Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Small Mercies (2009) User Reviews

Terror in Tiny Town

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 13 July 2013]

"Small Mercies" is a marvelous episode of "Midsomer Murders," as Barnaby and Jones investigate the murder of one Richard Tanner, found dead in a model village located in Little Worthy. He's tied to the ground like Gulliver in Gulliver's Travels, and he's surrounded by some of the tiny handmade residents of the village. The man who finds him, Ben Moss, is an old man who makes the models and keeps the grounds up for the owners, Hillary and Harriet Compton.

Tanner was known as troublemaker, and what he was doing in the village when it was closed at night is another matter. He had some sort of relationship with a schoolteacher and also with Krista Palfrey, whose father runs the hotel with his girlfriend, Bernice.

As is usual with these stories, the bodies start piling up, and there's a connection to the present murders from years earlier.

Fascinating episode with a top-notch cast that includes Margaret Tyzack and Caroline Blakiston as the sisters.

The little village is amazing.

Early indicator of Olivia's glorious future.

[lotekguy-1 · 7/10 · 1 July 2022]

As I write this, Olivia Colman has received 95 awards and nominations, per IMDb. 92 came after this guest appearance, capped by her compelling contribution at the end. Someone in the casting department had a keen eye for rising talent. Good call.

So much more then just the one with Olivia Colman.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 16 October 2019]

Small Mercies is a very enjoyable, fun episode, it's not vintage, but it has multiple positives.

Colman is outstanding as Bernice, there is no denying it, her delivery is phenomenal.

Fans of murder mysteries in general will see a multitude of killers from Miss Marple and Morse. I know people will of course love this episode because of Colman, but it's the mature duo of Margaret Tyzack and Caroline Blakiston that have the biggest presence. Tyzack, truly a terrific, much missed actress.

The model village looks fantastic. Generally terrific production values throughout.

One hilarious scene where Annabel seduces Steve, the baguette. There's also Joyce in that hat, and some of Christa's caustic lines are amusing.

Not a classic, but it's very good, and it is a whole lot of fun. 8/10

Fantastic episode.

[james_89 · 10/10 · 17 May 2010]

In the village of Little Worthy, caretaker Bob Moss arrives at the miniature village on a winters morning and finds a gruesome tableau; Richard Tanner has been stabbed and staked out amongst the tiny houses, replicating a scene from Gulliver's travels. Barnaby and Jones learn he was not a popular man, and was known to cause trouble. When moody teen and Richard's lover Christa Palfrey is impaled on a trident at the annual crazy craft race, the plot thickens and the race is on to catch a disturbed murderer...

This is a fantastic episode, something of a rarity these days. It is extremely dark and very bizarre but i can't complain when a story is as original and gripping as this. Also, it contains one of the best developed murderers in the entire series. Their identity is gradually revealed and makes perfect sense.

Brilliant stuff and one to watch, especially if you like something a bit different.

Murder in a really small village

[Paularoc · 8/10 · 18 September 2012]

A young trouble maker, Richard Tanner, is found murdered in a model village in Little Worthy. He had been stabbed and then tied up like Gulliver. The model village setting is magnificent and seeing it alone makes the episode worth watching. As often with this series there is an extraordinary number of strange and or unlikable characters. One of the most unlikable is soon found murdered during a crazy craft boat race - a race that looked to be great fun until the murder, of course. Suspects abound, the village teems with hatred, fear and dark secrets. As to be expected, yet another murder follows - more murders seem to happen in this series after the police arrive than before they get there. The resolution to the murders was a bit of a let down as there seems to have been no real motive except that the culprit was very mentally ill. However, the final confession scene was very well done. When watching this I kept thinking how familiar the two elderly sisters looked but just couldn't place them. It kept niggling at me until finally I remembered that I knew Margaret Tyzack from the Young Indiana Jones series and Carolyn Blakistan from her wonderful performance in At Bertram's Hotel. It was a real treat to see them and I wish their roles had been more substantial. Although a bit too dark and too many unlikable characters for my taste, this show was still a highly enjoyable watch.

