Downton and Midsomer Reflection

I admitted here a week ago my shameful secret: I have watched every episode of Midsomer Murders. Looking back on Tuesday’s episode (a far better call than trekking out to Upton Park to see West Ham get thrashed) the new Barnaby/Jones combo grows on me. But…

The storyline was as implausible as ever. That does not matter, for comedy value, bloody murders and intrigue Midsomer is a winner. My only complaint about this episode was that the murderer was so completely obvious.

There were about eight characters to start with. By three quarters of the way through the show three were dead. Two of the remaining five were of Indian origin. Given the controversy about how Midsomer has historically had an all-white cast it seemed inconceivable that however much of a weirdo control freak the Indian dad was that either he or his drippy daughter could be a killer. Imagine the headlines: Midsomer’s first ever non white character is a murdering Indian chemist.

So that left three contenders. Maureen Lipman is about 170 so could not have hurled a knitting needle let alone a javelin, lump of rock or discuss. One of the other characters was clearly evil, horrid, hated all those who died (indeed was shagging the wife of one of them) and was therefore obviously not guilty. And that left…the murderer (his colleague who was also shagging his student, the drippy Indian girl). Bang. I got there several ad breaks before Barnaby and Jones.

Notwithstanding that it was a great show with Sykes the Dog now my favourite animal actor. A superstar.

And now to Downton. Will the Earl of Grantham and family be booted out of their familial home? Will the thick and not so pretty daughter marry the man of her dreams (that old bloke who used to be in Cold Feet when he was prematurely middle aged about 15 years ago)? Will Thomas finally get his comeuppance downstairs? Will Matthew Crawley decide that his high minded principles are a relic of a bygone age? Do not bother contacting me after 9 PM tonight, I shall be finding out.