User Reviews

It was nice to see Ardal O'Hanlon make his debut on the island, DI Jack Mooney settled in quickly and was quickly doubting a woman's apparent suicide. If I'm honest I'd say he settled quickly into the role, I didn't need time to adjust to him like I did when Kris Marshall took over. Ardal was bright and funny, the show is wonderfully fluffy, easy viewing, and being the third comic actor in a row to head the show he'll do well. I wasn't bowled over by the story, my major annoyance watching it was why on Earth did they cast the fabulous Elizabeth Berrington in a role that let's face it could have been played by anyone, a total waste of her acting talent, arguably the most charismatic actor in the episode, such a waste. I'm already looking forward to next week's.

A good opener, but not happy about Elizabeth Berrington's thirty second role. 7/10

I love this program and don't want to overly criticize it. Any program with crime set in the gorgeous Caribbean is a hit with me, but the story line for this one has been done before and the locked door scenario is now over used. The now need some new writers for this excellent idea of a show.

Love Jack Mooney!! The show needed something new and refreshing. DI Jack Mooney clicks with the cast. The writers are doing a great job of new cases and new twist.

I do love the gentle humour and style of this programme ..think the other reviews are wanting a complexity of a Morse or a Luther both of which I love but this is perfect Sunday viewing ..decent scripts and plots ,good photography and the new inspector is a peach ....highly enjoyable

What made Elizabeth Berrington fly out to a idyllic Caribbean island for a 30 seconds role on Death in Paradise?

Berrington plays Diane Smith, due to marry wealthy Philip Marston, owner of a chain of hotels. Just before the ceremony she gets bad news of a past incident and then her body comes crashing down.

Everybody tells DI Jack Mooney that it is suicide. Marston's grown up children from his first wife do not like being questioned. Mooney is not sure that Smith meant to kill herself, something about the bride who only painted one fingernail gives him cause for concern.

Ardal O'Hanlon seems to have effortlessly stepped into the shoes of his predecessors. Mooney has enough quirks and craftiness about him with a touch of Columbo about him. As an older person, the writers do not have to worry too much of giving him a romance angle. However I get the feeling his daughter was found to be dull and superfluous, she has been dispatched to university off the island.

Nice start for Ardal O'Hanlon as DI Jack Mooney except for a split second at the Limbo game where he dropped without making a real effort. I thought the starting sequence with Mooney, watermelon and the trafficker was really good. Unfortunately, from there on the story recreates similar patterns and familiar story structure without much of a surprise. Maybe for a change there will be a story in one of the future episodes where everyone will be sure of a murder that will turn into a suicide. The well-liked supporting crew of Dwayne, JP, Florence and Commissioner play their part seamlessly.

The story is about a woman that falls from a hotel building the day before she is to marry a billionaire Philip Marston. Marston owns the hotel and has 3 adult children. People think Diane committed suicide.

Most of the adult children work for him and have an alibi when Diane the future stepmother dies. The new DI Mooney gets a feeling Diane was murdered and he goes on to try to prove it. Dwayne, JP and Florence are not used to him yet as their supervisor but they stick with him. I like Mooney better than Goodman he is not as nuts the way he solves crimes like Goodman did with his quick movements when putting together the clues.

Things I noticed in the show. Officer J.P. Hooper played by Tobi Barkare wears a bracket with a cord on it with a Cross. I have seen the Cross on JP in many episodes and I love it. I did a search and found he really is a Christian and is proud of it. There is a video on Youtube being interview by Lady T on Gospel Drive

What I like about this series is that it has suspense and humor. They also show kindness and understanding with eachother and suspects.

What I don't like is they are always seem to promote drinking as reward for their success.

The thing I don't understand is in all the seasons of this series is criminals just calmly stand up and let the cops handcuff them and take them away. In my opinion not many criminals and killers in the real world are submissive or calm when arrested.

