Barnaby finds connections between a supposedly haunted forest, the traceless disappearances of two couples and a gang of antiquity thieves.Barnaby finds connections between a supposedly haunted forest, the traceless disappearances of two couples and a gang of antiquity thieves.Barnaby finds connections between a supposedly haunted forest, the traceless disappearances of two couples and a gang of antiquity thieves.
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- TriviaAn iron maiden is shown and described as a medieval torture device, but it is now accepted that there was, in fact, no such device--there is no evidence of the existence of iron maidens before the early 19th century. Professor Wolfgang Schild of Bielefeld University in Germany has argued that iron maidens were pieced together from orphaned artifacts in order to create interesting objects intended for commercial exhibition. Several of these 19th-century iron maidens are on display in museums around the world. The 19th-century iron maidens may have been inspired by actual objects, such as the medieval Schandmantel (in English, "coat of shame"), a wearable instrument of punishment made of wood and sheet metal, but without spikes. Inspiration for the iron maiden may also have come from surviving accounts of the execution of Roman consul Marcus Atilius Regulus, in 250 BCE, during the First Punic War between Rome and Carthage. The Carthaginians reportedly "packed [Regulus] into a tight wooden box, spiked with sharp nails on all sides so that he could not lean in any direction without being pierced." Iron maidens also resemble the Apega of Nabis (also known as the Iron Apega), described by the ancient Greek historian Polybius as an ancient torture device similar to the iron maiden invented by Nabis, a king who ruled Sparta as a tyrant from 207 to 192 BCE.
- GoofsWhen LeVanu is being interviewed on the radio, the frequency of the station as advertised on posters in the studio (86.6 MHz) is not the frequency that Jones tunes to (93.5 MHz) when he and Barnaby listen in the car. Also, 86.6 MHz is outside the range 87.5-108.0 MHz that is used by FM radio. Moreover, the posters call it "Causton FM", whereas the announcer calls it "Radio Causton". (A similar thing happens to "Radio Midsomer" in the Season 20 episode "Till Death Do Us Part".)
- Quotes
DCI Tom Barnaby: I think, Jones, whatever is in those woods, it's time we met it face to face. C'mon.
DS Ben Jones: Do ghosts have faces?
DCI Tom Barnaby: Oh, I think they do, yes. Except the headless ones.
Featured review
Very entertaining last episode to Season 11
As has been said by me a number of times, 'Midsomer Murders' is one of my most watched and most re-watched shows. It is nowhere near as good now and the Tom Barnaby-era wasn't alien to average or less episodes, but when it was on form or at its best boy was it good.
"Talking to the Dead" to me is a very good last episode to Season 11, and as of now the second best episode of that season. The best being the excellent "Blood Wedding". "Days of Misrule" (tedious) and especially "Shot at Dawn" (fell downhill drastically after an effective opening and memorable solely for its ridiculousness) were underwhelming, and the others ranged from decent to good (despite "Left for Dead" having such a terrible ending).
My only real complaints for "Talking to the Dead" are the unnecessary and distracting subplot with Jones and the WPC and the rather over-the-top, in an out-of-kilter way, character of Cyrus LeVanu.
However, the production values as always are just great, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
There are some thoughtful and humorous moments in the script, which is generally well structured and crafted (with a great balance of humour and drama and more to-the-point than the lesser episodes of the season), and the supporting characters are entertaining enough. The story is very compelling, there is a lot going on but doesn't get that confusing or overcrowded.
With the supernatural elements, "Talking to the Dead" could easily have descended into silliness but was actually pretty spooky. The iron maiden bit is very funny, one of the funniest Barnaby and Jones moments to me, and the ending compared to "Left for Dead" and "Midsomer Life" is satisfying.
John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Can't fault the supporting cast either.
In conclusion, very entertaining final episode to Season 11. 8/10 Bethany Cox
"Talking to the Dead" to me is a very good last episode to Season 11, and as of now the second best episode of that season. The best being the excellent "Blood Wedding". "Days of Misrule" (tedious) and especially "Shot at Dawn" (fell downhill drastically after an effective opening and memorable solely for its ridiculousness) were underwhelming, and the others ranged from decent to good (despite "Left for Dead" having such a terrible ending).
My only real complaints for "Talking to the Dead" are the unnecessary and distracting subplot with Jones and the WPC and the rather over-the-top, in an out-of-kilter way, character of Cyrus LeVanu.
However, the production values as always are just great, the idyllic look of it contrasting very well with the story's grimness, and quaint and atmospheric photography. The music fits perfectly, with some lush jauntiness and sometimes an ominous quality, and the theme tune one of the most memorable and instantly recognisable of the genre.
There are some thoughtful and humorous moments in the script, which is generally well structured and crafted (with a great balance of humour and drama and more to-the-point than the lesser episodes of the season), and the supporting characters are entertaining enough. The story is very compelling, there is a lot going on but doesn't get that confusing or overcrowded.
With the supernatural elements, "Talking to the Dead" could easily have descended into silliness but was actually pretty spooky. The iron maiden bit is very funny, one of the funniest Barnaby and Jones moments to me, and the ending compared to "Left for Dead" and "Midsomer Life" is satisfying.
John Nettles and Jason Hughes are both superb, individually and together (their chemistry, and the chemistry with Daniel Casey and John Hopkins before Hughes, being a huge part of their episodes' charm). Can't fault the supporting cast either.
In conclusion, very entertaining final episode to Season 11. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 13, 2017
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