Olivia Colman shines in Small Mercies

[safenoe · 7/10 · 7 March 2016]

Olivia Colman displayed impressive acting skills here as she starts playing the character with a coy and innocent demeanour, but then it really gets dark in the climax.

I was truly kept guessing until the end as to the culprit, and kudos to the writer. The model village was amazing and I would love to visit it! I know that it seems half the pubs around Oxfordshire have been used for Midsomer locations, but the model village I want to see.

One scene that was reminiscent of Basic Instinct was the love scene between a couple which by Midsomer standards didn't leave too much to the imagination, so I guess Midsomer is testing the ratings boundaries.

A Really Creative Episode

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 13 May 2016]

First of all, the setting is so interesting. It takes place in and around a miniature village. Can I assume that such a village exists and that the creators didn't have to build the entire set? Anyway, a man who is generally despised is found in this village, dead, anchored with cords, the way Gulliver was when the Lilliputians tied him down. Soon we are introduced to other characters. The caretakers of the village are falling on hard times. The village isn't bringing in much cash and people are dependent on it for their livelihoods. There are a couple of elderly ladies, one of whom is very edgy and curt; the other more calm. There is also a man who is the caretaker and a miniature artist. Living nearby is a man who takes care of two women, one a goth-like woman who surrounds herself with images of death. The other is a prissy sort of mama's girl (or so we think). They are at odds. The former is murdered and suspects are hard to find. The conclusion is a bit hard to swallow but satisfies the plot.

Not a bad episode.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 31 October 2009]

Midsomer Murders: Small Mercies is set in the small Midsomer village of Little Worthy where just after 9 O'Clock one morning model village maintenance man Bob Moss (David Ryall) makes a shocking discovery, Bob finds the dead body of local resident Richard Tanner (Jamie Treacher) in the middle of the scale model village tied down & surrounded by model villagers just like a macabre scene from Gulliver's Travel's. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) & DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes) are called in & lead the investigation, they find out that Richard wasn't well liked in Little Worthy & Barnaby feels there is more to the case than first appears. Then Richard's lover Christa (Matilda Sturridge) is also murdered, this time with a metal trident. With two murders to solve & plenty of suspects Barnaby once again has to work out the clues & solve the puzzle to unmask a killer before they strike again...

Episode 5 from season 12 this Midsomer Murders mystery was directed by Peter Smith is a pretty decent episode that almost reaches the height of greatness but not quite due to a slightly slow pace & a somewhat unsatisfying climax. Small Mercies starts off rather well with an intriguing mystery as a dead man is found in a scale model village tied down & surrounded by model people in a somewhat macabre set-up but then next to nothing happens for the next fifty minutes before the next murder & then the episode peters out with a somewhat limp ending that tries to go for emotion & tries to invoke some sympathy for the killer. Another aspect about Small Mercies that I thought needed more work was that no-one is really given enough motivation to kill Richard & we never really find out anything about him either & he almost seem inconsequential to the plot by the end. At almost two hours there's plenty of exposition so you need to pay attention & there's a certain eccentricity & likability to Small mercies with it's quaint model village & crazy fancy dress pond race but the meat & bones of the story just isn't that good or that satisfying although if you do like the series than Small mercies is still more than watchable & a decent enough entry.

This episode looks nice enough & the model village is a cool setting to use, it's very impressive looking & I wouldn't mind a visit myself although it's quite far from where I live as it's the real life Bekonscot Model Village in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire. The murders happen off-screen although one is seen during a flashback & there's a couple of swear words in here too. The acting is as good as usual & the regulars were solid.

Small Mercies is decent enough Midsomer Murders episode that I wouldn't call a classic but is in the upper echelon of later season episodes. Good but not great.

Watchable but perfunctory

[an-mclellan · 23 January 2010]

So another episode rolls off the Midsomer Murders production line.

I've just seen this here in Germany on DVD (Jan 2010 ) and can compare it with earlier episodes now being shown on local TV. There are a number of differences with the previous shows being fresher (of course) but with a noticeable emphasis now on sexing up the show (i.e. the naked model in the recent Black Book - not necessary in a well written/directed episode ) and showing more gore. Is this to compensate for a lack of new ideas and cohesive plots? Or has research revealed that this is what many viewers want? I don't expect a Midsomer plot to be realistic as the show exists in it's own world but it sometimes now feels if it's being put together by numbers (secrets and spies exemplifying this for me).

