MovieChat Forums > Midsomer Murders (1998) Discussion > The worst episode of MM you've ever seen...

The worst episode of MM you've ever seen?

posted 8 years ago by GladysOver
23 replies | jump to latest

As the thread title implies, it's time to name and shame! What's the worst episode you've ever seen and why do find it so irredeemably dire?

I'll start: the more I watch MM repeats from John Nettle's tenure via ITV3 the more I realise that that utter turd of an episode from the most recent, largely poor new series will unlikely ever be beaten.

I am of course referring to that piss-poor UFO/drone themed 'Incident at Coopers Hill'. F^cking hell what a load of old cobblers that surely 'jumped the shark' several times over, and then some.

It's shortcomings are legion but here are some of the particularly poor lowlights:

- a lazily recycled premise - even by MM's usual 'regurgitated' tendencies, I.e. UFO's (of which was done far better the first time too).

- Michelle 'Eastenders' Collins.....as a cockney-accented, retired lead computer programmer/scientist/all round genius! Yes really. No, me neither.

- Collins' boffin character apparently building a drone craft back in the 80's boasting technological features arguably 40-50 odd years ahead of their time (not least because it had near silent VTOL capabilities that modern and even merely future/conceptual/proposed drone craft don't have ffs)!

- Pseudo child genius (Collins' character's daughter if I recall) who has a ludicrously implausible aptitude/affinity with mechanical equipment and found said top secret craft effectively abandoned/poorly guarded....because apparently successful, super advanced, super expensive and indeed 'effing revolutionary government-funded technology always gets shelved/stored away/forgotten about!

- Worse, said child genius was apparently capable of secretly rebuilding/restoring the drone craft to operational condition! Naturally like any self-respecting, drone-rebuilding child genius of the 21st century she possessed superlative knowledge of 80's tech and the suitable spare parts to do so of course......

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*sigh* As I say, what a turd of an episode this truly was. 

P.S. Before I'm likely reminded, yes, I fully appreciate that MM is pure fiction (obviously) but one's suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far....

P.P.S. Considering that the producers evidently didn't see a credibility problem casting Ian Beale's former slapper missus as a genius-like scientist/computer programmer from the 1980's one can only presume that Danny Dyer must've been too busy to take the role or something.... 

[–] pc-daisy 8 years ago

Haven't seen it yet, but I will certainly be on my guard!! I am still laughing at your use of the adjective "turd"!!

[–] Jakuja 8 years ago

The Straw Woman one is pretty silly and makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, if the murderer intends to commit suicide at the end anyway, what does s/he care if s/he has a rival? And to kill so many random people in hopes of pinning it on said rival so that said rival would get blamed for his/her death ... that's just ... sillier. If s/he pulls off the perfect suicide, there is nothing to need revenge for and the rival is no longer an issue, so... it was just stupid.

[–] JaneBingley 8 years ago

Night of the Stag.

Beyond awful.

[–] GladysOver 8 years ago

Night of the Stag.

Is that the one that culminates in the male population of two villages marching on the other to indulge in (or at least attempting) mass rape?!

If so that's a good choice and indeed the story is one of a few episodes to lazily feature some archaic ancient ritual/custom that's inexplicably still practiced..... completely unimpeded by local authorities! It's rural England ffs not some isolated Mormon or 'cult' settlement in the vast expense of the U.S.!

Blimey, I appreciate that MM is fiction but it must at least have a grounding in reality lest it render itself farcical.



[–] JaneBingley 8 years ago

Yes, that's the one.

The episode is terrible. Not because of the rape, but because the episode lacks any logic, story or suspense.
I dont find rape any more gruesome than murder, so that aspect did not bother me.

[–] Sleepin_Dragon 8 years ago

Night of the Stag rates as the worst, I can't believe they passed the script.

When he said Mr Leeman was dead i thought he said he's still in bed

[–] hickengruendler 8 years ago

This! It's a horrible episode.

[–] madseavets 8 years ago

- Collins' boffin character apparently building a drone craft back in the 80's boasting technological features arguably 40-50 odd years ahead of their time (not least because it had near silent VTOL capabilities that modern and even merely future/conceptual/proposed drone craft don't have ffs)!

Yep. And in spite of all the technology that was years ahead of its time, it didn't have GPS - which was available at the time (even if not in full scale use). It's a bit like the sci fi movies where they travel at the speed of light and still use computers with magnetic tapes!

[–] Marlburian 8 years ago

I think my nomination dates from early in the Neil Dudgeon era. It was set in a girls' boarding-school where the pupils wore St Trinian-style uniforms. The plot may have been OK - I can't remember much of it - but the uniforms were incongruous and, arguably, politically incorrect. It's as if the producers wanted to create their own fantasy world.

(And I am very far from being a prude.)

[–] GladysOver 8 years ago

It was set in a girls' boarding-school where the pupils wore St Trinian-style uniforms.

I think that's Dudgeon's first episode after Nettles left and it involved a classic car show on school premises if I recall correctly?

The plot may have been OK - I can't remember much of it - but the uniforms were incongruous and, arguably, politically incorrect.

Being "politically incorrect" is usually far from a bad thing, especially these days, but each to their own! My memory's hazy on this episode as it's not a favourite but the only thing I remember about the pupils is the cliched head bitch/mid-teens bad girl being portrayed by an actress so obviously in her early/mid twenties!

They have to do this of course as one can't realistically cast a 15 year old (or less) to portray a character so flirtatious and sexually confident and not expect a deluge of complaints/lurid accusations, but still.

[–] lollipop15 8 years ago

Yes, the episode with the "schoolgirl" who looked and sounded 10 years too old to be there is called Death in the Slow Lane.