Midsomer Murders Series 15: The Dark Rider [DVD]

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The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes

As the near series begins it is time for more murder and mayhem is the most dangerous corner of rural England. The episode opens with an elderly man going onto the roof of his house to fix the flag; he is startled by what appears to be a headless horseman on a grey horse and falls to his death. This isn't any old house it the hall belonging to the DeQuetteville family and one of their ancestors, Geoffrey DeQuetteville, lost his head in the Civil War; could his ghost have returned… or was the horseman all too human? It doesn't take long before there is another death and this one is clearly murder. As is usually the case in Midsomer there are plenty of suspects including just about every member of the DeQuetteville family and their neighbours, whose family, the Fleetwoods, clashed with the DeQuettevilles centuries ago at the battle of Naseby. We don't just have ancient bad blood between the families; there is also a bet on how a forthcoming battle re-enactment will go.

In the lab, Kate says, "Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. See, he was born with an extra connection in the heart that allows the electrical signals to bypass the atria-ventricular node and move from the atria to the ventricles faster than usual. It eventually disrupts the co-ordinating movement of the electrical signals through the heart, leading to cardiac arrest." Jones says, "So it was an accident, then." Barnaby says, "Jones, a headless horseman was also present. Probably frightened him off the roof. Accident? I don't think so." Jones tells Kate, "He hates accidents. Makes him feel superfluous." The police hustle around the building to where Ludo is lying crushed by the gargoyle. Barnaby is really angry, "You had to watch one elderly man. ( My question is, why wasn't a police officer stationed inside by Ludo's side?). I want full reports by 10AM!" Kate examines the body. She surmises that Ludo "wouldn't have known what had hit him. Actually, he may have done. It hit him full in the face, so presumably, he was looking up at the time." Jones says, "So why didn't he get out of the way?" ( MY QUESTION AS WELL!). Barnaby asks, "What sort of effort would it take to dislodge a gargoyle?" Kate says, "It depends how secure it was in the first place." Love Makes You Evil: Toby DeQuetteville murders everyone between himself and the Lordship, because he's afraid of his wife leaving him, and assumes being a Lady will make her stay.

At Quitewell Hall, Ludo tells Barnaby that he saw the headless horseman last night. Ludo says, "It's the ghost of Geoffrey. I'm a goner!" Barnaby says, "Sir Ludovic, if his horse was real, there's a good chance the rider was real too." Ludo says, "No, no, it's Geoffrey. And he's coming for me!" Barnaby tells him to stay inside today with the battle on. Inside the house, the family sits around the dining room table. Jones tells Barnaby that they have looked at dozens of video phone cameras. They're pointing at the main entrance. The family's nowhere to be seen. Barnaby tells Jones to get the Fleetwoods' statements. He then asks Simon if they can have a chat. Diana says to Izzy, "So we've lost Long Meadow as well." Izzy says, "No. Harry just phoned. Says he won't be calling in the debt. Obviously stood up for himself at last. He's a decent man." Diana says, "He's not. Not at all. He's pathetic." Izzy replies, "Diana. Try not to be such a despicable tart. My son was barely cold before you were over the wall like an alley cat on heat. Why do we imagine our domestic staff are all blind and deaf? They aren't. They have big ears. And bigger mouths. It's all over the village." Diana says, "I was trying to save Long Meadow." Izzy says, "You were trying to save yourself from the penury that is about to consume you. And serve you right." Diana leaves and Izzy talks to Ludo's photo. "Don't you worry. We're the king's men. We'll show them." Murder 1: Toby DeQuetteville is taking the dog out for a walk when he sees the a figure on a horse with apparently no head. He runs over to Bentham's body. Bentham says, "Geoff..Geoffrey." and dies.

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Bound and Gagged: The killer attempts to remove someone who is afraid of the dark from the line of succession by leaving them bound and gagged inside a priest hole, driving them into a permanent state of trauma. DCI Barnaby and DS Jones investigate the death of Bentham DeQuetteville, who fell from the roof of the family manor house after seeing a headless horseman in the courtyard. His last word to his nephew Toby DeQuetteville - who also saw the headless horseman - was simply 'Geoffrey'. Several members of the family are quite open about their dislike of the dead man but are less open about the family legend that says the headless horseman is their 17th century ancestor, Geoffrey DeQuetteville, whose appearance always portends a death in the family. Toby's mentally disturbed son Simon DeQuetteville has always claimed that the headless horseman had appeared prior to his mother's death. The DeQuettevilles have had a centuries old row with their neighbors, the Fleetwoods, but two other members of the DeQuetteville family will die before Barnaby figures out just what is going on. In the library of the mansion, the family are seated together- Izzy next to Ludo; Julian with an arm around Diana. Toby walks in and joins Betty. Izzy is saying to the police, "I'm sorry if we sound callous, but we didn't like Bentham." Ludo joins in, "Total misery." Izzy says, "Spat at the visitors. Smelled of boiled cabbage. And his death hasn't really increased his charm at all." Jones asks Toby what happened last night. Toby says, "I was taking the dog out for a walk. Slash. And... I heard these cries. I came running round the corner. And there was poor Uncle Ben. You know, awful." Jones says, "You saw a grey horse riding away." Toby says, "I did, yeah." Barnaby says, "And you say the rider had no head." Other family members smirk, murmur. Toby says, "Er... Well, yeah. He was a bit... headless." Jones says, "And as your uncle died, he said the name Geoffrey." Julian looks at Toby and warningly says, "Toby!" Toby says, "I might have misheard that. He was on the ground. You know... I don't know really." Barnaby continues, "And Geoffrey... Is there a Geoffrey in the family?" Ludo lies and says, "I can't think of a Geoffrey. Can you, Izzy? No. There's a Rupert in Norfolk. Mind you, he's pretty dead as well. Isn't he, Betty?" The next morning, Diana arrives at the Fleetwood house. She flirts with Harry. Diana says that the re-enactment is going ahead. She tells Harry she could bring him a lot more than Long Meadow. She says, "What if you owned both estates?" Harry says, "And how would I achieve that?" Diana says, "The usual way. Marriage. To the right... person." 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.