Small mercies is an undemanding way of spending ninety minutes or so (without adverts)if not being a particularly outstanding tale. A body is found in a model village (a nice setting) and Barnaby and co meet a variety of suspects until the culprit is caught. The plot didn't always make sense (the revelation about a love child felt a bit desperate) and the ending not so plausible. There were some very odd elements (the cemetery in the sisters garden) and scenes - such as the detectives openly suggesting to Bob Moss that he killed the victim - which were not in keeping with past episodes format. The actors played their parts well, although most were underused in the script. This being especially true of the two well known actresses playing the sisters, their roles were rather restricted and I would have liked to see them better employed. It seemed as if it was all shot on a tight budget - few shots of the real village to further establish the atmosphere and in the hotel no guests and only one member of staff - no cooks in the kitchen.

It was all a bit lifeless and drab, a feeling emphasized by the time of year it was filmed in. In another show this might have highlighted a certain mood but here it dampened down the episode somewhat.

Now Midsomer has become a brand (as one of it's producers described it in a newspaper article) more episodes will probably be as this one, acceptable to see but not over involving, quantity of episodes being more important than the quality.

Midsomer Murders in horror style

[znatokdetectiva · 8/10 · 12 November 2020]

Midsomer Murders is one of the best detective shows, in my opinion. Unfortunately, season 12 came out rather weak, despite the wonderful Jason Hughes and his character Ben Jones. In fact, I can't give any episode a solid 10 ("The Dogleg Murder "is quite atmospheric but not serious enough,"The Glitch" is a bit boring, "The Creeper" is actually good for everyone, but the killers are absolutely disgusting), and three episodes ("Secret and Spies" and especially "Great and Good" and "The Black Book") were particularly bad. "Small Mersies "is an ambiguous episode, brilliant in the first viewing, but somewhat disappointing in the second (in fact, this is the problem of many maniac films, even those as brilliant and exceptional as "Driven to Distraction" from Inspector Morse). On the one hand, it is quite interesting, atmospheric, there are several colorful characters, and the final conversation with the killer is gorgeous. On the other hand, from the second viewing, the episode becomes somewhat boring, because the denouement is already known and all the tension and atmosphere subsides. The acting performances are pretty good, especially Olivia Colman stands out in my opinion. In General, quite an interesting, although not the best episode. 9/10

Despite not being one of the best episodes, generally one of the better episodes of Season 12

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 18 February 2017]

As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.

Season 12's "Small Mercies" may not be one of the best 'Midsomer Murders' episodes, but is up there to me as one of the better episodes of the twelfth season, faults and all. On par with "The Dogleg Murders" and "The Black Book" and better than "The Glitch" and "Secrets and Spies" (also remember "The Great and the Good" being inferior). In short, "Secrets and Spies" is a decent episode that had a lot of ingredients of being a great one.

Tanner is too underdeveloped as a victim and a better job agreed could have been done exploring the motives of the rest of the characters, for such a disliked character that side could have been really fascinating and didn't quite feel explored enough. Much of the story is interesting, though there are parts that had too much of an odd vibe or didn't quite come together due to things not being as developed as it could have been.

Going to join those who found the ending strangely dissatisfying. Interesting murderer and very well played, but like a previous reviewer from seeing their reviews for other episodes there is a preference for the darker, more twisted and over-the-top motives. But am less of a fan of dull or random motives and even more so of endings that try too hard to make one feel sympathy for the killer, both of which "Small Mercies" does.

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, as well as a genuinely creepy horror-like look in places. Oh and that model village is incredible, and the murders are some of the show's most inventive, especially the Gullivers Travels-like one. 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.

"Small Mercies" script has a nice balance of humour and drama and provokes thought, while the direction lets the atmosphere breathe but mostly doesn't let the momentum suffer even in an exposition-heavy episode. The story is wonderfully dark and bizarre, and avoids being simplistic or convoluted, with more focus and a better ending it would have been even greater.

