Midsomer Murders (TV Series) Habeas Corpus (2016) User Reviews

The case of the missing bodies

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 4 October 2016]

Wow - season 18. Talk about your long-running shows.

Gregory Lancaster breathes his last in the presence of most of his family. Later, his bed is empty. Then the family's former nanny disappears from her grave.

Lots of family angst going on here. Felix (Alastair Mackenzie), who inherits most of the estate, arrives home too late from Antarctica to say goodbye to his father. His mother (Diana Quick) expects him to stay around, but he has a deal with a childhood friend, Sonny (Navin Chowdhry), to sell the house to him.

There's a new pathologist on board, Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk), and she discovers evidence that incriminates both Felix and his sister's fiancée Craig. The wealthy Sonny falls under suspicion as well.

Then one person dies and disappears and someone else just disappears.

So who is stealing the bodies and why? When the truth is finally unraveled, the reason is part of the distant past.

This story had a few mysteries going on at once. The last mystery is who keeps stealing Betty's cuddle bear - well, we all know the answer to that.

The acting is very good, with Diana Quick giving an excellent performance as the widow Lancaster, though everyone is good.

It's an interesting episode, a little different as Barnaby and Nelson look for bodies instead of murderers, since there isn't an actual murder. One is revealed later.

One fun moment - when a conversation comes up about Kate, the old pathologist, it turns out she has moved on to a new job. She is currently staying with Ben Jones. Nelson shows a photo of Kate with the newly-bearded Ben.

A wonderfully bizarre start to series 18.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 7 January 2016]

It seems like an age since the last new episode of Midsomer Murders, it's been essential viewing since I was seventeen, hard to believe it's been going so long.

Habeas Corpus, a very unusual way to kick off the series, different in tone from the usual format, invasion of the body snatchers comes to the English countryside. One thing will stand out as you watch, I won't give it away, but it makes this episode unique! The village they used as Little Malton was gorgeous, and the usual glorious scenery expected continues. I found the music especially good, hugely atmospheric.

Very well acted as always, I'm sad that we've lost pathologist Kate Wilding played by the excellent Tamzin Malleson, but I was impressed by Manjinder Virk, hopefully Doctor Karimore will become a little more interesting as time goes on. The picture of Kate and Ben was a nice touch.

There was a hugely impressive cast list on this one, and there were some great performances, Ciarán McMenamin, Clive Merrison and Helen Baxendale were all great. One of the three didn't get enough screen time, not to give anything away I won't say which one. Diana Quick was fabulous.

I'm still not sure what I make of Gwilym Lee's character Nelson, he's been in it for a little while, and I'm still struggling to take to his character, why did Jones have to leave. Nelson is still a little anonymous, they need to give him a strong storyline.

Enjoyable, and different. 8/10

Bodysnatching in Midsommer

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 7 January 2016]

Unusually this episode opens with somebody dying of natural causes; somewhat less usually the body has vanished by the time the funeral director arrives. Gregory Lancaster was a wealthy landowner and his death will cause some ill feeling in the family as his will left everything to his son Felix; it was assumed that he would give up his life as an explorer to run the estate but it quickly becomes apparent that he intends to sell it to old school friend Sunny Desai. The situation is further complicated by Sunny's apparent attraction to Felix's sister Rose; something her tree surgeon partner is unimpressed by. Gregory's body isn't the last to disappear; the vicar discovers the open grave of the Lancaster's old nanny; there is no sign of a body. Barnaby and Nelson will have plenty of suspects to sort through; as well as the family and friends there is the vicar who refused to allow Gregory to be buried inside the church as his family had been previously and the doctor and funeral director who are clearly up to something they wish to keep secret. If that wasn't enough Barnaby has a mystery at home; his daughter's favourite pink rabbit toy keep going missing!.

This was an enjoyable and rather unusual start to the latest series as it was a story about bodies going missing rather than actual murders… even though the third person to disappear did appear to have been murdered first. There are lots of suspects with varied motives and an enjoyable red herring involving the illegal disposal of bodies by a couple wanting to give people the send-off the desired even if it wasn't lawful. When we do learn the identity of the 'body-snatcher' there is a nice twist. Often it is possible to guess the culprit as a well-known actor but here that is impossible as there are several familiar guest stars. This episode sees the introduction of pathologist Dr. Kam Karimore; based on this episode it looks as if actress Manjinder Virk will be a welcome addition to the regular cast.

