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Death of the Small Coppers is the second episode of the twentieth series of the popular ITV crime drama Midsomer Murders and was first aired through Acorn TV streaming service to the U.S. on 3rd May 2018. It was then screened to UK audiences on 17th March 2019.
Marking the celebration of 20 Years of Midsomer, this episode contains 20 'Easter eggs', objects that make fleeting reference to previous episodes.[1]
Synopsis[]
When Mahesh Sidana - butterfly collector and founding member of an elite IQ society - is found murdered, pinned to a wall in a manner akin to his treasured butterfly specimens, DCI Barnaby and DS Winter are thrust into a crime that impacts not only on their community, but internationally. With the help of an old friend, can they catch the culprit before another victim is found?
Plot[]
Cast[]
- Neil Dudgeon as DCI John Barnaby
- Nick Hendrix as DS Jamie Winter
- Fiona Dolman as Sarah Barnaby
- Annette Badland as Dr. Fleur Perkins
- Mark Benton as Eddie Rowbotham
- Peter Egan as Grady Palmerston
- Ray Fearon as Carlton Scott
- Ellie Haddington as Ginny Welton
- Thusitha Jayasundera as Anika Sidana
- Ann Eleonora Jørgensen as VPK Birgitte Poulsen
- Ella Kenion as Celeste Palmerston
- John Light as Luke Fawcett
- Niamh McGrady as Penny Kingdom (as Niamh Mcgrady)
- Chance Perdomo as Leo Scott
- (unnamed actor) as Mahesh Sidana
- Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro as Student (uncredited)
- Ashley Darkwood as Newspaper Delivery Agent (uncredited)
- Susan Fordham as Circulus Worker (uncredited)
- Stephen Hawke as Police Officer (uncredited)
- Ty Hurley as Crosby Newspaper Journalist (uncredited)
- A.k. Steppa as Postman (uncredited)
- Glenn Webster as Police Officer (uncredited)
- Chris Wilson as Police Officer (uncredited)
Galleries[]
Body Count[]
Prior to the Episode
Pushed off a bridge and drowned in the river 17 years ago.
Died from an unspecified illness.
Died from an unspecified illness a month ago.
In the Episode
Rendered unconscious with ethyl acetate, run through the chest with an earth auger and then hung on a wall in front of an image of a large "Small Copper" butterfly.
Rendered unconscious with ethyl acetate, tied to a chair that was connected to his TV and an electrical source and had electrical connectors put on his head. He was then forced to take part in a quiz game, each wrong answer or time up resulting in him receiving an electrical shock and the current rising. Finally was killed by cardiac arrest.
Supporting Cast[]
Episode Images[]
Video[]
Midsomer Murders Series 20 Episode 2 - Death of the Small Coppers Preview
Notes[]
- Ann Eleonora Jørgensen returns to Midsomer as VPK Birgitte Poulsen who is conducting an unofficial investigation into Circulous. Her previous appearance occurred in the sixteenth series in The Killings of Copenhagen.
The following actors and actresses who appeared in this episode have also appeared in the following episodes
- Ellie Haddington - Tainted Fruit
- Peter Egan - Not in My Back Yard
- Gioacchino Jim Cuffaro - Death and the Divas, Let Us Prey, The Dagger Club and The Ghost of Causton Abbey
- Ann Eleonora Jørgensen - The Killings of Copenhagen
- Ashley Darkwood - Murder by Magic
- A.k. Steppa - Saints and Sinners, Crime and Punishment and The Point of Balance
Trivia:
The episode title appears to be a double pun referring directly to butterflies but amusingly to threats against policemen and to speculation about discontinuation of the penny coin around the time the episode aired. Penny Kingdom's name also appears to be a pun.
Among the episode's 20 "Easter eggs" is a chess board displaying the move called The Sicilian Defence, which is also the title of episode 5 of series 15.[1]
The Trials and Tribulations of Jamie Winter: At the beginning, Jamie was bragging about how he is very good at trivia quizzes. Later, Eddie tries to tell Jamie a riddle, but he refuses to hear it. At the end, Jamie gets captured by the murderer and hung upside down with a crossbow aimed at him. The killer offers to free him if he can answer the same riddle he missed the opportunity to learn.