Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Stitcher Society (2021) User Reviews

What an outstanding performance from Hannah Waddingham.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 11 April 2021]

Outcast Toby Wagner faces real hostility from his old friends after he's found not guilty of murder.

I enjoyed this episode, I figured we were in for a little bit of repeat formula, with a costume, but no, this felt very different, there were several nice effective moments where humour was used, this had quite a vintage feel to it. The shining light though....

Hannah Waddingham, what can you say, that's one of the best performances in an episode of Midsomer Murders that I can think of in years, I'm a huge fan of hers, and she doesn't disappoint, she is tremendous here, the looks and facial expressions, what a terrific actress she is.

All in all, very, very good, 8/10.

Finally a solid episode with a great plot

[joshgibbs-35276 · 8/10 · 13 April 2021]

I was about to give up on MM after so many poorly written episodes. This one reminds me of the early seasons. Great writing and perfectly executed in a true Midsomer Murders tradition. I hope this is beginning of a whole new approach or maybe new writers.

Almost vintage Midsomer

[boxyfella · 7/10 · 14 April 2021]

The best episode for quite a while and it had a very different feel, similar to the earlier seasons. There were plenty of good characters and an intriguing story. I was really enjoying this, right up until the last ten minutes. As seems to be the case nowadays, the ending felt rushed.

Barnaby's solving of the case hinges on him realising that the killer knew that a certain person didn't have a scar. Now Barnaby wasn't present when the killer discovered this fact, and the spy cameras didn't witness the event either, so how did Barnaby know which one of the suspects knew about the lack of a scar?

Also, I'm no legal expert but I doubt that the CPS would allow a material witness (somebody who placed the accused at the crime scene) to conduct the case for the prosecution at the trial.

Overall, very solid but not great.

Confusing

[vintagegeek · 6/10 · 8 May 2021]

The plethora of characters and who belongs to whom, matrimony wise, relationship wise or even their respective role in the so-called community is horribly confusing. The best part is the flirtatious real estate agent. They need to lay out a good murder board and spend at least 30 seconds every half hour so you can get the picture.

A really solid episode

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 13 April 2021]

This episode opens with a prologue set five years ago; we see villages surrounding a man, Toby Wagner. They are furious that he was acquitted of a murder and are threatening to set dogs on him. In the present it becomes clear that he was merely run out of the area... now he is back though. He has recently had heart surgery and has been signed up to join the titular Stitcher Society... a club for survivors of heart surgery. The owner of the club believes there is proof of Wagner's innocence; others are furious. Soon afterwards the club owner is killed with a shinai, bamboo Kendo sword, modified to include a real blade. Villages point Barnaby and Winter towards Wagner but the investigation soon uncovers other suspects with varied motives. Before the case is solved there will be further murders.

I really enjoyed this episode; it contained the expected Midsomer clichés which fans of the series enjoy: numerous suspects and motives; varied methods of murder and a group with something in common. Of course it is farfetched... would a small village have so many people who had undergone heart surgery?! That however is the fun of the series; murder is more fun when it doesn't feel real. There are plenty of humorous moments; most obviously the estate agent who keeps flirting with Barnaby. The cast, both regulars and guests, do a solid job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd say fans of the series should really enjoy this instalment.

Decent Job, Great characters

[willgossy · 7/10 · 11 April 2021]

The plot - 6.5/10 Characters- 8.5/10 Mystery-8/10 Acting - 7.5/10

Good humour with a suspect hitting on Barnaby A solid 7/10. 👍

Bit lighter again at last

[SunnyDaise · 10/10 · 11 April 2021]

I'm not a fan of the really weird MM so had lost interest lately, however this episode is a bit lighter with plenty of twists that caught me out.

A stitch in time

[xmasdaybaby1966 · 7/10 · 14 April 2021]

Much better than the previous episode with the comedic talents of Keith Allen and John Thomson on show and even Barnaby and Winter managed some funny lines.

The culprit was probably a bit obvious and the reason a bit vague.

They should have shown this episode before the previous one. I am sure people would have given this episode a miss after last week's serving.

At the end of the day, the show has gone on far too long. Making it just to go up against Line If Duty in the other channel at the same time doesn't give justice to a once fabulous show.

All Stitched Up Well!

