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Reviews
Inspector Morse: Service of All the Dead (1987)
Boring.
Slow moving, poor plot. The characters are totally unengaging, particularly the female lead. The two conclusions are weak, including the motivations of the leading character, and Morse's actions at the very end of the episode. One of the very few episodes I can't even sit through.
Midsomer Murders: Death and Dreams (2003)
Shows little knowledge of profilers.
Barnaby is shown meeting up with a woman who had been a profiler previously for the police, but she is unlike any profilers generally used on TV and unlike the one I've encountered in real life, who all have a far more realistic attitude to life and the likelihood of rehabiliation of different types of offenders. Their insight is usually razor sharp, whereas this lady comes over as a bit of a naive do-gooder who feels that all offenders are victims of their past and can be 'cured' by just a little bit of nurturing and care. If only life were that easy!
The eventual perpetrators are unlikely not so much for who they are, but the idea they could be serial killers and leave so few clues as to their identity. I would disagree with anyone that believes people of this age would not do such things (there are plenty of examples to show this isn't true), but they would simply not have the criminal sophistication in the way presented here. However, the way Perdita Weeks plays an arrogant older sister, especially towards the end of the episode is particularly convincing. Teenagers, especially bright ones, quite often do have this characteristic, and often do feel they have an answer for everything. A good episode for its twists and turns, but not for the most part, good for realism or characterisations. There again, whoever said Midsomer Murders was realistic?