Midsomer Murders - A Worm In The Bud [DVD]

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Bernadette Sullivan, Simon's lawyer, goes through papers on her desk. Simon Bartlett comes downstairs putting his shirt on. Bernadette plans to use old English Common law to argue a new case against James. Simon and Bernadette have words. Simon doesn't care about a court case against Harrington anymore. Bernadette says Simon will get Abbey Farm when this is all over. Ever since they've met Simon banged on about what you could do with more land. Bernadette says she can make that happen. Simon says, "Can't you wait till she's buried?" Bernadette retorts, "What is the period for abstaining from carnal knowledge of your mistress when your wife dies? If she'd walked out you'd have thrown a party. It's the same woman." The people of Midsomer Worthy are attempting to keep James Harrington from razing Setwale Woods and turning it into housing. This apparently means that the farm owned by Simon Bartlett will be lost. He teams up with an attorney, Bernadette Sullivan, to stop Harrington. In fact, they team up in more ways than one. Later that evening, someone lurks outside Victoria Bartlett's home. They watch her through her window. She turns out the lights. The lurker starts cutting flowers.

Barnaby interviews Bernadette. She says Simon was with her. They were having an affair. Bernadette says Susan was depressed.At the police station, Barnaby says Susan Bartlett drowned between 10pm and 2am. No sign of struggle. Except Julie Fielding saw Susan's body lying in Setwale Wood earlier that afternoon. It doesn't make any sense. Barnaby concludes, "As I was walking up the stair I met a man who wasn't there. "He wasn't there again today. I wish, I wish he'd stay away." At St. Mary's Church, Victoria is arranging flowers. Hannah Harrington is in the church with her gun. She says, "I could hardly leave it outside. That would be terribly irresponsible of me." The minister, Edmund Nelson, says that Bernadette feels there are legal avenues to explore regarding Setwale Woods. Bernadette comes in and tells the minister that James has forestry people up in the woods already. Bernadette and Edmund go to review documents. A Worm in the Bud" lulls in pacing in the middle with the-kids-playing-detectives not adding to the story as much as it could have done. Agreed also that the murders are on the bland side this time, in a show where they can be brutal and sometimes elaborate, and also on that it was an annoyance about not being given an explanation for why Susan wasn't killed straight after being made unconscious (if indicated in the episode, it was very vague to me).

Growing up in Midsomer Worthy, Victoria was the prettiest girl in the village, and forever won the heart of farm worker Jonah Bloxham. He maintained a shrine to her in a small rustic cottage in the woods, even after she had moved on and married into the Bartlett family. Following her husband's passing, her son Simon inherited the family farming business, passed down through the Bartlett bloodline for generations.

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Still, it's a good episode with a good ending. The best scene is the children boarding a bus for Causton and going to see Barnaby at home. He isn't there, but Joyce is, and the little boy isn't interested in the mystery -- he just wants food.