Death in Paradise, Episode Eight - An Episode Review

Tis a sad and solemn day. The brilliant crime drama 'Death in Paradise' has aired its last episode. Fortunately for you, me and the rest of us blog authors though, this series of reviews hasn't. There's still the final review to write, and I dare say that there may be a final encore after this.
   For the final, eighth episode of the Carribean Crime Drama, we see Dwayne being pulled into the murder investigation, but this time he's not just a police officer investigating the crime: he is a murder suspect.

The DI and Fidel in Camille's mother's cafe come bar - the Mos Eisley Cantina of the 'Death in Paradise' series.

A murder has occurred, and it's not looking good. Nadia Miles, an employee of PIT Shipping, was murdered around midnight by an unknown killer. (Well, duh. If he or she were already known, then where would the mystery be?) A bizarre array of puzzle-like clues left at the scene of the crime make DI Richard Poole all but certain that the murder was premeditated as well as being connected to organised crime. How? Twenty-six local coins stuffed into the mouth of the corpse point towards money laundering as the source of the original motive. Joined by an extra body, the Inspector and his colleagues attempt to track down the murderer.

   There are complications. The night of the murder, Dwayne walked Nadia home. Now a suspect in a murder case, can Richard find the evidence to clear Dwayne of suspicion?

This episode is almost certainly the best that has aired throughout the past eight weeks. A good murder, a distinct lack of credible suspects and a large amount of evidence which connects only organised criminals to the killing makes for a good case. Richard's up to his usual tricks: he remains uptight and professional throughout, also making some very useful observations every now and then. And, of course, he solves the case. That's always a good thing.

   The murder's elaborate and just generally brilliant. Obviously premeditated, the body has been set up to have coins lodged in her mouth. Grisly, but the cause of death was only asphyxiation. (I say only, by which I mean there are more gruesome ways to have your corpse displayed, I guess. I shall refrain from describing them to you.) This suggests that the killer was in with the wrong crowd, and DI Poole picks up on that rather quickly.
   However, the case isn't what the whole thing is about. Remember, this is a Crime Drama, therefore implying some drama to spice up the crime. The producers deliver. With Dwayne as a suspect, tensions rise between the team members, in particular Richard and Camille.
   Besides this rather obvious problem, we have the Commissioner of Saint Marie poking his nose into their business with a message for Richard, as well as an opportunity. An opportunity that, if taken, shall change the Saint Marie Police Force and Richard's life.

This episode is either the best or the second-best episode in 'Death in Paradise', the contender for this position being episode three. A great mix of crime, low suspect-count and some drama-y undertones blend to make a lovely smooth episode that isn't without it's flaws but stands as a rather good episode on its own. Your enjoyment of it is increased immensely by seeing the others in order of their release, but it could probably be enjoyed on its own. It does have links to prior episodes, but they aren't fantastically strong or anything.
   I'll rate this episode an eight out of ten (8/10). A good blend of crime, clues and drama makes for enjoyable viewing. Extra conflicts caused by little side-stories that are introduced as the episode progresses make it rather interesting in more ways than one. Some humourous scenes add a lot to it, but what do you expect from Ben Miller?
   Altogether, a brilliant episode with little to quibble over.

This may have been the end of this series, but the journey doesn't end here. I have an extra final-encore type review of the whole series coming up, so stay tuned.