Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Dogleg Murders (2009) User Reviews

very good season 12 opener

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 24 June 2013]

Twelve seasons - wow - and "Dogleg Murders" is up there with some of the better episodes.

Barnaby's wife Joyce has been on him to golf with her, or play tennis, or walk, and when she suggests a tennis club they were once involved with, he says, "Well, apart from the snobbery and the extortionate fees, there was also the small matter of me arresting the treasurer for murdering his mistress." So when an exclusive golf club is the scene of the murder of one of its wealthy members, Barnaby is not in his element. The murder takes place on the notorious 13th hole, known as Crisp's Folly because the relative of one of the board lost the family home by placing a bet there.

A figure in a blue hoodie has been described as running from the scene. It could have happened that way, as there is a footpath off that particular part of the green.

Digging deeper, Barnaby encounters heavy gambling, loan sharking, blackmail, and all kinds of mayhem, all with a sheen of arrogant snobbery overlaying this exclusive club.

Excellent episode with some beautiful scenery, which is a hallmark of this series, and good acting. Sam Torrance makes a special guest appearance; evidently a very famous British golfer.

Microcosm of Snobbery

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 4 May 2016]

The setting for this episode is a snooty golf club where the members seem so full of self- importance that they seem able to get away with just about anything. At the center are two men and their unscrupulous mother. One is a handsome nitwit and the other a big burly, imposing nitwit. The old lady is running some kind of racket, bringing in lots of money. The loot is kept in a box, under a concrete floor in a pig sty. Barnaby and Jones must wade through this world based on hitting a little white ball to try to figure out who murdered two men. The caste system here really gets in the way. There are two kinds of people: the arrogant rich and a group that seems really scared of everything. There is also a love interest, a young woman, who also appears to be a nitwit. It is entertaining enough, mostly because of the insane depth of greed and arrogance of the members of the club.

Snobbery aplenty on the golf courses of Midsomer.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 6 October 2019]

The Dogleg Murders gives us some of the most odious characters ever seen on the show. Golf is often considered, rightly or wrongly as a sport for the elite, and this episode plays into that concept to perfection.

All of the characters are off the scale, those with, and without money. The golfing quartet are incredibly odious, as is the overpowering Eileen, and her two overly mothered sons.

It's a good, if far fetched mystery, you are required to suspend your disbelief at times, the ending in particular.

Rupert Vansittart and Maggie Ollerenshaw are both particularly good, as was the much missed Geoffrey Hutchings.

Pretty good overall, it's definitely different.

Fountains and Becky steal the show

[vitoscotti · 9/10 · 3 February 2020]

The wacky Fountain family and spoiled brat Becky (Holly Gilbert) stand out in a superior episode. The supporting cast is usually off the wall, but these four shine. Dimwit Colin and "oh daddy" Becky just weren't meant be be, even for a trunk load of cash. Not much gore unlike recent episodes. Nice blend of humor with the weakling, oddball, uppity club members while Jones and Barnaby try to solve the crimes, and sort things out.

It's never revealed how Eilleen Fountain got the funds to start loansharking. Also how could old man Crisp, in the blue hoodie, outrun a young DS Jones both by foot. Vito S 2-3-20

Very well

[enkiddu-725-703632 · 10/10 · 29 April 2010]

I can't remember any other Midsomer Murders episode (except "Vixen's Run" perhaps) that I was watching with a feeling of growing interest and mirth! Andrew Payne did again a great job, this episode is as good as his previous work - "The picture of Innocence". The plot looks pretty convincing, the details of both murders very well worked through, the motives are also likely. And the tensions between two brothers (which, somehow, do not look alike) keep the episode active and exciting till the end. But the working team really succeeded in creating this wonderful English country-village atmosphere spiced with very exotic for my country golf affairs). An immaculate episode to start the season, I agree. There may be only one small observation: the characters, to my mind, are very pale in this episode, and even though I didn't know till the end who was the culprit, I wasn't too much impressed because Martin Crisp had appeared so seldom in the film that I could hardly remember him, but that moment has absolutely no significance. Great job!

Decent enough Midsomer Murders episode to kick off the twelfth season.

[poolandrews · 6/10 · 25 July 2009]

Midsomer Murders: The Dogleg Murders is set in the village of Midsomer Worthy in & around the Whiteoak golf course & starts as four club members tee off for a round. The rude & obnoxious Alastair Kingslake (Rupert Vansittart), the meek Jerry Drinkwater (Nicholas Le Prevost), Miles Tully (Graham Seed) & Ed Monkberry (Hugh Ross) reach the notoriously difficult 13th hole called Crisp's Folly that is basically a 90 degree dogleg, having wandered off into the wooded area beside the green Kingslake is attacked & his own one iron golf club is used to bludgeon him to death. DCI Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) is on the case along with DS Ben Jones (Jason Hughes), they both feel the answer lies within the seemingly respectful Whiteoak golf club despite sightings of a bright blue hoody wearing local fleeing the scene. Soon a story of lies, money lending, extortion, lust & gambling is revealed & it seems people will do just about anything to become a member...

