The Oblong Murders begins with a man listening to Ebben? Ne andro lontana from La Wally, when his door buzzer rings. The man seems pleased to let the person up to his place. When he opens the door, he's stabbed to death. Quite fitting, as the aria ends with the words "I will go, I will go alone and far Through the golden clouds."
We don't find out the meaning of that scene until later in this intriguing mystery. Dr. Bullard tells Barnaby that the daughter of friends, Lucy Oliver, has gone missing. The parents are devastated. She joined a group called the Oblong Foundation and her weekly calls later stopped. They can't get any information.
Dr. Bullard has put in a good word with a dog sitter (his sister) for Barnaby and his wife, and one good turn deserves another. Barnaby sends Jones undercover to the Oblong Foundation. The Foundation is housed in the home of Ruth Lambert, a member of the foundation who is leasing them the house. Her parents died in a terrible boat explosion.
Barnaby ultimately decides that a secret loan made by Ruth's parents has something to do with the Lambert's deaths and possibly Lucy' disappearance.
This was a very intriguing episode, with Jones front and center as Cosmo Jones, a new inductee who attracts Ruth Lambert, still grieving for her parents. This makes Jones terribly uncomfortable.
There are some funny bits here, including Jones trying to hide and later use his cell phone, being stuck in the closet of one of the female organizers, and hearing what goes on in the "love rooms" of the group. And, of course, Barnaby's dog being auditioned by the picky dog sitter who is Bullard's sister. I loved when Barnaby tells his wife that the sitter "has to meet the whole pack - that includes you."
I liked Neil Dudgeon so much better in this episode than I have. Hopefully this will continue. Wow, this show has been going a long time.