repetition of the ending (used previously in 'Dark Secrets').
What works well - as in every episode - are landscapes and English country side, coloured this time by good dialogues between DCI Barnaby and his adorable wife and even better story between still newly arrived DS Winter and Kam. They certainly have some past together and hope it will be revealed very slowly.
On a separate note, it was nice to see Clive Swift (Hyacinth's husband from unforgettable Keeping Up Appearances) and I wished they gave him a little bit more demanding role.
What works well - as in every episode - are landscapes and English country side, coloured this time by good dialogues between DCI Barnaby and his adorable wife and even better story between still newly arrived DS Winter and Kam. They certainly have some past together and hope it will be revealed very slowly.
On a separate note, it was nice to see Clive Swift (Hyacinth's husband from unforgettable Keeping Up Appearances) and I wished they gave him a little bit more demanding role.
Not a favourite
rosa_alba-7413026 April 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I have been a great fan of Midsomer Murders since the beginning, and while i don't think Barnaby 2 is as good as the original, his family is nicer.
Joyce and Cully were awful, drove me to distraction frequently.
Barnany 2 is usually not terrible, just mediocre every now and again.
This particular episode is one of the "really not good". Too much is just ridiculous. Who would really accept just silly village watch ? They go around like police wanna be's, writing parking tickets and interfering in everything. Come on, they don't have any real power. Anyone can just ignore them, and then what ? Are they going to stomp their feet like little kids ?
And Ingrid the demented - she is the typical bully. Was it not for her brothers death, she would have found some other excuse to annoy, interfere and bother people, because that's what bullies do.
Why would anyone take any notice of her ? Sitting there like lady muck.
I have to say it is very well acted by Frances Barber, to be that obnoxious, but not very believable.
And that is what ruins everything.
Joyce and Cully were awful, drove me to distraction frequently.
Barnany 2 is usually not terrible, just mediocre every now and again.
This particular episode is one of the "really not good". Too much is just ridiculous. Who would really accept just silly village watch ? They go around like police wanna be's, writing parking tickets and interfering in everything. Come on, they don't have any real power. Anyone can just ignore them, and then what ? Are they going to stomp their feet like little kids ?
And Ingrid the demented - she is the typical bully. Was it not for her brothers death, she would have found some other excuse to annoy, interfere and bother people, because that's what bullies do.
Why would anyone take any notice of her ? Sitting there like lady muck.
I have to say it is very well acted by Frances Barber, to be that obnoxious, but not very believable.
And that is what ruins everything.
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