MovieChat Forums > Midsomer Murders (1998) Discussion > Realism left it from the first

Realism left it from the first

posted 9 years ago by westpenn49
23 replies | jump to latest

Realism isn't essential for TV the Avengers was one of my favorite shows ever and no one in that show acted "real" but that was the premise and it worked. From the get go Midsommer has huge holes. Would you stand squarely beside someone who is about to be shotgunned? The pellets spread, some quite quickly. Yet in both scenes of the death of Bella the brother is right beside her. Having him move quickly away as his sister fires would only make sense and would be easy enough to accomplish, but no the show is just lazy that way. :(

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

it's never been famous for realism. one of the craziest things about it i think is the way that any event - a bellringing contest, a literary festival, a film being made etc, At which people are being murdered, is never ever cAlled off. nobody ever thinks that people being murdered in large numbers is a reason to call off anything.

[–] lantzn 9 years ago

The one that gets me is when the person being murdered never moves or runs out of the way of something falling on or hitting them. They just stand there frozen to be killed. Ugh

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

that is crazy. in particular i remember the one where a man is standing there while a big cabinet falls on him - he's glued to the floor apparently. and there are lots of other scenes like that.

[–] lantzn 9 years ago

That's the first one I thought about when I posted.

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

Just been watching 'judgement Day'. another unmoving victim - someone comes at him with a pitchfork and he just stands there.

[–] velcronewsletter 8 years ago

it's annoying to watch when you know they're going to be killed but remember the fight or flight response of the body and it makes more sense. unfortunately the fight response usually ends up in them not doing that at all

[–] maryrosenkranz 9 years ago

I've only ever watched the ones with Barnaby. I think it's interesting that they seem to have an awful lot of murders-period. And why not many seem to know who Barnaby is(that is the murders that occur within Midsomer & surrounding areas). But I still love to watch them(mainly for the characters). Every show has it's lack of realism. Some more than others.

[–] smcbee27 9 years ago

That's the same as show from Miss Marple to Jessica on Murder She Wrote. Why aren't people suspecting insert name since murder always happens near them. That's simply a need to suspend belief to enjoy murder shows.

[–] willjohn 8 years ago

Barnaby is in charge of the district homicide team. He only does homicides.

[–] louiseculmer 8 years ago

seems rather unlikely there would be a need for a homicide team in a small and mainly rural county like Midsomer though.

[–] herman-kilk 8 years ago

Well obviously there is a need for a homicide team for Midsomer since it appears to be the most hazardous area in Britain :P

[–] GladysOver 9 years ago

Realism isn't essential for TV

Yet in MM's case and similar - despite a much mocked astronomical homicide rate and being set in a wholly fictional English county, still has to have at least a foundation/basis in reality for viewers to consider it broadly plausible and thus watchable.

Indeed, if MM's plots and/or visual ascetics are too removed from what viewers consider to be reality then they would likely stop watching.

.....which is probably why none of Midsummer county's legion of murderers has yet attempted to murder someone using a nuclear missile that they've got stashed in their garage and of which they stole from Greenham Common airbase back in the day whilst cunningly disguised as an angry lesbian....(I just made that scenario up, could you tell?) for example!



Ever cynical viewers would inevitably consider such a scenario, to use the technical term: 'f^cking stupid'. And rightly so of course. Hence "realism" evidently has to be broadly proportional for show's of MM's ilk otherwise they simply don't work.

[–] smcbee27 9 years ago

Apparently the "realism" extends to people of any color! I've rarely if ever seen such a white show. Even their staff, cleaners, gardeners, etc are all white! Not one person of color worked in that relish factory! Really?

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

There have lately been more coloured people in it. But there are generally not many coloured people in the English countryside, so it isn't particularly unrealistic to not see coloured people in it.
Other programmes have been much less realistic on this score. You hardly ever saw a coloured person in Inspector Morse for instance, despite Oxford having a large Asian community. Likewise, I don't think you ever saw many in Taggart, whch was set in Glasgow, where there is also a very large ethnic population. Yet I don't remember either programme being criticised on this count.

