Media Notes: Roundup for December 2021

              

This is a somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during December 2021.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available).

It's December, so of course I will be watching one or two holiday themed movies.

• Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010. Horror. Adventure. Fantasy. Christmas/Holidays. Finland film). Plot description: "On Christmas Eve in Finland, Santa Claus is unearthed in an archaeological dig. Soon after, children start disappearing, leading a boy and his father to capture Santa and, with the help of fellow hunters, they look to sell him back to the corporation that sponsored the dig. And then there's Santa's elves, who are determined to free their leader...". A  great line from the film by the way sums things up nicely: "The real Santa was totally different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax." The suspense in this one builds up nice and slow; it is a short film but it takes its time building things up. To be honest, the horror elements are relatively minimal. What the movie has is a fairly interesting premise about who Santa Claus really is; this is more a fantasy film. The heavy action does pick up in the last hour or so, and the twist at the end was interesting. This is a relatively minimalist film, but a decent watch for the Christmas season. I am willing to give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars as I liked it, but it is not a big deal. As I said, if you are looking for something different and interesting, but without a lot of flash this is a decent option. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/10.
• Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009. Animated. Fantasy. Comedy).  Jim Carrey takes the turn as Ebenezer Scrooge in this animated version of the Christmas and holidays classic by Charles Dickens; the film is directed by Roger Zemeckis. As Disney movies often do, this one does pay attention to details, especially small details that add to the movie's atmosphere from the opening of a book to start to closing that book at the end of the film. In between, we get the story that blends the expected Disney magic and humor with elements to remind you that this is a Christmas ghost story. In addition to Jim Carrey as Scrooge we do get a good cast including Gary Oldman as Crachit, Bob Hoskins as Fezziwig, Cary Elwes as one of the gentlemen who comes to solicit a donation from Scrooge (the portly man), and Colin Firth as Fred, Scrooge's nephew. Overall, it is a very good telling of the story that looks great visually. Is it going to be a classic like previous films? Maybe not, but it is pretty good, and it is a good family film all ages can enjoy. It is worth checking out for the holidays. I really liked it, so 4 out of 5 stars. Via DVD from Berea branch, Madison County Public Library. Watched 12/12.

Other movies I watched in December:

• Piranha (1978. Horror. Comedy. Science Fiction. Grindhouse). Plot description: "When flesh-eating piranhas are accidentally released into a summer resort's rivers, the guests become their next meal." Watched this in part to do a bit of the #Deucember challenge from Grindhouse Cinema Database. Movie starts with a couple of typical not so bright kids trespassing on an abandoned test site despite the big sign saying no trespassing. Because they are teens (or playing teens), they soon jump into the random dark pool for a bit of skinny dip, and you can figure out what happens next. Chomp, chomp. By the way, the music at the beginning is pretty good to set up a bit of a suspenseful atmosphere. Note that Jaws came out in 1975, and I am sure this movie was one of the many trying to ride that wave. As a small fun reference, one of the characters is playing an arcade shark game of "Jaws." Soon, a young lady is hired to find the two missing teens, and things go from there. By the way, the test site is not as abandoned as it seems. Naturally guess who does the "accidental" release of the piranhas, which by the way are not just ordinary fish but experimentally enhanced piranhas for warfare. Our overeager private investigator girl. And there is a summer camp down river where the piranhas are now headed: cute kids buffet. This movie packs a lot: the horror of mutated piranhas headed to a summer camp lake, the military trying to keep things quiet, the colonel in charge involved in shady local dealings, and a few scares here and there. This is not exactly a comedic film, and to be honest, the gore in the horror is pretty minimal. This is more a combination of race against time to stop the mutant fish and save the camp despite the army trying to keep it all quiet as well as some investors wanting to make sure their big opening of a new lake resort pays off (not unlike Jaws with the mayor wanting to keep the island open in the summer). The action can be a little slow, but it does really pick up in the last half hour of the film. The movie has a lot of little detail that make it fun to pay attention, like a lake goer sitting ashore reading Moby Dick of all things. Roger Corman, known for making this kind of film, was the producer, and he even called this film his "homage to Jaws." This is not a great film, but it does have a bit of charm, some cheesiness consistent with a low budget film, and an amusing moment here or there. In some ways, it is a very close imitation of Jaws with piranhas. For me, this was OK, so I am willing to give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/4.
