Midsomer Murders (TV Series) The Witches Of Angel's Rise (2021) User Reviews

Mildly interesting, but very preachy.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 1 September 2023]

The body of a young woman is found surrounded by ritual symbols just prior to a psychic event arriving in Midsomer, Barnaby and Winter investigate.

I'm not sure I thought this was a particularly good or strong episode, but it's Midsomer, and it hasn't been on screen for so long, so it's watchable for that alone.

I really did enjoy the window dressing, the visuals were great, especially the occult scenes, the hooded figures and psychic meetings. Fleur had some great moments as always, and the casting was strong, Janine Duvitski and Colin Salmon were a cut above.

Another figure in a mask, they are starting to get too repetitive with the concept.

Very much on trend with lots of social thinking, I found several chunks of the script absolutely nauseating if I'm honest, it wasn't exactly subtle, it was hammered home.

Some incredibly irritating characters, the witches, it's a shame they didn't fly off on their brooms to somewhere......like Saturn. Holly Willoughby was cringe.

A mixed bag, I'd hoped for something along the lines of 'Things that go bump in the night,' it wasn't in the same league, but it's watchable.

6/10.

It's not awful, though nothing amazing.

[harrykivi · 7/10 · 18 January 2022]

"Midsomer Murders" has been one of my favorite shows for a long time, but I think we all agree that "Midsomer" was at its best when John Nettles was around. Neil Gudgeon has never really done it for me. He has had his ups and downs, the 19th season being particularly good. The 22th season, on the other hand, has not been something to write home about while being decent. The only good episode being "The Stitcher Society", which had a great performance by Hannah Waddingham. "The Witches of Angel's Rise" is not an awful episode, there are a lot worse ones out there, but manages to be not great.

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

. The production values of this episode are great as usual. Everything looks and sounds very good. The acting is solid too. Janine Duvitski and Clive Mantle fare the best of the guest stars. Holly Willoughby is not bad either, I just did not understand her presence in the story.

. The mystery is intriguing for the most part. There are relatable themes (like grief) touched upon, the murders are some of the most interesting of the season and I did appreciate the different, sombre feeling this episode had. (It actually seems to me that "Midsomer Murders" should give a go at these different directions, because the show is, agreed, becoming repetitive, which is not good coming from a fan like me.)

But...

. There should have been a lot more suspects with stronger murder motives in the story. What was Holly Willoughbys, who I like as a TV host, purpose in the narrative, again? Just to be in frame for a couple of scenes? At times it felt that no-one really had a motive and the ones, who had a semi-okay one, were the prime suspects and that is the reason why the identity of the killer (Jonas) does not come as a surprise at all. His motive for the murders at the end of the day, while I understand what they were trying to do, just feels too extreme.

. Also, in the last 30 minutes, there are far too many subplot revelations that it became hard to keep track of the story and I wished some of the subplots would have been solved in the first hour, which would have made the story more enjoyable and easier to follow.

Overall, I liked the direction this episode was going, but I did not love the story itself.

7/10 HK.

Sorry black characters upset you "woke" phobics

[mlbroberts · 6/10 · 16 June 2022]

No, MM is not as good as it used to be but some reviewers here are deriding its multicultural turn to call it "woke." Funny how being awake is so upsetting to some people. The inclusion of people of color is a lot more understandable than keeping the lily white, blue-eyed cast of the early days. If you are going to criticize something, criticize the writing or the acting, not the color of the cast.

As for the cast, I'm not a Neil Dudgeon fan and don't like John Barnaby as a character. A lack of pep there, as if even Dudgeon (and maybe the writers) are getting tired of John B. If MM is to continue, it needs a revival, cast and stories.

Last episode of a Great Season 22

[kall6695 · 7/10 · 3 May 2022]

This episode features the Angel's Rise Psychic Fair. Mediums, psychics, occultists galore. The fair is held to remember a family's late daughter, who died of suicide previously.

Janine Duvitski, who plays a psychic novelist, also appeared in Season 1, Ep 3 "Death of a Hollow Man." She was great in that episode and is great in this one.

There are several murders.... A woman is found dead in a circle with ritualistic symbols surrounding her. A Tarot card reader is found posed like the Tarot card. Before another murder can take place, Barnaby and Winter come to the rescue. I think the motive for the murders is pretty weak. Killing the victims for involving his dead girlfriend in psychic nonsense. Seems a stretch.