Episode 1 from season 12 this Midsomer Murders mystery directed by Richard Holthouse is a fairly decent way to kick off the twelfth season although it could certainly have been stronger. First off the main thing that sticks out about The Dogleg Murders is that golf is involved a lot, in the sense that it's set at a picturesque golf club & we see lots of people play the thing & even the innocent golf club itself becomes a deadly weapon used to murder. Now some people out there may like golf & find the setting great but personally I hate golf, I hate playing it & watching it although I will admit it does make for a very nice backdrop to the story here. Other Midsomer Murder episodes have also used some form of sporting activity as a basis for their story such as fishing, rowing, school sports day's, horse racing & cricket so sports themed episodes are not new. Besides sport other familiar ideas & themes arise such as jealously, blackmail & of course murder. This one takes a while to get going with the first murder twenty odd minutes into it but I have to say the character's & events kept me watching, the episode then goes along fairly nicely with one more murder before a rather silly conclusion where some really minor & frankly silly motivations are revealed to be behind the sinister goings on at Whiteoak. I mean someone murders two people so a local lower class resident can become a member of a posh golf club? Then there's this bizarre sub-plot concerning a really hot looking young bird who wears this rather fetching pink skirt with her golfing gear that two weird brother's fight over even though she doesn't like either of them. There are also one or two major plot points I didn't buy like the huge coincidence two of Barnaby's close friends were prior members of Whiteoak & knew all about the seedier side of the club & why would a supposedly clever & cunning killer murder someone with a left handed golf club when they were the only member at the club who was left handed & therefore the member to have access to left handed clubs & then to make matters worse they actually leave the bent, blood splattered golf club in their own bag? Also why would the killer wear a bright blue attention attracting hoody & keep it with themselves also in their own golf bag? Also why did they make so much noise that attracted witnesses attention including DS Jones? Couldn't they have tried to be a bit more inconspicuous? I mean they had just murdered someone after all...

The one thing I will say about The Dogleg Murders is that it looks terrific, this is one of the best looking episodes with some fantastic scenery from golfing greens to dense wooded areas to English farming homes to large Coutry Manor homes & the photography is very rich in natural colours like lush grass green & sky blues. I think this is maybe the only Midsomer Murders episode set entirely during the day & I don't think there was a single nighttime scene in the entire episode. The acting is very good as usual with the regulars on good form, minor character WPC Gail Stephens introduced at the end of season eleven is again present here in a small role & I wonder if it's the makers intention to give the character a recurring role as she features in at least the first four episodes of the twelfth season. The delectable Holly Gilbert is the hottie in this although it seems she hasn't acted in anything else of note, I am still trying to decide which looks nicer her or the beautiful scenery on show.

The Dogleg Murders is a good solid if unspectacular start to a new season, the body count is low & there are one or two poor plot points but I liked the setting, the scenery & it's nice to have the character's back. Not a classic episode but not too bad at all.

Pure folly

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 8/10 · 29 November 2020]

It is quite a good story (new series of the show tend to start off strongly before struggling after a few episodes). As someone whom has been binge-watching the show over the last few weeks, I found myself put off by so many actors that had appeared in the show before. Several have returned to the show over the last couple of series but none of them as the same character which seems rather strange for a rural area. A credible but whimsical episode.

Murder at the golf club

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 15 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.

While not classic 'Midsomer Murders' ("The Killings at Badgers Drift", "Written in Blood", "Death's Shadow", "Dead Man's Eleven", "Judgement Day", "Ring Out Your Dead", "The Green Man", "Hidden Depths" and "The House in the Woods") it's not a lesser episode too ("Second Sight", "Shot at Dawn", "The Electric Vendetta", "Midsomer Rhapsody", "Days of Misrule", "Blood on the Saddle" and "Night of the Stag"), "The Dogleg Murders" is a decent episode and starts Season 12 well.

"The Dogleg Murders" has a few things that stop it from being great. It is let down somewhat by a silly in staging ending, that becomes too obvious too early once medical evidence narrows things down, with a killer that not only didn't register much for much of the episode but also had motives less strong than some of the others character and was pretty careless (hardly discreet in their killing, actually attracting attention to themselves, and not particularly good at covering their tracks). It is agreed too that the warring brothers subplot got a tad bizarre.

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 golf club and its scenery is some of the show's most wonderfully picturesque ever. 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 (with a great balance of humour and drama and more to-the-point than the lesser episodes of the season), and the supporting characters are entertaining enough. The story is very compelling, there is a lot going on but doesn't get that confusing or overcrowded.