• On a side note, reading some of the trivia notes for this movie on IMDB can be quite interesting. The notes also mention there is a novelization of this film written by the film's writer John Sayles. May be interesting to read if I find it. 
• Death Rage (1976. Crime. Thriller. Italian film). Plot description: "A retired hit-man decides to take one last job to avenge the murder of his brother by a mafia gang. An eager would-be mobster helps him." Picked this film up in part to do #Deucember (link to GCDb listing) and in part because of the tagline: "Yul Brynner The second chapter of the big city vigilante! Bronson started it, Brynner finishes it!" Keep in mind this came before all the sequels to Death Wish. On a bit of trivia, this was Brynner's final film role. One thing I like about movies like this is how well they often use music for dramatic effect. One small detail, for example, is when the mobster boss tells Peter Marciani (Brynner's character) his brother is dead to get him to go after the rivals. They put in this brief dramatic music in the scene. Before you know it, Peter is on a plane from New York to Naples, Italy to get his revenge and kill some Mafiosi. However, Peter is meticulous, takes his time, surveys the areas, and plans patiently. To complicate things a bit, the local Italian cops find out Peter is in town. This is not a movie with frills; it's fairly basic as it becomes a cat and mouse game with Peter trying to get the Mafiosi, the Mafiosi trying to get him, and the cops trying to prevent Peter from his mission while wanting to arrest the Mafiosi (or so they claim). There is some decent action, and a nice car chase, but overall it is just an OK film. However, the reveal comes at the very end of who really was pulling the strings, so to speak. I'd give it a 2.5 out of 5 stars. On a side note, the young man assisting Peter reminded me a bit of Jan Michael Vincent's character in Bronson's The Mechanic. The highlight if any of the film is Brynner's acting, but we are better off remembering him for other much better movies. For the record, this is not a city vigilante film; that tagline was clearly trying to cash in on the 1974 Death Wish. Via TubiTv. Watched 12/11.
• Tremors (1990. Action. Horror. Comedy). Plot description: "Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one." I watched this around the time it came out, and I remember liking it, so when Tubi brought it in this month, along with the sequels it spawned later, I decided to revisit it. Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward star as the two handymen in the area trying to eke out a living. They do play off each other pretty well, which adds to the humor of the film. The movie starts like it may be a buddy comedy, but soon enough the terror will come along and right on the day the guys decide they are leaving Perfection, the town, to pursue something better. Also Michael Gross and Reba McEntire (yes, the singer) play well off each other as the survivalist couple who live in the area due to the geographical isolation. The movie overall is well made, tight, and entertaining. Once it starts, it keeps going with a blend of action and humor. The gore to be honest is minimal; it's the tension and suspense of the creatures that drive the horror. For a 90-minute movie, it is pretty good, and it is well worth watching. Even now, it still holds pretty well, and it is a movie I would recommend. It certainly has earned its cult movie status. The ending is pretty satisfying; they could have left it there, but we'll see about the sequels. As a bonus, you get Reba singing in the closing credits. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Watched 12/19. Via TubiTv.
• The Shadow (1994. Action. Adventure. Crime. Pulp magazine adaptation. Radio show adaptation). Plot description: "In 1930s New York City, The Shadow (Alec Baldwin) battles his nemesis, Shiwan Khan (John Lone), who is building an atomic bomb." This is another one I remember watching back in the day. It did not do well in movie theaters at the time, but I did like the aesthetic and look of it. So when I saw Tubi brought it in, I decided to revisit it. If some folks feel there are some similarities to Batman, Bob Kane, Batman's creator has stated The Shadow influenced his work. The film's soundtrack is also pretty good by the way. Overall, this is a pretty good and entertaining fantasy and action film. If you enjoy pulp stories and adventure, you might like this as well. It has a nice blend of action with some light humor. Sure, it's the basic plot of stop the villain before he blows up the city, but it is done in an entertaining way, and it really looks great. They did a great job on the cinematography. In addition to Alec Baldwin, who does great as The Shadow, the film features a great cast including Penelope Ann Miller (Margot), Peter Boyle, Johnathan Winters, Ian McKellen (as the absent minded scientist, father of Margot) and Tim Curry. By the way, I like the ending on this one, part of me wishes they'd made a sequel. This is one I always have a soft spot for and I was glad to catch it again. A pretty good adaptation of the source material. I am willing to give it 4 out of 5 stars. Watched 12/19. Via TubiTv. 
