‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Recap: ‘Something Nasty at the Market’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 704 of ‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’.

​One big reason why audiences are attracted to the AcornTV series, The Brokenwood Mysteries, is the sheer fact that this show does a wonderful job of balancing a tough subject. Because murder is nasty business any way you slice it and finding a way to make it compelling and palatable to a viewer is no easy task. But this show’s use of humor and clever clues and world building, makes such a dark act easy to watch and oddly enough… easy to enjoy. But alas, sometimes humor in murder is an impossible task when the reason for it is supremely personal and painful in nature and it just so happens, that this particular show… finally brought forth its first somber episode of series seven.
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But it sure didn’t seem like that was going to be the case early on. For the opening portion of ‘Something Nasty at the Market’ was quite the quirky affair. One where Mike and Kristin dropped by a local farmer’s market to gather up some cheese and world class chutney. But the joy and lighthearted nature of the market took quite the harrowing turn, when the owner of the place, a self-made cooking guru named Sophie Grainger… emerged from the barn with a pitchfork in her back and some strange markings on her skin. The kind that resembled a butcher’s guide to slicing up a cow. Which oddly enough, did lead the most comedic moment of the night, since Gina figured out how such an act was done, and was eager to show off her ‘prime cuts’ to Mike.

However, once the team started to dive deep into this particular death, well that’s when things became far more somber. For we came to learn that Sophie was actually quite the sour individual and stepped on a lot of toes and hurt a lot of people on her rise to the top. To the point where cookbooks went missing from old classmates because she wanted to publish the recipes and make them seem as though they were her own creation, and she of course, used that money to build an empire. One that was putting people out of homes and angering others since she was only interested in collecting fees and to top it all off, she was alienating her family. For they were simply miserable, due to the fact that they were nothing more than accessories to her false lifestyle and it is that fakery… that actually managed to lead to Sophie’s death.

For it turns out, that there was an affair happening behind the scenes as well. One where her husband Rory, was growing close to an old classmate of Sophie’s, to the point where he was ready to leave Sophie no problem to finally feel love again. But Sophie was having none of that, she needed her perfect family image and well, that motivated Rory to get out of this fake and hollow marriage in the most desperate way imaginable… by ending Sophie’s life in an intricate manner that should have allowed for him to get away with it, scot free. But alas, there are always tiny clues and mistakes in matters of murder and well, eventually Rory was put away and we were left with the sobering reminder, that desperation and loneliness are dangerous bedfellows and can motivate people to do horrible and heartbreaking things, making this quite the powerful episode when all is said and done.

Because this one really did a wonderful job of exploring that notion in great detail, and of the trappings of fame. Since Sophie clearly transformed into a powerful monster once she struck it rich, and it was equally as sobering to see how she was ruining lives in the name of fame and well, kudos to the writers’ room for grounding this story with a touch of reality. If anything, this particular tale makes it clear that The Brokenwood Mysteries is quite the versatile show, one that can play it straight or play it quirky and not knowing which type of tale lies ahead really does entice the viewer to continue the journey, in part to see which direction the show will take us in next, but also to simply enjoy a quality mystery. The kind that will be solved by fine individuals that genuinely believe in truth and justice. Until next time.  

'The Brokenwood Mysteries' is streaming now on AcornTV.

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