[–] smcbee27 9 years ago

Speaking of realism. It drives me nuts that police procedure seems to be thrown out the window at every turn. Does the UK allow "fruit from the poisonous tree"? If they did what they do on tv in the States a half dead lawyer would get every case thrown out based on lack of warrants, faulty search & seizures, etc. It REALLY bothers me even though I realize it's probably done for the pace of the show. They used to mention they were not following procedure but they don't anymore. How would the average Brit feel if they came home and found police going through their home without a warrant? Offer them tea, if you take this show as realistic.

[–] lantzn 9 years ago

I can't remember which episode but it was the one where Barnaby is explaining to Troy how Barnaby's illegal procedures are OK because they move the case forward but Troy's aren't because they don't. At least I think it was Troy. That just cracked me up to no end.

[–] Kahlidah 9 years ago

I can't remember which episode but it was the one where Barnaby is explaining to Troy how Barnaby's illegal procedures are OK because they move the case forward but Troy's aren't because they don't. At least I think it was Troy. That just cracked me up to no end.

Am pretty sure that is Scott, not Troy, that Barnaby says that too. Scott wants to punch one of the suspects but Barnaby says no. Later, he sends Scott to search a place without a warrant and that is when Scott questions him about the illegal procedures.

[–] lantzn 9 years ago

That's the one.

[–] blade101167 9 years ago

Oh do come on. For it's subject matter - multiple murder in almost every episode - Midsomer has never been the most serious of the ITV detective dramas and that has always been it's charm.

To me, I think of it as Inspector Morse meeting Hot Fuzz and I can't recall a single dark episode where there was no humour whatsoever or the killer/s were truly evil. Nearly all Morses were dark while Frost had several... but never Midsomer. Therefore we can forgive it's lack of realism since we're all too acutely aware that true murder is never humourous.

[–] agnabeya 9 years ago

Midsomer Murders is not a 'cop show' with realism.
It's about the totally bonkers people living in a fictional English setting.
The 'landed gentry' are usually completely eccentric (or completely nuts, if you prefer), self made businessmen are almost always ruthless with disfunctional families....and the actual muders are always inventive and tend to happen to nasty people.

The humour and banter are so English.

I know just what to expect when I watch it, and I love it.
At least the John Nettles ones.

I find his replacement has made it seem more of a 'cop shoe', and for that I like Morse, Lewis and Endeavour.
MM should never be realistic.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] david_kravitz 8 years ago

You can have lots of fun picking holes in Midsomer Murders. Here are just a few.

1. In real life murders are not very common. Not only are they common in Midsomer but each murderer is a serial killer.

2. There are many more female killers than male.

3. Suspects' photographs are pinned up in the office and are usually professional portraits.

4. We can always tell when a murder is coming. Surely the actors can hear it as well and take cover?

5. In episode 18.6 the DS approaches the door of a pub only to be advised by the DCI standing behind him that it is locked. How did he know?

6. Are these two the only detectives operating in Midsomer county? No sergeants, no inspectors, nobody above DCI?

7. Big name stars appearing either get killed before the first commercial break, else they are unmasked as the killer at the end.

I could go on... and on... and on!

[–] shadesofhades 8 years ago

Can't disagree with any of the complaints in this thread. But I gave up on it during the second or third series because none of the episodes lived up to the first one, not because of the lack of realism. Lack of realism is surely part of its charm for most people, and how realistic are things like CSI or Dexter? They're just as bad, if in a different way.

On the other hand, when I'm flicking through channels to kill some time and I stop on Midsomer, I often see a good-looking actress I either haven't seen for years or haven't even heard of in the first place. Caroline Langrishe is in the one on at the moment. Last time it was Fiona Dolman. Before that, Rebecca Egan. Realism can hang.

Apologies for lowering the tone - and going off topic - but there it is.