We have a two-track investigation here, as Sergeant Troy, now promoted to Inspector Troy, is given the throw-away case of an old hermit being harassed by local hooligans (called "yobs") while DCI Barnaby goes off to the scene of a cave-in at a local canal work, where his wife Joyce is volunteering and his daughter Cully is doing PR work. The excellent Cherie Lunghi had little to do as the mother of one of the yobs, and the interesting part of the episode for me was the focus on the hermit and his interaction with the local wildlife.
Tom Barnaby's research into the history of the canal and his leap from blacksmiths to the more recent victim found at the site of a mid-19th Century cave-in seemed like a leap too far. I agree with another reviewer that it seemed inconsistent for Barnaby to take the local lord and the former constable to task over their actions surrounding the earlier slaying when he then essentially does the same thing. However, the ending "felt" right, just as the midstream confession by one of the characters "felt" wrong to Troy.
The ending, with the hermit once again in the woods and surrounded by the animals who felt at ease with him, was worth the price of admission.
Tom Barnaby's research into the history of the canal and his leap from blacksmiths to the more recent victim found at the site of a mid-19th Century cave-in seemed like a leap too far. I agree with another reviewer that it seemed inconsistent for Barnaby to take the local lord and the former constable to task over their actions surrounding the earlier slaying when he then essentially does the same thing. However, the ending "felt" right, just as the midstream confession by one of the characters "felt" wrong to Troy.
The ending, with the hermit once again in the woods and surrounded by the animals who felt at ease with him, was worth the price of admission.