Midsomer murders the incident at cooper hill

#MIDSOMER MURDERS THE INCIDENT AT COOPER HILL FULL#

Long before the end theyвЂ™re all dropping вЂOmega 4вЂ™ into the conversation so casually that it seems improbable that in thirty odd years as a Mecca for UFO-spotters nobody had thought to join the dots.Д®ven more unlikely is that the local RAF base, which were operating the craft in 1984 before abandoning it, didnвЂ™t check that nobody had stolen their research the moment strange lights began appearing in the sky again.Д«ut itвЂ™s an error of logic that is revealed by mulling things over as the end credits roll, that is to say itвЂ™s only really apparent after the fact rather than as the story unfolds. What starts off as a top secret, hush-hush, project gradually becomes something that everyone in the village seems to have known about. While the idea of a secret government test plane being mistaken for a UFO is just about acceptable (it certainly worked very well in at least one episode of The X Files) it begins to fall about as the story progresses. Alas, the grave and sufficient indications of its occupant remain to allow new forensic guru Kam (Manjinder Virk) and the rest of the team to identify the missing victim. He kills, and kills again, to hide the discovery of his fatherвЂ™s body and (with slight shades of last weekвЂ™s bodysnatching extravaganza) removes the body to try and maintain the secrecy.

Abigail Tonev (Alison Steadman) has kept her secret all these years, just as Nathan has kept his secret: that he saw her. The body in the grave is his father, accidentally killed by his mother in 1984 while trying to prevent him running out on their marriage and his son.

The old man, sadly, ends up the third victim of Nathan Tonev who in turn has undertaken a well-intentioned, if homicidal, attempt to protect his mother. And learning that his father is dying, he is using the mystery craft in a well-intentioned, if loopy, attempt to vindicate the old man. This time, though, itвЂ™s been unofficially revived by FaulknerвЂ™s son, who despite not really believing in his fatherвЂ™s story never allows anybody to mock him for it. The mysterious craft he saw was actually a top secret RAF test craft and it is the same craft lighting up the skies over Cooper Hill now. That вЂњnothing sinceвЂќ of course carries a whole life story in it, and his dishevelled appearance and battered old caravan underline the fact.

#MIDSOMER MURDERS THE INCIDENT AT COOPER HILL FULL#

We never really believe aliens are involved and yet full credit to actor Steve Evets for almost convincing us as he recollects the moment: вЂњI was never more alive than in those two minutes вЂ“ nothing since has come remotely close.вЂќ Chief among the UFO-hunters is Carter Faulkner, who thirty years ago saw a mysterious craft in the sky. A neat, if occasionally bonkers, script deftly merges the two into a surprisingly cohesive whole.ДЇundamentally вЂThe Incident at Cooper HillвЂ™ is about parents and children, and it is this underlying theme that knits the вЂwhodunnitвЂ™ and the вЂlittle green menвЂ™ strands together. There are two things going on this week вЂ“ the first is the suggestion that alien spacecraft are visiting the Home Counties, and one particular village in particular and the second is the plot. вЂњYouвЂ™re ruling out a UFO?вЂќ asks DS Nelson (fine performance from Gwilym Lee, getting his lines out without even a hint of a giggle) вЂњI didnвЂ™t think IвЂ™d ever ruled it in,вЂќ says Barnaby drily.Д«ut IвЂ™m getting ahead of myself. Viewers will probably also be reassured to know that, despite initial indications to the contrary, none of the murders is actually down to extra-terrestrial involvement. Regular viewers will be reassured to know that after last weekвЂ™s impressive but murder-free season opener we are back to normal this week. I expect the Midsomer Constabulary scores very highly in the police performance charts, given the вЂalways get their manвЂ™ attitude that has prevailed there for nearly twenty years.Д«ut the forceвЂ™s zero tolerance policy towards unsolved murders has not always been so rigidly followed вЂ“ and вЂThe Incident at Cooper HillвЂ™ revolves around a murder victim buried in a shallow grave in the woods outside Midsomer Stanton back in 1984, where it has lain undiscovered until now.

Midsomer murders the incident at cooper hill