In the wake of Camille’s departure from Saint Marie last week, it is business as usual as the Honore Police department investigate the murder of an ageing rock star, found electrocuted in his swimming pool. However, it’s the ‘business as usual’ elements that make it the weakest episode of the season so far.
Certain basic elements will always be present in the Death in Paradise formula: the individual suspect interrogations used to introduce veiled red herrings or genuine motive, the ‘suspects’ board to provide necessary exposition and move the story forward, as well as the third act twist, eliminations and unmasking of the real killer. It’s because these consistent elements need to stay that the show can afford to mix it up elsewhere. However, it does not take advantage of them here.
“Detective Hooper, this is Sergeant… sorry, Detective Sergeant Cassell,” Humphrey remarks, as he introduces new recruit JP to the newly-promoted Florence. “Yes, it’s a new day for all.”
Florence has effectively replaced Camille, sharing both the frustration and adoration towards Humphrey’s investigative methods. Meanwhile, the Dwayne and JP double act is nice, if a little too reminiscent of the Dwayne/Felip relationship from earlier seasons.
With Florence now, for all intents and purposes, Camille 2.0, the writers will have to be careful not to make her a carbon copy of her predecessor, simply fulfilling the enabling assistant role that Camille so quickly niched with him. We also see her playing the ‘straight talker’ during the investigations, compared to Humphrey’s bumbling eccentric. Once again, a dynamic we’ve seen before.
New arrival Tobi Bakare (The Smoke) as JP Hooper is welcome, but it’s clear he’s been brought in to round the group off, back to the show’s original ‘core four’ vibe. Depending on what you like from Death in Paradise, this quick return to the status quo could either pull you in or push you further away.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to like here. The show’s tradition of strong casting continues, this week including Neil Morrissey, Sally Phillips and Nick Moran. Some lovely direction by Paul Murphy and a brilliant third act twist, both genuinely plausible and yet completely absurd, adds further likeable elements.
The lack of the distracting romantic subtext is no bad thing either, with Humphrey and Florence’s relationship established quickly as friends, rather than potential lovers. In a lovely little scene between Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Florence (Josephine Jobert) discussing his first love, Angela Mathieson, he states: “Life would’ve spun me off in some different direction. I certainly wouldn’t be here.” It is said with a quiet joy and an honesty that makes me like the pairing already and implies we will see a different side to Humphrey, in the absence of Camille.
That said, despite her influence on him and to Death in Paradise in general, any note of his former partner is relegated to a fleeting mention in the episode’s last scene. “To Camille,” Florence declares in a toast. “To the both of you,” Humphrey returns in a clink. Perhaps they are toasting the two together as they feel the same here, as does the tone and content of the episode.
Despite a lovely, upbeat ending I do hope that they strive to develop the characters more in the coming weeks and don’t just have them fit into the pre-established audience-friendly moulds. As the show has survived change before and maintained its audience throughout, it should have the confidence to take the characters into new directions.
Aired at 9pm on Thursday 5 February 2015 on BBC One.
> Buy the Season 1-2 boxset on Amazon.
What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…