Perhaps it's because the character of Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby is the kind that grows on you slowly, or perhaps (more likely) it's because the writing has gotten a bit more polished, but in any case, the third set of episodes from the British mystery series Midsomer Murders seems more entertaining than the first two sets. As with Set 1 and Set 2, Midsomer Murders: Set 3 centers on the sleepy English countryside of Midsomer County, where Barnaby (John Nettles) is called on to solve a variety of puzzling murders, in the process ferreting out the dark secrets and tangled webs of deceit woven by the village inhabitants.

It's a good thing that the creators of Midsomer Murders (including Caroline Graham, whose Midsomer novels inspired the series) had the foresight to set the program in a full county, and not just a town; otherwise, with an average of more than one murder per episode, there'd be no one left for Barnaby to protect. It's a wonder anyone sleeps soundly at night. In a way, it's a shame that the series has "Murders" in the title, which effectively dictates what kind of crime we'll get: it would make for a nice change of pace for Barnaby to investigate something other than homicide. (In the long-running Poirot series, for instance, it was often something other than "murder most foul" that got the detective on the case.)

So given that there's a certain degree of repetition built into the series, the question is how well the separate episodes manage to ring changes on the basic theme. In Set 3, the answer is "better than before." In earlier reviews, my main complaint with Midsomer Murders was that it was far too predictable: you could reliably predict the culprit by picking the one character who, by all appearances, was absolutely the least likely to be guilty. If someone was behaving oddly or had some incriminating evidence pointing his way, that was a sure sign that he was innocent. While Set 3 doesn't entirely break free of this pattern, fortunately it manages to shake off some of its former predictability. The bad guy is still going to be one of the less likely suspects, but at least there's more often a selection of potential candidates rather than one obvious one, and sometimes the clues that point to someone's guilt actually turn out to be genuine clues rather than red herrings.

I still get the sense that Midsomer Murders is still a bit uncertain when it comes to how to wrap up the story in each episode. For instance, in "Garden of Death," we get a rather hokey scene with the murderer conveniently being overheard summarizing the motive behind the crimes before being apprehended almost in the act; on an entirely different note, in "Who Killed Cock Robin" Barnaby and Troy stage an Agatha Christie-style denouement of "gather all the suspects in the drawing room" before revealing which one has been identified as the killer. In this sense, Midsomer Murders walks a wobbly line between trying to develop a distinctive identity for itself, and trying to break free of an excessively restrictive formula.

All in all, Set 3 offers five reasonably entertaining episodes; they're not up to the standard of some of my favorites, but they're worth watching if you're a mystery fan. Given that the Midsomer Murders stories are entirely self-contained, there's no need to start with Set 1 if you're interested in the show; in fact, I'd suggest that this set is probably a good place to pick up the series if you're interested.

The DVD

Midsomer Murders: Set 3 is a five-DVD set, with each disc in its own keepcase inside a glossy paperboard slipcase. The episodes included are "Garden of Death," "Destroying Angel," "The Electric Vendetta," "Who Killed Cock Robin?", and "Dark Autumn."

Video

Like Set 2, Midsomer Murders: Set 3 is presented in its original widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is anamorphically enhanced. The transfer is quite good, offering viewers a pleasingly film-like viewing experience for each of the episodes. Colors look natural and bright, and the print is reasonably clean; there's a touch of noise and edge enhancement here and there, but no print flaws. Contrast does tend to be on the heavy side, but overall it's a solid transfer.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack for the Midsomer Murders episodes is satisfactory, but it doesn't go above and beyond the call of duty in the least. The dialogue is clear and understandable, and is correctly balanced with the background music, but the overall track feels flat, with no particular depth or crispness to it. It gets the job done, but without frills.

Extras

The first DVD, "Garden of Death," has the majority of the special features, such as they are. A featurette called "The Inside Story: Midsomer Murders" turns out to be a bland 8-minute promotional piece, which will be of minimal interest. Text production notes and a biography and book list for Caroline Graham are also included. All five DVDs also contain a map of Midsomer County and cast filmographies for the episode on that disc.

Final thoughts

Midsomer Murders: Set 3 offers five entertaining mysteries inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham. The quality of the storytelling is a notch above that found in the earlier two seasons, and the appeal of the set is bolstered by its anamorphic widescreen transfer. Those who haven't seen Midsomer Murders before but are interested in it will find Set 3 a perfect starting place, as the stories are self-contained. While I wouldn't suggest this to viewers who aren't enthusiastic about the genre to begin with, Midsomer Murders: Set 3 will appeal to fans of British mysteries, and for that I'll give it a "recommended."