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, with great performances from Olivia Coleman, Margaret Tyzack and Caroline Blakiston.

Overall, flawed but one of the better Season 12 episodes. 7/10 Bethany Cox

up until the ending it's very good

[mgl-92037 · 7/10 · 9 May 2022]

I have to say this was the worst ending of any episode I've watched. Other reviewers have written about that problem. The reason I'm giving the episode 7 stars is that I enjoyed the earlier parts a lot. The portrayal of small tourist town living as hell on earth was very well done.

Very poor

[enkiddu-725-703632 · 2/10 · 3 May 2010]

"Small mercies" is the work by Peter J. Hammond. He is my least preferred script-writer for MM, because all his scripts go along the same scheme that does never change! "Small mercies" is no exception, if you compare this episode to previous Hammond's works, you'll see they are all alike! "Dark Autumn" + "Death and Dreams" + "Bad tidings" + "Things that go bump in the night" + "Dead letters" + "Dance with the Dead": 1) the murder occurs right in the end of the film, or the body is discovered, the police cars arrive, the whole village is alert. We never know anything about the victim 2) all these episodes contain a "psycho" touch, the murderer is usually mentally deranged or is a little bit mad or plays some bizarre tricks (like in Bad tidings). 3) The character in Hammonds scripts are very pale, not elaborate, they evidently serve as the background - sometimes too much, like in "Dance with the Dead" where the murderer is shown twice before the exposing but other characters are still so insignificant that it's palpable right from the start! 4) When the murderer recounts his "deeds" he begins with the last murder and then goes to the first one. The only exception is "Bad Tidings" - I really enjoyed that episode but it also fits very well in the usual Hammond's scheme. So, "Small Mercies" is made in the same patterns, without any changes, so right at the beginning one can guess who is the murderer - like I did. So, this episode doesn't deserve a high vote - 2 out 10. Very poor.

Spectacular beginning that fizzles

[wjspears · 6/10 · 25 September 2021]

The very beginning with the first victim tied down like Gulliver in Lilliput was a terrific opening. Unfortunately, the plot meandered after that opening.

Like other reviewers have noted, I find murder mysteries where the killer turns out to be mentally or emotionally challenged to be some of the least interesting stories. The only type worse, is serial killer mysteries. The reason is that motive becomes superfluous--they're crazy so they kill. Figuring out motives in this type of murder mystery is a fool's game.

When Christa reveals that she had sex with the first victim, just before he was murdered, why would Barnaby not at least entertain the possibility that the reason for the murder might be the "defiling" of the model village, and that Christa might be in danger, as well.

As it turns out, Christa was probably bound to die anyway, for reasons other than "defilement". But Barnaby could not have known that at the time.

Some of the characters were suitably eccentric, and interesting to watch, such as the murderer. But too many were the stock characters you see in too many murder mysteries.

Such as the elderly sisters. One was nice and helpful, while the other was nasty and pompous. You could win a lot of money betting on the nasty one meeting a grisly death by the end credits!

This was not as bad as some reviewers rate it, but it was disappointing.

Solid, though not great.

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 19 November 2022]

As said before, the 12th season is not of "Midsomer Murders" best. There are a lot of average to solid episodes in that season, but not any great ones. "Small Mercies" though is arguably the best episode of the 12th season.

Let's start with the good aspects, shall we?

. The production values of the episode are great as usual. The direction's fine and the music fits the scenery. The acting's pretty good overall. John Nettles and Jason Hughes are wonderful in the leads, but out of the very good guest stars Caroline Blakiston, Margaret Tyzack and especially Olivia Colman fare the best.

. The story has some interesting twists and turns. The grim atmosphere is well handled and the murder of Richard Tanner is one of the darkest of the series. There is also some wry humor, which helps to balance this dark story.

But....

. The characters of this story could have been, agreed, a lot more interesting. The first murder victim was not very well developed at all. Do agree too that the solution was not as satisfying as it could have been.

Overall, solid, though not great.

7/10 HK.

