BRITISH NETWORK TELEVISION & RADIO
Where is the body?
‘Death in Paradise’: S1.E4. “Missing a Body?”…
‘Missing a Body?, directed by Roger Gold from a teleplay penned by James Payne, provides viewers with yet another perplexing mystery. Megan Talbot, not long into the fourth episode, walks into the police station and claims she murdered her own husband. The abundance of blood on her clothing suggests this is no joke. Her husband, Lucas, was no angel. He was apparently abusive towards his wife.
DI Richard Poole, even though the evidence suggests otherwise, believes Megan is innocent. DS Camille Bordey, believing the detective inspector has a bias towards the suspect, disagrees with Poole’s assessment. Is Poole’s judgement compromised by a certain attraction to Megan?
Poole, even when a body is discovered at sea, steadfastly holds his belief. He interrogates Lucas’s friends, Patrick and Astrid Knight. Poole’s reasons to suspect one of them is the killer, as the episode progresses, increases significantly.
When a woman confesses to a murder, it seems like an easy case for Detective Inspector Richard Poole and the team, but then they realise that there is no body. The team must solve the mystery and see whether the woman is really telling the truth or if secrets lie within. Meanwhile, Poole realises that feelings might be starting to cloud his judgement.
‘Missing a Body?, further to the series regulars, guest stars Miranda Raison, Neil Stuke, Derek Riddell, Emma Fielding, Chris Tummings, and Stany Coppet. Raison, Stuke, Riddell, Fielding, Tummings, and Coppet, given their respective on screen experience, bring to the episode marvellously well-executed performances.
Raison, Stuke, Riddell, Fielding, Tummings, and Coppet, doing good work with the material given to them, respectively play Megan Talbot, Lucas Talbot, Patrick Knight, Astrid Knight, Gregory Collins, and Pierre.
Guest stars, as people have come to expect from the series, are of significant importance to every episode. Their performances are pivotal to the episode story because, if we don’t believe in their characterisations, the story doesn’t work. The moment Raison’s character walks into the police station is important. It sets up everything that comes next.
The Death in Paradise series main cast is Ben Miller, Sara Martins, Danny John-Jules, Gary Carr, Don Warrington, and Élizabeth Bourgine. Miller, Martins, John-Jules, Carr, Warrington, and Bourgine respectively play Detective Inspector Richard Poole, Detective Sergeant Camille Bordey, Officer Dwayne Myers, Officer Fidel Best, Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, and Catherine Bordey.
There is an obvious on screen chemistry between Miller, Martins, John-Jules, Carr, Warrington, and Bourgine that makes the series work perfectly. Miller, in playing Detective Inspector Richard Poole, brings to the screen a character I’m very familiar with because he reminds me a lot of myself.
‘Missing a Body? includes music performed by Elephant Man, Wasp, The Specials; Toots and The Maytals; and Tommy McCook and The Supersonics. Previous episodes, including the series premiere, included music that pointed to the villain’s identity.
Music Used in Roger Goldby’s “Missing a Body?”…
- In Jamaica performed by Elephant Man
- Cry Fi Dem performed by Wasp
- Gangsters performed by The Specials
- Funky Kingston performed by Toots and The Maytals
- Reggae Merengue performed by Tommy McCook and The Supersonics
It’s not easy, from the above listed music, to pin down the right connections. There must be something hidden in plain sight. It’s just a matter of figuring out the which song fits the motivation behind the murder. Gangsters, performed by The Specials, is a strong possibility.