MovieChat Forums > Midsomer Murders (1998) Discussion > Kind of rare

Kind of rare

posted 3 years ago by pluckytotheend (263)
8 replies | jump to latest

I consider Midsomer Murders to be a conventional nuts and bolts murder/mystery drama and yet in some ways it isn't. I"m not just referring to the obvious plot element where a character or characters who appear on an episode espouse a belief in the supernatural. There have been plenty of those episodes. Rather an underlying acknowledgement of the spirit world. I personally can't think of a crime show which has that kind of open flexibility unless they are clearly labeled a sci-fi/fantasy series, which isn't the case with this series. Should I consider this to be a british cultural trait?

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 3 years ago

There have certainly been quite a few episodes with ghosts/UFOs/local legends and folklore as plot elements. There was even a John Nettles episode where he (and we) actually saw a ghost at the end!

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 3 years ago

I personally can't think of a crime show which has that kind of open flexibility unless they are clearly labeled a sci-fi/fantasy series, which isn't the case with this series. Should I consider this to be a british cultural trait?

Thinking about this some more, Murder, She Wrote certainly had a number of supernaturally themed episodes/movies. Off the top of my head, there were at least three dealing with ghosts, two with witches, and one about a vampire. That's on top of several that involved local legends and folklore.

[–] pluckytotheend (263) 3 years ago

My point is that a show like X-Files would naturally be expected to have its share of supernatural entities or events because it was clearly a fantasy or science fiction series whereas Midsomer is considered a straightforward crime series which occasionally includes supernatural entities and events. That makes it unusual. Did Murder She Wrote have actual entities or events of a supernatural nature or were they merely suggestive plot material? I never watched the show.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 3 years ago

I get what you're saying. Some of those Murder, She Wrote episodes/movies, once the main mystery had been solved, did have endings that hinted the supernatural may have been involved after all. Things such as a glimpse of a ghostly figure, a sound of disembodied laughter, or a civil war era (I believe) photograph hinting that a character had in fact been a vampire.

[–] pluckytotheend (263) 3 years ago

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[–] pluckytotheend (263) 3 years ago

A quick thanks for the information. As I was responding to you my television was on "Matlock" and I suddenly remembered that there was an episode from that series where a murder victim's spirit comes to Matlock asking him to uncover the truth surrounding his death.

[–] DoctorThirteen (13920) 3 years ago

No problem. I remember there was an early episode of the original CSI, where Grissom and (I think) Catherine are in a room with a dead woman. As they begin their examination Grissom turns to Catherine and says something like 'Did you hear that?', or 'Do you feel that?', followed by 'Her spirit's still here', or 'Her spirit's leaving'. Sorry it's so vague. I've had a quick look online but I can't find an episode that looks an obvious match.

There was a CSI: NY episode called Boo set in what was meant to be the Amityville Horror house https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1090856/. I don't remember if there were any actual paranormal events though.

[–] pluckytotheend (263) 3 years ago

I also recall a supernatural event from the old "Lou Grant" series (5x10 and free on Youtube) that starred the late Ed Asner. An alleged haunted house where I think a crime had been committed. I suppose there's more examples scattered out there.