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.

In conclusion, a decent start to Season 12. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Satisfaction in a tight package

[lotekguy-1 · 8/10 · 1 July 2022]

It's always a pleasure when the most deserving assholes are the ones who get bumped off or convicted. In this case, two of the three most loathsome go down. How lovely.

Intriguing mystery in a golf club

[safenoe · 7/10 · 4 March 2016]

British golfing great Sam Torrance OBE made a special appearance where he appeared on the TV in the non-members' club room. This highlighted the class divide in the golf club in Midsomer, where the members and non-members are segregated.

Luke Neal as Colin was a compelling as the brother who have a soft spot for a young lady having golf lessons. He played the part well and hopefully he can appear in another episode. His naivety was charming in some respects, especially when he tries to win the young lady with cash at the end of the episode.

The badminton scene intrigued me because in the background was a beautiful blonde extra, but unfortunately she wasn't credited in the show or IMDb.

Golf with hogs

[priscillahodgkins-21456 · 9/10 · 28 January 2023]

All the style and cleverness of the best episodes. Lots of despicable twits with cut glass enunciation displaying their greedy ways. And pigs! Hungry pigs doing their job.

Why does this page require 600 characters before submission when it can't count? I'll repeat this until the mucked up app lets me submit the review.

Why does this page require 600 characters before submission when it can't count? I'll repeat this until the mucked up app lets me submit the review. Why does this page require 600 characters before submission when it can't count? I'll repeat this until the mucked up app lets me submit the review.

Murder on the golf course

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 3 April 2022]

Set around the golf course, Barnaby and his sidekick unearth Sinister secrets when a player is found bludgeoned to death at the Whiteoaks Golf Club. A good story with interesting characters, however it sags in the middle and is not as sharp as the others. Still, it's a great watch with a fine twist.

Hole in one

[sherondalewis-20531 · 8/10 · 21 June 2022]

This was a very good episode of Midsomer Murders, that gives you the remaininsance of the early years (or Troy years) of this show.

We are back in Midsomer Worthy (where between this and Badger's Drift, a lot of murder, mayhem and madness goes on a LOT more than some of the other villages, not saying that the others don't try to outdo with their madness within Midsomer County) where at the WhiteOaks Golf Club, we have Alastair Kingslake (played by Rupert Vansittat, an actor who has played the same, snottish character in 3 different episodes: Market for Murder, The Axeman Cometh and this), Jerry Drinkwater (wonder if he is in relations to the the younger Drinkwater that was stabbed with a pitchfork by Annabella in Judgement Day) played by Nicholas Le Prevost (with his neck intact), Miles Tully and Ed Monkberry. They are all playing on said golf course where the bully Alastair makes a bet with Jerry. Well, the pompous man is a good shot and poor Jerry betted on money he didn't have and cheated, caught by Colin Fountain, the dimwitted, bullied but strong, groundskeeper and he lies for him (because he owes money to the ground keeper's mum, the very corrupt Eileen Fountain, more on her a little later).

Alastair hits a ball that ends up over on Crisp's Folly (named after the man who lost his home on a bet there). He is then hit on the head whilst searching for his ball and in and around the footpath, gets beaten to death. With his own club! But, who did it? It wasn't the men with him...was it another club member? Some random person via the footpath?

Meanwhile, Joyce is trying to get Tom to join a club, like they have done years ago, to play tennis or anything. Swimming? No, chlorine, hates it. Hiking? Dirty wellies (boots). Tennis..well, the club they were in was too much, snobbery and he arrested a person there for killing his mistress. So, none of these things delights Tom until he is called to said Golf Club to see the snobbery, secretism and club mannerisms he longed escaped years ago.

With Jones by his side, he investigates the death of Alastair. And then,a second death of another member by the same method. We find out that the club has more secrets to it, courtesy of Tom and Joyce friends, a married couple, whom for a while, was part of said club. Until gambling got involved and "late dues" the intimidating begin, lead by said Eileen, the bullied but strong Colin and the favorite, Darren, who wants to be a part of said society (and "having fun") and be with Becky, the owner of said club's daughter, much to Colin's chagrin.

This was a great story about class, snobbery, illegal betting, intimidation, favoritism, non sportsmanship, as well as a nice whodunit.

The scenery is beautiful, the acting is good, and the ending was nice.

Loved the scenes between Joyce just wanting to do something with Tom (instead of reading the paper and watching cricket 🏏 or football or rugby on telly) and Tom only interested in her wearing her short outfit on to try. Jones learning the art of golfing and the non members of said golf club and how they feel about the goings on over there.

It is not a solid 10 but, the start of the season is a good one! Worth checking out!