‘Midsomer Murders’ Recap: ‘The Scarecrow Murders’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 2204 of ‘Midsomer Murders’.
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There comes a point in our lives where someone will wound us deeply, emotionally. To the point where we are left outright devastated and lost and unsure of how to proceed in life after suffering through that pain and that is a delicate moment for certain. Because at that particular point, not only are we at our lowest, but we are vulnerable and angry and wondering if by chance… there’s a way we can pay that person back for what they’ve done and thankfully, the majority of us… opt to take the high road when this happens and do our best to recover. Because truth be told, we don’t really care for the way we feel in that all-important moment, and we realize that being the better person in this instance would be far better for our souls. 

But sadly, not everyone comes to that particular decision. For if the fury from that dark moment doesn’t cool and someone else throws gasoline upon that fire with some influential words, that particular person will decide that payback is the only way to endure peace, and they let that endless burning drive them toward dark acts and really, that unfortunate aspect of the human condition is relevant to our discussion today, simply because it served as the focal theme of the next episode of Midsomer Murders. A feat that ‘The Scarecrow Murders’ accomplished, by providing the audience with one complex and engrossing case, one that used the death of a woman named Naomi, mere hours before the annual Scarecrow Festival got underway to set up this grand exploration into revenge.

Which of course put John and Jamie on the case and well, initially there was little for them to go upon other than the fact that Naomi was brutally murdered and put on display in the window of her own shop and the investigation that followed revealed few motives and anything of note. But alas, as more people began to pass away in a similar manner, it became clear that something big was happening in Midsomer and slowly but surely, John and Jamie were able to ascertain strange connections between everyone in Naomi’s life, and the lives of the other victims, helping everyone to realize that this wasn't just some random set of killings by a potential serial murderer. Oh no, this was something grounded in something far deeper. Revenge.

For it turned out that Naomi enjoyed smearing others online and did so once to a woman who lost her son to the other side gig that Naomi worked on with her family and close friends. Specifically, they ran an online gambling website, and several people took their lives from the debts owed to said site, and the loved ones of those lost and one woman who was still desperately trying to be free of her debts… got together one night, at their lowest, and decided… the time had come for revenge. So, they each picked a target in Naomi’s inner circle and opted to kill them with impunity, all in the hopes of finding some kind of internal peace. But alas, they weren’t counting on John and Jamie’s prowess and were of course, eventually brought to justice. 

But what matters more here, is that this story did a phenomenal job of exploring its central theme. Since it really did help us to understand just how the wrong influence and the right moment can push a person into complete and utter darkness and drive them to do things they never would normally. Which in turn speaks to the importance of kindness and guidance when we encounter folks in that mindset, so that they instead find a shred of hope over anything else and really, in the end, this was a brilliant mystery for certain. Thanks in large part to its engrossing complexity and outright humanity. Since there was a powerful sense of realism to be found here, one that made you feel for everyone involved and well, you can’t ask for much more than that and it will be interesting to see if the next case, is as engrossing and as powerful as this one. Until next time.

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