This show was unique, interesting, and funny in its first season, but it's been going slowly downhill ever since, and this episode is rock bottom so far. First of all, it is at least the third example of an identical plot structure. Newly installed DI Mooney responds to what appears to be a suicide in which anyone with a possible motive to murder the victim seems to have an airtight alibi. But Mooney suspects otherwise based on no real evidence whatsoever. But that is no more unlikely than the reaction of those closest to the victim, who immediately accept and vociferously defend the idea that a woman who was literally minutes away from walking down the aisle to her nuptials would instead throw herself off a balcony in front of the assembled guests. And this includes the man she was to marry, who has no trouble whatsoever believing that his fiance would rather be dead than spending her life with him.

Mooney's suspects -- all members of the would-be groom's family -- are a catalogue of stereotypes -- the driven career girl, the wastrel son, and the entitled, air-headed daughter. The plot is equally flimsy and predictable. With none of his staff sharing the DI's conviction (another redundant trope), Mooney continues his investigation despite repeated threats from the commissioner to pull rank and shut it down. But of course he never does and never would, as we viewers know all too well.

And then comes the ludicrous denoument. As per the show's long standing formula, Mooney has all his suspects gathered in one place so he can reveal to all of them (and us) who the killer is and how he knows (as always followng some trivial incidnet that inspires his epiphany). Never mind that no police investigation would ever conclude this way, but its result is a foregone conclusion for viewers who've seen more than one episode. All it takes for the nefarious villain(s) to surrender and confess is for Mooney to narrate the "real" events of the murder. No one seems to care that Mooney has not one iota of actual evidence to verify his story, but his logic is so dazzling and his assumptions so accurate that they can't help but immediately incriminate themselves for him.

Following a formula does not automatically condemn a detective series. Many excellent shows employ a similar approach. However, this show has some of the laziest and most insulting writing I've ever encountered. But as long as Josephine Jobert continues running around in those short-shorts, I'll probably keep watching.

A bride falls from the balcony of an hotel - again? It was an original idea in the second episode of the first season but now it's only embarrassing! What's wrong with the authors? No more ideas , no inspiration or simply too much Caribbean rum? Mooney's performance is horrible and without any charisma - he should rather be called Woody! And hey Florence - acting means more than pretty appearance and five or six wardrobe changes each episode ...! Oh, how I miss DI Poole and Camille!

The new guy, bad story lines, & bad acting from the accused, do NOT make a good plot.

But....the original actors on the island are doing a great, believable, job!

Why cant we see the 2nd inspector, now in London, solving crimes THERE too!? They traded places, but we're not seeing the one in London! I think the writers have run out of story lines. Too bad, it was a great show with good writing, & believable actors.

They could rotate episodes! (Island, London, etc.)

When season 6 ended, I noticed that Ardal's acting seemed wooden, strained and forced - unnatural. While Ben Miller and Kris Marshall both brought in enormous energies and exaggerated quirks of character, Ardal seems to be missing both - and that lack of energy seems to "osmosize" into the other characters like Florence, Dwayne and JP. In most of his lines, Ardal seems to miss... inflection - he's flat. The physical facet of his acting seems to be poor too - for example, in the scene where he's supposed to limbo, he falls/fails like a sophomoric, school boy-actor.

The story and screenplay have been the standard formats that have been this series' signatures, perhaps with a little less "beach" and more "people" this time. Danny John-Jules is close to brilliant as usual, but he can't carry the series by himself. I'm afraid that if subsequent episodes are like this, this may well be the last season in this series.

I realize the reason for the 1st inspector leaving the show (to spend more time with his young son) and....he was killed on his last episode....(director making sure he could not come back..!.)

Then the next inspector was a tad clumsy, but solved the crimes brilliatlt. But....he went to London to solve a crime, & to find his one true love. So, he & the London inspector traded places. Well, we see the London inspector fumbling along in the small island but nothing of the former inspector now in London. The one on the island tries to carry the role of the former inspectors, but it lacks the personalities of the 1st 2 inspectors. Too bad....it "was" an enjoyable "who done it show" I miss the 2nd inspector.

I hope the newest inspector finds his "niche" & the writers do better than they are now, & write better scripts, like the 1st 2 seasons. The actors are weak, forced, & overbearing......(yawn.)