‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Dog Day Morning’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 703 of ‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’.

It is definitely safe to say, that the crime drama has evolved on television in the past couple of decades, into the one the slickest genres around. For the vast majority of network shows in this vein, feature a big-time budget and A-list cast members and of course… stunning and compelling characters. Such as hyper intelligent detectives that know exactly how to utilize their hunches and their skill set to bring down criminals… that are just as intelligent as they are. A dynamic that allows for tense and entertaining stories to take place, the kind that lock us in with juicy plots that consistently deliver on the ‘wow’ factor. But while that is indeed fun to watch, it does remove something important from these stories, specifically the human element, and that’s problematic at times.

Because one of the big reasons that we love crime dramas, is that they truly capture an audience on a fundamental level since they offer us a fascinating moment of teaching, by helping us to understand crime’s impact on communities and individuals and even those involved in the investigation. And those big budget shows often lack that and gloss over the reality of the fact that crime can also be quite messy and desperate and hurtful and grounded in sour emotions. Which is why it is wonderful and refreshing to tune into a show such as The Brokenwood Mysteries. For this AcornTV series is eager to present crime in the raw, in a manner that is both compelling and palatable so that the acts in question are never overwhelming or too dark and a fine example of how well this series presents the realities of crime… is its next episode.

For ‘Dog Day Morning’ starts off with what should be a network norm for this genre, an intense bank heist. One complete with clever criminals that won’t get caught, since these boys are wearing masks and matching attire, and have seemingly accounted for just about every variable in a robbery. But it doesn’t take long for us to realize, that these criminals are bumbling and amateur in nature, to the point where all of four them get caught easily. Because in reality, a bank robbery is not as cool as and slick as they thought it would be, and clues are easy to come across once investigators start looking and that makes this quite the refreshing episode when all is said and done. Since it wastes zero time in getting the four young men responsible for this act inside jail cells, and this entire crime feels quite real and organic… since we often hear about instances akin to this on the six o’clock news.

But what truly makes this particular episode go above and beyond storytelling wise, is the unfortunate murder mystery present in this story as well. For the bank manager dies in the chaos, and the Brokenwood team cannot pin down which of the four committed such a heinous act, since none of them fit the profile of a murderer, nor do any of them have a solid motive to do so, since they’re eager to just get rich quick. Which leads Mike to dig deeper and discover… that this foursome of fools was played all along by a relative of one of the robbers. A man who once tried to rob the bank as well and failed miserably at it. And that revelation, combined with the fact that he was purposefully playing the long game with bad health to make it seem as though he could do no wrong, helped Mike to realize that he was the killer all along that led to a magnificent and epic ending. One where this bumbling crook managed to put a bullet in his bum before going to jail… all because his ego was bruised. 

If anything, this really is the finest episode of series seven to date. Since it featured a genuinely realistic and non-stylized crime, one grounded in elements that we can all relate to. For this one was motivated by sheer greed and ego and revenge, something that we know comes up often in crime. But what matters more, is that this was an old school mystery through and through, one that truly kept the audience engaged since the story did a phenomenal job of hiding the true identity of the killer until the eleventh hour. Plus, we also came to learn that DC Chalmers is going to fit in just fine after all, since he accomplished wonders here and well, in the end… all this episode did, is remind us that this really is one of the finest crime dramas (with a hint of comedy) around. Since it truly knows how to resonate with the audience and offer up something special and it really is a wonderful palate cleanser in regard to what the genre is currently offering. To the point where we will all be counting down the minutes until next week’s entry, so we can partake in another unique and engrossing mystery.

'The Brokenwood Mysteries' is streaming now on AcornTV.

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