User Reviews

I've been waiting for the return of this series. Nice touch for us in the US is that this episode has links to the southern US and blues music, in particular. I really enjoy this series and the two leads, especially. It's also one of the series whose introduction is interesting and well done. The setting being in the city of Bath is refreshing and an interesting aspect. It's nice to get out of London. Wonderful to see Tala Gouveia and Jason Watkins (different type of role from what I'm used to seeing him playing) back as our main detectives. My only note about this episode: at about 44:47, about 99% of US citizens would say they had "rented" a car, not that they had "hired" a car.

It's great to see the return of the show especially after seeing Jason Watkins and Claire Skinner in the recent Channel 5 series Coma.

I am not sure how the show has got this far especially with so many changes in the regular supporting cast and how Bath (it's noticeable that the actors use The Midlands and Northern pronunciation of Bath rather the the southern pronunciation of Barth!) can be such a haven for murder.

The main characters continue to speak of the boyfriend of Mcdonald rather than using his name despite the boyfriend having have done some plumbing work for Dodds in the past.

I didn't see the need for the opening scene but it's best not to take the show too seriously.

OK, but not great but the show never has been.

So over the moon M & D has a Season 4 and I could not wait to dive in. Chilling opening sequence in Episode 1. As a fan from the States imagine my surprise to find a plot coming directly from the American Deep South and the Blues with a touch of the occult thrown in for good measure! I love the intertwining narrative between the American and British cultures and their mutual appreciation and passion for the blues of the 1930's. It's an excellent mystery story connecting emotion, grief and tradition across time and distance. A word about Adderly's celebratory auto trip across the Deep South.. sadly still true even in this day and age. Enjoyable episode.. well done.

This is a painful attempt to center on the Blues as a device to drive the story. It's poorly contrived, and doesn't add to the story. It's a wasted attempt at adding seasoning, which may suggest that the writers were looking for something to help strengthen and hold viewers' interest. This attempt, particularly embodied by the Professor of Blues character, misses the mark by many metaphorical miles.

The professor character, horribly overacted by Mr Quarshie, is completely unbelievable as an academic with, supposedly, a great deal of expertise and credibility. Quarshie takes every opportunity to chew the dialogue, make faces, utter words inauthentically and overact worse the Charlton Heston on his best day.

The mopey, whiney Dodds is a device that the producers need to retire.

We miss the other regulars not appearing in this episode (perhaps the entire season).

Overall, we love the series, and hope for more seasons.

Robert Johnson was not the father of the Blues, nor did he invent the blues. William Christopher Handy (November 16, 1873 - March 28, 1958) was an American composer and musician who is referred to as the Father of the Blues.

Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911 - August 16, 1938) was a traveling performer who played mostly on street corners, in juke joints, and at Saturday night dances, Johnson had little commercial success or public recognition in his lifetime. He participated in only two recording sessions, one in San Antonio in 1936, and one in Dallas in 1937.

Johnson's poorly documented life and death have given rise to legends. The one most often associated with him is that he sold his soul to the devil at a local crossroads in return for musical success.

Robert Johnson was murdered in 1938. Johnson's mother recounted what she knew of her son's poisoning to Alan Lomax: "Some wicked girl or her boyfriend had give him poison and wasn't no doctor in the world could save him, so they say. When I went in where he at, he layin up in bed with his guitar crost his breast. Soon's he saw me, he say, "Mama, you all I been waitin for." "Here," he say, and give me his guitar. "Take and hang this thing on the wall, cause I done pass all that by. That what got me messed up, Mama. It's the devil's instrument, just like you said. And I don't want it no more." And he died while I was hangin his guitar on the wall."

The most interesting character in this story is the Blues professor, played by Hugh Quarshie. He is full of energy, and he runs circles around McDonald and Dodds. Quarshie really puts a lot of jazz into his character.

This is at least the second time that a murder is somehow connected to Dodds. Dodds tells McDonald that Jinxy was Dodds' best friend when they were in elementary school. Dodds has never been inside Jinxy's apartment. This is where Jinxy lived for forty years. Seems like they were not that close? Is Dodds exagerating the level of friendship with Jinxy?

Then Dodds sits in Jinxy's recliner to listen to his Blues music collection, and to look sad. A bit creepy and disturbing. Jason Watkins gets to play the mourning friend again. Dodds is going to tears, and leaving the room in a sad huff while he is interrogating suspects. It comes across as morbidly grotesque.

McDonald continues to be an unpleasant character. Her face alternates between sneering, smirking, and looking annoyed. I am not sure why the writers have taken this approach with Tala Gouveia. She seems like a bright actress who could do a lot more with her role.

The story goes around in a lot of directions. It is interesting to follow the trails, especially for the map to the crossroads demon; but then the resolution seems contrived. When the true killer is unmasked, it is ridiculous and very unlikely.

I don't know, but this episode feels like "Death in Paradise" syndrome, where the female lead starts the series as a plucky spitfire, and by episode 9 she is relegated to a supporting player. All of Lauren McDonald's character traits are gone, her vaulting ambition, her perceptiveness, her humor, her stubbonness, and courage. Most of her lines to Dodds are asking him to explain things to her. Beloved Eastenders veteran Charlie Jones' role has still not been developed. Sacofsky, Murray, and Riddiford's finely crafted characters are very missed. But the character missed most of all in this episode is DCI Lauren McDonald.

Dodds would call this episode is "an anomaly" -in the next episode (S4 E2), things are back to normal and better than ever!