• Some movies that may have similar appeal include Dick Tracy (1990), The Phantom (1996), and Darkman (1990). On a trivia note, Sam Raimi, who directed Darkman, wanted to do The Shadow but at the time could not get the rights. Imagine how that might have turned out had it been possible. From what I see, the 1990s spawned quite a few comic book and pulp adaptations. And yes, 1997 was the year for Spawn. 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes. The highlight for me this month was binge watching Midsomer Murders a bit. I finished seasons 12 and 13 and got into 14:

• C.O.P.S. (1988-1989. Animated series. Police. Action. Humor. Children and Young Adult).  See my comment on this in the May 2019 roundup. I've been watching this in and out. I start this month on episode 41 (out of 65) as I continue catching up on watching the series this month. 
• Iron Chef (1993-1999). I continue watching the six seasons that TubiTv brought in last month; they got it via Filmrise. From last month, I noticed Tubi is now carrying all seven seasons of this series. 
• First season they offer starts with Iron Chef Morimoto's arrival as the new Iron Chef Japanese and goes from there. I start this month with episode 18 out of 26 for the first season, and I finished watching the first season. First season ends with the formation of the Ohta Faction, which Chef Kandagawa joins, who as guardians of traditional Japanese cuisine see Iron Chef Morimoto as public enemy number 1. This is where that grudge gets started. The show for me is fascinating for the cooking and the cultural elements, but this grudge to be honest sounds like something out of U.S. professional wrestling, and thus fun to watch too. 
• Continued with the second season on Tubi. The 6th episode was close to Halloween, so it was a pumpkin battle. The food cart chef took on Italian Iron Chef Kobe. 
• Liberace Show: Christmas Show (1953). Description: "Liberace plays his favorite tunes for his favorite holiday, Christmas. He later invites his family and crew members on stage to sing the final Christmas song." Found this on TubiTv, and I streamed it while wrapping presents before Christmas. It was brief (it is a bit less than 30 minutes), but it was heartwarming and nice. 
• Midsomer Murders (1997 to present, still going. Mystery. Crime. Detective. British series). I commented on this series in the July 2020 roundup. Via TubiTv, which has up to Season 20. 
• This month I pick up on Season 12, Episode 2: "The Black Book." Plot description: "A newly discovered masterpiece by landscape artist Henry Hogson causes a stir when it is auctioned for £400,000 - just hours before its former owner is tortured and killed." Soon it turns out, the oh so expensive painting may not be what it seems. And when the owner of another Hogson painting has his stolen, suspicions really arise that go beyond more than just the murder. This was a very good episode that kept the suspense until the very end, and it did have a satisfactory ending. 
• Season 12, Episode 3: "Secrets and Spies." Plot description: "Former secret agent Geoffrey Larkin arrives in Midsomer Parva and stays at Allenby House, a country mansion run by former spies Sir Malcolm Frazer (Benjamin Whitrow), his son Nicky (Peter Davison) and Nicky's wife Jenny (Alice Krige) as a safe house. Geoffrey is soon gashed to death after a cricket match in Midsomer Parva, and the locals blame the 'beast of Midsomer'." However, Barnaby soon discovers links to Allenby House, enough that MI6 wants him off the case, only to come back begging for his help when things get really complicated. On a nice side note in the episode, Police Woman Constable Stephens, a semi-regular now in the series, gets her promotion to Detective Constable. And by the way, is there really a "beast of Midsomer"? This is very much a cloak and dagger episode where secrets of the past, all the way from the Cold War, come back to haunt the present, and the old spies are not as retired as they seem. 