[ummajon2003 · 9/10 · 11 June 2021]

A dramatic opening scene created intrigue then switched to a quaint Autumn feel with the Barnaby's on a walk with Paddy. Then it's a bit obnoxious as the set up reveals the kendo studio, topless hairy old man and all. Several of the guest actors immediately went into over-acting *sigh,* (although Hannah Waddingham as Mimi and Harriet Thorpe as Georgie were entertaining from the start). A sudden gory murder at night had my attention again as did the lovely village scenery. Had a chuckle that some CCTV (finally) footage made a play in an episode. Some cute banter between Sarah and John reminded me of the same between Joyce and Tom, especially the suddenly having to eat healthy bit. By mid episode the actors settled well into their characters and they became easier to believe. The pace, direction, and writing all moved forward with ease. The beautiful English homes and surrounding nature deserve another mention, just gorgeous! And an interrogation at the police station--it's been awhile, hasn't it? Liked that. In fact, liked it all!

Cardiac arrest

[safenoe · 6/10 · 3 February 2023]

I don't know if Midsomer Murders has jumped the shark, but it's going strong kind of after so many seasons, and how knows many more there will be to come. Midsomer Murders has seen through so many prime ministers in England, so that's interesting.

Here it's the Stitcher Society that will keep viewers guessing until the end. I must admit, I found the ending quite confusing when it came to the big reveal, but was quite complicated and it seemed the writers weren't sure how to wrap things up in a suspenseful way.

I kind of got lost keeping up with the characters, but anyway, it's good to see Midsomer Murders going on and on.

The Stitcher Society

[kalomccormick · 10/10 · 22 April 2021]

Just watched S22 E2! A wonderful cast of actors who portrayed sad, mean, obnoxious, and yet humorous characters. Story was well written and all the i's were dotted. So good to see John smile more than smirk, Jamie dressing professionally without tight fitting clothes, Sara ( a good actress), and Fleur, always the professional with spurts of surprising antidotes.

The story was so good I decided to watch and enjoy instead of trying to find the murderer. It could have been many but was surprised!

Thank you for bringing back MM to the U. S.

So boring I fell asleep

[labenji-12163 · 1/10 · 4 July 2021]

The writing has been going down the drain since John Nettles and Jason Hughes were a team, but it hung on trying to find its rhythm with a new cast and writers, but what was once a top Murder Mystery is now long past its sell by date, this season has consistently been one ridiculous plot followed by poor characters. It's time for Midsomer to bow out.

A stitch in crime

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 13 January 2022]

"The Stitcher Society" was seen with rather mixed expectations. Did like the premise and 'Midsomer Murders' is wonderful at its best. It has been very up and down for a while now and after being so unimpressed by the previous episode "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy", so part of me prepared myself for a possibility of another disappointment. While hoping too that it would be an improvement and an episode to recommend.

Was very pleasantly surprised however by "The Stitcher Society". It is not brilliant or a 'Midsomer Murders' high point, but by John Barnaby-era standards it is pretty darn impressive. A massive improvement over "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy" and one of the best episodes in a while, perhaps even the best. One of the few episodes of this period to pass for an episode where Tom Barnaby was in charge if perhaps more a good episode from Seasons 9-13 than pre-Season 9.

Am going to begin with the not so good things. The episode agreed would have been better with less characters, some could have been more developed (Harry for instance is very underused).

Do agree too that the invester subplot added very little to the story, near irrelevant even.

On the other hand, "The Stitcher Society" has a very engrossing story that shows promise from the very intriguing but ominous opening. The murders are hard hitting and far from tame, and there are plenty of surprising twists and turns. Plus finally a non-rushed, non-over the top, non-last minute and plausible ending, where the perpetrator and motive were both a surprise. Maybe the motive element could have gone into a little more detail, but that might change on rewatch.

Furthermore, "The Stitcher Society" has some nice tension, like at the beginning, but there is too some light-heartedness that avoids over-seriousness while not being silly. A light-heartedness that was quite close to prime-'Midsomer Murders'. The characters are interesting on the whole. The acting is good this time, Annette Badland is a joy as Fleur and Hannah Waddingham is a big standout of the supporting cast. Keith Allen's character is too underused though for him to shine properly but he does what he can with what he has.

It's a typically good looking episode, especially the scenery which the photography clearly loves. The music is pleasant and haunting and who can resist the unforgettable theme tune.

Concluding, very well done and a pleasant surprise. 8/10.

I really enjoyed this one!

[harrykivi · 8/10 · 12 April 2021]

"Midsomer Murders" has been one of my favorite shows for a quite some time now- I have said that numerous times-, but after John Nettles left, the show hasn't been the same since (even though I still enjoy the series). When Neil Dudgeon started, I was not a fan of him or the character, but since the 19th season, I've really grown to like Neil Dudgeon.

That being said, the 20th or 21th season weren't very good in my opinion. There were good and fine episodes here and there (like "Drawing Dead" or "The Miniature Murders), but both of those seasons lacked of great executions of the writer's mostly good ideas in my opinion.

