Barnaby has to deal with a murder at the wedding reception for a local aristocratic family as well as daughter Cully's upcoming nuptials.Barnaby has to deal with a murder at the wedding reception for a local aristocratic family as well as daughter Cully's upcoming nuptials.Barnaby has to deal with a murder at the wedding reception for a local aristocratic family as well as daughter Cully's upcoming nuptials.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe bridesmaids / flower girls at Cully and Simon's wedding are played by the granddaughters of producer Brian True-May.
- GoofsAlthough Barnaby is correct in saying that there are no snakes in New Zealand, he is quite wrong about there being no spiders: there are numerous spider species found across the whole country, both native and introduced.
- Quotes
[Jones is interviewing guests at the wedding]
DS Ben Jones: If I could start with you, Mr Colk-key-hown.
[stunned silence]
DS Ben Jones: Mr Colk-key-hown?
Randall Colquhoun: [patronisingly] It's pronounced "Co-hoon".
DS Ben Jones: You're the best man, I gather.
Randall Colquhoun: I *was*.
DS Ben Jones: A friend of the family, then?
Randall Colquhoun: No, sworn enemy! What do *you* think?
Harry Fitzroy: Look, we have family matters to discuss. Do we really have to do this now?
DS Ben Jones: Yes. And I'll also need to talk to the vicar who was just here.
Harry Fitzroy: Who? Uncle Marcus?
DS Ben Jones: But I'm happy to start with you - and Mr Colk-key-hown.
- ConnectionsReferences Upstairs, Downstairs (1971)
- SoundtracksWedding March
Written by Felix Mendelssohn
"Blood Wedding" was a great episode and not just one of the best Season 11 episodes but also better than any episode from the previous season. It is a massive improvement over the Season 11 opener "Shot at Dawn", which was a huge let-down in almost every department apart from the production values, music, acting (as the actors do what they can) and the opening scene.
Flaws for "Blood Wedding" are hardly any. The murderer's motives are old-fashioned and pretty flimsy and the rabbit scene was a little gratuitous.
However, the production values as always are just great, 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.
There are some thoughtful and humorous moments in the script, which is generally well structured and crafted, and the supporting characters are entertaining enough. The story is very compelling, very easy to follow and one of the show's tightest paced and to-the-point episodes in a while. Really appreciated the first murder happening early on and that we didn't have to sit through at least 30 minutes of exposition (which varied in how interesting and necessary it was in most of the previous season and in "Shot at Dawn"). More red herrings, clues and twists and turns than with some of the previous episodes, and the characters are back to the colourfully eccentric ones.
Cully's wedding subplot was lovely and well-balanced and how great it was to see Troy again, with even a reference to his notoriously careless driving. The murderer's identity was a surprise and actually the last person personally suspected, there is a brilliant attempt just before all is revealed at the audience being deliberately misled into who the killer was.
John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Can't fault the supporting cast either.
All in all, great episode and massive improvement over the season opener. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 12, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Church, Peppard, Oxfordshire, England, UK(wedding of Ned Fitzroy and Beth Porteous)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime2 hours
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 4:3