• Season 12, Episode 4: "The Glitch." Plot description: "Midsomer University science fellow and cycling enthusiast George Jeffers (David Haig) threatens to make public a problem with his state-of-the-art invention Kernel Logic, but American software boss Clinton Finn fears he will lose millions if the truth comes out. When a schoolteacher is killed in a hit-and-run, Barnaby suspects Jeffers was the intended target." The problem is that Jeffers discovers a major glitch in the software, bad enough in theory at least, could be a problem for air traffic control and people could die. Naturally, the American rich boss could not care less since this is about money. The question becomes if Jeffers was the target, who killed him? To make matters worse, Jeffers is an avid cyclist, and the village has a conflict between rich people like Clinton who drive fast cars and would love to run all cyclists over if they could. By the way, Clinton is also funding the university where Jeffers works, so naturally in typical academia fashion, Clinton uses his money for leverage on the campus (they do want that new science building, don't they? This certainly is a common story in academia by the way). This was a bit slower episode, but in the end it still had an academic grudge as the murder motivation. 
• Season 12, Episode 5: "Small Mercies." Plot description: "In the peaceful village of Little Worthy, Bob Moss was about to open up his beloved model village, when he found a gruesome extra attraction. Young local, Richard Tanner, had been stabbed in the side and his corpse tied down like Gulliver in Lilliput." Richard Tanner was a bit of a local troublemaker, so likely a few people would want him dead and gone from the biddies that own the model village (along with half the village; Bob is just an employee they treat like dirt who makes and repairs the models) to other villagers. Meanwhile, it is end of tourist season, so naturally the villagers are anxious about the crime. The episode seems fairly slow, and then in the last act some more people start getting killed, and soon the link is revealed, going back to an affair of many years ago. This one had a bit of a creepy ending. 
• Season 12, Episode 6: "The Creeper." Plot description: "A cat burglar is on the loose, one known as "the Creeper", but the wave of burglaries he or she have committed, seem to have finally led to murder, when David Roper (Rik Mayall) is found smothered in his bed on the Chettham family estate." However, as often happens in this series, the murder is not just any ordinary murder by a burglar, and Roper may have had secrets his family and others did not want revealed. By the way, the opening scene with the burglar had a nice humor touch to it. In the end, it was an old family secret, not the open secret they all shared but worse, that brings the Chetthams down. Nice twist, and a cool ending of sorts. 
• Season 12, Episode 7: "The Great and the Good." Plot description: "A sleep-walking school teacher (Nancy Carroll) starts to believe she has slit the throats of her mentor (Tim Wylton) and a local handyman man in her sleep, but her friends (Paola Dionisotti and Monica Dolan) are not convinced that she is the culprit, nor is Barnaby." This is the last episode of the 12th season. This episode, at the start, features one of those small details that crack me up about this show: things are (usually) so safe and peaceful that people leave spare keys to their houses in places like under a flower pot. On the one hand, the villages of Midsomer seem like the murder capital of Great Britain (going by the show), and yet people do that sort of thing regularly. The thing about the teacher is she wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, enough to wake up the neighborhood to the point the neighbors sort of "know the drill" of the nutty woman who keeps screaming in the night at times. Meanwhile, a local philanthropist's wife, who is basically an obnoxious social climber, is hoping to get the teacher removed from a local charity (the teacher leads the charity committee) in order to use the charity for her ends. So we get a lot of the usual small village gossip and passive aggressiveness. To be honest, this was not one of the better episodes. There are moments when you just wonder about some of the people. The handyman was an obnoxious asshole (I was glad when he got killed, gossipy bastard). The millionaire philanthropist apparently did not have enough money or mojo for a better trophy wife than his social climbing obnoxious spouse (honestly, one wonder why the hell he married her). By the way, once you make the connection with the millionaire and the fact he made his fortune in electronic equipment, you know the culprit. The motive, well, I won't spoil it all, but part of it was the millionaire was not as rich as he made out. It was satisfying to see the wife see her social climbing rug pulled from under her. It was a good twist, but they got there very slowly. 