Whodunit!,

[susanhudek53 · 9/10 · 3 May 2018]

I for one found this episode fascinating and intriguing. The story keeps you interested...and frankly I couldn't figure out who was the body snatcher. There was definitely shades of Brideshead Revisted as one reviewer claimed. The fact there was no murder but still a mystery was part of the fun of watching. The chemistry between Barnaby and Nelson was entertaining. I own every season of Midsomer up through season 19 and have enjoyed every sidekick of Tom and John Barnaby. Everybody seems to turn on each other in this episode adding to the intrigue. I gave this episode a 9/10. Well worth your while.

Shades of Brideshead?

[ethrush · 9/10 · 22 May 2017]

No one else seems to have noticed the echoes of Brideshead Revisited in this episode. The friend of the brother who has been visiting the manor since childhood and now wants to buy it? His apparent attraction to the friend's sister? And Diana Quick, of course, the object of desire in B.R. Other reviewers have commented on loose threads, but I think some of those, at least, are the embedded reference to B. R.

The pink teddybear

[mirkobozic · 7/10 · 20 January 2019]

Dudgeon, Lee, Sykes

In this iteration of the popular whodunnit, we are facing murders connected by the fact that the bodies go missing, starting with the wealthy landowner whose death prompts his son and heir to visit, but comes too late to say goodbye, since the body is already gone missing. Things take a turn for the worse when he announces he will be selling the estate to his childhood friend who seems to have had his eyes set on it for years, as well as his sister Rose. The new sleuths Dudgeon and Lee as his handsome sidekick don't really have a great chemistry between them and John Nettles' shoes were definitely too big to fill. Fortunately Lee saves the situation with just the right amount of charisma, together with the adorable dog Sykes. This episode is filled with weird characters, from the farmer Craig to the Vicaress and the two doctors. and one fails to see at the start what precise role they are suppose to play. The culprit is not the one you'd expect. The whole plot with the missing bodies is kind of a rather large red herring,and even though the return of the old friend is supposed to be the driving story, it's kind of unstructured, unfinished . It has to be said that the subtle, funny plot with the pink teddy bear made me laugh a lot and I wish they developed it a bit further.

Very different episode

[xbatgirl-30029 · 8/10 · 13 September 2021]

This episode has a very different style than the rest of the series and almost doesn't seem like Midsomer Murders, yet I still ended up liking it a lot. At times it much closer to gothic suspense and has a much more cinematic quality, yet is grounded in a familiar Midsomer type setting. Many scenes were quite creepy and suspenseful, which I don't usually associate with the show. There were many loaded silences and glances between characters that created a slower pace than usual. I expect the actors had to be quite skilled and talented to make it work.

The first half was almost all from the view of the family involved with the missing bodies, with our detectives in few scenes. They do become more central in the second half. In the end it is even one of the guest characters confronting another who explains what has been going on and the detectives only filling in a few gaps. However you are left wondering how the guest characters will deal with the fallout, another change from the usual format.

The end result is a quite unsettling episode, as if you've watched a suspenseful movie or even old fashioned gothic horror. I even liked how the plot managed to touch on the topics of assisted suicide and customization for what is done with your body after death. It's compassionate without ever being preachy.

I wouldn't rank this with my more favorite, cozy episodes that I would watch many times. Though maybe I'll change my mind over time. Still it was fun to see the show experimenting and still finding something new to do after all these years. I applaud everyone involved.

Meh

[sawpits67 · 2 February 2016]

No actual murder is the story here, unless one wants to speak of the 'mercy killing' that gets confessed to at the end of the show, and which occurred on an expedition far away from Midsomer County. Which was not part of the plot until the very end anyway.

The red herring of the Doctor and the Undertaker was shallow, and their reason for doing what they did are shallow as well. Throwing a body that was supposed to be buried into a lake, allegedly at the deceased's wishes? And one of a string of such oddball burials no less by these two.

Then there is baby Betty's pink teddy bear which is constantly going missing, and which I'm sure everyone knew soon on was the doings of Sykes, but in the show not solved until the very end. Oh my. Or as Homer Simpson would say, Doh!

The PC crowd has contributed to the show's overall decline, though it was getting long in the tooth at the end of John Nettles reign. Which I am certain contributed to his decision to leave the show as much, if not more than, his age. Handwriting on the wall so to speak.