Complex, fun story

[vitoscotti · 7/10 · 15 February 2020]

The first victim's fate is hilarious. The supporting cast is terrific. Interesting wackos. Script is tight. The villian is revealed too early for me. Yes, another festival everyone utterly lives for. Joyce hams it up discovering a murder victim is well done. Cully looks quite thin here. Jones has a different toupee. Love the villages the episodes are shot in. Pretty decent episode. Vito S 2-14-20

With a madman any motive will do

[richardmolenschot · 1/10 · 20 August 2016]

Oh boy. Where to start. I can't believe people actually think this is a creative episode.

First of all most of the characters are boring the viewer to death. Further: after 30 minutes i knew who the murderer was, not because of any logical deduction, but because the character obviously wasn't entirely sane and nobody adressed this. Then falling almost asleep i fast-forwarded to the end, to discover i was right and the motives for 3 murders we're unrealistic and random. People where murdered because the madman just didn't like them very much due to minor unsocial behavior. What a non-sense episode.

Playing a sudoko brings more joy.

An earlier reviewer really nailed it

[atrickyone · 2/10 · 19 August 2020]

Yes, Peter J Hammond, author of this and too many more episodes of MM struck again with this formulaic piece of work. Good actors operating with a bland product. Hammond's typical tropes, including a religious fanatic, present and (in)correct. Oh yes, if your murderer spends the entire show in a condition of perfect sanity and for the last five minutes turns into a psychopath, you have chosen the wrong occupation if you think you are equipped to write even cozy mysteries. In sum, a travesty.

The miniature village was the star of the show.

[Amazon421 · 4/10 · 2 January 2024]

As an American I've only recently become introduced to Midsomer Murders once I added a British streaming service. As a result I've been binging on these episodes and have noticed there's a definite pattern to how the shows are presented. We're shown the murders and there are specific suspects the writers want you to believe are the guilty parties. Then one of those suspects usually ends up being a victim or else there's increasing red herrings thrown out for particular people to be the guilty party. The killer's motivation is only really given in the last few minutes with very minor hints having been given as off hand remarks or actions that seemed irrelevant while initially watching.

This episode is no exception. The first victim is given almost no character information other than he "didn't like change" in the village. That's it. Once the second victim is revealed I quickly was able to narrow my suspect field to two people based on the fact that this character was also poorly developed and thus there really only seemed to be two suspects based on victim #2's relationship with victim #1. Thus the killer must be the one the show was not throwing suspicion at. We were also shown a suspect confessing but based on the amount of time left in the show it obviously had to be a false confession. Thus this episode was quite unsatisfying for me.

I'd like to also point out Olivia Coleman's performance in this. I've noticed a lot of praise, but if I'm honest I didn't like her portrayal. I don't know if that's an acting issue or a writing issue. The first third of the episode I thought she was almost overdoing her acting as a "simple minded" (one character's description) person who was obliviously happy. Time and time again she is called "child minded" and in an insult that was new to me, being "three tomatoes short of a salad." Her portrayal became more nuanced, but it got to the point that I felt uncomfortable watching due to the fact that she seemed to be in an intimate relationship with her boss who was 25 years her senior. With every new mention of her child like mind, I was wondering if she was mentally mature enough to have made the decision to get involved with someone. I do like Olivia as an actress so I don't know if I should put her performance down to it being earlier in her career or down to the script and directing choices.

The episode felt bogged down by a lot of sub plots that had nothing to do with the crimes or furthering the plot. They were essentially just time fillers. In all, this is an episode you don't have to pay a lot of attention to and can just watch as background noise while doing something else.

I also have to complain about how the writers wrote the killer's reasoning behind the murders. To me the character was displaying clearly psychopathic traits and reasoning during the reveal, and it was not due to the reasons the writers were trying to point us towards. When the killer is told the 3rd victim was not guilty of wronging the killer in the way the killer thought, the killer shrugged it off and said they didn't care and didn't feel bad. Then we find out the killer has coldly killed at least once before over the years, making them at minimum a quadruple murderer. Further pointing to a deep psychological imbalance.

Honestly the only reason I even gave this episode 4 stars was because the boat races were fun to watch and the model village was very interesting. As a matter of fact, I had much more fun looking up the real model village on the Internet after the episode and reading up on it than I did watching the episode.