• Season 13, Episode 1: "The Made to Measure Murders." Plot description: "The residents of Milton Cross, a feudal estate with a church, farms, houses and acres of land, depend on lord of the manor Edward Milton for their livelihoods. But when Sonia Woodley is stabbed in the churchyard two years after the death of her abusive husband Gerald, Barnaby and Jones investigate, trying to work out who killed her." In the small village, as often happens, it could have been anyone, and it is up to Barnaby and Jones to find out who. This particular village, all owned (except for a couple of private homes) is all owned by the one lord, and he pretty much runs it like a feudal manor despite his superficial gentle demeanor. They all know each other, and they all fear and try to keep on the good side of the manor lord, including attending church because he is a very devout Anglican. The solution may hinge on a letter Sonia left behind. The episode feels slow because it takes the detectives most of the episode to find out about the letter, then find it, and even then the letter is somewhat cryptic, and they can't even tell at first who wrote it. Barnaby thinks the apparently obvious suspects are being framed, but are they? Turns out they are, and all due to an old unhappy love affair. 
• Season 13, Episode 2: "The Sword of Guillaume." Plot description: "Barnaby is not convinced about Mayor David Hicks' plans to revive an annual trip to Brighton, suspecting his proposal to buy coastal land there, is rather a fraudulent scheme. Naturally, he joins the trip, but during their time in Brighton, a hated property developer (Tim McInnerny) is beheaded on a ghost house ride, prompting Barnaby to team up with his cousin to determine whether the developer's renters, the mayor, a gloomy reverend (Mark Gatiss), or the lady of a large estate are responsible, and soon discovers a hotbed of jealously, debt, lies and more, conceal a far darker secret." This is where they introduce his cousin detective in the series (who later will take his place as the DCI of the series when Tom Barnaby leaves-- due to John Nettles the actor leaving the series later on). Soon, there is a case of corruption that goes between the two towns, and an old inheritance plot mixed with some modern jealousy. This one was interesting. 
• Season 13, Episode 3: "Blood on the Saddle." Plot description: "Ford Florey is a town with a Wild West Society and many grudges. During a Wild West show at the local faire, the witch on the 'Dunk the Witch' stall is well and truly dunked but laughter soon turns to horror when she doesn't get up and the water in the tank starts to turn red." Barnaby and Jones have to figure out the motive and killer, and was it due to a land dispute or something else? An episode with a bit of Wild West flair, including the ways in which victims are killed. Actually, before the witch, episode starts with some guy dressed as a cowboy, riding a horse into town, gets off his horse, takes a shotgun, and shoots someone inside a house. That is the first murder (turns out it was a dog got shot, part of a grudge). After the witch, soon others start dying, and it all hinges on the land dispute because one party does not want to sell, the other does, but the land is disputed until ownership proof is found, also part of the mystery. As people start dying, time may run out for the detectives. 
• Season 13, Episode 4: "The Silent Land." Plot description: "On a dark night in the village of March Magna, Barnaby's wife Joyce swerves her car and narrowly misses a shadowy figure in the road - or so she thinks, when later that night a body is discovered in the old cemetery. The victim was a member of the council who was strange and weird, but someone seemed to have quite a grudge on him, and so Barnaby and Jones delve into his background. . . ". Plus there may be a ghost or two, at least according to the local shady ghost tour guide. In the end, the crimes were not so much due to ghosts as more a desire for revenge. 
• Season 13, Episode 5: "Master Class." Plot description: "Piano student Zoe Stock has won a place at the Devington Manor Winter School led by internationally renowned musician, Sir Michael Fielding (James Fox). Yet when she is there, things become mysterious when from the river bank in the grounds of the manor she sees a woman jump from the bridge and disappear underwater. When Barnaby and Jones start investigating the possible drowning, they discover unsavoury connections to the past that could prove lethal 20 years later, especially when someone attempts to kill." So what, if any, is the connection between the possible drowning and the murders that do occur. Like other high pressure situations with kids or young adults, the parents are just nuts, either living vicariously through their kids, being seriously pushy and obnoxious, and/or, as happens here, a mom pushes her son to seduce a rival student to get her out of the way so the boy can win the music prize. The pressure is high enough that it seems they could kill each other to eliminate rivals, and there is an attempt on Zoe's life. The murders do come, albeit pretty far into the episode, within the last half hour, since rest of the time, parents and pupils plot against rivals. It is a miracle any pupil gets any lessons done. And Zoe, she is seriously special as piano virtuoso, so much so Sir Michael really wants her (in more ways than one, oh, and we could also mention he has a bit of an obsession with genetics). Quite a bit of drama on this one. 