Midsomer Murders without murders, but with corpses and drama

[znatokdetectiva · 6/10 · 20 October 2020]

I really love Midsomer Murders, in my opinion, this is one of the best shows that combines color, rustic atmosphere, humor, great music and charisma of the main characters. Season 18 is not one of my favorites on the show, it is, like season 19, somewhat average and not particularly outstanding, and this is not least the fault of the character of Cam Carrymore, who is one of the most boring and expressionless characters in the series, especially compared to the previous Kate Wilding and the subsequent Fleur Perkins. "Habeas Corpus "is a good episode, but not too outstanding, but considering how high even non - first-rate episodes of the show can rise (the subsequent episode" The Incident at Cooper Hill " confirms this), it's not too impressive. I actually liked a lot of things. I liked the dramatic ending (actually, I think that's where the episode should have ended), the beginning, the tense scene in the car, but Alastair Mackenzie does a very weak job as Felix, too weak to love the cast of this episode. In addition, the episode sometimes lacks rigidity. In conclusion, this is not a bad episode, but this rating was not close to the ratings of "The Green Man" or "Sause for the Goose". 8/10.

Full of oddball characters

[vitoscotti · 9/10 · 4 December 2022]

Dr. Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk) did a nice job replacing terrific actress Tamzin Malleson as Kate Wilding. Diana Quick just 10 seasons agon was a sexy lead now still looking good hamming it up playing matriarch Hermione Lancaster. Sonny Desai (Navin Chowdhry) bears a resemblance to NFL Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. The creepy Dr Isaac Vernon (Joseph Mydell), and creepier funeral director Caleb Southwood (Clive Merrison) being secretive from strange and cute assistant Ellie Loxley (Sarah Middleton) built great suspense and it's climax was hilarious. I enjoyed the performance of sultry Rose Lancaster (Helen Baxendale) whimpering out her many "poor Felix". Ending was a bit of a letdown, but decent. Another strong fun watch episode.

"A dead body has vanished"- and so is the charm of this episode.

[harrykivi · 4/10 · 30 November 2019]

I feel happy to say- I am a "Midsomer murders" fan- when I'm watching a good episode, but there are times- like this one- when I feel quite disappointed. The seventeenth season of "Midsomer" was in my opinion decent , but not great. "A Vintage murder" being the best of that season though.

That said, the 18th season- I feel- is very unremarkable and having an episode like "Habeas Corpus" as it's premiere is not a fantastic sign. By no means is "Habeas ..." a horrible episode- there have been a lot worser ones- but it seems out of place and bizarre.

Before trashing, let's take a look at the positives of this entry.

. There are few twists and turns that are clever and neat. Clearly liked the twist about the killer and Gregory's accident.

. The production of "Midsomer murders" is always great. Alex Pillai's direction is very compelling and the theme for this episode feels very eerie in a good way.

.Nice humour is also present. Sykes is awesome, stealing every bit of attention from the audience.

. The acting is quite good. Diana Quick and Helen Baxendale are particularly great.

Now moving on to cons.

.The story of "Habeas Corpus" is often weak and not very engaging. The idea about a body snatcher plot where is no carnage isn't awful, but kind of .... dull.

. The new pathologist Kam doesn't have a character of her own, which is a shame for a talented actress like Manjinder Virk. Neil Dudgeon seems also bored and not very into the character of John Barnaby.

. The subplot about a missing teddy bear was predictable and elongated. How much time does it take to figure out- Sykes did it? He was the only suspect, right?

. The final fifteen minutes felt rushed,especially the solution, which leaves many untied endings. How Craig faked his own death? How he got Gregory's body out of the window? List goes on....

Overall, I love "Midsomer murders", but this episode was really dull.

4/10 HK

Revenge of the Gay Undertaker!

[henry-plantagenet-04 · 5/10 · 17 November 2016]

"Habeas Corpus" is the first episode of Season 18 of Midsomer Murders, and it's a weird one, though sadly not in the way one would hope. There are some fine elements, including a teenage girl who looks like she came out of a Tim Burton movie, and the weird romantic/business arrangement between the doctor and the undertaker (the undertaker isn't actually the culprit, but it just made me notice that all the undertakers in this show are apparently members of the LGBT community), but the main plot line is pretty weak. I'll admit I didn't figure out the culprit until quite late, but that's only because a whole bunch of crucial clues were introduced in the last 10-15 minutes, making about 40 minutes of this mystery pure filler. The episode actually has a pretty impressive cast including Helen Baxendale (Friends), Ciaran McMenamin (Jericho), and Clive Merrison (The History Boys), but they are stranded with not much to do. Then there's all the plot threads that are just left hanging: What will happen to Bobby Loxley's farm? Why was that scene ever there in the first place. This episode pads with needless conflict it never resolves, and it just never gives us a good mystery. The humor in the Barnaby family isn't funny either. I have yet to make up my mind about Dr. Karimore. That said, it wasn't terrible, and I'm sure there will be good episodes coming this season.