The casting is poor. Can they please STOP casting racial and ethic actors simply for the purpose of being PC. This is NOT the show for it. Bridgerton does it well. In MM, these actors seem totally out of place and unbelievable, which really hurts the entire program.

The Ritual Murders

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 19 June 2023]

Season 22 has mostly been rather unimpressive, with only "The Stitcher Society" and particularly "Happy Families" rising above good and half the season being average or less. "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy" turned out for me to be the worst episode since "Night of the Stag", while "The Scarecrow Murders" and "For Death Prepare" were wastes of pretty good concepts. "The Witches of Angel's Rise" did sound quite intriguing, despite being unsure of a few things.

It thankfully managed to be an intriguing and unsettling enough episode, though a flawed one. It is nowhere near as good as "The Stitcher Society" and "Happy Families", but it is a huge improvement over "The Wolf Hunter of Little Worthy" and the previous two episodes. "The Witches of Angel's Rise" is not great, with some big issues particularly later on, but even the flaws have been executed far worse in other episodes and there are a lot of great things still.

Beginning with the good things, 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. Most of the acting is fine. Annette Badland continues to be a joy as Fleur with some amusing lines, and still stand by my opinion of her being one of the most consistently great and refreshing aspects of the later episodes. Janine Duvitski and Clive Mantle do a good job in their supporting roles and are particularly good of the solid supporting cast.

Did like most of the atmosphere a lot, there is a real creepiness often and the sombre tone of some scenes didn't bother me at all. Neither did the diversity, and am quite frankly getting really annoyed seeing and hearing the increasingly overused and abused word woke being casually thrown around. The murders are some of the most eerie and most inventive in ages. There are also some relatable themes that are better fleshed out than most of the later episodes to have more serious themes to usual. The mystery is intriguing, is tighter paced than the previous two episodes and the dialogue probes thought.

Having said all that, "The Witches of Angel's Rise" could have been better. Nick Hendrix struck me as rather bland and he doesn't have much spark with Neil Dudgeon, who is increasingly looking and sounding as if he is growing tired of playing Barnaby. Holly Willoughby served absolutely no point to the episode in her short screen time and came over as out of place and annoying.

Worst of all is the final half an hour, which is very rushed and over-stuffed from trying to include far too many revelations in quick succession. The final solution is too cramped, which would have been solved if starting to be revealed earlier so that it took longer to explain and didn't feel as too last minute. It is also too complicated, has a too obvious killer and a too extreme they killed for that-like motive.

Concluding, a bit mixed here. A lot to like, but significantly flawed as well. 6/10.

Another intriguing episode

[lbowdls · 9/10 · 12 February 2022]

I cannot believe the only 2 other reviews gave 1 point give me a break. Even if you didn't like it as much as me how can you give it 1? I have least favourite episodes eg A Christmas Haunting- I find very boring but still give it 5. Anyway you're insane not to like this episode it was exciting, mysterious - a great setting at a a psychic fair- and full of a great abundance of suspects. Keeps you guessing to the end just as it should be! I hope this isn't the last ever Midsomer as quite frankly this last season has been fantastic!

Terrific from beginning to end.

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 9 August 2023]

A very creepy subject matter that I would imagine would be very difficult to work with and not go totally off the rails. The episode though not too appealing when I first saw the subject turned into a well crafted British mystery. Acting was superb. I'm not familiar with Colin Salmon's (as Gerard King) work but he'd be one heck of a Shakespearean actor with his booming voice. Throughout the story I was thinking how the actors felt about playing such odd characters? Annette Badland as Fleur Perkins I thought delivered one of her better performances. Gone was the more abrasive character. Instead a more tolerable down to earth pathologist who blended in well. It was never brought up if Sarah's interest in the occult was more than an occupational endeavor. PC woke casting is heavy but the actors for the most part are very good.

Why is this "woke" ??

[nbl-62899 · 5/10 · 3 April 2022]

Not a brilliant episode, but ok. Subject matter a bit overdone, but no idea why it's characterised as 'woke' though? Perhaps a misinterpretation of the concept?