• Season 13, Episode 6: "The Noble Art." Plot description: "When Midsomer Morchard's very own boxer, John Kinsella, wins a world title in New York, the success seems to be a joyous time for all, until murder rears its ugly head. When a local solicitor is found dead by his assistant and Kinsella's manager, Barnaby attempts to determine what is going on, and soon discover issues with inheritance, affairs, anger, and gambling to make matters difficult." Eventually, another murder, and even the revelation the solicitor was gay (which at the time would be a big deal unlike now). It does not help Barnaby that he's sort of blind when it comes to a friend of his being a suspect. Once he works that out, the case gets solved. In the end, it was about the gambling and a man trying not to lose an estate and securing inheritance line. In the end, there is a small twist and a touch of irony. 
• Season 13, Episode 7: "Not in my backyard." Plot description: "A planning dispute turns to murder, after a leading light in the Midsomer Conservation Society suspects her neighbours are involved in a money-making development scam. Political wrangling, burglaries and sexual liaisons abound in picturesque Great Pelfe - but when a member of the possible scam is themselves murdered, Barnaby wonders what is truly going on behind the scenes of an important by-election." It is all about the scams and an election where the big debate is progress versus staying the same for the village. The guy killed in cement was especially nice and gruesome touch for this episode. 
• Season 13, Episode 8: "Fit for Murder." Plot description: "Barnaby reluctantly accompanies Joyce on a spa weekend to Swavely Manor. But as he attempts to de-stress, a woman is found dead in the flotation chamber. He abandons his treatment to investigate, but his personal worries are never far away as he contemplates his future, while trying to determine if an argument between the spa's owners and their neighbours is the motive, or something else." Even before Tom and Joyce get to the spa, trouble is brewing; heck, they are even warned to turn around and go home (which they do not heed). Small signs are all over the spa is at least shady, if not worse. Once the murder happens, Barnaby strives to solve it, or rather "help" Jones, who is the investigating officer (Tom technically being off duty). In between that, Tom starts reflecting on his life. Tom has to really concentrate on this one, but he solves it in the end. This is the last episode to feature Tom Barnaby (John Nettles) and his wife Joyce. It is also the last episode of season 13. 
• Season 14, Episode 1: "Death in the Slow Lane." Plot description: "New DCI John Barnaby arrives in Midsomer and is bemused by the quaint villages and their quirky residents. But when a local DJ is crushed to death at a traditional girls' boarding school, he soon discovers that murder and deception are never far away. As the death toll rises, could Barnaby's first case also be his last?" This is the arrival of DCI John Barnaby (introduced as Tom's cousin in Season 13). I take it the cousin thing was in part to keep using the name Barnaby (and not make it as obvious as saying it was his brother). DS Jones remains for now; it falls to him to introduce the new Barnaby to Midsomer. Jones being a local chap is well able to fill in Barnaby. Jones is not too happy he did not get the DCI job, but professional that he is he goes along with the program. Jones tries to be thorough, but he can still be a bit impulsive, and soon sees that John Barnaby does know the job and there is a reason he is a DCI.  A small element of the plot is a charity car show, so if you like antique cars, that is a bonus here; the event is a fundraiser for the boarding school (which is on the verge of bankruptcy and closing despite its long tradition). In a humor element, Barnaby gets all sorts of local and somewhat quirky neighbors stopping by his house to welcome him to the neighborhood. In end, much boiled down to a drug dealing plot, including using one of the antique cars to smuggle the drugs, and an affair or two. 
• Season 14, Episode 2: "Dark Secrets." Plot description: "The reclusive lives of elderly eccentrics William and Mary Bingham (Edward Fox and Phyllida Law) comes under police scrutiny when a social services investigator (Jeff Rawle) is murdered. Barnaby and Jones must unearth generations of family secrets and decipher astronomical charts to find the killer."  In this episode, Barnaby's wife arrives (she is a teacher, and had to finish the term before joining him in Midsomer County). Turns out she gets a job as head of a small school in the area. Meanwhile, the two Binghams are hoarder recluses basically. They are rich recluses, and their heirs can't wait for them to die to get the fortune. Still, what does the death of the social worker have to do with anything is the question. Barnaby faces as an obstacle that a lot of the business and answers for the small area are in the local gossip, something he has to learn to work with. This one takes a long time to establish where the murder comes in, along the way we learn the dark secrets of the Binghams, including a little incest (by the way, I think this by now is the third episode or so fairly close to each other with an incest element. Makes me wonder if the writers had a thing going at this time in the series, then again, these are small villages where everyone knows everyone, apparently some closely related in a biblical sense). In the end, the social worker discovered that secret, or part of it rather, so he had to die. This one took quite a bit of unraveling before getting to the solution in the end. 