The 22th season did not start on very good note either with "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy". The episode had a good premise, but failed to execute it in an effective way. "The Stitcher Society" is fortunately a very solid episode and easily one of the better episodes of "Midsomer Murders" in the last few years.

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

. The production values of the episode are great as usual. "The Stitcher Society" looks good and the music fits to the scenery. This episode delivers some of the most different atmosphere seen in a while in "Midsomer Murders". The acting's pretty good all around. Lizzy McInnery is very good and so is Harriet Thorpe, but Hannah Waddingham is terrific indeed.

. The murder mystery is very compelling, one of the most interesting of the recent era, with neat twists and turns. There is a good mix of wry humor and intrigue here. The solution (Mimi turning out to be the murderer) was satisfying and very clever.

But not eveything is very good...

. There are a bit too many characters in this story. Some characters like Erika Marx are competely unnecessary and underused.

. Also, the investor subplot felt like filler and did not add anything to the story.

Overall, pretty good, though not great.

8/10 HK.

Great

[kall6695 · 8/10 · 3 May 2022]

A great episode with lots of juicy murders. Hannah Waddingham is a treat to watch in any show (particularly Ted Lasso) and she is great in this episode. So glamorous and yet able to capture that evil look when working out with long poles. Amusing watching her flirt with Barnaby. So much sex, violence and general misbehavior in Midsomer County.

The Stitcher Society is a "club" where members workout and socialize with heart surgery survivors. They have a "Stitcher" scar on their chest from their surgeries. Members start being murdered for no particular reason that we know of. Lots of angry people to suspect.

Questionable writing

[xbatgirl-30029 · 4/10 · 21 February 2022]

I'm glad many others seemed to enjoy this but personally I found this to be one of the least satisfying episodes in years. First, put aside the ridiculousness of half a village having had open heart surgery (I am a former cardiothoracic surgical nurse - the widespread use of catheterization for heart attack patients has made bypasses much less common or necessary). My main problem is that the motivations for so many characters and even the investigation made no sense. Now maybe I blinked at the start of the episode, when it's usually very disorienting just learning everyone's names and relationships within a few minutes. But did they ever once give a motive for Toby to have allegedly killed Viola? We were told the town all thought he was guilty and that the newspaperwoman told them so. But I believe that was about it. Not once did Barnaby say, as he would in most other episodes, "This seems related to the original murder. What do we know about it?" Then the newspaperperson (already forgot her name) flips on a dime, with no evidence, and decides that Toby is innocent and gives him her house? This is not how people act.

Also usually the various side characters exist for a purpose. They are witnesses, or a red herring, or involved in some family drama that gets some resolution, or something. Half the characters here had no purpose, such as Harry's niece. Or there was no resolution, like after Harry tried to kill Toby. For that matter, what even set Harry off at that point besides plot convenience? On and on. There were so many problems with the writing, I had a very hard time sticking with this episode - and I'm not one of the new Barnaby haters who thinks the whole show went downhill when they added diversity.

That said I enjoyed the cast. The woman playing Mimi was a standout and fun to watch. (Back to my point of people not acting sensibly, why would Barnaby ask his wife if she liked their house? What was the point of that?) It was fun seeing him squirm when Mimi came on to him. However his wife cooking healthy food was a really half hearted attempt to shoehorn a parallel to his private life with the case. I'll stop here. You can't please everyone and this episode did not work for me.

Even Neil Dudgeon looks embarrassed 😳

[tmannin · 1/10 · 16 May 2021]

This is the last of the new series that I will ever attempt to watch, I lasted 10 minutes and believe me I need a medal for endurance. First Neill and Mrs Barnaby walk along a wet lane with the dog looking like they have just been dressed for a photo shoot and then a motor cyclist riding at speed down wet lanes through torrents of water dismounts his cycle with a brand new pristine leather jacket on. The acting unfortunately was much worse than the costume management. VERY SAD DAY FOR MIDSOMER. Tom Barnaby would be appalled. Score of 1 given, I would have give less if I could!

A lot not to like

[vitoscotti · 5/10 · 15 July 2023]

The "Stitcher Society" idea for a theme went from the normal campy to pretty tasteless. Beyond the creepiness why would a heart patient rehab with no medical staff, limited exercise equipment, and unlikelihood health insurance would cover the cost. A handful of the male actors looked similar so sorting things out took awhile. The writing though suspenseful wasn't up to "Midsomer Murders" usual quality. Seemed to have an American murder mystery amateurish writing style. An unusual amount of twists and turns got old soon. Took me multiple short viewings to get through it. Saving grace were the outstanding female actresses. I especially enjoyed the lovely Hannah Waddingham as Mimi Dagmar who lit up the screen. Very little Sarah (Fiona Dolmam) which is a mistake.