I have been a fan of Midsomer Murders since I saw the first episode and have all the episodes on DVD and re-watch them from time to time, and it's one of the very few TV shows I look forward to every year, but I have to say I was very disappointed with "Breaking the Chain."
The writers did not introduce clues and evidence pointing to the killer until the very last minutes of the episode, leading one to think they had no idea whatsoever themselves who the murderer was going to be, and out of desperation just picked someone at random and wrote in the needed evidence at the end of the episode.
I cried FOUL when this occurred, it wasn't fair to the audience, and showed very poor writing on the part of the writers.
This ranked way up there with failed mystery writers who introduce new characters in the last chapter of a book and that person turns out to be the murderer.
The addition of the new girl pathologist who thinks far too much of herself doesn't work either, you'd think she's out to prove something, to make herself more than she is, sometimes to the point of condescension towards her superiors, instead of meaningfully contributing to the storyline.
Also gone is the chemistry and the playful banter that pervaded the previous episodes, that between Barnaby and his wife, and between Barnaby and his current partner, and for sure between them and the pathologist.
I hope the show gets new writers, and before they write a single line are made to watch all the previous episodes so they know what audiences expect and write that way.