User Reviews

I agree with a previous reviewer that this episodes plot does feel similar to one previously, but it remains another solid episode, with the relationship/dynamic between Jack and Florence coming on nicely.

I find the character of Dwayne annoying, so more time being dedicated to his love life didn't fill me with much joy.

Other than that, a clever episode.

I started in series 7. Slowly it grows on you. 2 murders you have to solve.

As much as I enjoy Harry the (CGI) lizard, why didn't they just let Pico become the live-in pet at the shack? Even though he seemed so tired all the time, he was KEY in solving the decades-old murder (finding the body of the *actual* Steadman)...good doggie!! DI Jack Mooney is still trying to find his place on Saint Marie after his daughter left for Uni (thank goodness) - Pico would have been a terrific companion for Jack, and he would have lived out his days lounging around the shack's porch, and on the beach - clearly what he was meant to do!! A dog as cute as "Rip Van Pico" (GREAT line by Dwayne, btw) is just what they need!! Of course, now I'm wondering how Neville, the next DI - scared of EVERYTHING - would have fared with Pico...I still think he would have been a GREAT addition!

Steve Toussaint plays Pastor Steadman King, and this episode deals with religion, faith healing, and of course a murder for DI Jack Mooney (Irish comedian Ardal O'Hanlon) and his Scooby gang to solve. Anyway, I've been a fan of Death in Paradise since it debuted over a decade ago, and I'm enjoying reflecting on the episodes from the different DI-eras.

I'm being serious here, because I do wonder quite seriously really how the police photograph the suspects for their whiteboard propped up in the police station. Really, at the crime scene do they gently ask the suspects to calmly pose for the whiteboard init, I don't quite get it really at all. Anyway, more credit should also be given to the two loyal paramedics who turn up at the crime scene to help out DI and his team.

An elderly woman commits suicide to expose a murderer - once again ...! Really?! Nearly the same plot was already in the first season (episode 1.3). That's simply poor! What's happened to this series - and why the healer didn't brought back our brilliant DI Poole?!

The seventh season of "Death in Paradise" has been decent, though not impressive so far with "Murder from Above", "The Stakes Are High" and "Written in Murder" being fine at best. "The Healer" is the weakest of the season this far. It's not a bad episode, but is at times quite frustrating.

But let's start with good, shall we?

. The production values are great as usual. The direction's good and the music fits the scenery. The acting is enjoyable all around. Steve Toussaint gives the most compelling performance here.

. There are some nice humorous moments in the script. Especially liked how the relationship between Dwayne and Darlene was portrayed.

But....

. The murder mystery does take some time before it starts to get going (about 15 minutes) and even after that it's one of the most forgettable cases in the series. There are very few surprises here and some of the humor feels like it has been done in prior episodes.

. The worst of it all was the ending. The identity of the killer (the blind woman killed herself) does not make any sense at all and the solution overall is very contrived. It felt: the writer could have chosen any other ending and even that would have been better.

Overall, a disappointing episode.

5/10 HK

I've been rewatching the series focusing almost entirely on the quality of the mystery in each episode, and this season has given me whiplash. The solution in the first episode was absurd, the next two I found to be quite solid despite some gripes with how they were wrapped up, and now comes this tomfoolery.

The "fake your own death and assume someone else's identity" trick was done in the first episode of Season 3, and as implausible as it was then, they at least made a stab at explaining it (the impostor was the killer's sister, and she did some cosmetic surgery to alter her appearance).

This episode wants me to believe that the (original) killer murdered his best friend, somehow used said friend's passport to flee the country (was this a special photo-less edition?), and became a famous faith healer, yet no-one from St. Marie noticed that he had assumed the identity of his dead friend until several decades later? I swear even the writers know this is comically awful stuff, as they don't even offer a token explanation.

On top of that, the police are now investigating the disappearance of the friend, and they even LOOK AT A PICTURE OF BOTH MEN, yet they can't figure out what has happened until they dig up the body and do a DNA test? In fact, how did the investigation at the time of the friend's disappearance not put a stop to this nonsense immediately?

No wonder the "victim" felt compelled to commit suicide and try to frame the murderer. Apparently the St Marie police can't solve a crime if it's too simple.

This is basically a retelling of season1 episode 3.