OK, I know that's a corny joke to make but it's hard not to think of "Lethal Weapon 2" when you're watching a determined detective go up against an arrogant diplomat.
Almost five years after "The Most Dangerous Game", Furuhata Ninzaburô is back in "Your Excellency Did It", a two-hour special set in an unnamed South American country but mostly in a Japanese studio set representing the lavish embassy. After a funny introduction for Furuhata (his passport was stolen by a monkey!) we're quickly off into a very well-written story which still bears a lot of mystery even if we do know who the killer is from the start. We don't know, for instance, where the ambassador hid the body. We also don't know why he wrote such a peculiar ransom note. And why was the chef fired?
Kôki Mitani is clearly emulating the atmosphere of an old-fashioned Agatha Christie mystery with a small pool of suspects stuck in each other's company in a lavish manor house. The effort is more than successful and "Your Excellency Did It" proves to be one of the best mysteries of the whole show. I had a lot of fun piecing together the clues and figuring out what exactly His Excellency did.
Curiously, the special also has the atmosphere of a workplace sitcom, the kind Kôki Mitani has written before. A lot of its runtime is dedicated to the staff and residents of the embassy such as the Ambassador's entitled wife (a terrifically snooty Kazuyo Mita), his bohemian doctor (played by the warm and wise Masahiko Tsugawa), and his impatient secretary (a very funny turn from Kazuyuki Asano). Also present is the ubiquitous Hanada - this time employed as the Ambassador's right-hand man. Thankfully, like in "Death in the Clouds", he is written as a subtler, more believable presence than in most of season three, a part which Norito Yashima fills with charisma and good humour. He's a wonderful sidekick for Furuhata who unusually in this episode appears without either Shintaro or Saionji. However, with such a rich cast of characters, their absence is never felt.
The Ambassador himself is played by Kôshirô Matsumoto who proves to be a first-rate opponent for Furuhata. He's arrogant, entitled, and powerful which makes the climax all the more satisfying.
"Your Excellency Did It" is a first-rate special. It's dynamic, it's funny, and it's consistently engaging with its little mysteries and classic whodunnit atmosphere. It's also the first extended episode of "Furuhata Ninzaburô" that doesn't feel drawn out. Sure, it would have been even better had it been 15-20 minutes shorter but this time 'round even the padding is witty and fun to watch. Five years might have passed but Mitani and Masakazu Tamura have still got it.