Midsomer Murders - Shot At Dawn [DVD]

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If you have watched several dozen episodes as I have, from first through this one, this is probably one of the worst, if not the worst, to date. Disjointed for most of the episode, with some unintended hilarity if you think about it; in scenes like the tractor scene or the machine gun scene. There are a few positives for "Shot at Dawn". The production values are without fault, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. The whole characterisation of Tom Barnaby is markedly different from normal - in the pub "fight" scene, Barnaby displays a degree of middle-middle class food snobbery which you might expect from part-time restaurateur Henry Crabbe, less so from full-time copper Tom Barnaby. Richard Griffiths (RIP) played Henry Crabbe as a "crabby" character, but with a lightness of touch and a degree of sly humour which John Nettles did not bother to bring to this re-characterisation of Tom Barnaby.

Midsomer Murders" has been one of my favorite series for quite a some time now. John Nettles era is in my opinion way better than Neil Dudgeon's, but there were some bad episodes when Nettles was around. "Shot at Dawn" is in my opinion one of those episodes. It's not an abysmal entry to the series, but it is terrible indeed. Brother–Sister Incest: Subverted, as the prospect is raised with respect to the newly-engaged Sophie and Will, who are unaware that her mother and his father have been carrying on for decades; Arabella only laughs and says that she's been very careful to ensure none of her children are the result of the affair. Nice filming location Midsomer Murders? Situated between Aylesbury and High Wycombe, Princes Risborough is a town that’s often seen on the little screen in Midsomer episodes. It has the audacity to be both charming and steeped in history.McGuffin: Barnaby has proof of who the murderer is in a box, and even refers to it as a “ McGuffin” when Jones asks him what it is. Why You Shouldn’t Visit: With a name like Cuddington, you might never want to leave. And can you really afford to disappear into a fictional English county? This episode is somewhat overdone with strange gadgets, murdering hay balers, a baguette fight in a pub - it's all silly. Barnaby is out of character, I think because it's a recycle from another show, and Jones is hardly in it. Donald Sinden, George Cole and Samantha Bond do what they can with weak material, Bond for example having some very stilted and clumsy "humorous and cutting" lines, and John Nettles and Jason Hughes also try very hard to enliven proceedings. As aforementioned, the opening scene is harrowing and poignant and it was a shame that the rest felt like a completely separate episode.

Gosia’s Take: “Cuddington lived up to its cuddly name, although I did keep one eye open for Barnaby!” We found this particular episode the best next to Midsomer Rhapsody. Now we didn't mind there wasn't a murder right away as we were interested in the story. This particular episode had more interesting & entertaining dialogue than most. The characters were well played & well suited to their parts. We enjoyed the interaction of each & found the humour outstanding & truly made the show. I even think the actors enjoyed themselves in their parts or at least seemed to. The Hammonds are upper class, upper crust, snotty with a plethora of secrets. A Gay husband, an affair having, pill popping wife, a lesbian daughter and the elder daughter (who works for a clinic for the lower class). Is Causton England a real place? Causton – the bustling hub of Midsomer where no one is safe from the local drama. As real as it might feel, Causton exists only in the vivid imaginations of Midsomer Murders’ creators. So, unless you’ve found a secret portal to fictional places, you won’t be booking a B&B in Causton anytime soon. How many Midsomer villages are there? These are yet another set of five Midsomer locations that you should avoid at all costs—unless you’re fine with the risk of never wanting to leave such dreadful beauty. But don’t worry, we’ve still got more places to caution you about. Keep an eye out for our next dive into this paradoxical paradise. 16. Princes Risborough

Tropes:

Darek’s Take: “Princes Risborough felt like a chapter straight out of a storybook, except with fewer dragons and more detectives.”

Barnaby and Jones are not their usual selves and it does take too time up until anything compelling happens. Even the leaking kitchen roof scene echoes similar scenes of leaking pipes in the restaurant kitchen in "Pie In The Sky". I could go on, but if you have read this far you are probably having trouble staying awake. The script is a shallow mess with uninteresting characters, ridicolous moments (I agree that the pub fight was childish) and vulgarity. This is one of the first times in "Midsomer Murders" where full frontal female nudity is shown and sex seems to be an endless subject. I was quite disgusted at times to be honest. Shot at Dawn is the first episode of the eleventh series of Midsomer Murders and originally aired 1 January 2008.

See also

Why You Shouldn’t Visit: The Roald Dahl Museum might cast a spell on you. You’ll leave with more books than you can carry. He uses remote control vehicles several times, either by crashing a vehicle the victim is in or using a vehicle to chase someone down. Waste of time too were the third rate WW I scenes, and how did a man who ran from battle, sentenced to death for cowardice, ever earn a name on the plaque of fallen heroes? Outrageous, as nothing suggested that he was anything but what he had been convicted of. In fact it was misleading as one might have thought that there was some conspiracy maintained through several generations that would be unraveled during the episode, but it was in fact filler for feuding families and that is all, and haven't we seen that before on this show? The feuding families that is.