• Season 14, Episode 3: "Echoes of the Dead." Plot description: "When a young woman is dressed like a bride and drowned in a bath, it triggers a spate of ghoulish wedding-themed murders in Great Worthy. The case takes Barnaby and Jones to a donkey sanctuary, a heritage steam railway and a pub run by an ex-copper and former brothel madam. With the serial killer still at large, could history be repeating itself?" With young women dying, there are plenty of male shady suspects including the first victim's landlord (who has peeping holes in the properties he rents), the single and bit dimwitted gas station attendant, the employee at the donkey sanctuary, and heck, even that ex-cop could be a suspect. This one made for a pretty good mystery as any of the men I mentioned are viable suspects, and yet we can't be sure. So it keeps you guessing, though I soon guessed it was the "nice" guy. Not a big surprise there. Still pretty good suspense in this one. 
• Season 14, Episode 4: "The Oblong Murders." Plot description: "Jones goes undercover at the Oblong Foundation after one of the cult's young female members disappears suddenly. But he and Barnaby soon start digging into an old case involving the death of a couple in a boat explosion." Barnaby is looking into the disappearance with Jones helping undercover as a favor to Dr. Bullard, the forensic examiner, who knows the girl's family. After the previous thrilling episode, this one is seriously slow. We get to see some of the ridiculous elements of the cult, and Barnaby on the outside questioning people, but otherwise things move relatively slow. Eventually it appears the boat explosion was not an accident, and when a cult member is murdered, there may be a link. There was a link, and a financial motive to the murder as well as the boat explosion. 
• Season 14, Episode 5: "The Sleeper Under The Hill." Plot description: "In Midsomer Mow, the gruesome discovery of a farmer's eviscerated body in an ancient stone circle is made just days before the spring equinox." The stone circle, considered sacred by a group of local druids, is inside the farm property, which the farmer fenced off (as is his legal right), causing some animosity, so there are plenty of suspects. Also, the farmer's wife, who seems to have some expensive tastes, was out of the house at the time, and she has a lover on the side (to be honest, she did look like too much woman for that farmer, which makes one wonder what her motivation to marry him was, money? land? something else?). Meanwhile, one of the druids is killed, and one wonders what exactly is the motive. A nice line from the episode, still applicable today, from Barnaby: "the internet is a dangerous place to do research." Oh so true, especially for those who do not know what they are doing. Anyhow, case bounces between the cheating farmer's wife, her lover, and the druids to see who is doing the killings and why. In the end, it came down to a potential archeological find and a local "expert" who wanted it for himself. This was a pretty good mystery puzzle overall. 
• Season 14, Episode 6: "The Night of the Stag." Plot description: "A VAT inspector goes missing as he hunts for an illicit cider still responsible for brewing The Beast, a potent local hooch. At the Midsomer Abbas spring fayre which celebrates its friendship with Midsomer Herne, Barnaby and Jones sample the local cider, while temperance preacher Norman Grigor calls on residents to repent of their drunken ways. Suddenly, Barnaby is violently ill as the body of missing man Peter Slim is found floating in the cider vat." The town of Midsomer Abbas has a few bootleggers who are more than willing to kill a tax agent to keep their business running, not to mention a town happy to harbor them and clam shut when the police investigate. Yet there may be more as agent's satchel reveals documents and records of his investigation including that he had found out someone funneling money into Swiss accounts. The mystery runs deeper than just illegal hooch it seems; the mystery leads to fraud and a cultish old tradition. This episode had some truly evil hicks basically.
• Space: 1999 (1975-1977. Science Fiction. Adventure). Started watching this in January 2021, and watched a bit more in February 2021.  Watched couple more episodes in May 2021. Picking up this month on Season 1, Episode 9.
• Trivia note: Joan Collins guest stars in Season 1, Episode 9 "Mission of the Darians."