Mystical murder in Midsomer

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 5 September 2023]

This episode is set at the time of the Psychic Fayre in the village of Angel's Rise; an event of which several villagers strongly disapprove. As the story opens a young woman is having a tarot card reading. The cards remind her of a death that took place sometime before and she runs away and is confronted by an unseen killer. When the body is found in the morning it is surrounded by assorted mystic symbols; is the killer part of some occult group or is it misdirection? Barnaby and Winter are on the case and soon find several suspects and motives.

I thought this episode was rather fun in the silly way one expects from 'Midsomer Murders'. We have a group with an unusual interest that dominates the particular village and others who strongly disapprove. Plenty of suspects to keep the viewer guessing as to who the killer is and who if anybody will be killed next. The cast is solid with familiar faces including Janine Duvitski and Colin Salmon amongst the guest stars. As one would expect it is set in pleasant surroundings with a suitably spooky denouement in caves near the village. Overall not a top episode put still fun if you enjoy the series.

2 of 10 is being very generous

[suzpomz · 2/10 · 9 January 2022]

I have watched Midsomer Murders since the beginning. Yes, a long time, and have (almost) always enjoyed it.

But this episode, especially the result of the investigation and discovery of the murderer, goes into the dust bin.

So very very very weak and silly.

The downhill slide began, I'm sorry to say, with the exit of John Nettles and the entrance of Neil Dudgeon or at least his character (I blame the writers, not so much the actor). I've stuck with it anyway, but it just gets worse and worse and worse...

IF there is a Season 23, I might take a look just to see if the writers, directors, producers finally came to their senses. I hope so, but somehow, in the way the world has been going lately, I doubt it.

Didn't need special powers to know this one was bad from the beginning

[megpatch-35678 · 3/10 · 9 January 2024]

As soon as the main cast is introduced, you know it won't be the best episode. It is like they had swept up leftovers into a pile and then dumped them into roles in this episode. Lack luster... mediocre...out of sorts...not the sort of quality usually seen in Midsomer. I don't know why they would go ahead with such a haphazard collection of characters and disjointed ideas. Whatever they were trying to prove or appease it was a dismal failure. No depth to most of the characters, like a raindrop on a windshield. There is no doubt as to why they are seldom seen in the county. Barnaby & Winter unfortunately can only do so much to pull such twaddle together. Whatever or whoever was responsible should have been chucked, like the water being bailed in the episode, into the bin barrel and poured out elsewhere. Poorly written with lackluster additions leaves a pile to be shoveled away. Not the usual Midsomer at all.

Poor plot, poor script, and less than brilliant performances

[federicasegreto-08116 · 2/10 · 10 March 2024]

I think this may be one of the least successful episodes in Midsomer Murders' history.

The murder plot has the weakest and most laughable motive to date, and the murders don't even get explained in details, just a "yes, I did it" from the murderer. How did he plan it? How did he get the victims there? These are elaborate, premeditated murders, and they make it sound like the murderer just lost his temper. It makes no sense, and we get no satisfaction at all.

The investigation is even worse, no alibis are checked (or in some cases even asked), and Barnaby and Winter hardly spend any time speaking to each other, or at the station doing some actual thinking in front of the board. Which may explain why it takes them so long to work out anything.

The plot in general is a mess. A part from the fact that it massively features an event in the past, around which everything seems to revolve, and then just writes it off and doesn't go anywhere with it; there are also way too many subplots and characters that do not contribute in any significant way to the mystery. I mean, what's the point of feng-shui guy? And don't get me started on Holly Willoughby, such waste of time. Also, the whole thing with Winter's granddad was cringey, exaggerated and really poorly written.

Which brings me to the script. So preachy, so cheesy, so absolutely, utterly unbelievable. The reveal scene was the worst, it was almost painful to listen to. Even the usual stars, Dudgeon, Badland, Dolman and Hendrix, couldn't make a script this bad any better.

Some actors do manage to make it even worse though, like the ones in the roles of Hattie Bainbridge and Jonas Wilson. Their theatrics are simply ridiculous. Again, a dishonourable mention goes to Holly Willoughby, who looks like she wandered on set by mistake and nobody knows exactly what to do with her, or how to react.

On the positive side, the village is lovely, the nature is beautiful, the idea of a psychic fair is cute, and Colin Salmon is a top-notch actor as always. The storyline with Gerard, Jeanie, Ginger and the witches was really good too. Should have stuck to that one.