‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’ Recap: ‘The Witches of Brokenwood’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 702 of ‘The Brokenwood Mysteries’.
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There are some interesting stigmas that surround crime. In that, people tend to collectively believe that crimes are only committed against people that are mixed up in rougher aspects of lives. Or they are victims of an illegal act, because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time thanks to the stigma that surrounds location and socio-economic standing. But the fact of the matter is, crime can strike anyone at any time, and there isn’t some specific type of person that commits them, nor is there a particular type of victim out there. But we believe otherwise since it offers us a sense of safety, and that is why it is always refreshing to run into crime shows… that defy those outright stereotypes and show us the sad reality that comes with crime in order to remove those stigmas, and one series that does a phenomenal job of this is The Brokenwood Mysteries.

For this particular show brings forth quirky and unique crimes to hammer home this lesson and for proof, then look no further than this week’s tale. Because ‘The Witches of Brokenwood’ puts quite the incredible murder on display, one that definitely makes it clear that crime can happen at any place at any time… and that the people that commit it, do it for incredibly unique and random reasons and all of this was made possible, by seeing the sanctity of a place designed to nurture health, be violated by death. For one fine morning, patrons of The Brokenwood Health Retreat, stumble upon the dead body of a woman named Joy, in the sauna, and this horrible discovery brings Mike Shepherd and his whip-smart team of investigators to the retreat, in order to figure who committed this heinous crime and well, what their investigation uncovers, is quite fascinating to say the least. 

Because the deeper they dig, the more they come to discover that this unfortunate end isn’t grounded in any of the stereotypes we relate to crime. Instead, this was a murder built upon years of jealousy and pettiness and money. One that came together by way of several unfortunate actions, such as the one involving the deceased’s husband. In fact, he more or less laid the foundation down for Joy’s death, since he consistently fed her bad medication. The kind that messed with her blood pressure and an underlying heart condition. And that contributing factor to her death came about because he wanted to be in control of her fortune, motivating him to push the bad meds to potentially get her to cede control of the cash flow to him. But while he wasn’t the cause of her death, the fact that he helped to bring it about because of his petty nature, speaks volumes to the episode’s overreaching themes and well… the truth about who killed Joy is what brought it all home.

For it turns out, a family member put poor Joy down for the silliest of reasons. Because Joy was in possession of an unimportant ring that one of her three sisters believed should be in their possession. To the point where these four sisters hadn’t spoken as a unit for years because of the bad blood that came about from that ring. And well, eventually, in the heat of the moment, Joy found herself locked in the sauna by her sister, April, and left for dead and well… we know how that story ends. But what matters more, is that this was a brilliant story through and through, one that featured the perfect balance of comedy and poignant moments and of course, commentary on the realities of murder and crime. Since you walk away from this one with a flawless understanding of how crime really works in the real world, and that the time has come to see how they are committed in a brand new light.

Yet while that was a wonderful and subtle way to offer some depth to this particular tale, this episode also features a sobering end for a character. Since Breen is moving onto sunnier pastures after this case, and it will be quite interesting to see if the team’s dynamic will remain without him, and if the coffee will get worse in his absence as well. But what matters more, is that once again, this series delivered a phenomenal case for Shepherd and the gang to solve. One that offered up some fascinating misdirection, since it truly seemed as though there were several people that could have harmed Joy in such a brutal manner. But in the end, it was once again the person you’d least suspect. Since family is sacred and normally not motivated to commit crimes that relate to the heat of the moment. But alas, that’s the tragedy that played out here and now that this case has come to a close, it will be quite interesting to see what other intelligent and dynamic mysteries await us, as series seven rolls along. Until next time.  

'The Brokenwood Mysteries' is streaming now on AcornTV.

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