Don't bother unless you need a snooze

[pensman · 3/10 · 5 July 2016]

First, the dog is taking the baby's toys. Not much of a spoiler unless you are pretty much brain dead. One look at Sykes with his face on the table and you immediately know he is the guilty party; but such is confirmed by the new PC (politically correct) pathologist, Dr. Kam Karimore (Manjinder Virk). The remainder of the episode is just about as weak. The other secondary plot and pathetic red herring concerns an agreement between local doctor Isaac Vernon (Joseph Mydell in more PC casting) and the local undertaker to provide local clients the "burial" they want —Viking or cast into a favorite lake—rather than the legal burial required. The main plot concerns who stole the bodies of Gregory Lancaster and Lydia Dryfield. You can watch to either solve it yourself or wait to see who did and why. Either way it's a meh episode. For me after the forced exit of Brian True-May and retirement of John Nettles, the entire series went to H E double hockey sticks: the writing lost its humorous edge, and Neil Dudgeon is a bore.

'Midsomer Murders' goes body-snatching

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 7 April 2017]

When in its prime (a vast majority of Seasons 1-9), 'Midsomer Murders' was a great show and one that is watched and re-watched frequently. Seasons 10-13 became more uneven, with three of the show's worst episodes coming from Seasons 11 and 13, but there were a few solid episodes and "Blood Wedding" and especially "Master Class" were gems.

After John Nettles retired and Neil Dudgeon and the new character of John Barnaby took over, 'Midsomer Murders' just hasn't been the same on the most part. Season 14 was a disappointment outside of "The Oblong Murders" and "A Sacred Trust", with "Echoes of the Dead" and "The Night of the Stag" being show low-points. Season 15 was inconsistent, being a case of starting promisingly and then took a three-episodes-in-a-row strange turn with "Written in the Stars" before finishing on a good note. Season 16 was mostly good, especially "Wild Harvest", with the only disappointment being "Let Us Prey". Season 17 was a mixed, with the first two episodes being watchable but uneven and the other two, particularly "A Vintage Murder", faring better.

"Habeas Corpus" starts Season 18, and it's quite a bizarre opener and sadly not really in a good way. Also somewhat of a dull one.

There is a good deal to like still certainly. The production values cannot be faulted as usual. It's beautifully and atmospherically shot with suitably picturesque scenery. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the haunting theme tune is one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre. It is also hardly surprising that the episode has a soundtrack of its own because the music here adds so much to the character and atmosphere of the episode.

Some of the atmosphere at times is suitably creepy and most of the acting is good. Gwilym Lee's Nelson is likable and charismatic, Betty is adorable and Sykes steals every scene he's in though Season 18 got to a stage where he was deserving of fresher material. Fiona Dolman has been growing on me since her and Barnaby's relationship was made more interesting. Of the supporting cast, Helen Baxendale and Diana Quick are very good. Oh and while never being a big fan of Kate, though "A Vintage Murder" was an exception, the photographic touch for continuity's sake (perhaps) was a very nice and charming one.

Neil Dudgeon however is both pretty wooden and sleepwalks through his role, and Kam not only has much less appeal than Kate she is also a very cold fish with a condescending air, very difficult to warm to. While the supporting cast do a good job, too many are left with little to do to shine properly.

Unfortunately, the story is pretty weak. Some nice ideas, and a few are intriguing, but too many are unresolved and left hanging or veer into plain silly and convoluted territories. There is far too much padding too, much of the episode feels like pedestrian filler and then the final 20 minutes or so tries to cram in too much and feels rushed. The subplot with the missing toys was too overstretched and forced, with a far too obvious culprit that it beggars belief how it took long to figure out.

Just for the record, did not mind a change of pace, 'Midsomer Murders' is no stranger to that and has done it well in the past but with so much filler, not enough mystery and a high body count but uncharacteristically low on the murder count "Habeas Corpus" felt decidedly bloodless and dull.

Overall, watchable but bizarre and bland. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Changing of the Guard

[guildwayne · 2/10 · 9 January 2022]

Pink teddy bears, pilthering dog and new faces has become the norm for this show. Personally the dog is a waste of space .Come to think of it, so is Barnaby. The saving grace were the two old duffers in the rowboat. Diana Quick as the "beautiful and bored"" mother also had her moments. The rest looked like they had not washed their hair in one hundred years. I know that pommies hate water, but even so.